Your Smile

Dear Nora,

You have become so smiley these last few weeks. Your smile can truly light up a room in my opinion! When I got your picture with Santa, the photographer/elf said she hadn't seen any babies your age smile like you did. Your best smile comes when you look at me. Daddy likes to get you to look at me when I walk in the room to watch your reaction. I love to see you smile and am so thankful you are a happy baby. :)

Love,
Mommy

Happy 6 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

Today, you are 6 months old! What a milestone. This morning we went to toddler time at the library and to McDonald's afterwards. I had you dressed up in a cute Christmasy outfit and everyone thought you looked adorable.

At 6 months,

you weigh 15 pounds 13 ounces.

you have found your feet and love to reach for them.

you are very talkative and have an extensive repertoire of sounds.

I've noticed you starting to get bored. You like to move from place to place, so when we are home, you'll rotate from exersaucer to jumperoo to bumbo to activity mat to swing, etc. This isn't usually a problem when Luke is up because you either take such interest in watching him or we are out and about. But I notice it the most when you are awake during his nap and just have me to entertain you. I'm not nearly as exciting. ;)

you can now sit up! You first sat up on Thanksgiving Day for about 10 minutes, with only occasional rebalancing from me. Just this afternoon I left the room to get the camera to take a picture of you and heard a thud. I came back in to see you had lost your balance and hit the wall. Oops, I guess you're still learning.

you've had sweet potatoes, peas, applesauce, and oatmeal. Sweet potatoes are your favorite, with peas coming in dead last.

you still love that pacifier. I love that it works so well, but struggle with how often to let you have it. I don't want you to become too dependent on it, especially for sleeping.

you have recently moved to 4 feedings a day with 3 naps. The first one is often short because I wake you up to go somewhere and the last one is usually the shortest.

you have kissable chipmunk cheeks that I love.

you don't mind at all going between breastmilk and formula, even during the same feeding. I'm so glad that's not a problem.

This time last year we didn't know yet that we'd have a Nora. We found out you are a girl on December 16, so that means a year ago I was going crazy wanting to know! I'm so thankful you're you and that you are in our family. I love you so, so much.

Love,
Mommy

Ibloom

Dear Nora,

Each Monday we go to Ibloom in the morning from about 9-11:30. After dropping Luke off, I walk over with you to the nursery building and get you checked in. The church invests a lot of money in the childcare and they have about one caregiver for each baby. They are older ladies who seem to genuinely enjoy taking care of you. They always say something like, "she's just wonderful, she's a real baby doll." When I went to get you today, a woman was rocking you and your eyes were getting very heavy. She asked, "is my baby asleep yet?" I'm glad you have such a good time there and are so good for them. :)

Love,
Mommy

Happy 5 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

You are now 5 months old!

At 5 months,

you weigh between 14 and 16 pounds. I tried getting your weight on our home scale and couldn't get an accurate number, so we'll just say it's somewhere in there.

you have started trying to sit up, almost like you are doing crunches. At Honey and Grandpa's last week I had you propped up on your boppy. Honey was talking to Daddy and looked over to see you raising your head to join in their conversation!

you are rolling over from your back to your tummy. You now sleep swaddled waist down and prefer to sleep on your tummy. When I lay you on your back on an activity mat, you inevitably roll to your tummy and are then not happy as long. You start lifting up your chest and look like you are itching to crawl.

you seem to recognize your bottle and like to help hold it while you are eating.

you also recognize faces from a distance. It surprised me when we were in DFW recently how you would make eye contact with me from across the room and smile.

you usually sleep until 6 or later in the morning.

you like to laugh, often during diaper changes and after your bath. You are ticklish right under your rib cage.

you have been chewing on your fist quite a bit and drooling a ton. I'm watching for that first tooth!

you are easily distracted when you eat, so it's difficult to get you to eat sometimes when Luke is making all sorts of noises.

you take a special interest in your big brother. At breakfast I sit you in the bumbo across from him to watch him eat and you will make eye contact, smile, and talk to him.

