Dear Meghan - One Month

Dear Meghan,

You're a whole month old today - you have changed our lives completely and we are in love!

You have introduced me to a whole new type of exhausted. You have exposed selfishness in my heart and taught me to rely completely on God for strength when I am beyond tired. But more than that, you have shown me a whole new kind of love - a love that swept over me the minute you were placed naked and screaming on my chest and continues to sweep over me in new waves daily. God made something absolutely amazing when he made you and I cannot begin to comprehend why he would trust such a treasure to me. You are a gift, an amazing blessing, Meghan. Mama and Daddy love you so much. We can't help but praise God for the gift that is you and beg him for the wisdom to raise you and guide you to a relationship with Him who loves you even more than we can fathom.

You gave us quite a scare in your first few days when you lost almost a pound; at that point the doctor recommended supplementing and you took quickly to the bottle. Nursing, despite each of our best efforts, just wasn't working - but you happily drink Mama's milk out of a bottle. You've become a pretty good eater - you take 3 ounces with each bottle and take a bottle every 2-3 hours throughout the day. While the extra steps of pumping, washing, and preparing bottles are less than preferred and I'm bummed we don't have that exclusive nursing time that is all ours, I love that you can share your eating bonding times with your Daddy and your grandparents.

At your two week appointment, you were over eight pounds and at about the 50th percentile for height and weight. You are finally wearing 0-3 month clothes (depending on the brand) - Carters brand fits really well! I love all of your sweet girly outfits and you look adorable in hot pink!

Your weight gain has started producing some cute rolls and baby fat. You have two tiny rolls on your thighs now, full cheeks, and a fairly large second chin - each little bit of fat has been hard won and we are so proud.

Your facial features are adorably delicate. Several people have commented that with your delicate features and beautiful skin, you look like a little porcelain doll. You are a gorgeous baby and wherever we go people comment on just how pretty you are!

Your hair is taking on more of a red color, stands straight up all over your head, and is super soft like duckling feathers right after your baths. You have a lot of hair and I am looking forward to it getting just a bit longer so I can put bows in it!

You are a bit of what is known as a high needs baby - you know what you like and you make sure we know when you aren't getting what you wanted. You like to be held; there's no concern that you don't want to be attached to and bond with your parents. You love to be held while sleeping - you have taken a few naps in you crib, pack-n-play, and side-to-side swing, but mostly you sleep in our arms or in our bed. You made it clear within five minutes of going to bed on your first night that you would not sleep alone. It's a good thing you can't spoil a newborn! We are aware that in a few short weeks/months you will develop more independence and we won't have these hours of just holding you - I constantly remind myself to soak up every minute before you outgrow wanting me this involved in your life!

You make the cutest faces, groans, and squeals when you sleep!

When you sleep in bed with us, you like to be touching face-to-face with me. Several times I have woken up to a getting-hungry baby girl sucking on the tip of my nose! We really enjoy cuddling together as a family first thing in the morning, though we try to put you down in the pack-n-play or your crib for the first stretch of the night to help you feel comfortable by yourself some, as well. If you are good and asleep, you will sleep there for about 3 hours before your first feeding - sometimes.

You love movement and we spend a lot of time bouncing on the exercise ball, walking and bouncing, and patting your bottom. You do not usually accept stand-in moving devices such as the swing or bouncer. You are now willing to sometimes spend 30 minutes stretching and exploring. When rested and calm, you will hang out in your swing. You really like when we put you in the pack-n-play under the fan. You stare at it and talk to it. You have recently begun tracking it's movement with your eyes when we turn it on low speed.

You have started talking quite a bit - it's super cute! You talk most when you are laying under the fan.

You thoroughly enjoy walks in the Ergo carrier outdoors in the breeze. And, you hate your carseat!

You LOVE to be swaddled and are the master of getting your hands free from all swaddling blankets except the Miracle Blanket. You spend a good bit of time wrapped like a little burrito :)

You do not fit into your cloth diapers yet - you are just so tiny! But, you have finally moved out of newborn and into size one diapers. You are very modest and stop fussing as soon as I start putting your clothes back on after a change.

Early on, you screamed every time you had a bowel movement or gas. Now you only cry some of the time. You take gas drops with every bottle, lay on your tummy quite a bit (always supervised), and get lots of tummy massages. I feel so bad for you when we can tell you are fussy because your belly hurts. The upside of all your gassiness are the smile previews we get to see!

You smile spontaneously now which is ADORABLE!! Gassiness gives us previews of even more smiles to come as you get older!

You have a super strong little neck. You have been able to switch which side you are facing while on you belly and roll to the side almost since birth. You like to try to hold your head up when being held upright and usually make it a full 10 seconds or so!

This morning I caught you sucking your left thumb. Will you be a thumb sucker? A lefty? Maybe not - you quickly spit it out with a confused look on your face. You love sucking your pacifier and do a good job holding it in for such a little tyke!

We love you so much, baby girl! You are an absolute blessing!

love, Mama