4 Week Pictures

My, how time flies...

As of yesterday, my baby girl is 4 weeks old.  I am not going to lie and say it has been a breeze, because it hasn't.  It has been hard work.  It is trying.  I don't remember the last time I slept longer than 4 hours at once.  I change dirty diapers all day.  I get spit up down my shoulder and burps in my face.  I am startled awake every 2 - 4 hours by screams of a hungry baby.  On top of all that, I am still not making enough milk to exclusively breast feed her.  It has been a trying time for the last 4 weeks.

Now that I have said all of that let me say that it has also been such a blessed time.  It has been a great time of me having to just throw my hands up and really trust God.  I don't know how to be a good parent.  I did not get a manual or classes on how to care for an infant.  So I have to trust that God has given me the instincts to always do what is best for her.  I worry about spoiling her but then I think about our relationship with God.  He does not let us "cry it out" very long before He scoops us up in His arms and cuddles us.  I am trying to just learn from how He loves me.  I know I am going to do things differently than some parents.  But I also know that God is going to parent Isabella through me.  If this is the case, then He will be giving her just what she needs.  God has already been blessing me with such a measure of patience.  When Isabella decides not to sleep from her 11 o'clock feeding until after 4:30am and I am still willing to hold her and love on her, I see patience in me that I never knew was there.  If I love her this much, I can't fathom the love that God has for me!  I mean, she has done nothing that has made me wish things were different.  Nothing that made me regret having her.  Nothing that made me angry.  And this is just talking about her crying uncontrollably for hours.  I have done much worse and yet God still sees past that and loves me anyway.  Amazing...

Ok, so the update on Isabella.  She is getting bigger.  People are starting to say she looks like Byron.  That is cool since before everyone just thought she looked like me and my dad.  She is much more calm now that she is eating more.  I can even change her diaper most of the time and she will just lay and look around.  She eats quite a bit.  If I pump and get 2 oz, she will still take 2 - 4 more oz!  I stop in between each 2 oz and wait for her to show signs of hunger.  She is growing out of her newborn diapers.  I see her every day so I have not noticed the growth very much.  Byron looked at her today and kept saying how big she was getting though.  I think we have the swaddling down to a science now.  We have also figured out that she likes to be rocked in the glider.  Things are going great and we continue to be blessed.

As a family update...
We signed a contract to buy a house in Suffolk, VA.  It is a new built house and will be done in January or February.  We got a great deal on it and feel like it was the right move for our family.  It is awesome when God opens doors for you.

Pictures at 3 weeks old

Here is Isabella enjoying her swing. Some how, no matter how we put her in the swing, she always turns sideways like this!

We just thought she looked cute so we took the pic even though she was getting upset.

Here she is all swaddled and in her boppy.

Wearing her first pair of jeans. We were off to stop buy Starbucks then to grocery shop.

She was tired before e even left the house. She then slept the whole time.


Here she was enjoying her paci and watching tv while winding down for the day. She decided to move the paci over to the side and suck her thumb instead.

In the swing again. This time with the blanket made for her by Amy. Thanks Amy!

Grandma took this of her. She was so cute but did not want any pictures taken.

3 Weeks already

Well, as of yesterday, Isabella is 3 weeks old! I can't believe it! I still remember waking up with contractions. It really does go so fast! I feel like she has already changed so much. She is awake so much more during the day. She loves to watch tv. She actually does not hate having her diaper changed anymore. It is crazy.

After the last post about the doctor wanting us to start supplementing with formula we had another appointment. They just wanted to see her to check her weight after supplementing for a few days. So, tuesday we started to give her formula right after I breast feed her. That day she only weighed 7 pounds 2 oz. Then when we took her back to the doctor on friday she was already up to weighing 7 pounds 13 oz!!!! They were very impressed with her progress. We dont have to take her back to the doctor until her 2 month check up. It is like we have a different baby now. It is hard not to feel bad since I was not feeding her enough. But with breast feeding, you never know how much they are really getting. Also, I did not know how much she should be getting. So, that was why she cried all the time. Now, it is pretty rare that she will scream. She whimpers to tell you she is hungry or wants her diaper changed but that is it really. Needless to say, this makes it much easier on Byron and I. It also makes it much more enjoyable.

She is so calm now that we actually took her to church for the first time today. She was so good. She slept through praise and worship. Then only made little noises when the preaching started. So I picked her up and she went right to sleep. I was so proud of her. So, everyone got to see her and stare at her for a few minutes. I didn't let anyone hold her, I am still not ready for that. But it was so great to introduce her to all the people who had been following the pregnancy so closely and praying for her during the whole 9 months.

So, I would say things are going great here. I LOVE being a mom. It is interesting to me all the instincts that kicked in when I had her. My body physically responds to her crying. I can tell a tired cry from a "I just want some attention" cry. It is a huge responsibility to be a parent. But all I can do is trust that the Lord chose Byron and I to be the perfect parents for Isabella. I have to trust that He gave me the instincts I need in order to care for her like He would. Basically, I am learning to trust God even more and I am gaining new perspective of God. This journey has been a hard one already, but the most amazing journey I have ever set out on.

2 weeks old already!

So, Isabella is 2 weeks old now! It is hard to believe. I feel like i just had her yesterday. She had her one week appointment on August 26th. They said she was right on target. Her weight was still low but she looked great.

I then had to take her to her two week appointment on September 8th. They said she was looking great but her weight was still down 5% of her birth weight. So they said I need to supplement with formula. So now, I breast feed her then offer her a bottle. She is no longer fussy and sleeps much better during the night. She is like a different baby now. So, now that the fussiness is so reduced, motherhood is much more enjoyable.

Last night was the first night that she slept in her bassinet between each feeding. Usually she will only sleep while being held. Needless to say, that was a big deal for mommy. It was the most restful sleep I have had since she was born.

From the day we brought her home until 5 days later, she had not had a dirty diaper, only wet ones. The lactation consultants were not concerned but we could not have it last much longer. So once she finally did poop, we were so excited that Byron opened the bedroom door and announced it to my parents. Ever since that day she has been having them more frequently. The pictures below are an example of one that was VERY bad. She started out all cute in the pretty outfit you see in the above pictures. We then put her in her swing and she was so quiet. Byron went to get her out of it and he said "man, she is sweating!" He looked down in the swing and realized it was not sweat, but instead, it was poop. It was everywhere! It was up to her arm pits! Byron calmly changed her and took care of the mess all before I even got out of the shower.

Things otherwise are going great! My parents have been here for two weeks to help us out. It has been such a blessing. Mom does laundry, cooking, cleaning and calming of the baby. It gives me time to sleep and take care of myself. They are leaving tomorrow and I am sad. But I also know that I need to get on with this motherhood stuff and learn to do this on my own. I am nervous but excited to get on with it.