nora ~ 1 month

One month...32 days today to be exact since Nora joined us and our lives have most definitely changed.  To say this first month has gone quickly is an understatement.  It's kind of scary.  I will admit, it's a bit of a relief to have the first month behind us.  While we still have a ways to go, Hubby and I are finally becoming somewhat in tune with Nora's wants and needs.  We've learned how to eat in shifts, rock and bounce, clean poop stains, survive on less sleep, and complete tasks quickly during Nora's naps.  Sometimes we nap with her.

I would love to say this first month has been a breeze, that I've adjusted brilliantly to motherhood, and that everything is just as I imagined it.  The truth is, this is hard work!  I think I'm finally adjusting to her sleep patterns.  This past weekend Hubby and I devised a system, which is working quite well for us and ensures we both get a good chunk of interrupted sleep.  Hubby wakes up for Nora's first feeding, which is anywhere between 1:00 am and 2:30 am and I wake up for Nora's second feeding, which is anywhere between 4:00 am and 5:30 am.  Before this, we were both getting up for each feeding.  Hubby would get her, change her, bring her to me, and then I would feed her, burp her, and put her back to bed.  Getting up that many times and for that length of time was more tiring than I imagined.  Hubby communicated our current plan last week after talking with his boss who said after they began splitting shifts, they finally felt human again.  I agree. 

Before baby I was a pretty structured and organized person.  I had my morning routine --- get up early, exercise, shower and get ready for the day, eat breakfast and enjoy some coffee, check my email, blogs I follow, do chores, run errands, etc. {note...these events occurred during the summer when I was not working...work days are a bit less leisurely}.  In the beginning with Nora, I was lucky to get a shower and eat breakfast.  And unfortunately, she's no longer a fan of her swing or bouncy seat so I can't keep her content in those things long enough to eat or shower.  Disappointing.  But there have been a few mornings when she's gone back to sleep after her early morning feeding and I can then get moving and get some exercise, a shower, and maybe breakfast.  And I've had to learn to be okay with it taking all day to do one load of laundry.  It's all about adjusting and being flexible...I'm working on it.  Luckily when she has her fussy times --- which believe me, she has --- we've found a few things that work like carrying her in a sling or swaddling her.

NOT a great swaddle...sorry, Grandma.

 

One of her favorite spots and she even managed to find her thumb to suck!

Even during those moments when we're tired and frustrated, we still love this little stinker.  She makes us laugh and smile a lot.  And in just one month, I cannot believe how much she has changed and is becoming her own person.

Quite a difference from her first photo at 0 months!