One Month

Ava is a month old. In some ways, it feels like the time has flown, but other times it seems like her birth was so long ago! I can't even describe my joy at having her with us. Even when some days (and nights) are bumpy, I just look at my beautiful girl and give her a big kiss, and I am filled with such happiness.

Speaking of tough nights...they are tough is all I can say! Asher had awful sleep as a newborn, and Ava is following in his footsteps. You know, when she was in utero, I had lots of talks with her about being a good sleeper, but she must not have gotten the memo! She wakes up about every 2 hours. Fortunately, she usually just eats and goes right back to sleep, so I am grateful for that!

We did discover that Ava has acid reflux. Since Asher had it as a baby, I knew right away that was the culprit when she threw up one evening. If she lays flat on her back right after eating, she makes a lot of noises like she is swallowing something that is coming up. So, I try and hold her upright for a while after nursing (lots of fun at night!), and then we have an elevated sleep positioner in her crib, which helps somewhat. She doesn't throw up all the time (thank goodness), but she does it with regularity every 1-3 days. She also spits up frequently, but that isn't a huge deal. But, we are calmer about things this time around having been down this road before. Asher ended up taking medication because his was really bad. I am really hoping to avoid that with Ava if we can. Overall, I don't think it bothers her too much (so grateful for that!), so we'll just keep our eye on things.

One thing that we escaped with Asher (one of the few things I feel like!) was the evening fussiness that happens around this age. We have not escaped it this time around. We basically take turns bouncing her every evening until she finally falls asleep (and then continue taking turns as she wakes up several times until she finally settles down for a good stretch). One positive thing I can say about it is that usually she can be soothed for a little while - even if it involves constantly mixing up walking, bouncing in a variety of positions, changing the way you hold her, and standing on the ceiling while juggling. I'm grateful that it's not 3 hours of constant crying without a break because I know it can be that bad sometimes for certain babies. And I'm hoping that it will pass sooner than later!

I am also constantly on the watch for signs of food allergy. Asher started having eczema as a reaction to allergies around 2-3 months I think, so anytime I see anything unusual on her face, I start wondering if it's eczema. It's too soon to really tell anything, so it's a waiting game right now. I will say that she has such beautiful skin and I hope it stays that way!

We have been much more on the go this time around. With Asher, I felt so nervous to leave the house for any length of time, so we basically just stayed close to home. When Ava was two weeks old, we traveled an hour north to go out to lunch and do some shopping - something I wouldn't have done with Asher until he was older. My first week alone with the kids, we went to the park and to the zoo. Things are much different when you have a toddler! And I just feel more comfortable in general this time around (although getting out of the house with two kids is a lot of work I must say!).

So, things are going pretty good around here a month in. Asher is definitely getting more adjusted, which is great. And I just adore this baby girl of mine. She is such a love, and I feel so extraordinarily fortunate!