Sapling Status: 1 Month Old

It’s hard to believe our baby is one month old today. It feels like she’s been in our lives forever, yet it also feels like we were at the hospital just yesterday.

I’m spending a lot of time cuddling her, just holding her tiny, warm body against my chest, resting my cheek against her head. And when I do this, I’m often in awe at the sheer responsibility of this new adventure. Here is this sweet, innocent little thing who is completely trusting and dependent on us to take care of her and to learn to speak her language until she can speak ours.

Ryan was home for the first few weeks, and we had the best time. Never before have we spent three weeks straight together 24/7. He’s been an amazing dad from day one, and an incredibly supportive husband, doing as much as he can to help with her.

Maple is sleeping well at night – anywhere from 3.5 hours to 5 hours at a time. Sure, I miss the days when I could dive into bed and enjoy a 9 hour stretch of sleep, but Maple and I make up for it by sleeping in until around 10 am every day.

I was definitely in for a surprise about just how much time newborn babies consume. Every feeding session includes me breastfeeding, pumping, and giving Maple a bottle of pumped milk to get her weight up.

You see, she was a regular at the pediatrician’s office this month, because she didn’t gain any weight at all from weeks 1-3.   Fortunately, after a frenectomy to fix her tongue tie, an unremarkable visit to a pediatric cardiologist, and a visit to a lactation consultant, Maple gained 11 ounces between weeks 3 and 4. She’s still got room to grow in her newborn-sized clothes, though.

Amber the Poodle is thrilled with the “human puppy.” She follows us around when we have the baby, and she worries when Maple cries.   The cat and Merlin are not pleased with the new addition. They find it a waste of attention they could be receiving.  We’re making every effort to keep all the animals feeling well loved, but we have room for improvement.  It’s definitely a work in progress.

I can’t take the pups for long walks yet, because I’m still recovering from the C-section. I’m itching to go for long walks and do yoga and carry heavy things without having to worry. 6 weeks of taking it easy is NOT my cup of tea.

Anyway, Maple and I are trying to find a routine now that Ryan’s back at work. I make sure I get a shower and straighten up the house when she is napping. I try to fit in time for Janery and the blog, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen because Maple and I curl up for a nap instead. And baby snuggles take priority over anything online.

An elderly neighbor that Maple and I visit with gave me this wise advice the other day. “When I had my son, I tried to clean the house and cook every day. Later I always said if I had a second child, I wouldn’t worry about any of that, because it goes by too fast. I would just enjoy my time with my baby.”