One month. Jan 15 - Feb 15 2013

Dear Harper,

Welcome to your baby journal. I documented how you came to be and I want to continue to document your life so that you can look back one day. You are one month old. I can't believe it.   I wasn't sure how having a second child would change my life but it's been for the better.  You've expanded my heart beyond what I thought it was capable of.  Now that you are here I can't imagine life without you. We are a perfect foursome and you fit just like a puzzle piece.  You are the perfect addition to our lives and we can't wait to watch you grow.

 The first month has been interesting.  I failed to realize that though I had had a baby before you, that you would be a different individual and therefore what I had done with Maddie may not work with you.  For instance I brought one of Maddie's old pacifiers to the hospital with me to give you.  Maddie just loved her paci's and I thought for sure you would as well.  Nope.  I spent the first three weeks of your life buying and trying every pacifier I could get my hands on.  I finally found one obscure brand of pacifier that you like but you can't keep it in your mouth for long and so I have to basically hold it in your mouth with a blanket while you are in your swing.  It's frowned down upon by every doctor and not recommended by anyone except for maybe other busy Mother's chasing a toddler but it makes you happy and I make sure I'm close.  I meticulously roll a certain blanket up and wrap it around your shoulders to where it barely holds your paci in to keep you happy.  I feel good that I found a paci you like and figured out how to keep it in to keep you happy.

So much has happened in your first month of life. I don't want to forget anything.  

You entered the world with the fastest, loudest cry!  I was trying to soothe you but couldn't help you and was frightened for a few minutes when all you did was cry angrily.  I feared I had a fussy baby on my hands.    You were simply reacting to all you had gone through in those few hours.  Hey, it's hard work being born!  You were an easy baby in the hospital from that moment on.  The nurses would bring you back from sleeping in the nursery and tell me how you would only wake up to eat while I heard other babies screaming relentlessly down the hall.  I think the room next to us had twins or one really fussy baby because I heard non-stop screaming from that room all night long and pitied the poor parents.  The baby or babies were so loud I had to download a sound masking application on my phone in order to sleep.  You really only got fussy in the hospital when it was time to eat...and boy, do you love to eat!

I was trying to breastfeed you so you would get some colostrum but I quickly learned that it wasn't colostrum you were after, you wanted milk and STAT!  I switched to formula so I could fill your belly and the nurses all marveled at how much you would eat!  You were eating three ounces by the time we left the hospital.  Maddie hardly finished a 2 ounce bottle when we left the hospital with her!   You've loved eating ever since.

I did a lot of staring in the hospital.  I stared at you for three days.  I couldn't believe you didn't look at all like your sister, myself or your Daddy.  You were absolutely beautiful, but I didn't see a single recognizable feature! But each feature was perfect and I was so proud.

January 17, 2013 - We brought you home around noon. I will never forget pulling up and seeing sweet little Maddie's face in the window.  She would finally have her Mommy and Daddy back home and FINALLY get to meet her baby sister for the very first time.  We made it in the door with hugs and loves, gave her some special gifts like a baby doll, a Mrs. Potato Head and a Big Sister Book and about five minutes after arriving home you let out a cry from underneath the winter hood on your car seat.  We looked at Maddie to get her reaction and she was beside herself when she looked in the corner and there was a baby seat.  She had forgotten about the baby.  She was so excited when Daddy lifted the pink fuzzy hood off of the seat and there lied her baby sister, Harper.  She wanted to touch you and poke you and hug you.  She was so excited.  My heart overflowed with such joy.  This was my first time seeing my girls together.  Such a treat for me.  

The day after you came home from the hospital we celebrated Maddie's second birthday with a pink cake and presents.  There were five of us in attendance around the kitchen table.  

Mimi stayed for a week after you were born and Daddy took that week off of work.  I was grateful for the help.  Daddy was his usual self, doing laundry, organizing, doing this and that.  He's amazing in situations like this.

Your Daddy wanted a nick name for you so badly since he had called Maddie sweet pea since she was born.  He was trying to come up with one in the hospital and I assured him one would come naturally.   Well, the day after we brought you home, one came.  "Mouse".  You made a lot of noises and while Mimi rocked you Maddie was looking over you and was surprised by the little peeps you made.  Mimi said that you sounded like a mouse and you've been mouse ever since.

Everyone knows you as mouse.  Even Maddie's classmates and her teachers call you mouse.  One day when you and I showed up to Maddie's school to pick her up Maddie's teachers asked what your real name was.  Everyone called you mouse so much so that some didn't remember your real name!

