One Month Old

I always thought the weeks went by fast when Claire was a newborn, but it seems like they go by even faster when you are dealing with two kids. I can't believe that Charlotte has already been a part of our lives for one whole month. She has been such a great addition to our family and we are so thrilled that she is happy and healthy.

Here are a few tidbits about Charlotte at one month old:

• she is a super easy and mellow baby during the day. She doesn't cry much and falls asleep pretty easy.
• over the last few weeks she has definitely developed a fussy period at night that lasts anywhere from 5 minutes to 1.5 hours. Luckily it isn't constant crying, so it is manageable for now.
• given her age, she is doing pretty well overnight. She usually wakes up 1-2 times per night to eat. On the bad nights, it takes her awhile to fall back asleep after eating. I just keep telling myself that this is only temporary...eventually all babies sleep through the night, right?!?! :)
• she takes a bottle like a champ. While she has only had 3-4 bottles at this point, she doesn't seem to mind switching between breastfeeding and the bottle.
• she loves being held and cuddled, especially for naps. We are working on getting her to nap in her crib, but are having problems getting her to stay asleep for more than 20 minutes in there. Hopefully we will have some success in the weeks to come.
• Charlotte enjoys laying on her play mat and doesn't mind tummy time for small increments of 5 minutes. She is getting stronger and stronger every day.
• while she doesn't scream nearly as loud as her big sister did, she definitely doesn't love the car seat. She tolerates it most days, but definitely has her moments.
• much to my surprise she is still wearing newborn clothes. We don't go back to the pediatrician until 2 months, so I have no idea how much she weighs, but I would guess around 9 lbs.
• she is super tolerant of her older sister Claire and all the kisses and "gentle" (and not so gentle) touches that she receives from her.
• her hair is slowly falling out, especially on sides on the top of her head. It is a cross between a balding man and a punk rocker with a mohawk.
• she is super close to giving us a real smiles consistently. I have seen her give us a few that I think are true smiles (and not just gas), but there haven't been too many so it is still hard to say.

We can't wait to watch her grow and see her own personality shine through over the next year!

Hanging Out

We have been busy hanging out this weekend. Saturday morning was spent at the State Fair and the afternoon was spent celebrating our nephew Austin's 3rd birthday party (both events which I failed to take a single photo). Friday and Sunday we did a lot of hanging out around the house.

I have been busy trying to come up with things to keep Claire busy. She really enjoys helping in the kitchen, so Friday we spent some time making banana bread. She had a blast pouring in the ingredients, mixing everything up, licking her mixing spoon, and enjoying a piece of the finished project. She also loves to work on art projects. This morning we tore up some pieces of paper and worked on our gluing skills. Much to my surprise, she did great! Meanwhile, Charlotte has been busy working on her first smile, practicing tummy time, and checking out the world around her.

Cheap Entertainment

I know I have said this before, but I am not sure why we even bother buying Claire any toys. The girl LOVES playing with water...throw in a few buckets and she is set for a good 45-60 minutes. The other afternoon after I picked her up from daycare she had a blast filling up her buckets, pouring the water back and forth between buckets, and pretending to give her animals a bath in the water.
The only downfall is that she also loves to drink the water (seriously gross). We did have a minor scare yesterday afternoon when I turned around for a few seconds to tend to Charlotte only to find Claire drinking out of her bubbles bottle when I turned back around. Luckily the stuff is non-toxic and poison control assured me that she would be just fine.

Growing Stronger

Charlotte continues to grow more alert and stronger ever day. Her eyes have been staying open for longer periods of time during the day and shut more during the nights. She is still waking up twice to eat during the night (around 12:00 and 3:30) and usually goes right back down after eating about 75% of the time. It is manageable for now, especially since I try to get a nap in during the day. I started trying to put her down for naps in her crib this morning and that ended up being a big failure. Every time I put her down asleep, she woke up within minutes. After 1 hour I finally got her to sleep in her crib, but she only lasted about 15 minutes. Oh well, we will try again tomorrow.

Over the last week or so she has developed a fussy period at night, which usually lasts an hour. I am usually in bed during this time, so I am thankful that Art is patient enough to get through this time alone each night. Everything I have read says that this usually decreases after week 6, so hopefully we only have a few more weeks left. And really, she is super mellow the rest of the day, so we can't complain.

With new babies their always seems to be much debate over who the little one looks like. Since Charlotte's birth there have been many people who think she looks just like Claire. Sure they have similarities (i.e. the same nose), but I have never thought they look too much like each other. I finally went back and looked at pictures of Claire and I still don't think they look that similar...you be the judge (picture of Claire here).

Baby Gear

When we found out we were pregnant with Charlotte, we were thankful that we pretty much had everything we needed in the baby gear department. Carseat, strollers, clothes, bathtub, swing, bouncy chair...for the most part, we were all set. The one thing that we were certain we would need, especially since our girls are only 20 months apart, was a double stroller. We did some research and settled on a Phil & Ted's stroller. The great thing about this stroller is that it works for both a newborn and toddler, as well as two toddlers. The stroller itself is also pretty narrow, which makes getting through doorways a breeze. The not so great thing about this stroller is the price tag. Fortunately for us, we were lucky enough to have the help of Craig's List expert Mike Flynn, who found us our stroller on-line. So far it has worked out great and I can't wait to try it next spring when Charlotte is old enough to sit where Claire is.

The second baby gear purchase we made was more recent and came at the recommendation of our friend Michelle. When Sean and her were over last weekend, she was carrying her daughter Quinn around in a Moby Wrap. She had great things to say about it and we went out a few days later and bought one of our own. I have used it a few times and it is fabulous, especially when I am trying to entertain Claire while holding Charlotte or trying to get things done around the house. The hands-free capability is amazing and it seems to put Charlotte to sleep in minutes.

And finally, a few more recent pictures of our girls: Claire and one of her countless expressions and Charlotte loving and then hating tummy time.

Miss You Daddy

Art returned to work this morning after 2 weeks at home. It was great that he was able to take the time off of work and spend time with us. We will miss him this week!

Keeping our Sanity

Since adding Charlotte to our family we have found that the biggest key to keeping our sanity is staying busy. We are finding that we are ALL a lot happier when we have lots of plans on the weekend, many which involve getting out of the house. It keeps Claire's boredom level to a minimum, which results in much more happiness all around. It also helps Art & I forget just how tired we really are. This weekend we crammed in a ton of activities and had a lot of fun doing it.

Friday night the Flannery's came over for dinner. We were able to meet their beautiful new daughter Quinn, who is 10 days older than Charlotte. While Michelle and I caught up on life with 2 kids, Sean and Art supervised two very entergetic toddlers in the backyard. Will and Claire had a blast playing with the water table and slide. They figured out that if you pour a bunch of water down the slide, it makes for a very fast ride!! It was such a relaxing evening (yes, even with 4 kids!) and was great to have them over!

Saturday morning my parents came over with Ella and Austin and ventured over to the local wading pool at the end of our block. The kids had the entire pool to themselves and enjoyed splashing around. Afterward, everyone (except Charlotte & I) headed out to lunch. That night Kristine and Meghan came over for dinner and a playdate. As always, Meghan and Claire pretty much entertained eachother all night. Claire had a great Saturday with her cousins!
We continued the craziness today with breakfast at the Edina Grill, a walk and trip to the park. This afternoon included much needed naps for pretty much everyone. Tonight should be pretty low-key as we prepare for a new week.