Five Month Update!

Emmy Lou Who is 5 months old and 1 day, and this Momma actually got the blog post up on time! Winning all around. :)

This month we've been working on sitting a lot as we start solid foods. She's not quite  there, but she's getting close! She'll sit on her own while she's on my lap or in the corner of the couch. She just kind of topples over if you try to sit her on the floor with nothing around though. Headfirst, right into the tootsies! Since she's not sitting that well yet, we don't give her solids at home. I let them deal with that at daycare. So far she's only eating a small amount of rice cereal every day. Once she masters the art of sitting up and keeping food in her mouth, look out sweet potatoes!

Speaking of tootsies, she found her feet this month. Can I tell you how adorable a chunky little monkey baby is once she finds her feet and holds on to them in a constant yoga pose? HOLY CRAP. I pretty much die every time she does it, and I shower her with praise and kisses. Well I do that anyway, but can you even stand how adorable those chubby little cheeks are?!

Last, but not least, she's started vocalizing much more than she used to. Before she was fully of grunts and coos, and now she's full of squeaks and shrieks. Mostly shrieks.

As for Momma Monkey, I'm currently still holding onto 5-10 lbs of baby weight. I'm willing to let it slide because I'm basically back into all of my clothes and I'm worried that any kind of exercise or dieting of any kind will cause a dip in my milk supply. I'm already supplementing with formula on occasions (usually 1-2 bottles a week) because she eats so much, so my weight isn't really a concern for me. It's all about getting the monkey all the food she needs!Unfortunately this equates to me pumping for around 5 hours a day in addition to nursing her, but seeing her grow so well makes the 3AM pumping session worth it!

I should have measurements next month from Emily's 6 month checkup, which is crazy because I can't believe my little love bug is already going to be half a year old. I'm already planning the most adorable birthday party ever, which I hope to celebrate back home in North Dakota with family and friends. Stay tuned for the next update!

Two Week Update!

I can't believe it's already been (over)  two weeks since my little munchkin made her appearance! She's already grown so much. I seriously can't believe how different she looks! Or at least bigger.. :) She even outgrew her first outfit right at two weeks! I was kind of excited but sad at the same time because that means my little baby is growing! She's also starting to be awake more often, and more alert when she's awake which is amazing. Her eyes get really big when she's interested in something and it's always fun to watch her react to new sounds.

Leaving the hospital, at one week, and at two weeks!

Since we left the hospital we've had two Doctor's appointments and 4 weigh-ins. We were kind of freaking out about her weight (she had lost 8 ounces when we left), but by her two week appointment she had gained it all back and was up to 7 lbs 4 oz. I can't believe she's gaining almost 6 ounces a week, but she's already eating 3 oz at every feeding so it's not that crazy. She eats about 21 ounces of expressed milk a day (3 oz 6-7 times a day) and she also nurses once or twice. When she gets really fussy we let her nurse, and it seems to calm her down quite a bit.

We started her on bottles right before she turned two weeks old I think it actually helped her latch. You hear all this hubbub about "nipple confusion" and almost every lactation consultant will tell you not to introduce pacifiers or bottles until at least a month, but we were having major latch issues. She has a good latch and a good suck reflex, she just got really upset when it was time to feed. It would take us 30 minutes just to get her calmed down enough to eat! Now when it's time to nurse she pops right on. So I'm calling BS on nipple confusion. Some babies might have it, but not Emily.

Our pediatrician also suggested we start her on tummy time because her neck and arms are so strong already. It seems so early to start, but she assured us that it's never too early to start tummy time and suggested we start with 5-10 minutes a day (or however long she'll tolerate it) and see how she develops.

As for Mommy, I'm doing great! I'm moving around way better this week and not feeling pain anymore, and I've also lost more of that water I was retaining from the hospital stay. I'm down to 126 lbs and measuring at 28" in the waist and 34" in the belly. I look much less pregnant and more like I'm just carrying a few pounds around.. haha But I've only got 10-15 lbs to lose since I've got to retain some of the weight for healthy breastfeeding, and at 2 weeks post partum I can't complain about that. Jesse goes back to work next week so Emily, Sammy and I are going to try to get in lots of walks in the fresh air!