Ella Vella is One Month Old!

Eleanor,
Happy Birthday, Baby!  You are one month old!

Want to know what has happened since you've been breathing air instead of amniotic fluid?

*3 Days Old*

When you were a week old, we went to your first doctor's appointment (By the way, we won't be seeing that particular PA again; he's a putz.).  When the nurse and I measured you, you were 21 1/4 inches long.  We measured you twice just to make sure.  No doubt about it, you were 21 1/4 inches.  We decided that the hospital nurses measured you too quickly/wrong at the hospital because they said you were 20 inches.

*1 Week Old*

You have been smiling - NOT "GAS" SMILES - since the day you were born.  I don't think I have ever seen a baby who smiles as much as you do.  You smile and laugh in your sleep.  You wake up and see me or your dad and you smile.  Someone you don't recognize holds you for a while then gives you back to me, and you smile at me.  You smile as we talk to you.  Your sister loves it when you smile at her.  You are our smiley baby!

*2 Weeks Old*

You have silly quirks already.  *You are still handsy! You love to hold hands!  *Your favorite place to sleep is the LoveSac.  Your dad thinks it is because you can contort your body in weird positions and sleep exactly the way you want to.  You can't really do that in your swing, bouncer or swaddled like a burrito. Still, you are only allowed to nap in the LoveSac when I can check on you all the time.  *You wake up at 5:30 A.M. every morning.  *You HATE your car seat.  You HATE traveling in the car.  You scream bloody-murder the whole time.  *Your scream sounds more like a triceratops now.  You should watch the first Land Before Time movie to see what I mean. There are times when you sound just like Sara.  *You cannot eat and poop or pee at the same time. You will unlatch, do your business and then continue eating.  *I swear, your bladder must be HUGE! When you pee, I can hear it. (Am I embarrassing you yet?) One minute your diaper will be dry and, seriously, the next your diaper is so full it looks like it won't hold anymore.  *You love having your diaper changed. You like it so much that often, I let you lay there, nekkid, for several minutes until I decided that you need to put some pants back on.  *You like to have your hair brushed or washed; you always hold so still while either of these things are being done. *At least four times a day you reach behind to the back of your head and grab a fistful of your hair.  Why?  I don't know.  Ask yourself.  *You have to be swaddled or else you rip your bink our of your mouth, look around like "What the heck just happened?" and then scream until someone pops the bink back into your mouth.  I liken this to the Song that Never Ends.  *You don't like to be on your back.  If left alone for more than a few minutes, you will roll to your side.
  
I am still trying to master the art of your perfect temperature.  When you are cold, your little gums chatter; when you are too hot, your arch your back and flail your arms and make your triceratops sound.  It is 76 degrees in our house; there should never be a time when you are cold.  What's the deali-oh?

*3 Weeks Old...right after a bath*

Lately your baby acne has been attacking your face.  Sorry about that.  This may sound weird, but your tiny zits are just another thing I love about you, beautiful girl!

*4 Weeks Old*

Grandma Sherry and Great-Grandma Shirley have been asking what changes I've seen in you; to be honest, I don't know because I see you every day!  I'm sure you've grown. I guess your thighs are a little chunkier. 

We celebrated today by letting Aslynn pick out your outfit from the 0-3 months drawer (she picks out your clothes every morning).  Until today you've been wearing newborn clothes (from the newborn drawer, obviously).  I hate to tell you this, but you will probably be wearing newborn pants for a while. You inherited my hips - or the lack thereof.  Pants in a bigger size just slip right off of you (like they did today).  Don't worry too much about it; 90% of the time I don't put pants on you.  You pull of the wearing-only-a-onesie look very well.

*1 Month Old* 

 *You are THRILLED with this photo shoot. ...kinda*

I love you,
Mom

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