We love you!

Love,
Mommy

Happy Heart

Dear Nora,

Yesterday I came home from running errands and Daddy was holding you. He said when I walked in and started talking, you turned toward my voice and smiled. That made my heart happy. :)

Love,
Mommy

Happy 4 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

You are four months old today! A year ago at this time Luke and I were staying with Honey in Carrollton while Daddy was on a trip for work and Grandpa was out of town. I started feeling sick on the drive to Carrollton and felt pretty awful with morning sickness and a cold during that week. I'm sure glad it's this year and not last year!

At 4 months,

you weigh 14 pounds 6 ounces.

you are spitting up frequently. :( You love to be in the Bjorn, so I wear you a lot that way, but I just have to accept that we will both have spit up on us as a result.

you are being weaned off your pacifier while sleeping. I haven't been feeding you at night for almost 4 weeks now, but you were still waking up frequently and the pacifier was helping you sleep. Of course the problem with that is when the pacifier falls out of your mouth and you wake up needing it again. So, for the past 4 nights I haven't given it to you. We have had to endure some crying, but last night you didn't make a peep between 9:30pm and 6am this morning. And even then you fell back asleep until 7am. I'm so thankful and praying this just continues and gets even better. I have been way too tired the last several weeks!

you drank a 6.5 ounce bottle last night and are moving from a 3 hour eating cycle to more of a 3.5 hour cycle during the day.

you are wearing 6, 9, and 12 month clothes.

you do 30-45 minutes of tummy time a day and spend a lot of time sitting in your bumbo. You really like to watch Luke play. I guess that's a benefit of being a second child. :)

we have started to read a book to you before bed and you LOVE it. I felt bad we didn't start this with you as early as with Luke, but now it's part of our short bedtime routine. You smile, lock eyes with the pages and kick your legs around excitedly when we lay on the floor and read.

you like to roll over to your side when you're on your back, but haven't quite mastered rolling onto your tummy yet.

you have new hair growing in on top of your head and a bald spot on the back of your head.

you like to listen to Daddy play the guitar for you and Luke.

We love you and are so thankful you're in our family!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 3 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

You are three months old! I've thought several times how three months ago last night I was in labor with you and three months ago this morning you were born! You have done a lot of growing in these last few months. At 3 months,

you weigh 14 pounds.

you are really excelling at tummy time. We try to do 45 minutes a day, but I'd say realistically we do at least 30 minutes a day. I've started propping you up on the boppy pillow and you seem to not mind it as much this way.

you've started to use the bumbo, but usually just for short periods. You like to sit and watch Luke play and when I point out to him that you're watching him, he gets a proud little smile on his face.

you don't always cry during bath time anymore. This is a nice change.

you have broken one arm out of your swaddle a few times.

you have been sleeping more longer nights. Last night you ate at 9:30 and didn't get up to eat again until 6:45 this morning! A couple weeks ago you went a 4 night stretch of sleeping from 9 or 10 to 6:30 or 7:30. Sometimes you do still wake up between 4 and 5 in the morning, but you can bet every night when I put you to bed, I pray you will sleep until after 6. :)

you like to "talk" to us and to the cat on your activity mat. This was one of Luke's favorites, too.

you can't sleep anywhere as easily as you used to. Yesterday the only nap you took in your bed was in the afternoon during Luke's nap. I felt bad for you, but I guess that's what it's like being the second child. And today you've taken great naps in your crib since we've been home.

you much prefer the social interaction you get when your bouncer is on the kitchen table than when it's on the floor. This is where you usually are during meal times.

you've been in the church nursery twice and we've left you with a babysitter 3 times already!

We love you so much, little one.