BABY STATS:

WEIGHT: 
1/29/13 - 10 lbs 4 oz
2/15/13 - 12 lbs 4 oz

SLEEP:
You are just as great of a sleeper as your sister!  You typically wake up one time in the middle of the night.  Daddy usually feeds you late before he comes to bed and then I get up at 2:30ish or 4:30ish depending on when I would hear you stir.  I am so grateful you are an easy sleeper.  You usually start fussing around 6:00.  At first I just thought you were fussy and inconsolable.  You wouldn't take a bottle, you didn't want to be held.  Then I realized that you wanted to sleep!  I would swaddle you, give you your paci held in by a blanket and let you swing.  This became our routine each night.  As soon as you start fussing around that hour, in your swing you go.  How nice to have a baby tell me they want to sleep.  You will sleep there until Daddy gets you up to feed you before he goes to bed.  

EASY BABY!

DAILY ROUTINE: 
We don't really have a routine yet but our day usually consist of feeding you, changing diapers, watching you sleep and letting you lay on your play gym, oh, and keeping Maddie from smothering you!  She loves you so much.


FEEDINGS:

You are on formula only.   You love to eat more than any baby I have ever known.  I feed you every hour and a half to two hours.  Every time I go to make another bottle in the kitchen Daddy says "but she just ate".  I refer to him as the formula police.  The Dr. has been impressed with how much you have grown and how big you are.  She says you get a gold star.  I am looking forward to getting you on a three hour feeding schedule.

SIZES:  I thought it would be so great that you would wear your sisters old baby clothes but you are so much bigger than she was already at one month old, you have grown out of your newborn clothes and 0-3 month clothes and are now in 3 and 3-6 month clothes.  If you keep growing at this pace you're going to be wearing her spring and summer clothes while it's still cold outside!  We have a couple more months of cold weather here in Chicago, I hate to think you may have to wear tank tops and shorts because that's what Maddie wore at the size you are now!  I've already bought you more clothes.

HAIR COLOR: 

At birth: dark blonde
Currently: getting a little darker and you lost all of the hair on top of your head.  You have an old man's hair style with hair around your head but none on top!  Oh, and you have approximately 6 hairs on the very crown of your head that are 2 inches long!  It's so cute.  I can't bring myself to cut them and they are still growing strong!


EYE COLOR:

At birth: bright blue.  so blue they are almost indigo.

1 month: light blue/gray

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS: 

Watching you sleep.  You smile constantly when you sleep.  Your eyes also flutter when you sleep and you sleep sometimes with your eyes wide open.  It's so cute.  Maddie started school this month and I've really enjoyed having you to myself two days a week.

 

You don't like your car seat.  You screamed and cried on the way home from the hospital and you scream and cry anytime we put you in it and you hate it when we stop at red lights, stop signs, get stuck in stop and go traffic, etc.  You, my dear, like to be on the move.  I often have to shake your car seat when we are at a stop light!

My other favorite moment is watching you and Maddie together.  She is so fascinated by her new sister.  You're such a big joy to her.  When she wakes up she wants to know where mouse is and when she hears you cry from her room she yells "mouse" or "mouse crying" making a sad face.  She likes to push you in your swing and tries to lay on your swing.  She loves to feed you, sit in the large rocking chair while I feed you and hug or kiss you.   She also loves laying on the play gym with you.

Maddie got to hold you when you were four days old.  She was soooo excited!

A kiss

and a hug

 "Look at me!"

Maddie loves laying on your mat with you.

Spending my day with Harper.  

MILESTONES: 

You are very strong.  You were lifting your head for a couple of seconds the day you were born.  Your Aunt Nancy came to visit when you were three weeks old and was so impressed at how strong your neck is.

FIRSTS:

Your very first trip out of the hospital was to order Maddie's birthday cake.  We stopped on our way home and ordered a pink cake from Sweet Sensations on Southport.  Daddy was so proud that he kept mentioning you to the ladies that worked there.  He was also proud to be ordering Maddie's birthday cake and to select a design and color he thought she would like.

Your first birthday party!  Three days old!

 First bath. Maddie helped give you your first bath.  I think you really liked it!  You  loved the warm water and were such a sport.  

Your first photo shoot.  Our photographer came from St. Louis and set up in our living room to take your first pictures.  They turned out beautiful.

FIRST OUTINGS:

 First real outing and walk in your stroller.  We went to IKEA with Lilly and Nancy.

I can't believe you are one month old.   I look at you and know that you were always supposed to be here.  Even before I got pregnant with you, before I ever knew your gender or what you would look like, you were meant to be a part of us.  Your demeanor is so calm and beautiful.  I'm looking forward to next month and the next years.


I love you Harper.