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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

And Then We Snapped | Week 5

August 17 - 23, 2014


August 17 (29|365): little feet, big feet


August 18 (30|365): baby's breath

 

August 19 (31|365): a day at the beach (or as my son dubbed it, "the best day ever")



August 20 (32|365):


August 21 (33|365): 1 month old


August 22 (34|365): content


August 23 (35|365): boys will be boys


Now continue the blog circle and see what gorgeous images Melissa has to share!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

One Month


It's hard to believe that it has already been a month since you entered our lives and turned our cozy little family of three into a bustling family of four.
Melissa Pizzalato Photography
After so much anticipation, we were all thrilled to finally meet you (no one more so than your big brother Jackson)! This past month has been wonderful. And completely exhausting.  And overwhelming, at times.  (Even with lots of help from Daddy and Grammy Mary). I am convinced that you are the sweetest baby ever, but there has been a bit of a learning curve juggling the needs of two little kiddos. I think we're already getting better at it, though, especially now that you're sleeping 5-6 hour stretches at night. How lucky are we?! It's amazing how much easier it is to function with a decent night's sleep.

The trickiest part of the past month has been making sure that you're getting enough to eat. You weighed a healthy 8 pounds, 4 ounces when you were born and 7 pounds, 12 ounces when we left the hospital. When you were weighed a few days later you were down to 7 pounds, 9 ounces. The doctor was a little concerned at this point, but since my milk had just come in he figured that you would start to catch up and that we could just confirm at your two week appointment. Over the next couple of weeks, I made sure to nurse you at least every three hours during the day and every four hours at night, unless you showed signs of being hungry sooner. All seemed to be going well, so I was pretty confident that we were on the right track when we went in for your two week appointment. By this point, they like babies to be at least back to their birth weight, so I was shocked to find out that you had lost even more weight! You weighed in at only 7 pounds, 6 ounces. The doctor said that my milk supply was probably not enough and said we should start supplementing with formula right away. She also recommended that I see a lactation consultant.

Long story shorter, you and I met with the lactation consultant twice and confirmed that I was not making enough milk to feed you completely. I was so disappointed. I'm taking herbs and pumping, as much as I can, to try to increase my supply.  We've also been instructed to offer you bottles of formula or pumped milk after each feeding. (Which you have been graciously accepting!) Once we started this routine, you finally started to gain weight. Yay! I'm not sure if my supply will ever catch up, but at least we figured out a solution for now. Your newborn clothes are getting pretty snug, and according to our scale at home, you are now up to 9.5 pounds! You're even starting to get some squishy little cheeks!
Besides eating, you have spent most of this month sleeping peacefully in our arms and the arms of extended family and friends (and occasionally in your swing or pack and play). When you're awake, you love watching your big brother who is more than happy to entertain you by singing songs or telling stories. He is absolutely smitten.
Although he was so incredibly excited for your arrival, we expected that there might be some backlash once he realized how much of mommy and daddy's attention you would be taking. Well, we were wrong! So far, he has been just about the best big brother a little girl could ask for. Every time he looks at you he says, "I love my little Isabelle" or "awe, she's so cute!" He thinks you are so amazing that he even told me he wants me to grow 10 more Isabelles and asks daily if I'm growing another baby. (I haven't had the heart to tell him that this won't be happening anytime soon, if at all).

It has been fun to watch Daddy interact with you, too. He is already extremely protective of you and is afraid you're going to be a heartbreaker with your dark hair and big beautiful eyes.
Melissa Pizzalato Photography
Not only do you have your big brother and daddy to protect you, KG had also taken on that responsibility. He is follows you around wherever you are and gets a little anxious when people he doesn't know well hold you. It's really sweet!
Even though it has only been a month, it's hard to believe that you weren't always a part of our family. You are such a blessing. I can't tell you how lucky and honored I feel to have you as my daughter.
Melissa Pizzalato Photography

Happy one month, sweetie!

Love, Mom

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

And Then We Snapped | Week 4

August 10 - 16, 2014


August 10 (22|365): protectors


August 11 (23|365): sweet dreams


August 12 (24|365): new haircut + new shoes (in his favorite color) = cool dude


August 13 (25|365): wide eyed


August 14 (26|365): "touch-a-truck" night


August 15 (27|365): a garden path...


August 16 (28|365): ...that leads to chickens!


Next, check out what the talented Chrissy, and her adorable kids, have been up to this week.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

And Then We Snapped | Week 3

August 3 - 9, 2014


August 3 (15|365): sleeping beauty


August 4 (16|365): those eyes melt my heart


August 5 (17|365): yawn


August 6 (18|365): a rare moment of quiet


August 7 (19|365): Princess Isabelle


August 8 (20|365): chilling with her paci


August 9 (21|365): naptime at the Arboretum


Tuesday, August 5, 2014

And Then We Snapped | Week 2

July 27 - August 2, 2014


July 27 (8|365): having a newborn in the house is exhausting for everyone

July 28 (9|365): buds

July 29 (10|365): can't get enough of these tiny toes

July 30 (11|365):chilling with her big bro

July 31 (12|365): no more umbilical cord stump!

August 1 (13|365): sweet dreams

August 2 (14|365): first smiles