Love,
Mommy

Many Firsts

Dear Nora,

You experienced many firsts last week with our trip to Denver for Daddy's graduation. This was your first time on an airplane, first hotel stay, and first time out of the state of Texas. You were such a good baby, with only a handful of crying fits when you were hungry and I hadn't realized you would be with everything else going on. You were quite content to be in the Bjorn through the airport and for much of both flights. I fed you during take off and landing and your ears didn't seem to bother you one bit. I also changed your diaper in my lap a couple times during the flights. You slept through Daddy's graduation, except for when I took you inside a building to feed you and change your diaper. You are such a sweet and easy baby and it was fun to take this trip with you. We will always remember what a little baby you were at Daddy's graduation and I'm so glad you could be there with us.

Love,
Mommy

Happy 2 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

Today, you are two months old! At 2 months,

you weigh 11 pounds 9 ounces.

you really like your pacifier. When you start to cry, Luke incessantly says "pacifier, pacifier."

you cry when we put you in your crib to sleep, but it usually doesn't last more than a few minutes.

you wake up to eat once at night. The longest you've slept is 9.5 hours, but that only happened once! I started a 10 o'clock dreamfeed last week to see if you'd sleep through to the morning. You've woken up to eat anywhere from 2:45 to 6:30. Let's try to stick with 6:30 and then push that back toward 7:30 or 8. :)

you like to lock eyes and give us occasional smiles. You will move your mouth around like you are interested in "talking" to us.

you really like to be in your swing and will fall asleep there if you're having trouble sleeping in your crib.

you are more aware of your surroundings and I can't assume you will sleep quite as easily in any environment.

you have grown out of one of my favorite headbands. I took it out of your dresser and put it in your keepsake box this afternoon.

you are able to wear some 3-6 month clothes, especially dresses.

you can drink up to 5 ounces when you have a bottle.

We love you and love having you in our family!

Love,
Mommy

Out and About

Dear Nora,

I've told several people lately how much more you have been out at this stage than Luke had at your age. Luke spent a lot more time at home than you when he was 8 weeks old. You have been out to a couple nice dinners with us at The Melting Pot and Bonefish Grill, you've been to the childrens museum, Chick-fil-A, the park, playdates at friends' houses... you are so adaptable and will nap in your carseat just fine. I took you with me to Walmart for the first time last week while Daddy stayed home with Luke. You took a nice nap in the Bjorn. It's so easy to wear you that way and you are clearly very comfortable in it. We will be heading to Denver in a couple of weeks and I anticipate you will spend a lot of time in the Bjorn while we are there. I like getting to have you with me while we are out and about. :)

Love,
Mommy

Champion Sleeper

Dear Nora,

I am so impressed with you, pretty girl! You have gotten up to eat just about once each night the past week! One night you went a 7.5 hour stretch without eating, from 8pm to 3:30am, and the next night an 8 hour stretch until 4am. Two nights ago you ate at 8pm and didn't wake up to eat again until 5:30am!! That's 9.5 hours at 5 weeks! Last night you woke up at 2:30am, then again at 6:45am. So, it's not consistent yet, but I would definitely say you are moving in the right direction, and I am so pleased!

You looked so cute in your little elephant outfit with your new hair bow yesterday. :)

Love,
Mommy

Happy 1 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

Today, you are one month old! At one month,

you weigh 10 pounds 2 ounces.

you have developed a little double chin, some rolls in your thighs and rubberband wrists. :)

you typically wake up to eat twice a night, often around 2am and 5am, although last night you didn't wake up for the second feeding until 6:30am! The longest stretch you've gone between feedings is 6 hours. The whole feeding, burping, and changing process usually takes about 30 minutes and as long as you don't have lingering gas, it's not difficult to get you back to sleep. I just swaddle you and lay you back in bed.

you are used to being vigorously bounced in your bouncer and pushed in your swing by your big brother, as well as receiving unwarranted high fives, fist bumps, and slightly rough forehead kisses.

you love to be held, particularly in an upright position.

you can go with the flow and have slept in your infant carrier for several meals out.

you often seem to look me right in the eye.

you like to look out the window.

you have incredible head strength, so I'm hoping tummy time isn't too much of a burden when we start focusing more on that soon.

you have already outgrown some newborn clothes.

