Month 1: We've grown accustomed to her face

(this face)

Miss Eliza Louise is one month old as of Monday (five weeks as of today...busy week!). What a month it's been. So many highs in addition to the inevitable rough patches.

Month one was about getting our feet underneath us, getting to know our sweet girl, and watching her start to explore her world. While she started the month doing what newborns do best - eating, sleeping, setting world records for quickest dirty diaper - around two weeks her eyes flung open for hours at a time. What do you do with a quiet, wide-eyed newborn?






Tummy time


Stories


Tummy time


Stories








Photo shoots

We've learned she is not bothered much by noise (maybe those barky dogs have something to do with it) but is very stimulated visually - she loves art and colors. Me too, baby. The art above our sofa and above our bed are sources of endless fascination. She loves being outside, and we've learned it's a good trick for when she is fussy and needs a change of pace. Her sling is a happy spot, and because the doctor said she was perfectly safe from germs when she's in it, we've been getting out of the house quite a bit and she does wonderfully. Her little eyes cross when she's trying hard to focus, which we find adorable (and is normal for this age). We've started training her on sleeping in her crib (she sleeps in our room right now in a little cradle we call "the hopper"), and are trying to figure out a schedule for her. At her one month check-up, the doctor gave us the OK to stop waking her at night for feedings. She now sleeps 4-5 hours at a time which means just one night feeding and much more sleep for mama! The fog is lifting. Life with her is blissful.

Things we hope to always remember about this month: her little "E.T." noises and grunts. The way she kisses the air after a feeding. How she wakes up and stretches so big. Her Stevie Wonder head bob and the tiny hand that coils around my finger while she's eating. The lip. Oh that lip! The way she curls into me to snuggle. I know, looking back, we will miss this sweet, sleepy time.

She remains such a happy baby and we continue to count our blessings each day. It really wasn't long ago that we were on the other side of this, unsure of how a little baby would fit into our lives. It wasn't long ago I couldn't completely understand how hard and wonderful this could simultaneously be. Watching her grow and discover new things each day is a joy and we delight in everything she does. She stares so intently at us now and we are on the brink of a true smile. Watching our families love on her, our friends dote on her, makes my heart swell.

Like us, they needed a little time to adjust, but the pups now dote on her too, trotting behind us on our way to the nursery, sleeping by her cradle, stopping by to give a kiss now and then.



They stare at me wide-eyed when she cries - "do something!" She stares at them wide-eyed too.



The dust from our new normal is settling. We have become a family of three (five). We aren't sure how we got so lucky, but one month with this face and we can't imagine life without her.

"I've grown accustomed to her face.
She almost makes the day begin.
I've grown accustomed to the tune
That she whistles night and noon.
Her smiles, her frowns,
Her ups, her downs
Are second nature to me now,
Like breathing out and breathing in."
-"My Fair Lady"