Hold your head high!

At 5 1/2 weeks, I think that she is doing pretty darn well!

As you can see, Finn is getting REALLY good at holding up her head.  She isn't quite there yet and almost!

Smiles are also abundant (definitely not ALL the time), but she now smiles when she sees E or I after not seeing us for a while (i.e. when E comes home from work or when she wakes up and see us).  That toothless grin totally makes my heart melt.

We are starting to breastfeed again.  She has been getting 90% breast milk since her arrival, but I was pumping due to some issues we had in the hospital with her latch and not being able to see a lactation consultant for the first 36 hours.  I quit nursing and starting pumping about 5-7 days after bringing her home.  We tried to nurse again at about 2 weeks with a nipple shield, but she was falling asleep while nursing even despite efforts to keep her awake and she was getting a majority of foremilk and not enough hindmilk (which I didn't know anything about), causing some bad reactions.  So at 5 weeks, we decided to try it again as feeding and pumping seemed to be twice the work and I was getting exhausted.  We started up again on Sunday and so far, so good.  We still have to use a nipple shield, being that she had been on the bottle for so long.  But it's not a problem for me and it doesn't seem to be a problem for her.

I'm also stepping out of my comfort zone and signed up for a new-mommy group in the area.  Finn and I have our first new-members meeting on Thursday morning.  With two of my closest friends out here both moving out of the state in early fall, E and I both decided that I need to get out and meet new people, especially moms to build up my support group while I'm still at home on maternity leave.  The group also has couples' nights and I'm going to sign us up for the next one, which is in three weeks at a local brewery that both of us like to frequent.  There are already 9 couples, so hopefully we'll come away with some new friends! 

My daughter looks like a teenager!

So poor little Finn has developed a pretty nice case of baby acne!  The poor girl looks like she is a 13 year old who doesn't know to wash their face every day.  It does bother her and I'm trying to NOT let it bother me.  I just miss my precious little girl's smooth skin...  It'll come back soon -- this I know.

Last night, we officially moved her into her crib at night.  AND we started to let her fall asleep by herself.  I rocked her until she was practically asleep and then placed her in her crib.  She woke up slightly and I tried to shush her to sleep.  It was SOOOO hard to not pick her up again.  She was super content, just laying there in her crib -- so we went into our room.  But we had the video monitor on and could hear her every peep, which made me feel better.  There were definitely a lot of tears shed (on my part -- not hers).  E kept telling me that she was doing wonderful -- being 5 weeks old and starting to soothe herself to sleep very successfully.  Just another instance in the last couple of days that my baby isn't tiny anymore.  God, I'm in for a LONG haul...

On my postpartum front, I've lost 28 pounds of the 45 that I gained during my pregnancy.  And I haven't started exercising again yet -- YEAH for breastfeeding!  I also realized that I shouldn't have washed my pre-pregnancy jeans before I put them away, as they are NOWHERE near close to fitting.  I've got at least two inches left to lose around my middle and I feel super flabby.  I can't wait for my 6 week checkup with Emery so he can release me to start some serious exercise regimen.  I need it -- I won't have anything to wear pretty soon.  I can only feel comfortable wearing yoga pants and my maternity shirts for so long!  17 pounds to lose!!!

Bleh bleh bleh...

Yesterday I had mentioned that we use the Moby wrap and the sling.  I forgot to mention that we also have a Baby Bjorn.  You can use the Baby Bjorn with newborn as the flap in the front is very high and holds their head, but our little girl likes the ability to move her head around.  And being that she doesn't have complete head control, we have to tighten the straps on the flap to keep her head super close to my chest.  This means no moving her head from side to side or seeing anything, which does NOT make her happy!  I think the Bjorn is going to get its best use when she is big enough to be facing outward.

By far, the Moby is our best hands-free carrier right now.  In fact, it's our go-to when she is getting uber fussy and doesn't want to settle down.  The minute I put her in the Moby, she calms...  It's pretty amazing!

Below is just another video that I shot on my phone.  We DO have a camcorder, which I picked up yesterday and cried as I was looking through the photos/videos when I realized that E had shot video right after she was born, not just photos.  So I watched those videos, which I'll post later as I need to figure out how to transfer the videos to the computer.

I'm not sure what made me think to make that sound, but it appears that she was thoroughly enjoying it!

Talking to herself

It's starting already!  She is picking up a habit that her mother has -- talking to herself.  I turn the camera on my iPhone around so she could see herself and interact with herself.  The clip below is her reaction to her own reflection!

One-month baby check-up

On Friday, Finn had her one-month well baby checkup.  It went great!

When we took her home from the hospital, she had lost 10% of her body weight (which is on the borderline of too much).  She weighed in at 7lb 5oz the day we left the hospital.  At her one-month check up, she weighed in at 9lb 3oz!  The doctor said that she is right at the 50th percentile for her weight as well as her head circumference.

And in one month, she has grown 1.5 inches!!!  She was 20.25 inches at birth and she measured in at 21.7 inches!  In fact, this morning when I was trying to put on one of her newborn sleepers, she couldn't stretch her legs all the way out!  She was too big for it.  (It made me cry that she was growing out of her newborn stuff -- I know... I'm going to be a wreck as a mother if I'm getting emotional about her moving up a size!)

