5 1/2 Weeks

Alexis is growing fast! It seems like we see her cheeks getting chubbier every day, and she's starting to be able to wear clothes that before would have swallowed her whole. Her feet pajamas all still are way too big for her. She tends to stick one leg in with the other leg, or occasionally we'll even see one leg dangling out from where there aren't any snaps. She's healthy and (mostly) happy, though.

She has been using her pacifier some, but not a ton. There is so much advice and instruction out there about how to do this thing called raising a child, and I think I've come to the conclusion that you end up just trying to do what works. All of this information was saying your kid is supposed to eat at certain times, but no one ever says what to do when she doesn't! So while she isn't exactly too chaotic, she's not on a schedule. And that's okay. My friend Shannon gave me some really good resources and shared her experiences. Alexis is doing something called cluster feeding quite frequently. This usually occurs in the morning and means that she likes to eat on the hour, every hour, for 3-4 hours. Yikes, right? I'm getting used to it, though, and she usually does a great job during the night about eating and then going back to sleep or just putting herself to sleep if she's awake. I can usually get about six hours of sleep in a night, although it's very broken up and means I'm going to bed early and getting up late. I can't imagine doing constant nighttime feedings and having a real job, though. Most of the time we have to hold her up for a while after she eats so that she doesn't spit up as much. This can get kind of old, but it tends to work well. She's still spitting up some stuff that is kind of creamy and yellow, but that's because of medicine, and it's gotten better since she's been off of all but one.

She is also getting incredibly strong. Alexis grabs hold of things very tightly when she wants to, especially when it's her recent favorite thing - hair. And pulling hair hurts, as both Jason and I can attest to. She'll also grab my shirt most of the time when she's eating, and she never willingly gives up her left sleeve, meaning that I can usually get her right arm out of her right sleeve with no problem, but she clamps up and will grab hold of her clothing with the left. It's a little strange and very funny. She sleeps all sprawled out now, which is incredibly cute, and sometimes when she cries (if she's especially upset), her little chin trembles, which always breaks my heart. She went through a brief period for a few days when sometimes she would get so upset about wanting food that she couldn't latch on, and it is just the saddest thing in the world to watch. At other times, though, when she's not upset but is having difficulty latching on, she has got to be the most determined baby of all time. She just keeps trying and trying and trying until she gets it right, because she knows when it's not right. And then her eyes will be open wide and look up at me as if to say, "Look ma - I can do this!"

She is still trying to figure out if she likes baths, and I'm trying to discover the best time to give her one. She also tends to be pretty squirmy and unhappy when I give her a baby massage. Who doesn't want a massage? Apparently her... She also usually has time with both of us in the mornings and in the evenings. In the mornings, usually sometime between 5:30-6:00, she'll either want food or cry some, and I'll bring her into our bedroom and feed her. Jason is usually getting up around this time, so we get to start our day with her. Before we got to bed we'll also bring her into the bedroom and hang out with her for a while, which is a great way to end the day. (However, last night Jason got the fun duty of her crying for about 1/2 hour before going to sleep.) She still doesn't "play" with toys or anything, but we put her wrist rattles on her (on her ankles because they don't fit her wrists yet) and we play with her musical cow that Nanny and Papaw sent to her. We probably get more enjoyment from them than she does, but all in the name of development, right? And we talk to her and sing to her and Jason tells her ridiculous stories and tries to convince her that if she can't articulate what's wrong when she's crying than there can't really be anything wrong. (Note to self: inserting logic into a conversation with a one month old does not work. Must remember for next child.)

I also had an appointment with my doctor today, and everything is great. I've healed very well and am actually back to the weight I was before pregnancy, although I definitely have some stomach flab that I have to work on, and I lost all muscle in my calves during the swelling, so I'm beginning to do some exercising, which feels great. Let's hear it for having normal clothes again, hooray!