Baby's First Month (Extra Photos Included)

      I just can not get over how cute my sweet girl is! My goodness! It is hard to believe that one month has already passed since her arrival. Even so, both Lance and I agree, it is already hard to imagine our lives without her. She is definitely suppose to be here.

     This month has both been one of the most amazing, and one of the toughest months of my life. Aside from the whole labor ordeal... fun... the lack of sleep and constant fatigue has been rough, but every second of it has been beyond worth it. I love this little girl so much; I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

     Baby was born the first Friday in August, and we were able to take her home that Sunday. She was, and still is, a strong, healthy little girl. Only three days after taking her home, she lost her umbilical chord. We were surprised at how quickly this happened, as we were told it would take more time, but no problems arose, and so we were not concerned.

     That first week home, we were lucky enough to have my mom and my sister in town to help out with everything post partum. Recovery was rough, as I was hardly able to even walk (if you could call it that) except to go to the bathroom and come back to my chair for a whole week... it was rough, but we were very blessed all the same. That first Sunday home, both of my parents and my three youngest siblings all were able to meet our precious baby girl before heading back to Montana. My mom and sister stayed until later that week, and then also went home.

     That same week, we tried to stamp both her tiny little hands and feet, for memories sake, but that only went so well... her feet stamps turned out great, but she was not having it when it came to her cute little hands. Even so, she seemed to enjoy her first bath at home, and especially enjoyed holding her hands under the warm running water.

     It was hard watching her have her first bath at home while I was stuck in my chair... I tried to stand and be a part of everything, but found that I was unable to do so... still, I am grateful for all the people that were here in that first week to help. I know I could not have done it alone.

     The Monday after my mom and sister left, I was mostly able to move around again, and my Grandma Cheryl came from Idaho to meet her first great granddaughter. It's always good to see family again, especially when they bring my favorite treat: oreos! And dairy free chocolate chips! She also brought some cute little baby socks that actually stay on her feet! Turns out those are harder to find than one would think... It was great getting to sit and talk, and enjoy my Grandma's company again.

     Baby does not seem to care much for tummy time, but being so little, it's only suppose to last a minute or two tops anyways. She is getting really good at holding her head up on her own, and at just shy of three weeks old, she rolled over for the first time. I don't think it was intentional, and it's pretty entertaining to watch her try again, but it was her first time rolling over all the same. She is pretty funny, in that she often likes to sleep on her side, even though she always starts swaddled lying on her back. She doesn't like her arms in her swaddle either, and she has to be able to stretch out her legs or she gets very upset.

     At two weeks old, Baby was two ounces shy of being back up to her birth weight. One week later, she had gone up eight ounces. It's crazy how fast they grow. It is hard to put her down sometimes, simply because I don't want to miss out on a single second! Sometimes I find myself just staring at her, wondering how I got so lucky to have such a beautiful child.

     At almost four weeks old, we took a picture of five generations on Lance's dad's side of the family. Five generations starting with Lance's Great Grandma Zella, then Grandma Carrie, then his dad Ryan, then Lance, then sweet Baby. We were both grateful to have the opportunity to capture such memories.

     That was also Baby's first day at church. Lance attended the whole three hours, but Baby and I only attended sacrament meeting before hiding out in the mother's room until church was over. With her still being so little, we did not want to have her around so many people for

so long, especially since Lance and I both have callings in primary. It felt really good to partake of the sacrament again, though, and it was kind of nice sitting there with my sweet baby listening to the next ward's talks. She was such a little cutie in her dress!!

     Later that week, we took Baby for her first real walk outdoors. We got to test out her stroller, in which she slept pretty much the whole way. We picked a well shaded trail, that didn't have too many people in close quarters. The weather was perfect. She is such an observant little girl. When we pulled her out of the stroller she woke up and had to look at everything. Sometimes I wonder what is going through her head, as she tries to look at everything around her, even with the limited sight of a new baby.

     Something else I will point out about our sweet baby is how much she loves her daddy. She learned to recognize his voice real quick, and it's been fun watching her get excited to see him in her newborn little way. Even in the womb this little girl loved her daddy. Anyone could touch my stomach and she would shrink away and hide to the point my stomach became soft, except for her daddy. She's wiggle towards his hand every time. Any time I began to worry because she hadn't moved in a while, Lance simply had to reach over and rub my tummy, and I knew very quickly that she was okay. It's been fun to see that continue after birth.

     I can not express how much both Lance and I love our baby girl. Nothing comes close the joys I have felt so far in being a mother, and I look forward to the many years to come. Not to say there won't be harder moments, but I have a feeling that every one of them will be worth it.

     Now enough with the words! Here are a couple more fun photos, and the rest of Baby's one month photos.