1 Month

Layla’s First Month:

*You love to eat. You’re a great nurser, and the scales are showing that! You eat about every 3 hours during the day, and tend to cluster feed in the evenings.
*You started out at 6lbs 1 oz, and are now about 7lbs 10oz!
*You have been on a pretty consistent schedule at night since your first night home from the hospital. We put you to bed around 10:30 each night, and you go about 3-4 hours in between feedings, sometimes a little longer. You typically go right back to sleep after you eat.
*You LOVE your swing. This makes life so much easier on your mommy!
*If you are a little fussy at night and I walk into a room with bright lights (like our kitchen or bathroom) you instantly stop and begin to gaze around the room.
*You started out wearing preemie diapers and clothes, but are now in all newborn. I’m sad at how fast you’re outgrowing things!
*Your little cheeks are starting to really fill out, and you’re getting rolls on your arms. I love each and every one of them!
*So far you seem to really love your car seat.
*Your only real fussy time of day is between 7:30-9:00. And in the last week or so, you’ve cut down on that!
*You are not interested in a pacifier at all, but we're trying to get you into it. We use it occasionally during your fussy time at night, but you don’t have to have it.
*You haven’t had your first bottle yet.
*You like to be inclined when you sleep, and being propped up on your boppy is your absolute favorite position.
*You’re still sleeping in your bassinet next to our bed. Sometime in the next few weeks we’ll be moving you upstairs to your crib!
*You had your first hospital stay MUCH sooner than we ever imagined. We’re thankful for how well your tiny body handled such a nasty virus.
*Your daddy has already given you several nicknames, but the one you get called the most is ‘Sweet Baby Ray.’ Your big brother has a very hard time pronouncing your name, so he calls you ‘yaya.’
*Your big brother absolutely adores you. He loves to tell us very proudly that you are his ‘new baby sister!’
*You spit up a lot just like your big brother did. It doesn't seem to bother you at all, so it looks like we've got ourselves another 'happy spitter.'
*You lift and hold your head up really well for such a tiny girl.
*You FINALLY had your first real bath just 2 days ago, and LOVED it! Your umbilical cord stump hung on for almost 4 weeks...yuck!

Layla Grace – You are such a precious gift, and such a tremendous blessing to our family. We have loved watching you grow, and learning all about you during your first month of life. You are just as perfect as I always dreamed you'd be.

The no good, very bad week

I was planning for this past week to be full of funny stories about what I encountered during my first week on my own with both kiddos. Let me tell you...it's full of stories, none of which are funny, all of which I'd like to never re-live again! Just the fact that I survived the week and still have all of my hair, and a little bit of sanity left is an amazing feat.

It all started last Friday. Yes, the same day my mom flew out after being here for 3 weeks. Eli started with a snotty nose, and we all could tell what was coming. By Saturday I could tell I was starting to come down with something. That same day Layla started with a tiny bit of congestion. By Monday we all felt like death, or at least I know I did. I called the Pediatricians office on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and finally took them both in on Wednesday. After being told for 3 days straight that Layla's congestion was just the 'typical newborn congestion,' I went ahead and opted for her to be seen while I was already taking Eli in. Eli's cold had turned into Bronchitis, as it always does, so he was put on an antibiotic. Layla was given antibiotic nose drops, and several other nasal sprays to help with the congestion, we were told she as well had some type of viral infection. Thankfully, she never really acted sick. She never lost any sleep over it, and was never irritable from it. The worst part of the week, up to this point, was the fact that I was hit the hardest by this nasty virus. I haven't been so sick, for so long, in a really long time. Today is day 7, and it's the first day I've felt somewhat human again. It didn't help that as a nursing mom, I couldn't really take any medication to help me feel better. By Thursday, Layla had developed a pretty nasty sounding cough, and her coloring looked a little off to me. She was finally starting to look like she didn't feel well. Another call to the Pediatricians office, and it was confirmed that she needed to be seen asap. By this point, I wasn't sure how much more I could take! I was burning up with a fever, had very little energy, and was worried sick at the same time. I let myself have a few emotional meltdowns, collected myself, and then made arrangements for Danny to come home and stay with Eli while I took the baby to the Doctor. As her pediatrician was walking into the room to see us, Layla was having a really bad coughing fit. She stopped dead in her tracks, shook her head, and let me know how uncomfortable she was with that cough. Well, yes, me too. She listened to her lungs, which sounded good, and then went on to run an RSV test. I had a gut feeling all day long that it was RSV, so I was pretty prepared when that test came back positive. I knew that this meant a trip to the hospital, which is what I had feared all week long. We were sent home to quickly pack a bag, arrange care for Eli, and head for a direct-admit to Memorial Hospital in Savannah. By this point, I'm running on adrenaline, and feeling like I need to be admitted to the hospital more so than the baby. She wasn't even acting sick! Me on the other hand, was covered in sweat from the fever, and had little to no voice left. We arrived at the hospital around 4:30, and really didn't have any answers to our questions until much later that night. We were there pretty much to have her monitored throughout the night. This virus typically peaks around the 4th or 5th day, and this is obviously when things go bad, really fast, in newborn babies. Thankfully Layla's oxygen levels were high, and stayed high, she never ran a fever, her lungs continued to sound great, and her breathing never seemed to be affected. She never needed oxygen or a breathing treatment during her stay, just a lot of deep suction. After a great night for her, and little to no sleep for me, they felt comfortable letting us continue treating her at home. We were SO thankful, as we were told to expect at least a 3-4 day stay. Danny and Eli rushed to pick us up, and we headed back home from the hospital, again. Whew!
Chubby cheeks pretty much slept for the majority of her hospital stay.
We kept her propped up on her boppy to help her breathe better...which is how she loves to sleep at home.

