Five Weeks.

5 weeks for the Big Lady. There is one word that defines this week: patience. My patience has been tested so many times this week. Brooke hit the infamous 6-week growth spurt a few weeks early (because she thinks she's that old) and has been a handful. She decided to spend an abnormal amount of time awake in a 48-hour period. On top of a lack of sleep, she got hungry more frequently than usual but would only eat a little bit at a time. Oh yeah, and the Poop Monster (the nickname our poor child has received from both of her parents and will more than likely send her to therapy in the future) has been ruining outfits left and right. 4 a.m. explosions are my favorite - nothing like stripping a half-asleep, half-pissed infant in the middle of the night, trying to calm the starving child while dealing with the poop that is just everywhere. Let's just say we're down 1 onesie as I decided at 4 a.m. it wasn't worth my time or sanity to clean it and so into the trash can it went.

Today was the (knock on wood) turning point for us. We had a pretty good night, going 7 hours between feedings. This morning, I woke up to find that my little one, still fast asleep, had fallen from her side-sleep position onto her belly. That's right, her belly. Call the SIDS-police now, folks, because I *gasp!* left her that way. I took a shower, got ready, and even ate my breakfast, and all the while my baby girl was sleeping on her belly. And I don't feel bad about it, nor did I worry about her - she's freakishly strong. Plus, I felt like a human being again! Not only that, but not having to depend on someone else to help with her so I could do all of these things left me in an incredibly good mood. Bonus!

Speaking of freakish strength...the pediatrician told us to increase Tummy Time from now on to improve Brooke's already incredible upper body strength. So, we worked some in today. Here's the step-by-step process in pictures: first, figure out what's going on; next, rest up for what is going to be a tough couple of minutes; then, it's go time - lift, lift, lift!

Holy Smokes!

This is what Brooke's pediatrician said as she walked into the room at her one-month appt today, after having taken a peek at her chart. The nurse had weighed her in at an incredible 12 lbs 13.6 oz. This shocked the doctor, as did the fact that she's now 24 1/4 inches long, up almost 2 in. from birth. Her head has also grown an inch (like it really needed to...) and is now 16 inches around. When I say Big Lady, I clearly mean Big Lady! When she checked the growth charts, she told me Brooke is completely off the charts. OFF THE CHARTS! Apparently they don't make babies this big. And by "they", I mean society. She's not the least bit concerned by her size - she's proportionate, she doesn't really eat all that often, and when she does it's not for very long. She says she's just an "efficient eater" and has a "big stomach". So, as long as the doctor's happy with her size, I'll proudly continue putting my brand new baby in her 6-month sleepers (wore the first 6-monther today!)

Brooke was so good throughout the whole appt. She was very quiet and calm, super alert, smiling and cooing at the doctor. I think the doctor was both impressed by and enamored with our baby girl. She got one shot today, which made Mommy almost as sad as Brooke. But there were no tears involved for either of us - she doesn't have fully-developed tear ducts yet and, well, I was just brave :) She has her very first Princess band-aid to show for it! (Can you say precious?)

One month already!

Dear Brooke,

It's your one month birthday! Mommy and Daddy are just so smitten with our big girl. You amaze us daily with how "grown up" you are already. That little face of yours causes our hearts to melt on a regular basis. And now that you've started to give us smiles when we talk to you, our hearts are bursting! You've changed so much since we brought you home one month ago. These are a few of your favorite and not-so-favorite things this month:

Favorites

Bathtime - You love to take baths in the sink. You gleefully splash around (and by splash I mean you involuntarily jerk your arms around.) It's very calming for you.

The Daddy Hold - Daddy has perfected a little hold that has about a 90% success rate, especially when you're gassy. He props you up in his arm, squishes your legs Indian Style, and then holds both of your hands in one of his. You seem to love it.

Lullabies - We listen to lullabies in the car when we're on the road. They keep you happy and quiet, double-bonus for Mommy.

Your Nasal Aspirator - A weird thing to love, I know, but your poor little nose is so stuffy. It's as if you've already figured out that that giant suction ball relieves your discomfort, so you don't squirm when we use it.

Cuddling - You are the cuddliest little girl. You just snuggle up onto our chest and fall fast asleep. You sleep best when you're listening to Mommy or Daddy's heartbeat.

Mommy - I don't like to toot my own horn, but you do love your Mommy. You know Mommy's smell and follow my voice when I'm across the room. Plus, Mommy's the only person that can feed you, another one of your favorite things :) I'm sure in future months this list will include your Daddy and then your grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., but for now Mommy's the only sure-fire baby whisperer.

Not-So-Favorites

Being Swaddled - You've never been a fan of being swaddled. You love your hands too much to be restricted like a tight burrito.

Lotion - You really don't like the lotion massages we force on you. It's winter, so your skin is super dry and cracky. We're just trying to keep you smooth and soft and blood-free; we aren't trying to torture you, I promise.

The End of Bathtime - You hate to get out of the bath. Despite our efforts to bundle you immediately, you get cold. And then we try to quickly lotion you up = torture.

Getting into your Carseat - You like to stretch and spread out those long legs and arms. You can't do this in your carseat, so you really dislike spending time in it. That being said, riding in the car usually puts you to sleep, so short-term memory loss must kick in or something.

