Wow, how time has flown by already!! Avalyn was three weeks old yesterday - where did it go? I know I know.. she'll be off to college in a blink of an eye! We think she weighs about 9 pounds now, at least... we tried to measure on our scale at home (Aubrey + baby minus Aubrey alone)... so, it's about 9 or 10 pounds! Again.. what a porker!
We had some visitors this week - My Aunt Jessi was down from Michigan and came for a visit with my parents on Sunday. Then my cousin Amy, Rex, and Miranda were visiting on Monday and Tuesday, and some other friends dropped in on Wednesday, with Diana here Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
Things are shaping up here. I think she had a growth spurt this week - really fussy on Monday and Tuesday and eating more than normal (every 2 hours vs. 2 1/2-3), and then was really sleepy yesterday. Today she seems to be eating more at each feeding (like, 20 minutes vs. 10) and is on a really good 3 hour schedule... we often have to wake her up to eat!
I also feel that I'm really learning her cues and what she needs. We discovered that she's a gassy baby (she got that from her daddy!) and needs help expelling this air. We push her knees up to her chest and listen for the horns!! It's quite funny, but is helpful for her, which is good! We're on a routine with going down for naps too - I rock and sing to her for about 10 minutes once she starts to get slightly fussy during her waketime (usually around 45-50 minutes after she woke up) and then once she gets a little more fussy and drowsy during the "wind down time", I put her down for her nap and she's out in a matter of minutes!! Much better progress than guessing her optimal waketime length and hoping to get it right.. only to hear her cry it out for awhile until she dozes off on her own. So, this is easier to listen to, obviously, but is helpful as well to get her prepped for naptime. I am careful to make sure she isn't completely asleep on my chest before I put her down, so she doesn't 'need' ME to fall asleep. So, the rocking is a 'wind down' ritual to get her relaxed and ready to nap, and then I put her down still awake (barely, but awake) and she puts herself to sleep without much of a fuss. It's been a really nice week with this, so I'm hoping this will continue to work as the days go on.
I also started pumping this week to 1) figure out how to do it and, 2) build up a supply for when I go back to work or am out and about. Let me tell you - I had no clue what I was doing! They say to pump one side while nursing on the other.... HA! Unless the pump you have is hands-free, DON'T DO IT! I was trying to juggle Avalyn on one side, turning on the pump, keeping it there, burping, dripping, etc.... I had to give up at that point and resume after she was done eating. It was a disaster! And after all that, I only got 1 oz. out, so I was really discouraged at first. I called my friend who gave me some other tips and reassurance, and when I pumped later that night, I got out 2.5 oz in 10 minutes! So, YAY! I pumped again today and got out another 2 oz.... and they say it gets better the more you pump. So, I think I can do this :) We're going to try to introduce the bottle tomorrow night, and possibly once a day (probably at night so Bran can feed her) to get her used to the bottle and switching back and forth. So, we'll see how that goes! It'll be interesting to see how much she actually consumes in a typical feed...
Other than that, things continue to go well. We have just been so fortunate to have a child that does not have her days and nights mixed up so we can sleep at night! She is barely awake to eat and then goes right back down like she was never up! She still wakes up twice at night, but that is typical for a 3 week old :) We hope to drop one of those feedings in a couple of weeks, and then the other by week 7 or 8! Right now we feed her a 'dream feed' around 10:30 or 11:00 (depending on the day's schedule) and then she wakes up at either 1 or 2, and then 4 or 5. Then we start the day off around 7 or 7:30! My goal is to get her on a 7, 10, 1, 4, 7, 10 routine, so I can feed her before I go to work, then right when I come home.. only pumping twice at work... that would be ideal :)
Physically, I continue to do incredible. Honestly, I would have never thought that I would 'recover' this quickly. The worst days were the first 3 days, and then after that I could barely tell I just had a baby (besides the little belly I still have..).. I feel that good. I've lost about 23 pounds already and have about 10 to go to my pre-pregnant weight... although, I'm sure I could lose about 15 and have a nice toned body.... I did have some unnecessary flab before :) I'm trying to get my mom's treadmill so I can start walking/running in the morning (since it's WAY too hot to take her out) and then continue on the days I'm not working.... I have motivation now (my little gut)... so that should help me stick to it!
Sorry for the lack of updates... not much going on besides eating, sleeping, and pooping for Avalyn! She's thriving and showing her little personality a bit more each day and it's such a blessing to have such a healthy and beautiful girl! We are so blessed!!
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