babyhood / MOTHERHOOD

week seven

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You would think after two previous babies, I might be able to remember some of these newborn moments and milestones, but I just can’t. Many times when I’m enjoying some quiet moments with Elizabeth nestled between my knees while I rock in the armchair, I ask Dan questions like:
"when did Mary start to smile?"
"was Emma sleeping through the night by this time?"
"did both of the girls have such flailing arms and legs?"
"did they have this much hair? was there this much red in it?"

So here’s my chance to take a few notes, if you will. Humor me, so that if and when this topic ever comes up again, I’ll have something to look back on.

Elizabeth Paige :: Seven Weeks ::
    How she sleeps:
She goes to bed between 8:30-10:00 and sleeps until 3:45-5:00a.m. She wakes up  to nurse and I give her a little bottle to top her off.  Generally, she goes right back to sleep without a peep. Then, Elizabeth sleeps until 7a.m-9a.m. She gets up to nurse, then "plays" (i.e. kicks and flails) on my lap or on the floor with her sisters. She only lasts about 20 minutes (at the most) kicking on the floor before she gets tired of it wants to eat some more. Back to sleep for another nap, that usually goes through lunch, although sometimes if she’s fussy, I’ll just put her in the pack to sleep. She takes another big nap through the afternoon and wakes up somewhere around or after dinner before going back to bed at 8:30ish. As far as I can remember, her sleeping habits are very similar to Mary’s and Emma’s (after we read the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child–a TOTAL God-send!) 

    How she looks:
I think elizabeth is the fairest of all my babies, although my need to write all this down proves that I’m not very good at remembering. She has a decent amount of hair, but not too much. And in certain light, I really see a lot of red in it. Red runs in Dan’s family, so it just might be possible. She’s got the same big eyes that Emma and Mary have.

    How she moves:
Her arms and legs still flail about, although she doesn’t seem as out of control as a few weeks ago.  she’s mastering getting her fist to her mouth for some good (and noisy) sucking.  She is just beginning to flash a smile that is intentional. She really lights up for Emma and Mary, especially after she has just finished a nap. She loves to hear her name and is just beginning to follow noise and movement around her head. Yesterday, Dan was holding her while Emma was coming in and out of the room and I was amazed that she kept watching Emma and moved her head to see where she was going. (she’s quite enamoured with emma.)

    How I feel:
I am just starting to feel like I’m getting my mommy groove back. Things are beginning to settle into a bit of routine. I feel more relaxed and with all these test result scares behind me, I’m less apt to sneak in during a nap and check for breathing. Yes, I’m still doing this with my third. And of course, seeing the beginnings of a smile curl in her lips stirs up so much deep joy inside me.

Photoshoot outtakes here

P1010041

P1010013

P1010032

P1010035

You would think after two previous babies, I might be able to remember some of these newborn moments and milestones, but I just can’t. Many times when I’m enjoying some quiet moments with Elizabeth nestled between my knees while I rock in the armchair, I ask Dan questions like:
"when did Mary start to smile?"
"was Emma sleeping through the night by this time?"
"did both of the girls have such flailing arms and legs?"
"did they have this much hair? was there this much red in it?"

So here’s my chance to take a few notes, if you will. Humor me, so that if and when this topic ever comes up again, I’ll have something to look back on.

Elizabeth Paige :: Seven Weeks ::
    How she sleeps:
She goes to bed between 8:30-10:00 and sleeps until 3:45-5:00a.m. She wakes up  to nurse and I give her a little bottle to top her off.  Generally, she goes right back to sleep without a peep. Then, Elizabeth sleeps until 7a.m-9a.m. She gets up to nurse, then "plays" (i.e. kicks and flails) on my lap or on the floor with her sisters. She only lasts about 20 minutes (at the most) kicking on the floor before she gets tired of it wants to eat some more. Back to sleep for another nap, that usually goes through lunch, although sometimes if she’s fussy, I’ll just put her in the pack to sleep. She takes another big nap through the afternoon and wakes up somewhere around or after dinner before going back to bed at 8:30ish. As far as I can remember, her sleeping habits are very similar to Mary’s and Emma’s (after we read the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child–a TOTAL God-send!) 

    How she looks:
I think elizabeth is the fairest of all my babies, although my need to write all this down proves that I’m not very good at remembering. She has a decent amount of hair, but not too much. And in certain light, I really see a lot of red in it. Red runs in Dan’s family, so it just might be possible. She’s got the same big eyes that Emma and Mary have.

    How she moves:
Her arms and legs still flail about, although she doesn’t seem as out of control as a few weeks ago.  she’s mastering getting her fist to her mouth for some good (and noisy) sucking.  She is just beginning to flash a smile that is intentional. She really lights up for Emma and Mary, especially after she has just finished a nap. She loves to hear her name and is just beginning to follow noise and movement around her head. Yesterday, Dan was holding her while Emma was coming in and out of the room and I was amazed that she kept watching Emma and moved her head to see where she was going. (she’s quite enamoured with emma.)

    How I feel:
I am just starting to feel like I’m getting my mommy groove back. Things are beginning to settle into a bit of routine. I feel more relaxed and with all these test result scares behind me, I’m less apt to sneak in during a nap and check for breathing. Yes, I’m still doing this with my third. And of course, seeing the beginnings of a smile curl in her lips stirs up so much deep joy inside me.

Photoshoot outtakes here

17 comments on “week seven”

  1. Oh, my word, she’s absolutely amazing! Love the second photo, especially. I just lost my mommy groove this past week (you should get that phrase trademarked), hoping to get it back soon, before I go insane. Enjoy your little ones, all three.

  2. Thank goodness for “Happy Sleep Habits”! It made such a world of difference for me with K! Happily, both K and N are great sleepers now, perhaps due to this book? Happy napping!

  3. She has such beautiful, bright eyes, Molly… I still feel like I’m getting my mama groove back so I’m totally impressed. Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful moments with us.

  4. She’s so CUTE!!! I love how you wroye all this down, I have a journal I try to keep updated, but it’s hard. Even with mine so close together in age, I seem to have forgotton, so it’s nice to look back.

  5. Thank you for all the lovely reminders of a day with baby. Your children are beautiful! I have been amazed at how quickly you are again, up and running. Just another thing we forget, the energy we had as young mothers. I can tell you enjoy every minute.

  6. I love reading your reflections of your newborn; it’s so intriguing. I’m due with my first (a boy) in August, and so this is all so fascinating for me to read. Thank you!

  7. Hello, I can’t remember if I have commented on your blog before, but here i am to tell you your baby is a beauty. Also, I wanted to tell you what I have done to record my girls little milestones. I have 3 girls, and I am a busy momma, so I just jot down little notes on the calendar to transfer to the baby book later. This was a tip that my husband’s grandmother gave to me ( she had 5 kids) and I have shared it with several friends who do this too.

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