We love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

Getting to Know You

Dear Nora,

Time is passing so quickly and I am trying to savor the time as we get to know you. A few things we've noticed about you:

You spray spit up through your nose (and mouth).
Your right leg shivers like a dog when you're cold or getting a diaper change.
You have this reflex when we lay you down where you lift both arms like you're emphatically saying "what's the matter?"
You have dimples in your ears that make them look pierced.
You make frequent grunting noises.

You are an efficient eater and often just take 15 minutes total. You eat twice a night, around 1 and 5am, and go right back to sleep after being burped. I'm so glad you haven't had any day/night reversal issues! Right now you typically eat around 8a, 10:30a, 1p, 3:30p, 6p, and 8p. If you are determined to sleep after eating I really haven't had success with waking you up, but I don't swaddle and put you down for a nap until about 30 minutes after you've finished eating. You've taken 2 bottles without any trouble at all. You do love a pacifier in the evenings.

I took you to church Sunday for the first time and you got lots of attention. We are so thankful you are ours!

Love,
Mommy

P.S. Here was my view at the children's museum today with you in the bjorn. I love that little head.

Easy Baby

Dear Nora,

The other night, Daddy and I were talking about what an easy baby you are. I think Luke was an easy baby, too, but so far, we think you're easier. We will hope it continues. :)

You had your 2 week appointment yesterday and you weigh 8 pounds 10 ounces! You're in the 50th percentile for weight and head circumference, and in the 30s for height. We are so thankful you got such a good report from the doctor.

We love having you in our family. You fit in perfectly. :)

Love,
Mommy

You're Here!

Dear Nora,

Today you are 5 days old! You and Luke are both asleep in your cribs at the same time for the first time. (You've been sleeping in a pack & play in our room the past few nights.) It's so cute to see the monitor rotate back and forth between the two of you. You look so tiny and he looks so big. I'm tired, so could be taking a nap right now, but before too much time passes, want to take the opportunity to reflect on the last several days. It's been a whirlwind! 

At my appointment on May 19, Dr. Schmidt told me I had progressed quite a bit and that labor was usually the next step! So, we excitedly finished up everything we could think to do to be most prepared for your arrival. Then Luke got a fever over the weekend and we prayed he would feel better before you hit the scene. Thankfully, the fever only lasted a couple days. Then on Monday, May 25, I went to an urgent care clinic because of a painful rash on my leg. I was so sorry to learn I had contracted shingles. Thankfully I could take the medication, but the goal became to keep you in longer because if I was contagious when you were born, you could have been exposed to chicken pox. To make matters worse, the urgent care facility told me it was urgent that I go straight to the hospital because of high blood pressure. Thankfully it returned to normal after I got there. I think I was just stressed about the shingles. 

Nana and Papa drove down on Monday to stay here for the week and take care of Luke. I put myself on a sort of bedrest to do my best to not go into labor too early! Then on Friday, May 29, your due date, I was concerned that I could be leaking amniotic fluid. So, Daddy and I took our second trip to labor and delivery. (3rd if you count the time after my car accident!) They checked me into a room right away, but found my waters intact. I thought Dr. Schmidt might want to induce since I was already there and it was my due date, but she recommended giving it the weekend to give me a chance to have contractions and let the shingles further heal. So, Daddy and I left and headed to La Madeleine for a special due date breakfast date, my request. :) 

Early on Sunday morning, around 2:30, I started having contractions. I had had a few braxton hicks contractions in the weeks prior, but nothing too significant, and these contractions actually hurt. They were nothing regular though. So, I went to church, then went to a bagel place with Nana and Luke after church. I tried to take a nap in the afternoon, because I hadn't slept well the night before, but was in too much pain from the contractions. I noticed through the afternoon that they started to become more regular, with about 2 contractions an hour. Before Daddy left for the start of summer small groups at the church, I asked him if his bag was as ready to go as could be. It took awhile to get ready to go to the hospital on Friday and I didn't want it to take that long when it was the real deal. I decided to go to small group anyway, since it didn't seem like it was time to go to the hospital yet. But while I was there, a few friends were telling me how they had waited too long to go to the hospital when they were in labor. I started to see a pattern with the contractions and texted Daddy to say we needed to go to the hospital. So, I left part way through small group to come home and head to the hospital with Daddy one more time!

