One Month

Ingrid's first month just flew by!  Once again, the newborn phase is going entirely too fast.  I'm trying to relish every sleepy afternoon and funny newborn expression while I still can.

For the first couple of weeks, I frequently had the odd feeling of looking at Ingrid and realizing anew each time that she was not Henry.  I suppose this is not entirely surprising.  After all, until now, 100% of the babies I have raised have been Henry.  You have the second baby and think, we're starting again -- but it's an entirely new start, not a do-over.  That feeling has dissipated over the last couple of weeks as I get to know her.  Today I looked at her sleeping face and she seemed entirely familiar. 

Ingrid has a delightful range of facial expressions.  Sometimes she looks very fretful, like there is just too much to worry about for one tiny baby to handle.  But she just started smiling too (at nothing, but it's still adorable).  When she's startled she makes a great tiny-bird face.  I particularly love the kissy face she makes when she wakes up.  She also stretches out her arms and legs like Superbaby as she's waking, which is the same move she did in utero all the time. 

During the day she usually takes one rather long nap from about 11:00 to 1:00 (or longer).  She is often awake for a 2 or 3-hour stretch in the morning and a 3 or 4 hour stretch in the evening.  Now that she's awake for long periods, we have to figure out what to do with her.  I forgot how difficult this is when the baby cannot focus on anything, either visually or mentally.  We are slowly learning how to occupy her during her awake time.  

• Likes: eating, walking, strolling, being patted rhythmically on the back or bum, the vibrating chair, being held upright, napping in the Boppy + fuzzy blanket nest, baths.
• Dislikes: being put down, things on her feet (including footie pajamas and swaddles without legroom), the ocean playmat, being in the stroller or Bjorn and not walking, tummy time.

Her nighttime sleeping schedule hasn't changed much.  I guess when the baby starts out sleeping in 4 or 5-hour stretches, there isn't much realistic possibility for improvement for some time.  She is still waking up once around 2:00 or 3:00 and again around 6:00.  Other than one night this week that involved two mega-spit-ups and one poo-tastrophe, resulting in three pajama changes for each of us over the course of 90 minutes, she's getting pretty good at eating in the middle of the night and going right back to sleep in half an hour or less.  Sometimes she goes back to sleep after "first breakfast" at 6:00, sometimes she's up for good.  We've also had a few successful nights of getting her to sleep in her own bed from 8:00 to 10:30 at night, but some nights she's wide awake and stays up with me and Karl.  As long as I get a decent nap about every third day, I'm feeling pretty good on this sleep schedule.  Not bad for a newborn, not bad at all.

We don't have the proofs from the professional photo shoot yet, but here are a few I took of her last week to tide you over.

We're in love with our beautiful lady.