Anna Love ~ 3 Weeks

First let me say, I'm SOOOOO close to adding some more awesome hospital and newborn pics.  We gave Mrs. Patty SO much work, but she's close to being finished!!  I can't wait to share the pics and the entire birth story!!  :)

Not a lot has changed in the past week other than the fact we are back to real life.  Daddy is fully back to work.  Mom and kiddos are fully back to school.  We actually all started back last week on Monday, February 17th, but I really feel it this week.  I'll be honest and say it's hard.  We are not accomplishing as much as I'd like especially in school.  I'd really like to just sit and hold and feed and cuddle Love Bug all day long.  And eat junk food.  And watch movies.  BUT I can't.  Lots of people say let the house go.  I agree.  But I still have to feed the rest of my crew.  And school must go on.  This is one of the few cons with homeschooling.  The "teacher" doesn't really get maternity leave.  With all of this in mind, let me say this:  For anyone that ever reads this who is pregnant with their first or will eventually be pregnant for the first time, please, please, please sit and hold your baby and do nothing.  Do as much nothing as possible!!  And LOVE it!!  Don't worry about anything else!!  The only time you will ever get this opportunity is when you have the first baby.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my other kiddos to pieces, but I'd love to just cuddle a newborn with no other responsibilities.  Oh well, I guess I will just have to take what I can get.  ;)

Anyway getting back to the weekly update there's not a lot to report, but here it is in a letter...

Anna Love,

We are still just eating you up!!!!  I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but we had to actually come up with a rotation system so that all your siblings could take turns helping take care of you.  Crazy, huh?!!!  They all want to love on you, hold you, and help with you so, so much!!!  They are all such great helpers!!  And they are crazy about you!!

I just finished cutting your nails for the 4th time!!  Seriously, your nails grow so fast.  I cut them for the first time the day you were born so that you would not scratch up your pretty little face.  Then coincidentally I cut them at 1 week, 2 weeks, and today at 3 weeks old!  As I cut them today, I was kind of in awe of how sweet and little your hands, fingers, and nails are.  I mean just look at these sweet, little bitty fingers!!!

While I'm speaking of your fingers and hands, I'm reminded of another detail that I keep forgetting to mention.  Your feet!!!!  I think we received the first comments on your feet when we had an ultrasound around 13 weeks.  We were seeing a specialist and as he was doing the scan he said, "Wow, she has amazon feet!!"  A few weeks later I'm pretty sure our regular ultrasound technician also mentioned how big your feet were.  Now that you are actually here on the outside everyone who sees your feet and toes comment on how big they are!!  Funny!!  Guess you'll be taking after Mommy with your feet.  This is bad for shoe shopping.  It's really hard to find cute shoes in such a big size.  And even harder to find cheap, cute shoes in a big size!!  Sorry, Baby!!

For the most part you are still on the same feeding schedule I mentioned last week, but we have had some cluster episodes where I have just fed you constantly!!  These episodes have definitely contributed to us having a harder week, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

Another change that I can't believe I'm even sharing, but hey, I'm trying to remember every little detail so here goes...anyway this change is in your poopy diapers.  Before you were having SO many poopy diapers.  Before a feeding, during a feeding, and after a feeding.  There would not be much to them, but oh so many!!  This week you've started storing them up a little.  Now you deposit more in the diaper but less often.  This change is not resulting in us using any less diapers though, because you still have a wet diaper pretty much before every feeding, during every feeding, after every feeding, and several in between.  AND just to keep things fun, you have a sensitive bottom so we have to change you right away to be sure that your little tush doesn't get broke out.  Speaking of diapers, I've started letting Grace and Mary Ruth change your diapers sometimes.  They just LOVE doing it!!  It's a win for all of us!!!

You are still sleeping on basically the same schedule as last week, but you are staying awake for longer periods during the day.  When you are awake during the day, you put on quite a show.  Your best play times are still at night just before bath and bed.  You are so happy and playful.  You seem to really be trying to talk to us, and you are so close to giving us real smiles.  I think you must already know how loved you are!!

I guess I had more to report that I realized.  The only other thing that I can think to add is that your skin is not really peeling anymore.  Another way you are growing up.  Bittersweet.  I can't believe that 3 weeks have already passed!!

We love you to the moon and back, Sweet Love Bug!!!

Here's a few favorite pics from this past week...

Full Tummy = Happy Baby!!

