Happy 4th of July from Ava!

One Month Stats

We can't believe our baby is already a month old. How and when did that happen?! This month seemed long and short in different ways. On one hand it seems like just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital, on the other, I can't quite remember our lives before she was in them...

At one month she can do so much already, we're pretty convinced she's a genus, or at least seriously advanced. Maybe it was the extra nine days in the womb, maybe my prayers were answered and she got her daddy's brain. We already know she got his nose. That was my other prayer, and that she'd grow up to know and trust the Lord (not necessarily in order of importance).

Ava, at one month old you...

• Wear newborn and a few 0-3 month clothes
• Wear newborn or size 1 diapers
• Have mastered breastfeeding. Seriously, you're a champ. I'm so proud of you. It was rough there in the beginning when we were both learning, the blind leading the blind, but we've got it down now and it's become my favorite time with you. 
• Take a bottle too. After reading and hearing so much about "nipple confusion" I was scared to death that you'd take a bottle and refuse to go back to breastfeeding. True to form, I worried and fretted about introducing a bottle... for no reason. You guzzled down 2 oz. like we hadn't fed you for days, so we heated up two more, you took those down in a few minutes as well. You get one bottle of breast milk as day and go back and forth no problem. See, told you you're a genius.

Bonus: Great daddy time. You have a whole new level of love for daddy now that he has food for you too.

• Love when I sing you the song Golden Slumbers by The Beatles. My dad used to sing it to me, substituting the words "Sleep little darling do not cry" to "Sleep little Kelly Shay do not cry" and now I sing it to you, only with your name. I sang it to you the whole I was pregnant and now you stop whatever you're doing and look up at me as soon as I start the first key. It's our little thing. And it's beautiful.
• Are SUPER strong. You lift your head up for minutes at a time and focus on things like our faces and lights and blinds. You have one corner in our room that you just stare out as we change your diaper. We're starting to wonder if you can see something up there that we can't...
• Smile. In your sleep mostly, but sometimes on purpose too! Daddy and I keep score, so far it's Daddy 3, Mommy 1... what's up with that? Just kidding. It's good your dad's getting some credit, he's very, very good to you.

 

• Even laughed in your sleep, twice! It just doesn't get much cuter than that.
• Are okay at taking a pacifier. Either you're still trying to master it or you just don't really like it because you don't keep it in your mouth for very long. One of us has to hold it in for you, which we're willing to do when you're crying in places like restaurants or in the car.
• Have already been to the beach!

• Slept through the night once! You're averaging 6 hours total of sleep at night. You get up once around 2 am and again around 6am and then go back to sleep until about 9:30am. You're seriously the best, kid.
• Rule at tummy time. Most babies your age hate it and cry after five minutes. You play on your tummy for 15-20 minutes you let us know that you're so over it.

 

Sometimes daddy and I just look at each other and we still can't believe we get to keep you. Here's to many more months with you Baby Girl!