I survived the first Month

Here is my beautiful Halle Marie at one month old.  I love that she hasn't got the baby acne yet (in our family it always comes right before the blessing day-so I might not post many close ups in February)  This is one outfit I've had each of my daughters wear just because I think the color is so sweet.  My sister Lisa bought it for Quinn ages ago and it's got to be one of my favorites.

This month has gone by in a blur mainly because I can't tell the nights from the days.  There are a few things I've forgotten about newborns - whether consciously or not I'm not sure. 

1. The first is the eating every 2 & 1/2 hours.  During the day I can at least read to the kids, watch tv, or something while she's eating - but at night it's rotten.  I just can't keep my eyes open at midnight, 2:30 am, 5:00 am, etc.  If I lay down to nurse then she just uses me as a binki after the well has run dry and creates major tenderness.  I know this because I "come to" around 45 minutes after she starts with her still latched on - ouch.  It's not much better if I try to sit up because my neck gets sore from conking out, woops.  
2. The 10+ diapers a day!  Joaquin forced me to buy 4 packages of newborn diapers and I laughed at him thinking he was going overboard.  Now I've had to eat my words because we've bought 3 more.  She poops before she eats, while she eats, and after she eats. Sob, sob.
3. The hick ups.  You know how I loved the hick ups while she was "in the oven?"  Well outside they're rotten.  I'll just finish feeding her, tuck the blanket gently around, and lay her down when I hear the first hick up - GRR.  Either I bounce her for 5 minutes until they go away (and then she often throws back up the food I just gave her because her stomach's upset) or I latch her back on creating more of the tenderness issue.

You know I was laughing at myself because my sister Dana & I had babies on the same day around 8 years ago.  Jessi was my 2nd and Avery was Dana's 5th.  We both started nursing then Dana went to formula pretty quick (at least it seemed that way to my inexperienced self).  I thought, "Well gee Dana what's so hard about nursing?  You don't have to wash bottles, buy formula, and it's better for the baby."  Apologetically, I now realize why it's so hard:  TIME.  It takes at least half an hour to feed her every 2 & 1/2 hours where a bottle she can down the same amount in roughly 5 minutes.  When I'm on my way to pick the kids up or go to church I have to plan on having everyone ready 1/2 hour early so that I can feed her right before we go, and that's assuming my other children haven't gotten undressed or disappeared in that half hour.
Granted I've never been able to produce enough milk to satisfy my children before, I don't know why I was optimistically hoping this time would be different.  So to all you women who can nurse your children for a long time - I'm in awe.  To all the other women - I think you are great just the way "we" are!

Quinn & Jessi couldn't wait for her umbilical cord to fall off so they could give her a real bath.

Josh's new favorite thing to do is play games on Dad's phone.  So while I'm nursing, Joaquin has grudgingly -ha ha- agreed to teach him how to play.  I'm so grateful we've got a boy so Joaquin could share all his favorite gadgets with.

I had to put in a picture of Shelby having a tea party with her favorite Christmas present.  I figured out if I let her play with it in the bathtub where there is limitless water then it's lots easier clean up.