We checked in at 7:30pm and they placed me in triage. I included below the text messages with Honey, Grandpa and Aunt Holly through the night so you can see the timing of how everything progressed. I was frustrated to be in triage for so long with such painful contractions, but the nurse was even asking if we lived close to the hospital and wanted to go home because I wasn't further along. No thanks!! It was hot and stuffy in there and Daddy was hungry for dinner, but he waited with me until I got settled into my room. As they checked me throughout the night, they kept appearing surprised at how I was progressing so quickly from one stage to the next. They had anticipated starting me on pitocin in the morning to help things along, but there was no need for that! I'm so very thankful to the Lord that my body did what it was supposed to do without needing any assistance or prodding along. Labor was much more difficult this time around than with Luke, but I think it was a much healthier labor, too, and has provided a significantly easier recovery. 

I slept a little bit once getting the epidural and had to force myself to get my makeup on in the morning. I was SO incredibly tired when it came time to push, I really didn't think I could do it. I kept saying over and over, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and that's the only way I could do it. Daddy helped with holding one of my legs, holding on my oxygen mask, and encouraging me to push with all I had! You were born at exactly 8am. It was so surreal and special to see you and think, you're the one who has been in there all these long months. I got to hold you right away and you started eating immediately. Daddy sang "Jesus Loves Me" to you and we had a few minutes together while they worked to clean everything up. When they were weighing you, you were screaming and when Daddy went over to talk to you, you quickly quieted down. It's special how you already know our voices and feel connected to us. 

I was moved to another room within just a couple hours of delivery and was even able to get up and walk to the bathroom. We stayed at the hospital for just 2 nights after that, although they actually would have let us stay just 1 night. Honey and Grandpa came to meet you, then Nana and Papa, then Luke. We had a number of friends come see us, too, and enjoyed having you in our room for mostly the whole time we were there. I did get tired of all the interruptions from nurses, pediatricians, the hearing specialist, photographer, business office... So we were ready to come home once it was time. Honey had been here with Luke, so she was here for your first few days at home. You are such a precious girl and I am doing my best to savor the time with you. 

Throughout the last couple of months, I have prayed about so many things and wavered between faith and worry. On this side of it, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness at all the specific ways God answered these prayers and provided what we needed.

Prayed------------------------God's provision

About your position, knowing I might need a c-section - you turned on your own

About how to quickly coordinate Luke's care while I was in labor - Nana and Papa were already here

About how Luke would handle all the transitions with his care - he was just fine and adapted very easily

That Luke's nightmares would be under control when we were at the hospital and home with you -     he's had very few bad dreams recently and hasn't needed too much when he has woken up at night

That Luke's fever would be gone and we would all be healthy when you arrived - we were healthy

That my shingles would be cleared up for labor - they were healed and didn't need to be covered up

That I would know for sure that I was in labor - it was clear!

That I would get there in time for an epidural - there was plenty of time

That Dr. Schmidt would be there for delivery - she was there that morning

That I wouldn't have a postpartum hemorrhage - no hemorrhage

That you wouldn't need treatment for jaundice - I had to take you once after leaving the hospital to get your blood drawn and your level had decreased from high intermediate to low intermediate

That you wouldn't wake up Luke in the middle of the night - you screamed a lot the first night we were home, but Luke didn't wake up once

About Daddy's dissertation - he was able to complete all the revisions he could before you were born and will receive more feedback this coming week while on paternity leave. I have to believe God will enable him to get everything done while also equipping me for what needs to be done with our family

We love you so much, little Junebug and are so thankful you are in our family.

Love,

Mommy

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