Still sleeping on her side.  Please don't pay any attention to my messy bed!  

First time on her play mat.  You can't really see it, but she was really playing hard here.  

3 weeks old today!!

Here's one last one....Grace, who has really been inspired by Mrs. Patty, set up a little photo shoot and took this pic all by herself.  Sweet!!!  Me may have a budding photographer on our hands.  

More 2 week details

I should probably have waited til today to post about Anna Love's 2 week details.  She had her first well baby check today, so we have a few more details.  All this info is more for me than anyone else, so if you are bored by the little details you might want to check out now.  ;)

Everything checked out great today!!  Today's appointment was pretty simple.  Mostly we discussed feeding, peeing, and pooing!  Fun stuff!  And got new measurements.  We also had to do the 2nd PKU test which is just a routine newborn screening that involves a heal stick to collect blood.

So at the pediatrician's office today, Anna Love weighed 7 lbs 9 ozs.  She is 21 inches long.  These numbers make her a typical Minor baby.  She's long and skinny!  About 75% percentile in length and about 25% percentile in weight.  She's been gaining on average 1/2 ounce per day which is on the low end of what the doc looks for.  Typically they are looking for 1/2 to 1 ounce per day.  Doc says he's satisfied.  Again this is pretty typical for our babies, so I'm also pleased too!  I've always joked that I must make skim milk since my babies gain slowly and stay skinny no matter how well nursing is going!

For the record...

Anna Love was 7 lbs 11 ounces and 20.5 inches at birth.

One day later she was 7 lbs 7 ounces.

The day we were discharged she was 7 lbs 4 ounces.

On Monday, February 10, she had a weight check at the pediatrician's office.
That day she was 7 lbs 4 ounces.

Friday, February 14, she has another weight check, and she was 7 lbs 6 ounces.  Looks like we are climbing back up now!

That brings us to today which again was 7 lbs 9 ounces.

So everything is on track and looking good, but of course we really didn't need the pediatrician to tell us that!!  We all think she's perfect!!!  :)

Anna Love wore an outfit today that big sister Elizabeth wore almost 3 1/2 years ago!!  Here's some pics for comparison.  Both pics of Anna Love are from today.  The first pic of Elizabeth is at 1 week old and the second pic of Elizabeth is at 1 month old.  I think Anna Love looks a lot more like the 1 month old Elizabeth.  I'm going to have to find some time to compare some pics of Anna Love and Mary Ruth sometime soon!  

In other news, Anna Love's diaper bag finally came in!!  Anna Love is the first baby to have a "special" bag!  We didn't really need much for her, so I splurged just a little and had this bag made.  Also I wasn't really finding a bag in stores that I really liked.  I'm all about some pink, gray, and chevron right now!!!  Loving this new bag!!

Anna Love ~ 2 Weeks

It's amazing how fast time flies!  I can hardly believe our little Love Bug is already 2 weeks old!  It was just yesterday that I was on the edge of my seat waiting for her arrival.  She changes everyday.  Seriously.  Every day!!

Pictures of the first two weeks at the bottom!

Anna Love,

Here's what we know about you so far..

...throughout the day you feed about every 2 hours.  Sometimes you have episodes of cluster feeding, but for the most part you are pretty consistent with the 2 hour schedule.  Nursing is going so well!!  It was painful in the beginning, but it's getting so much better.  I'm sure praying that we have a long and healthy nursing relationship!

...you take a pacifier very well!  We waited several days to give you a paci.  I wanted to be sure that we were off to a good start with nursing before we gave it to you.  We ended up giving it to you during that first painful week of nursing.

...you are a good little sleeper.  You prefer to sleep on your side.  Mostly your right side.  I'm fairly confident that as much as possible you slept that way in the womb too.  As far as the night time routine goes, it took a few days for us to find our groove, but now that we have that figured out you go to sleep so well every night.  You start off sleeping for about a 3-4 hour stretch.  Then you wake up for a feeding.  You and I are up for probably close to an hour.  Diaper change (because you insist!!), feeding, diaper change again, then back to sleep.  After that you wake up every 2 hours til it's time to for me to get up and stay up.  You still sleep most of your day away, but just in the past day I've noticed you having more awake time.

