We have reached Aliyah's one-month mark today. It has been a busy 4 weeks, but we are
growing accustomed to having a new baby once again. The 4-year age difference between Elijah and
Aliyah seems to be working out well for us as he is able to understand her
needs and limitations and also keep himself entertained when necessary. Eli truly adores his baby sister and enjoys
being by her side on the floor, holding her, "reading" books to her,
and showing her different toys. I love
to listen to him talk to her as he raises the pitch in his voice. I even find him saying the same types of
things to her as we do. I think he will
continue to be a compassionate and protective big brother.
This second time around, I feel more competent as a parent,
whereas with Eli I was always wondering and worrying whether he was eating
enough or too much or whether his sleep patterns were normal. I have found myself being able to enjoy the
newborn stage more with Aliyah with much less worry.
When we left the hospital with Aliyah, she weighed 8
pounds. When the nurse came to visit the
next day at home, she weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and then was back up to her
birth weight of 8 pounds, 6 ounces at her 2-week followup appointment placing
her in the 59th percentile. Right around
the 3-week mark, she finally grew out of newborn clothes whereas Eli was able
to wear 0 to 3 month sized clothes from birth.
We received a few newborn outfits as gifts, but otherwise, I wasn't as
prepared for a smaller baby this time as for sizes since I only stocked up on 0
to 3-month outfits to begin with; thankfully, Megan gave us a huge assortment
of newborn sized clothes Emma had already grown out of that Aliyah was able to
use for the first month.
As for her eating habits, she takes 3 ounces of formula at
room temperature every 3 hours during the day and every 3 to 4 hours at
night. Starting this week for a few
nights in a row, she slept for longer stretches of 4 to 6 hours only waking up
to eat once instead of the usual 2 times.
Once in a while she will even wake up crying, to the minute, exactly 3
hours after she last ate. I remember Eli
would do this, too. Yay for scheduled
babies as this mom loves to stick to a routine and strict schedule!
Aliyah still spends the majority of her day sleeping. She is a very sound sleeper and is not easily
disturbed even by loud noises. She is
able to transition well and stay asleep even if she is taken from her crib and
put in her car seat if we need to go somewhere.
She sleeps well in her crib and can fall asleep on her own if she is put
in there still awake but ready to fall asleep.
She will usually go right back to sleep after the nighttime feedings. Her most awake and alert periods during the
day are in the morning when she first gets up for the day for a couple hours
and then again later on in the day for a few hours before she settles back into
her crib for the night.
Her favorite sleeping position; even if her arms are tucked into her blanket she always manages to pull them out.
Among Aliyah's favorites are listening to Eli talk to her
and being nestled in someone's arms. She
is not a big fan of being placed on a blanket on the floor when she is awake and
will only stay content in either her swing or bouncer seat for brief periods of
time. Car rides are soothing for her as
she usually falls right to sleep in her car seat and will stay asleep.
Aliyah is gaining more strength in her neck and can lift her
head up and look around when she is placed on her stomach. She has a mild temperament and has been a
good eater and sleeper throughout this first month of her life.
A few visitors stopped by during Aliyah's first month; Barb and Dennis, Eli's first daycare provider, along with Haley and Elsa, Eli's little daycare friend.
Dear Aliyah,
You are the perfect addition to our family. Your big brother, Eli, loves spending time
with you. You have been a very good baby
so far. We are excited to continue to
watch you grow and change as you develop into your own little person.
I promise to be the best mother I can be to both you and
your brother. Even when my patience
wears thin at times, your dad is there to step in with his calm and mild
mannered approach. Some days can be a
challenge attempting to balance working from home and raising 2 kids, but each
day is a new beginning and opportunity to start over again. We are so thankful to be on this journey of
parenthood with you and your brother by our side.
Love,
Mom