To say that this week was a challenge, would be the understatement of the year. But, I'm so thankful for the help of a wonderful husband, and for the extra strength that the Lord gave me to get through some of the most difficult days. I absolutely hated being sick at the same time as my babies, and feeling like I couldn't give them 100% of me. After this week, I'm thinking that the 'normal' weeks to come are going to feel like a breeze! All of my friends have always told me how hard the adjustment from 1 to 2 kids is, but I certainly wasn't expecting my first week to be quite so eventful! We're very thankful to be on the mend, and we're looking forward to some quiet, restful days to recover. I have a massage gift certificate to use, and now I know there was a reason that I saved it! I certainly could use one of those right about now!

This Week

We've had a fun, but busy week! My mom flies out early tomorrow morning, so that's when the real work begins! She's been a built in nanny, cook, housekeeper, grocery shopper, and ultimate toddler entertainer for the past 3 weeks! Poor Eli's going to think his poor world has been turned upside down come tomorrow! We feel so blessed & thankful for all of the help she's given to us. Here's a little bit of what we've been up to this week...
We took advantage of a nice day and took Layla for her first walk. Eli was so excited to bring her along on his bike ride!

All fresh & clean after her bath!
Mimi has done A LOT of this in the afternoons & at night when Eli's in bed.
And me too!
She's such a snuggle bug! She loves being curled up right under your neck.
Nana & Pop Pop came over on Monday night to get some loves too!

Layla Grace turned two weeks old on Tuesday. Here she is waiting for her Great-grandparents and my Aunt Karen to arrive from VA that afternoon!
We really enjoyed our quick visit with my grandparents and Aunt. They arrived on Tuesday afternoon and left this morning. They were so excited to meet Layla and spend some time with Eli. We're so glad they made the long trip to spend that time with us!
Eli hid in this spot for 15 minutes waiting for them to get here! He couldn't wait to jump out and yell 'Surprise!!'
And within 10 minutes the two of them were out in the front yard driving his new truck. Bless my grandad's heart! He's been patiently waiting since Christmas day to see him drive this truck!
He took grandma right away to show her Layla.

They all couldn't get over how small she is. I guess you forget how little they are in the beginning! And evidentally I'm the only one on my side of the family who's ever birthed babies under 8 lbs :).

My grandad turns into a big kid when he gets around Eli! He keeps right up with him.
They didn't see much of Layla's eyes. She slept a majority of the time.
We spent most of the day on Wednesday just hanging out around the house. It was nice to just catch up, and Eli loved having the extra playmates.

We all went out to eat that night. It was our first restaurant experience with two kids in tow, and it went perfectly! The baby slept the whole time and Eli ate enough to fill a grown man.
Couldn't let them leave without getting a picture of the 4 generations!

I can't believe how fast two weeks have already passed by. She's changing SO much everday, and we're falling even more in love everyday!

Her First Few Days

We had lots of sweet visitors while we were in the hospital. It always helps to have some distractions to help pass the time, because we were just ready to get out of there & get home. Wednesday afternoon turned into the perfect 'girls day' at the hospital. Danny went home for the afternoon to take a shower & to spend some time with Eli. My mom came to relieve him, and then some girlfriends came by to meet Layla Grace throughout the afternoon. My best friend Danielle drove down late on Monday night to be there for the birth. We were so excited to have her there with us. She spent the day with us on Wednesday, and then she hit the road back to VA that night.
My sweet friend Molly came by after work. She's due to have baby girl #2 in about 8 weeks.
She brought Layla a bag full of sweet girly things. We had to take a picture with her sporting her first bow from Danielle :).
Danielle has baby fever...can you tell?!?
The whole crew came back to the hospital Wednesday night, and Eli got some more sister loves. He was much more interested in her during this visit.
The hospital has a new photographer that they use, and she was just wonderful! She stopped by that morning, at what was possibly the worst time ever, and wanted to do a quick photo session. Layla was starving and not happy, but after warming up the room a little and a lot of patience, she got some beautiful pictures! We were amazed at how well they turned out, and even more thankful that she let us take some with our own camera!

We were SO blessed to have yet another short hospital stay. We were in and out in 48 hours, which is great considering I had a c-section. There were only 4 babies on the floor on Tuesday when we delivered, but by Wednesday night L&D was about to burst at the seems. We knew that because I was doing so well, that meant we'd be getting out of there in a hurry! Early Thursday morning they started working on getting us discharged, and we were home by lunch time!
Her carseat absolutely swallows her whole! You really get a good idea of how small she is when she's in there.

We were so excited to get home to our boy! He had helped decorate the house for our arrival, and was excited to show us everything. I loved the look on his face when he saw Layla come in the house.

He was eager to hold her, and give her some welcome home loves!
Nana and Pop Pop came by that night to welcome us home. They came at just the right time, and caught Layla during her awake time!
We decided she needed a good hair washin' on Friday. Aunt Katie was coming to do pictures on Saturday, so we spiffed her up a bit :).
Aunt Katie made the trip by herself on Saturday to spend the day with us. She got lots of good snuggles and a ton of beautiful pictures of our girl!!! She's become an amazingly talented photographer, and we're so thankful that she was able to work her magic while she was here!

My two sweet babies sharing some down time on the couch. Love these precious moments!

She had her first sponge bath in the tub this week. If her belly is full, then she's a lover of bathtime.

She is such a great baby so far. Maybe it's because we've done this before and are just more relaxed. She hardly ever cries, sleeps great at night, and is content when awake. We're hoping she continues along this path :). The newborn phase passes by way too fast, so we're really soaking up this time with her. My mom has been an absolute life saver during this time. She's keeping Eli busy, and allowing me a lot of quiet moments with Layla.

MANY more pictures to come! :)