One month!

Our sweet little girl is 1 month old today! Here are some pictures to prove how adorable and grown up she is getting.  Most are from today but a few are from the last week or so. And yes, I know I might be a little crazy with pictures.

We had a busy morning due to the doctor visit and a subsequent trip to the lab for some blood work and then to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription.  So we spent the afternoon celebrating the big day by taking lots of naps!

Sleeping like a baby...ha!

She weighed in at 7lbs 7 oz which means she has gained over a pound but is still only in the 9th percentile. Unfortunately the doctor still advised waking her up every 2-3 hours to eat because she is still on the small side. So much for my hopes of increasing her nighttime sleeping.

Her height is 20.8 inches. She has grown over 2 inches and is in the 38th percentile. I'm sure she is experiencing growing pains but I'm glad she is finally starting to fit into her newborn clothes.

And her head is growing too. It measured in at 35.8 cm, or 20th percentile.

In addition to the normal measuring, there were a few other concerns addressed at today's visit. First was her jaundice. At one week old Brooke's bili levels were too high and so we spent 24hrs at the hospital sun bathing under the special lights. We got her levels down but it's still lingering. Poor girl had to get her heel poked again today to draw blood. The results showed it is still going down and so the doctor told us just to keep doing what we are doing.

Just lounging around

Next, I expressed some concerning symptoms I've noticed in Brooke to the Doc. After confirming that I've been doing all of the at home remedies the doctor hesitantly prescribed Zantac for acid reflux. She said she doesn't like giving medication but that it sounded like the best option at this point. I'm not sure how I feel about it. We think she has silent reflux which means she doesn't actually spit much up but instead ends up swallowing it back down. This wouldn't be a huge problem if it weren't for acid in her tummy that appears to be coming up too. The acid burns on the way up and then again on the way down and can damage the esophagus. So although I'm hesitant about giving her medication, if it works and stops her pain it'll be worth it. From what I've read online acid reflux may be over diagnosed in infants so I'm keeping a close eye on the symptoms to see if they actually improve. They don't typically do a test to diagnose and instead its based on observations by the parents so I've been praying that I can notice what is important and not "see" things that aren't there.

The last issue is a pea sized lump on her eyebrow. The doctor said its probably a dermoid cyst which is relatively harmless. There is nothing we need to do about it at this point except keep an eye on it. Pretty eventful doctor's visit! And between waiting at the Dr office, then again at the lab and finally at the pharmacy Brooke got all tuckered out.

A few highlights about her at this stage:

• Her ability to make and keep eye contact improves everyday. And I'm not going to lie, it melts my heart when she looks at me with her big beautiful eyes.

• Her smiles - still all gas related- are adorable and I can't wait until they become intentional. 

• The other day I was holding her and Brett walked towards us talking. She turned her head towards him and made eye contact with her daddy upon hearing his voice. Recognizing the noise and then being able to control her body to respond...its the little things they learn that mean so much. 
• She went thru a growth spurt at 3 weeks where all she wanted to do was eat.
• She tricked us the first two weeks by going to sleep easily and staying asleep. More recently she only wants to sleep if we are holding her upright and likes to be wide awake for long periods of time.  Once asleep though she still likes to sleep (especially if being held).  I often have to wake her up to eat which is so unfortunate.  

• She is a good nurser and loves to eat. She is always willing to eat but we have to be careful because she likes to overeat. 
• She loves to be swaddled- as long as it is really tight. We use receiving blankets during the day (which she always gets her hands up in) and the velcro swaddleme blankets at night because they are more secure. 

• During tummy time she can move her head from side to side, kick her legs lots, and hold her head up briefly. 

Enjoying some tummy time

• She'll spend a few minutes in her bouncer or swing but hasn't decided to love either one yet. I'm hoping they grow on her soon. 



Spending some time in the bouncer

• She is not a big cryer, although she has her moments and they are increasing. Instead she fusses and grunts until we hold her or feed her. Overall I'd say she is a happy baby.

We sure love her!