Mommy and Daddy feel so blessed to have you in our lives. You make us so proud! We've kept you happy and healthy for 31 days, so we're pretty proud of ourselves, too. We love you, little one.

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Four Weeks.

Before I go any further...guess who officially SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT last night? A certain little baby girl that happens to be the spitting image of her mommy went 8.5 hours between feedings, giving me one killer stretch of sleep. Big news. In fact, she might have gone just a bit longer, but she was starting to stir and, well, I was desperate. And by that I mean The Girls were very, very ready to be relieved. And if you don't understand what I mean by that, you don't want to. Moving on.

Brooke is four weeks old today! We can't believe how big and beautiful our munchkin is. She's growing like a weed - we'll get the official weight on Monday at her one-month pediatrician's appt but I'm pretty sure she's tipping the scales at 12+ lbs. Yes, she's large and in charge but we're not concerned. Those of you that are should relax - I promise we won't be sending her to Fat Camp anytime soon. And I'm not going to "slow down" my 4-weeker. She only eats a max of 15 minutes (total) every 3 hours - not a lot for an infant, trust me. So, no, I'm not going to feed her less - she's a chunky monkey and she's probably going to remain a chunky monkey. Thankyouverymuch. (Can you tell I'm a bit passionate about this? Leave the Big Lady alone, she's "healthy".)

Anyway, she's still 100% perfect and wrapped around our fingers. Almost at the one-month mark, which is a crazy thing to think about. Can't wait for what's to come! And now, a few pics for you because, let's face it, that's why you look at the blog these days.

All dressed up for church in what have been dubbed her Hammer Pants. (Apparently, they're high-waisted and puffy. Can't touch this.)

Her first bottle. It went...okay. We'll keep giving her one a week so she gets used to it in case we need them in the future.

Sleeping on the job - that Bloomberg is a bore. (Visiting Grandpa's office.)

Sandstorm anyone?

Only those that have been to a UD home game in the past 8 years will truly appreciate this. For those that have, enjoy what was undoubtedly the best part of tonight's game. For those that haven't, watch this first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sKmgki9ifE&feature=related.

And yes, she Sandstormed (I created a new verb, so sue me) with her burp cloth.

And don't worry that we're not supporting her head. She's not quite 4 weeks old but has a stronger neck than I do. She loved this. So much so, in fact, that she proceeded to happily poop through her onesie right after this :)

Oh so scary.

So, this is what happened when I put her back in bed at 3:30 this morning. The corner of her mattress dropped! Let's talk about how terrifying this is to me. I laid her down and very carefully slid my hands out from under her (if you don't do it stealthily, she senses that she's no longer being held and all hell breaks loose.) I then very gently leaned on my hand in her bed, just waiting to make sure she was content and going to stay asleep so I didn't have to play the go-back-to-bed-only-to-get-up-in-2-minutes-when-she-screams-because-she-realizes-she's-alone game that we'd already played twice. I say "very gently" because I honestly don't feel like I put that much pressure on the mattress. Well, the mattress fell in the corner nearest my hand (it's an adjustable crib, so the mattress is supposed to be able to drop down further as she grows, but not on its own!) She didn't wake up or even move, as it really only dropped a few inches. Regardless, I immediately took her out of bed and she and I slept downstairs on the couches.

Here's my thought on this: I have a large baby girl. She's gaining weight like it's her job (well, I guess it kinda is...) She's only going to get bigger and heavier. What if, when she starts wiggling around and rolling, she moves herself into the corner? Would this happen again? Scares me just thinking about it. Daddy will be spending some time with this situation TODAY. We will tighten the heck out of those joints and then I'll be sure to put just as much pressure on it to make sure it doesn't budge. I don't want my baby girl to think she's sinking like the Titanic, you know?

Three Weeks.

"Look at my killer neck strength Mom! Pay no attention to those folds in my neck and try to focus on how darn cute my chubster cheeks are!"

Today, the husband said "This has been a long 3 weeks." To my own surprise, I feel the exact opposite. I can't believe time has gone so quickly since Brooke has been in our lives. Maybe it's because we were there so long, but it feels like we just left the hospital with her. She definitely seems older to me already - much more alert and animated these days. I've joked from the beginning that she came out thinking she was already 3 weeks old. True to form, she's exhibiting behaviors that you wouldn't expect of a 3-week-old but a much older baby, like smiling that isn't gas-induced, following images with her eyes, and the aforementioned neck strength (she's been holding her head up on her own since, like, day 2.) When I look at my baby girl in pictures, I can't believe how different she is already. So in awe!

The Big Lady has managed to surprise her parents and family yet again. She has gained 2 lbs since birth. Yes, that's right. Rather than losing weight as most infants do and fighting to get back to their birth weight, our "little" girl is now 11.5 lbs. I repeat, 11 and a half at 3 weeks! No wonder our backs hurt! I was slightly worried that she wasn't eating long enough at each feeding and therefore not getting enough nutrition. Clearly, I was worrying needlessly :) She really is a Big Lady (Don't worry, I won't call her this when she's older and give her a complex or send her to therapy...) Being in her bed is one of the few times she looks tiny to me (even with the big sleep sack on.) I love seeing her all snuggled in the crib, sleeping peacefully - melts my heart :) (She's not really asleep here. I went to grab my camera, but she woke up before I got back in the room. She typically sleeps on her side up against the back bumper, but when she slides more onto her back - like this - she gets angry and wakes up.)