Hi people! Ava Kate here! Mommy wrote in her last post that she'd do a post on my first week at home and here we are over three weeks later! I told her I'd fill in for her since I've been keeping her kind of busy... so here it goes!
Not much happened my first week other than the usual eat, sleep, diaper change, repeat. Daddy got to stay home with us all week and I loved that! Since Mommy couldn't drive for two weeks, he had to chauffeur us around to my doctor's appointments. Our first outing was to see Dr. Phillips on Monday when I was four days old. Everything went well, but since Mommy's milk hadn't come in yet, I was down 13% of my body weight to 7 lbs 12 oz and we had to go back in for a weight check on Tuesday. Mommy's milk came in on Monday afternoon and I had gained a whole ounce by Tuesday! We went for my week check up on Thursday and I had gained 5 more ounces! Also that week, we went to celebrate Uncle Weston's birthday at Cracker Barrel on Friday night. Mommy was a little nervous, but I slept the whole time! Go me!
During my first week at home, I got to take my first bath... well sponge bath. It was pretty cool, but my favorite part was when Daddy ran water over my head and Mommy washed my hair. Oh buddy, I like that! I had to have a sponge bath for the first three weeks because my dang umbilical cord stump would not fall off! Mommy and Daddy cleaned it every day multiple times, but it just would not fall off! Gross! Mommy freaked out during week two because on Monday, my belly button started bleeding. It got on my PJs and clothes so I had to wear gauze forever... Mommy was so freaked out she called Carrie at 5:30 in the morning. We ended up going to see the doctor because Mommy was concerned, but they said it was normal. Totally worth the $15 copay for peace of mind, as Mommy keeps saying. I was back up to 8 lbs 10 oz... just 4 oz from my birth weight! By the way, my umbilical cord stump fell off exactly 3 weeks after I was born. Good riddance! It still bled a little bit for a few days, but it's just about healed now!
Oh! How could I forget about all the awesome visitors that came to hang out with us. I got to meet my cousins Cody & Abi, Great-Aunt Kay, Great-Granddaddy Stewart, Carrie, cousins Rebecca, Brad, Amanda, Avery, & Walker, and lots of other people. Every other night, one of Mommy & Daddy's friends brought them dinner and that was super nice because they could spend more time with me! I love spending time with them!
Let's see... during the first three weeks I did a lot of sleeping and eating. Mommy nurses me every three hours (7:30, 10:30, 1:30, 4:30, repeat) and then I play for a little while or just go back to sleep. I like my swing A LOT and my jungle gym. Mommy sings and plays with me, and sometimes she tries to read to me... but I do not like that. It brings me to tears or puts me right to sleep almost every time. My favorite place to be is asleep on Mommy's chest... and I'll be honest with you, I suckered her and Daddy into letting me sleep on their chests the first couple of nights because I would not sleep in my bassinet. They tried everything, but I just cried and cried. I finally slept in my "By Your Side Sleeper" when they put it in the bassinet, but I do NOT like sleeping on my back. I kick and kick and kick until I wake myself up and make myself so mad that I cry and cry. Sometimes I calm down with a paci... but I can't seem to keep it in my mouth, so Mommy & Daddy have to hold it in there... and that frustrates them to no end sometimes. They think I wait until they sit down to spit it out, but really, I can't help it.
Look how cute I am! For the first few weeks, Mommy didn't do much but hold me, change me, feed me, and try to keep me from crying... so she didn't get a lot done around the house or for school. Some days she didn't even get to take a shower and put make up on until Daddy got home. She says it's okay, because I'll only be this little once.
About a week and half in, Mommy and Daddy figured out I don't like cow's milk. On nights that Mommy had cheese, yogurt, or ice cream, I was a mess! I spit up and screamed all night. Mommy and Daddy got very little sleep on those nights. Once Mommy cut out dairy, I slept so good in my bassinet, as long as I laid on my side. Mommy props me up with the boppy pillow after I eat and I snooze until the next feeding. By the beginning of my 3rd week, I was sleeping after my 10:00 feeding until my 2:00 feeding, and then waking up again at 4:30. We always start the day around 7 and I eat my "breakfast feeding" at 7:30 am. By the end of week 3, I was sleeping until 2-2:30 am, and then waking up at 7 to eat. Mommy & Daddy are pretty excited about me sleeping at night! Before they figured out the dairy intolerance, Mommy had what they call "Baby Blues" and her lack of sleep made her a mess! But she's getting the hang of it now.
Other "firsts" during my first three weeks include my first smiles, first walks in the neighborhood, my first time meeting another baby - my friend Emily Goodwin, and my first trip to Daddy's office with Mommy. Mommy started pumping on Saturday, so I'll get my first bottle soon! Next Friday, Mommy will be gone all day doing a training, so my Aunt Amanda is hanging out with me... I've got to figure out this bottle thing before she comes! Wish me luck! I think I'll do alright because Mommy uses a nipple shield when we breast feed and I like my paci. We'll see though. :)
So I guess that's about all. Thanks for reading about my first three weeks of life at home! See ya next time!
-Ava Kate Morgan
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