They say time goes faster with second babies, and of course it’s true – today our sweet Ella is one month old! She’s such a sweet baby with her own little quirks and personality – she may look a lot like her sister, but she’s definitely her own person!
Ella at one month:
- Weight to be determined at her doctor’s appointment on Monday, but she’s definitely over 9 pounds, possibly getting close to ten. – Updated after her appointment – she’s 9 pounds, 9 ounces!
- No idea on length – we’ll wait for Monday’s appointment for that. – Updated after her appointment – 23.5 inches long!
- Eyes are still blue, and she still has a full head of brown hair!
- Wearing 0-3 / 3 month clothes. There are a few newborn things that still fit her, but I hardly ever reach for them.
- Nurses really well. She typically goes about every 2 hours during the day with a long stretch at night before a few smaller ones. I’ve started pumping when I can and my supply so far seems good – that was something I struggled with last time.
- Goes down for the night anywhere between 7:15 and 7:45 like clockwork. This girl is all about consistency! That first stretch is anywhere from 4-6 hours, then she gets up to nurse and goes back down for about another 2 hours before waking again to nurse and going back down for about an hour or so. She’s recently been taking a long morning nap, about 3 hours, which is amazing. After that, she naps in 45 minute to an hour increments until she goes down again. She’s sleeping in her crib in her room at night, but during the day she’s often in the swing or on me. Oh, and girlfriend loves her swaddle – it calms her down so quickly when she’s tired!
- Starting to smile socially – I’ve caught a few and I had forgotten how sweet those early gummy smiles are!
- HATES dirty diapers. I change her so much more often because they bother her so much! She’s currently still in size 1 disposables, but I anticipate switching over to cloth in the next week or so.
- Loves riding in the car seat and always falls asleep on car rides – the complete opposite of her sister.
- Loves being in the bath but HATES getting out and being cold.
- Not a big fan of tummy time, but is liking her playmat more and more.
- Gets hiccups ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously, at least 1-2 times a day!
- Such a momma’s girl. She loves holding my finger in her hand and it’s sometimes the only thing that calms her down.
- Loves her big sister and is always staring at her when she’s around. Loves to snuggle.
- Has met all of her aunts and uncles and her cousin Amelia.
- Nicknames: Miss Ella, Ellabear, Ellabella. I’ve also started calling her Miss Thing sometimes when she’s being impatient for her food or a new diaper. She’s a sassy little thing for a one-month-old!
Life with Two:
Abbie is the sweetest sister to Ella and loves her so much. She’s always asking to hold her and help with her diapers and kisses her good night and good morning every day. She just adores her and it makes my heart happy.
That said… Abbie is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to sharing our attention. She’s yelled at Chris and I out of frustration, and is always asking us to play with her – much more than before Ella was born. Abbie’s always been an incredibly independent kid and she’s definitely looking for some more validation and attention from us lately. Because Ella needs me so much, Abbie ends up spending more time with Chris than me, so sometimes she’s much more obstinate about doing what he asks. I also think she misses me – she’s not a snuggler by nature but is now always asking to, she gets frustrated when I can’t help her with things because I’m busy with Ella, and she’s asked for help doing things I know she’s perfectly capable of (like eating her mac and cheese). I’m hopeful as time goes on it’ll get easier and she’ll adjust, but it is a learning curve for her right now. I’m thankful though that absolutely NONE of her frustration is against Ella.
Postpartum:
I went back to Weight Watchers on November 12. I know that seems crazy early to most people, but it’s a structure I need in my life. I have about 10 pounds of pregnancy weight left, all in my middle. I’m in a weird stage that the majority of my maternity clothes are too big, but some of my regular clothes are too snug. I’m hopeful that my clothes will start to fit better soon.
My 6-week checkup isn’t for another 2 weeks, but I’m trying to do some light activity like walks around the neighborhood when I can. Once I’m cleared to work out, I’m planning to do some home workout videos when Ella’s napping to help get me back in shape.
Overall, I’m feeling pretty good. Since Ella’s been a good sleeper so far, I get a decent amount of sleep most days, and that’s a big help. I am having to deal with hemorrhoids, just like I did with Abbie, so that’s no fun, but otherwise most of my pregnancy symptoms have passed. I haven’t started losing too much hair yet, but I know it’s coming and am probably going to cut my hair shorter in anticipation. I am super thankful to not be pregnant anymore though – it was a long pregnancy and I’m so glad to be feeling like myself again!
So that’s our first month with Ella! Can’t wait to see what the next month brings!
