Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Back to Birth Weight!

We took Natalie to the doctor's for another weight check on Monday, and. . . she's finally back to her birth weight! She weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces, which is exactly what she weighed when she was born. Yay!!! It took her three weeks to get there, but at least she's back to it and we don't have to worry so much about her anymore. The doctor was really happy with her progress and said we don't have to take her back until her two month appointment.

We took the girls to the park on Saturday, and it was really nice to get out in the fresh air. I've been cooped up inside way too much lately! I really love this picture I took of Natalie at the park at three weeks old:
She's awake much more often now than she used to be. She used to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere, and now it's getting more difficult. She likes to be held all the time, to sleep on someone, and gets pretty fussy when we put her down. Nights are exhausting sometimes, as I try and try to get her to stay asleep in the bassinet. Stephen and I take shifts. . . he goes to bed around 9 pm while I stay downstairs with Natalie and I usually get him up between 3 and 4:30 am so I can get at least some sleep in my real bed.
The good news? It won't last forever. Sometimes in the middle of the night I just have to remind myself of that fact, over and over.

Here are some other pictures of Natalie from the park:



This is how she likes to eat. . . with her hands on her face, around the bottle. Sometimes it's really hard to get the bottle in her mouth, because her hands are in the way! And yes, those are her hands, we just try to keep them covered up as much as possible so she doesn't scratch her face up.
It's so funny the way her hair sticks straight up! Kirsten's hair was always longer and thicker, so it never stood on end like that.
A week ago, she was sleeping so great in her bouncy seat. Remember how to do that, Natalie? You can still do it, I know you can! I think she gets gas pains sometimes and it just really upsets her to be put down and not constantly held. She's so snuggly, and wants to be cuddled all the time.
Hooray for being back to birth weight! She gained 13 ounces in 1 week!

14 comments:

  1. Good job on the weight gain, Natalie!!!

    And I love the hair. That's too cute!

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  2. Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! It's always so frustrating when you little ones don't gain wight (or lose weight)like they should. So hooray! That's a lot of poundage (ounces) in one week, good for YOU, momma! :)
    Have you tried putting her in a swing for sleep? She may like the rocking/weightless feel for sleeping. Lincoln was like that; he was a hard baby to get to sleep! But for some reason the swing got him to sleep every time. We ended up changing LOTS of batteries, but the extra hours of sleep was worth it!

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  3. She's gorgeous! I'm so glad she's doing better. I hope you get some sleep soon, though. Do you swaddle her? That was our savior.

    How's Kirsten doing with her now that she's been there for a few weeks?

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  4. Oh how I remember those nights!!

    She is adorable. I'm glad she's doing better with her weight.

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  5. I'm so glad she's doing so much better! Those are such cute pictures - she has the most gorgeous dark blue eyes! I wonder if they will stay blue like her sister's. Good luck with those sleepless nights!! They are so hard!!

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  6. She is SOOOOOOOOOOo beautiful!!!! I love that 1st picture... the way her little mouth is open... darling!!!

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  7. What a blessing! She is so beautiful.

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  8. I like how her hair sticks up! It looks fuzzy! I think those park pictures are just so sweet. What a pretty and sweet little face! Can't wait to meet her.

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  9. great to hear that she has put weight on.

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  10. I love the colorful hat!

    She might have a lot of hair, but if it is THIN, it will stick up. But, when it grows in it will straighten out and lay flat.

    Keep being such a good mother!
    Lisa

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  11. she is so beautiful! i know you must be so relieved that she is gaining weight!!!!!

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  12. YAY!! She looks so cute with her little hands up by her bottle. She's a cutie!

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  13. Like Sarah, I was going to suggest Natalie sleeping in the swing. There's also a book, "The Happiest Baby on the Block," that worked WONDERS for me. He talks about what he calls "The Colic Cure."

    About the time I had #2, a friend had a baby as well. Her baby was really fussy and took her to the chiropractor. Turns out the baby was out of line from the birthing process.

    #2 was a REALLY difficult newborn, so I took him to the same chiropracter. I found out the Hulk's hips, back, and neck were all out of line. Within two weeks of his first appt, he was doing so much better.

    I have more I could say, but this is already really long. If you want, e-mail me and I'll give you my phone number! Or e-mail me yours. eppermay@juno.com

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