...speaking of that bedtime routine, it all starts shortly after we get your brother and sisters to bed each night.  Just like in the womb you are a serious night owl.  The show usually starts around 9 PM every night.  This is when you usually get keyed up every night.  You get so happy and play and kick and coo!!  It's so fun to watch!!  Then it's bath time which you also LOVE!!!  All of this is great since you get yourself sufficiently wore out with all the activity!  By about 10:30 or 11 PM you are quite ready for bed.  So it all looks something like this:  Bedtime around 11 PM.  Wake around 3 AM.  With this feeding we tend to be up for the full hour.  For some reason the rest of the feedings tend to go faster.  Next feeding is usually roughly around 5 AM.  Then again around 7 AM when usually mommy has to get up for good.  Now this is not exact, but pretty close.  Right now you sleep with us, but we plan to move you out when the weather warms up a little bit.

...you hate to have a dirty diaper!!  Boy oh boy, we change a lot of diapers!!  Whether it's just a wet diaper or something more you let us know when you need to be changed.  One night when you woke for a feeding, I fed you and then had trouble getting you to go back to sleep.  In my dazed and delirious state, I failed to change your diaper.  You were SO fussy and just would NOT go back to sleep.  Eventually I realized you were so fussy, because you need a diaper change.  Actually it was Daddy who woke up offering to help that realized you need the diaper change.  As soon as you were changed, you instantly relaxed and went back to sleep!  I'll not be making that mistake again!

...you wore size 1 diapers at the hospital which is pretty typical.  We put you in newborn diapers for the first several days at home.  We seriously went through an entire pack of diapers in one 24 hour period in the first few days!!  After finishing up the open packs of newborn diapers, we decided to go ahead and move on to size 1 for good.  The newborn were just a little bit short, and the size 1 really seemed to be a better fit.

....you are wearing Newborn size clothes, but probably not for too much longer.  Your length will force us to move up a size long before this mama is ready!  Right now you wear sleepers pretty much every day.  We have a few cute outfits that are not sleepers, but since we aren't really getting out we just put you in easy, comfortable, very cute sleepers!  In fact, each night after bath we put you in a clean sleeper and you wear it for 24 hours til it's bath time again.  Easy peasy and oh so cute!!

....you have quite a voice on you!!  I think you cry louder than any of our other babies!!

...you look so much like big sister Mary Ruth.  Almost everyone agrees!!  We can't wait to see if we will have another brown eyed girl.  Right now, Mary Ruth is the only girl with brown eyes.  You share so many of her features, I just bet you'll have brown eyes!!

...you get held almost constantly!!  Everyone in this family adores you and wants to hold and cuddle you as much as possible!!  We actually had to create a rotation system to keep all the siblings happy!

...you like to be swaddled and you sleep better when you are swaddled.

...your skin is peeling all over in that typical newborn way.  Precious!!

...you lost your umbilical stump at exactly one week old.

...we've only taken you out for doctor's appointments.

OK now for the real fun!!  Photo overload!!  My favorite pictures of the past two weeks!  I've got something from everyday!  I'm still waiting to receive our professional pics.  With the exception of the first couple, these are just ones that I've taken myself with our cheap old camera.  Also I have Anna Love's birth story ready to post, but I'm waiting to put pictures with it before I post it.

 

Same outfit that all the sisters have wore home from the hospital.  Sweet!!

First bath at home

First big snow!

First holiday ~ Valentine's Day

Only the 2nd time ever in your crib!!

Valentine's Day 2014

I'll let the pics speak for themselves (mostly).  

Everyone LOVES this Love Bug!!!

This face says it all!!  Elizabeth is pretty much always full throttle!!  So much personality wrapped up in one little body!  LOVE her!!

I think Anna Love is done. ;)

My 6 Sweethearts!!  Can't believe I'm Mama to 6 now!!!

Besties!!

Besties!!

And then there were 10, and still only 1 boy!!  Poor Luke.  :(

Anna Love and Allove born just 3 months apart.  They are besties from the start!!

Well they will be besties.  Right now they are not that sure of each other!  Ha, ha!!

Happy Valentine's Everyone!!!  We loved and were loved today!!

** We also finally made it to the doctor for that final weight check.  Nana guessed it perfectly when she said 7 lbs 6 ozs.  Way to go, Nana!!  Also Anna Love's coloring looks great, so no more bilirubin checks.  Now we don't have to go back until it's time for Anna Love's first newborn appointment which happens to be next week.  Oi!!  I forgot how often we have to go to the pediatrician's office in these early days.