I know everyone says it but this first month flew. The hospital stay was incredibly short and the following weeks felt like we were living in fast forward. Each Friday I took a weekly picture in her nursery and marveled at how quickly the days were going by.
Holland's stats at:
Birth
Weight: 8 lbs 8 oz
Height: 21"
Head: 14.6"
2 Weeks
Weight: 9 lbs 5 oz (79%)
Height: 21.5" (93%)
Head: 14.75" (96%)
One Month:
Weight: 10 lbs 7 oz (80%)
Height: 22" (91%)
Head: 15" (95%)
E A T
Just like her brother and sister, Holland loves to eat and already has cheeks and rolls to prove it. She had a great latch from day one and once we got past the overproduction drama, we both settled in quite nicely. The biggest issue now is reflux. She eats way too quickly and almost immediately spits up so we've been doing lots (and lots) of laundry. At her one month appointment the doctor wrote a script for reflux, which should hopefully make it less painful for her.
Right now she is eating every two hours during the day (sometimes three, other times it's every single hour - yeesh) and crashes almost immediately afterward. Usually when she's cluster fed all day it's because she falls asleep five minutes into nursing and I can't get her to wake up. Those days can be frustrating for everyone. After her last feeding we swaddle her and put her down around 9:30p. She usually wakes up at 3a to eat and then again around 6. I really enjoy the 5-6 hour stretch of sleep and it keeps me from feeling like a zombie the next day.
I pump once every three or four days so we have several bottles in the fridge if necessary but I decided not to freeze milk this time around. I found out very late with the twins that I have excess lipase, an enzyme in the milk that changes the taste after it's thawed. For now, I just dump whatever milk isn't used and my only plan to freeze is if I know I'm going to be away from her for a few days. When she does have a bottle it's three ounces.
Nursing was a little stressful for me with the twins ("Are they eating enough?" "Should I be nursing them more/less?") but with Holland I'm just letting the doctor's scale be my guide. Since she's gaining weight and staying on track with her growth, I'm happy.
I don't want to say this transition has been a piece of cake because that sounds obnoxious, but Michael and I have both been shocked at how nice it is to have a singleton this time (especially when that singleton is easy and her siblings are quite a bit older). The first month with the twins was incredible but so much work. This month has been so much fun. I must point out that my amazing mom stayed with us this first month and her help was invaluable. Along with playing with the kiddos, she made sure the grownups were fed and weren't living in a dump. She went home the other day so we'll see how "piece of cake-ish" I'm feeling at Holland's two month update. :)
S L E E P
If there were an Olympic event for sleep, Holland would win a gold medal. I've googled, "How much sleep should my baby get at __ weeks" as well as asked her doctor at every single appointment if she's ok. When she's not eating, she's asleep. I knew that would be the case for the first two weeks but she was well into her third week before she would stay awake for more than a minute at a time. We've taken full advantage of this and have gone on several outings and errands while she snoozed through it all.
We stopped swaddling her when she got home from the hospital and after two weeks of waking up every two or three hours at night I said to Michael, "I wish there was something we could do to prevent her from moving her arms at night - that seems to be waking her up." Michael politely reminded me there was this thing called a swaddle that we could try again. Clearly sleep deprivation had set in for me. We swaddled her the next night and she slept six straight hours.
Holland sleeps in the Dockatot at night and it's been amazing for both of us. She's comfortable & cozy when she sleeps and I don't have to leave the bed when it's time to feed her. For a tired/lazy mom, that is HUGE. When she's consistently sleeping through the night we'll move her to her crib, but for now I absolutely love having her close.
She occasionally takes a pacifier but not always. While the pacifier fixed all things with the twins, Holland has to be in the mood for it, otherwise she spits it out and looks at us like we're crazy for even thinking it might help.
Dear Holland,
What an incredible month it's been! You entered the world with a terrifying screech but have been the most laidback baby ever since... unless you're hungry or need a diaper change and then the screech makes a dramatic reappearance. One month later and it still shocks us with how loud it is. Maybe you'll be an opera singer someday? Your falsetto is astounding.
Before you were born I imagined what you'd look like and I always pictured dark hair. Sure enough, you have the darkest hair of the bunch. I'm so curious to see if it stays or if you'll lose it like your siblings. The biggest surprise is your eyes - they are so unique! They're almond shaped and the deepest blue. You have your brother's lips and your sister's scowl. It's fun to see the similarities but I also love how different you look from them. You are clearly your own person!
You absolutely love to be held. While you sleep great in the Dockatot or Rock 'n Play, your best sleep is in someone's arms. Not to name names, but your Gaga held you every chance she got this last month and it seems like that made both of you so happy. When you are upset you like to be walked around the house and within minutes you're asleep once again.
You wore newborn clothes for two weeks before your long body and chubby stomach decided it was time for 0-3 months. Sometimes I think if I stare long and hard enough I can actually watch you grow - it's all happening so quickly.
You are noisy, sweet girl. When you eat, sleep, or have a bowel movement, everyone knows it. It's pretty funny, though we'll have to work on these things as you get older. Not the most feminine traits but hilarious for the rest of us.
Jude & Sloane adore you. Sloane loves helping in every way possible and Jude is on pacifier duty at all times. They both love to hold you (though you're heavy enough now that they struggle) and they talk about you constantly. They enjoy introducing friends to you and are quite protective of their baby sister.
Holland, you have been the absolute best addition to our little family. You've taught each of us so much already and I stand amazed at how easy this transition has been. I never knew what we were missing but now that you're here I can't imagine this precious life without you. Your sweet face brings us so much joy and I'm excited to watch you grow. I so look forward to seeing your first smile. Until then, darling girl, I smile enough for the both of us.
Love - Mama 
 |
| One month |
 |
| Three Weeks |
 |
| Two Weeks |
 |
| One Week |
 |
| Easter |
 |
| First bath at home |
