3 Weeks Old!

Annabelle is 3 weeks old! I can't believe how fast the time is going, and how big she is getting.

YAWN!

Size: Annabelle weighs close to 9 pounds now, and length-wise has outgrown her NB size footed sleepers. She still fits into NB onsies and pants though, so she's getting some more wear out of all the cute clothes people have given us.

Likes: Annabelle loves the Moby wrap! When I put her in that, she promptly falls asleep on my chest. She loves being close to mommy, and loves moving. She wants to bounce, rock, sway, dance...anything but sit still! She also likes having her diaper changed, and taking baths. Really I think she just loves being naked, but I'm happy she doesn't hate those things, since I hear most kids do. Annabelle also loves the boob. She'd pretty much be there all day long if I let her...some days I do just so I can sit and doze on the couch while she snacks away happily.

Dislikes: I think the thing Annabelle hates the most is her car seat. She screams bloody murder when I buckle her in. Pretty much nothing will calm her, since she won't take a pacifier (another dislike). This makes most car rides really hard for me, because I hate, HATE hearing her scream like that. But, I keep reminding myself that she's fed, dry, and safe, and if I sat and held her in the car, she would not be safe. I'm hoping she out grows this relatively quickly, since we are driving 7 hours up to Michigan in a couple of weeks. yikes. (Sorry in advance, Courtney and Matt, if she screams the whole time!! Bring ear plugs.)  Another dislike is sleeping at night. Annabelle enjoys sleeping on mommy during the day, and very much dislikes sleeping at night these days. More on that later. The last dislike is wet diapers. She lothes them. That's fine with me--who wants their kid sitting in pee for a long time??


So, the sleeping issue. I'm not sure if it's considered colic or not...I know colic is crying for 3 or more hours at least 3 days a week for 3 weeks...so, she probably couldn't be diagnosed with colic right now since it's only been the past week or so that things have been really rough. She has some good nights, but more bad than good, it seems. I've heard the saying "days and nights mixed up," and that pretty well describes what we experience with Annabelle. She will sleep a lot in the afternoon/evening, and then wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed around 10 p.m. She stays awake eating or crying until around 1:00, then will sleep for a little bit, wake up and eat, and just be wide awake from about 3:00 to 6:00ish. Eventually she'll fall asleep on my chest, so I'll fall asleep, and we sleep until about 8:30 or 9:00. I know that co-sleeping is "wrong," but screw that, we're co-sleeping. It's the only way that I can get any sleep at all, and I know Annabelle is safe either on my chest, or next to me on a bare sheet with no covers or pillows around her. I'm so hyper aware of her anyway that the slightest awake movement wakes me up thinking she's ready to nurse again. She won't sleep more than an hour if I put her down in her Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper that we have next to the bed, so by 3:00 a.m. each night, I have pretty much given up on that.

On recommendation from a couple of friends, I am reading The Happiest Baby on the Block, and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I am halfway through the Happiest Baby on the Block, and it really makes a lot of sense. The premise is the "4th trimester," the idea that babies are born still needing three more months in a womb-like atmosphere, and if they don't experience that, colicky behaviors spring up. The author does a good job so far of really explaining things well, and it makes a lot of sense to me. I'm hopeful that we'll have some good solutions by the end of the book.


Another new thing we're doing with Annabelle is cloth diapers! She's been in them for just over a week now, and they are working out well. We already started noticing a diaper rash using the disposables, even though we have the Pure and Natural ones, she was getting pretty red. So, we jumped to the cloth. We're using BabyKicks primarily during the day. They are a one-size-fits-all pocket diaper with a Hemp insert, so they are pretty absorbent. We tried using them without the insert using the newborn fold and snaps that they have when she was first born, but she was too heavy of a wetter to use them without the insert, and they were just too bulky for her when she was so tiny. Now that she's over 8 pounds, we are using the insert with them and adjusting to the smallest rise setting, and they are working great! I really like them, and we haven't had any problems with leakage during the day. We tried using them at night, and without double-stuffing them, we have had a couple of leaks. So now, at night, we're using Bummis Easy-Fit diapers. They are by far my favorite diaper. We've got a few Bum Genious and a couple of other brands, and hands down the Easy Fit rocks the house. If I had the budget, I would have bought entirely Easy Fit diapers for our stash instead of BabyKicks, but they are about $24 each, so that was not an option. We do have enough for overnights, and they are so awesome. Easy to put on, even when deliriously tired, and they are super duper absorbent. Even when she is really wet, I can't tell very much. The velcro is very strong, so they stay nice and tight, and the diaper itself is insanely soft on the inside, so I imagine that they are the most comfy for her, too. They don't have a lot of bulk, so even though she's still pretty small, they fit really well. I highly recommend them.

We are also using cloth wipes, which is actually much easier than I thought it would be. We have an empty wipes container and fill it with water and some essential oil, and just keep the wipes in there. We wring one out before using it, and they work great. Just toss them in the hamper with the rest of the dipes.

The only thing that is relatively annoying at this stage is how many diapers she goes through. Since she's still a newborn, she's using around 12-14 diapers in a 24 hour period. This kid pees a lot, and since she hates wet diapers, we're changing her sometimes every hour. That means that I'm washing diapers every single day. It's not a big deal, but I am looking forward to when she's older and we don't go through as many each day. Right now if I don't wash them each day, we run out. We have about a a 2-day stash. Last night she ended up in 'sposies again since we hadn't gotten the clean diapers out of the dryer before going to bed, and neither one of us wanted to deal with it in the middle of the night. Oh well. Thanks mom, for making sure we have a package of Huggies on hand!



My mom came down last week to help me out, since it was my first week with Jason back at work. She cooked for us every night, helped with laundry and cleaning, and most importantly helped me gain confidence in leaving the house with Annabelle. We started out with quick runs to Target, and ended the week with a trip the outlet mall in Tuscola. It's still a little intimidating knowing that this week I have to do it by myself, but I feel better about it. Just figuring out the logistics of diaper bag, carrier vs. stroller, where to change/feed her, etc... is a little unnerving. I'm sure we'll figure it out though--everyone else in the world has! At the end of the week my dad came down for a day, and he babysat Annabelle while my mom and I ran to the mall for about an hour and a half. I was so nervous the whole time, but of course my dad did fine (he raised two of his own, clearly). Annabelle slept the whole time. I'm so thankful for my parents and their help!



Okay, lastly, here's some fluff!

Annabelle sits in the bouncy seat while I get ready in the morning. She lasts about 10 minutes before crying to be picked up...I have mastered the quick-hair and makeup routine! Thanks Aunt Linds!!

Isn't she just gorgeous?!

Loves the Moby!!

My best friend from middle school, Katie, came down from Wisconsin to visit us for a couple of days. It was great having her, and Annabelle loved the extra snuggles she got.

Doesn't everyone have one of these pictures? Obligatory, but super cute.

Snoozing on mom

She lasted about 2 minutes on her play mat. I'm thinking it was a little overstimulating for her. (And hey--check out that cloth diaper!)

sigh.

Daddy's princess.

Grams came down for a week to help us out and she loved the snuggles!

!!

Gramps came down for a day and babysat Annabelle for an hour while my mom and I ran to the mall. I had to resist the urge to call home 8 thousand times. She was clearly fine...slept the whole time.

Joanna, Annabelle's Godmother, getting some cuddle time.

She doesn't love the Ergo yet, but we're working on it.

and that's my baby girl. I am so in love.