Sydney Kate || One Month

Well, if this hasn't been the fastest month EVER?! How is it possible our sweet girl is already one month old? She showed us from day one how much of a fighter she is! We went through a scary first week of life, but thank you, Jesus...she is doing great!

We got to bring Sydney home at 8 days old. One of the benefits of a NICU stay was that her eating and sleep schedule was set...and awesome! She has the sweetest spirit and is so far, an all around perfect baby! (ok, so I'm a little biased) 

Sydney Kate || One Month Old

This month you've...

*Met lots of family who are so in love with you (Gigi, Papa, Aunt Lindsey, Natalie and Beatrice, Great Grandma and Grandpa...am I leaving anyone out?)

*Gone to the doctor 3 times

*Visited your mama's school (and met a lot of teachers!)

*Had your first accident that required a outfit change (but you made it 3 1/2 weeks before this happened)

*Gone out with your mom and your dad alone in public...and we all survived

*Taken your first set of professional pictures 

You are now 8 lbs 10 oz and 21 inches long. That's the 27th percentile for weight and 43rd for height.  (and your head is in the 42nd percentile) You are still wearing newborn diapers just fine. We'll move you up to size one just as soon as we finish these last few packages. :) Newborn clothes are just about over with around here...they're getting snug. I've started putting you in all your adorable 0-3 month summer outfits. They're still a little big, but you look SO cute in them! You transition extremely well back and forth from nursing to bottles. (another bonus from NICU) It also allows your daddy to get to feed you too (especially in the night) You love to lay on our chest and snuggle into our neck. Speaking of necks, you have had the strongest neck since day one. You hold it up and have great control already. Paci's are not your thing so far...unless your daddy is giving it to you and then of course you're all for it. You love to be swaddled when you're sleeping...as a matter of fact, it's the only way you'll sleep for longer than 30 minutes. Most mornings we wake up to find your arms out of the swaddle...and above your head. :) You've started smiling at us when we talk to you, which makes my heart melt. Bath time is not you're favorite thing just yet...I know you'll learn to love them. (eventually) You've become very observant and alert. You love to look around you and take the world in. You're not a fan of getting into your car seat...but once you're in and we're carrying you, you're good. One of my most favorite things you do is get completely silent when you here your Uncle David sing Great Are You Lord. (All Sons and Daughters) You can go from an all out fit to tranquil silence at the first beat of the song. It's a pretty amazing thing to witness. 

A day in the life of Sydney (at one month)

You wake up for the day around 6:30 or 7:00am. We eat and cuddle. This is usually when you love to give out smiles when I talk to you. You usually fall back asleep by 8:00am. You wake up again between 10:00-11:00am to eat. This time you usually stay up for an hour or two. By 12:30-1:00pm you're usually eating again and then sleeping. 3:30-4:00ish...we're up and eating again. From here it varies from day to day. Sometimes you're up until our bedtime routine, sometimes you'll go to sleep again around 6:00, other times you take a few 30 minute naps. This is all probably dependent on if we're eating out or at home...or running errands. My greatest scheduling accomplishment this month is your bedtime routine. It's been working for 2 1/2 weeks straight! We usually start between 8:00-9:00pm. You take a bath (and scream) then get a full body massage of Aveeno calming lotion (which totally calms you) then we put your jammies on and eat. If you aren't already asleep at the end of eating, we sing lots of made up songs and rock until you're out. This whole process takes about an hour until you're in the pack n play. You will sleep anywhere from 5-6 hours now, which means we're only getting up with you once in the night. Somewhere around 3:30-4:00am we feed you and you usually always go right back to sleep. And then we start it all over again the next day. :)

I never knew how much my heart could grow by meeting you. I still can't believe I'm a mom, but I am loving every minute of this! You are by far my greatest accomplishment, Sydney Kate! I can't wait to see what all this next month will bring.