 Waiting for her shot... (Thanks, Auntie Mandy, for the stylin' outfit that I wore to the doctor's office!)

       Believe me, she wasn't this calm after her vaccinations...

      

The doctor kept telling me how big she has gotten since her one week visit.  She also commented on how fair she is and how we really need to be careful this summer with her pale skin.  Hopefully she takes after her mother -- I get really pale during the winter time, but tan pretty easily during the summer months.  Guess we won't find out for another couple of years.  But hopefully she isn't like her father who gets a sunburn opening the refrigerator door too long!

The doctor also told me how beautiful her name was.  She said that it took her a little bit to get used to the name, but once she knew how to say it, she couldn't get over how beautiful it was!

We had E's folks over last weekend.  They thoroughly enjoyed Finn.  We just spent the weekend watching basketball (totally my call) and laying around the house snuggling with Finn.  On St. Patrick's Day, I added the mobile over the Pack-N-Play and we realized that she LOVED the mobile!

"Me first St. Patrick's Day!"  (Thanks Grandma P. for the onsies!)

 Happy baby!

We also tried out both the sling and the Moby Wrap.  Both were a huge success!  

The sling was wonderful.  She was already sleepy when I put her in there and she fell asleep.  She didn't stay in the sling long.  I think that she has to be just a little bit bigger for the sling to work effectively.  Even though she was secure in the sling, her neck was practically sitting on her chest.  Obviously, she didn't mind because she fell asleep, but I thought it looked uncomfortable.  So we'll put the sling to use in a month or so when she gains a little more control of her neck and packs on some more pounds.

Not bad for my first time! (Pay no attention to worn out mom with no makeup on behind the curtain!)

Completely asleep!

The minute that I put her in the Moby, she fell asleep!  I put the Moby on myself -- I think for doing it the first time and by myself, I did pretty well.  It's not as pretty as the instruction book, but she was super secure in there and loved being right up against my chest.  With the weather being wonderful, the next time we go out, I'm definitely going to think about bringing her around in the Moby!

And I'll leave you with a parting photo and completely makes my heart smile...

E & Finn, sleeping on the couch...

Cats don't make good babysitters...

No babies were harmed in the making of this film...

When this video was shot, the weather was colder and although we had the heat cranked up in our house, with all the windows that we have, a chill is inevitable.  With that said, Finn didn't like having her diaper changed and would start to cry the minute we placed her on the changing table.

This time, Norm and Lucy had decided to snuggle in the exact place that we usually change her.  Before everyone gets all riled up, you can see me hovering right outside of the frame of the video, ready to swoop in a flash.

The two kittens have been wonderful with her.  Lucy will even snuggle up on our outstretched legs when we are trying to put Finn to sleep.  Lucy has a deafening purr and it helps calm Finn -- like our own little portable white noise machine.

The dogs have also been wonderful.  Bishop doesn't give a poo about her -- and couldn't be bothered.  Munk has started to "check" on her when she starts to cry too loud, sniffing her face.  He is going to be her best friend once she starts eating and throwing food on the floor.  :)

The waiting list...

Last night, E and I were able to go out to our first dinner as a couple (only four weeks after having Finn -- I think that we are ahead of the game).  During dinner, it was mentioned that the Cleveland Clinic does, in fact, have a daycare affiliated with it and it is only three blocks away from my building at work.  One of the secretaries that I work with has her child enrolled there and is able to see him during lunch.  What would be more wonderful than having daily lunch dates with my daughter!

Sleeping beauty

The end of every nap is concluded with a series of stretches and faces (it's my favorite part of the day, if I can catch it)

With the arrival of the in-laws and them taking Finn out for a walk, I was able to put her on the waiting list.  Or so I thought...

I am going to stay home with Finn for 12 weeks.  I return to work on May 9th.  At that point, my really good friend SaraBeth is going to be watching her until she leaves for graduate school in September.  So I figured that being Finn won't be enrolled until September, it was a long enough time away to easily get into the daycare.  Apparently not.  The lady that I spoke with at the daycare stated that they are only telling new enrollees that it would be sometime in the fall that they would have a spot open up.  She couldn't guarantee our specific time because they were having an influx of new babies.  And apparently, she won't know what the date will be until the early summer time.  Great...  She did say that she would be able to place us in a KinderCare until the time a spot opens up for us.  Now to find the most convenient KinderCare.  And I have scheduled a tour of the daycare on Monday morning -- so hopefully I'll like it.

Finn is starting to become more alert and staring intently at objects

 Infatuation...

Also, yesterday, Finn developed a rash all over her trunk and I took her to the other doctor in my pediatrician's office.  Being that she was afebrile, nothing to be alarmed about according to the doctor, just a newborn rash or contact dermatitis.  But she said that it could possibly get worse before it gets better.  Well, it's getting worse -- the poor girl now has it spreading up her neck and onto her face!  I have her well-baby one-month visit on Friday and will be talking to her regular doctor then.

And we also have E's parents here until Monday morning.  It's so wonderful watching others love on your baby.  It makes me involuntarily smile.