Adeline: 1 month

Adeline,

How are you already 1 month old?

It seems like just yesterday you were still in my belly, making your presence known by kicking me in the ribs.

Now, here you are, curled up next to me on the couch, wide-eyed and looking around at your new surroundings.

You have brought so many blessings to us in the last month. With each little sound you make, each brush of your hand on my face while I'm feeding you, you are making your Daddy and I aware of just what a miracle new life is.

You are such a good baby.

You sleep 2-4 hours at a time. Normally I nurse you during the day and prepare bottles for when Daddy is home so he can feed you. He likes to bond with you this way. Nursing was hard for us at first but we got the hang of it after a few weeks and now I think we are seasoned pros. 

You usually have your last feeding around midnight and then Mommy and Daddy goes to bed. You wake us up around 3 and then again at 6. Right now you are eating between 2 and 3 ounces at a time. 

 At first you didn't like your bassinet, but we fixed that by bundling you up really warm and cozy and you are doing just fine.

You cried your first big crocodile tears on April 16th because you were mad that I wouldn't pick you up.  Something about seeing tears rolling down your little cheeks completely broke my heart. 

You are still wearing newborn diapers but I think we are getting pretty close to 1's. You are growing so fast and now weigh close to 8 pounds! Your little face is filling out and you are starting to look so much more mature and less like a newborn. 

On April 18th, you held your head up for almost a minute! Your little muscles are getting stronger everyday and I can tell by the way you grasp my fingers or kick out when you are mad. You also smiled at me for the first time on this day. I was looking over at the computer and turned around to see you smiling up at me. It was the prettiest smile I have ever seen in my entire life. I can't believe that it is just gas, I believe that that pretty little smile was just for me! 

You love when your Daddy comes home from work. Your little eyes light up when you hear his voice. Some of your favorite things are your Soothie paci and cuddling on the couch. You also love it when we dance around the nursery after I change your diaper. You prefer sleeping on your side instead of your back, but I only let you do that when you are napping and not at night. You also love your vibrating chair and you will sit in it the whole time Mommy is taking her shower or working in the kitchen.

You are just like your Mommy when it comes to being bound up in your clothes. You aren't a fan of being swaddled and you will scream until we free your arms and feet. I hate having my feet and hands covered too so it's really hard for me to swaddle you. Daddy does the best swaddling job and he knows  how to do it so that you will like it.

You are changing more and more everyday Miss Adeline. We are starting to see faint traces of a smile more often, and I know that it will only be a matter of time before you are smiling and cooing and showing off all those cute expressions I know you will have. 

I can't wait to see how much you change in the next month. You are growing into a beautiful little girl. When I was a little girl, your Papaw McGee used to tell me that if God lined up all the little girls in the whole world and told him he could have any one he wanted, he would always pick me. Now I know exactly what he meant. You are perfect for us, and we wouldn't trade you for anything in the world.  

We love you so much. Happy 1 month birthday little girl. 

Love, 

 Mommy