One Month

    Month-1

    After one month Penny eats every 1.5-3 hours and sleeps two 4 hour chunks at night. She is a very content baby. She is growing quickly and already wearing 3 month clothes. Penny sleeps most of the day so Nora is mostly uninterested. This post is one month and one week late. Life with two is very busy!

    To read about Nora at one month, click here.

      Penny’s Birth Story

      IMG_5379

      Because of complications during Nora’s birth, a repeat c-section was recommended for Penny’s birth. At 38 weeks I started having contractions and was concerned she would come early but everything proceeded as planned.

      At 39 weeks and 1 day we woke up to meet our baby. Jesse’s parents came to stay with Nora and my mom joined us at the hospital. The first thing we did was listen to the baby’s strong and steady heartbeat. She was sleeping at first but woke up as we were listening.

      They prepped me for surgery but my doctor was running a bit behind schedule. The anesthesia they used was a little harder on my system this time so I was a bit dizzy but alert when we heard Penny’s first cries. She was born at 10:23 am and was 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20.25 inches long.

      I began liking the name Penny when my friend Kristi was pregnant with her little girl. Her son, Tyler, always called the baby Polly but I mixed it up and thought he called her Penny. The whole time she was pregnant I thought they should name the baby Penny because it was so cute. When I found out I was pregnant with another girl, Penny was the top name on the list. To give Penny a more grown up name we decided on Penelope, but we call her Penny.

      To read about Nora’s birth story, click here.

       

      First Trimester the Second Time

      Jesse and I are excitedly expecting our second child. Here are some answers to the most common questions.

      When is the baby due?

      March 20

      Are you going to find out the baby’s gender?

      Nora’s gender was a surprise until the very end. For Baby #2 we are planning a gender reveal at Thanksgiving. Every year my parents buy us a new ornament for our Christmas tree. My friend Anna from Make it Sweet is creating a gender reveal Christmas ornament that we will open with my family at Thanksgiving.

      Did you return to the infertility specialist for this pregnancy?

      We did not. This time the Lord has blessed us with a surprise pregnancy.

      How are you feeling?

      This pregnancy has been very different. I struggled most days with nausea day and night. At twenty-one weeks, I am finally starting to feel the return of my appetite and energy…and I am so grateful!

      Where is the bump?

      We decided to take a different strategy this time and have me wear the same shirt each week. Here is the progress from five weeks to eighteen weeks. If you want to compare, here are my pictures from Nora’s first trimester.

      BabyBump1

      Twelve Months

      This month Nora is eating 1 bottle at bedtime and having solid finger food at breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner (I feel like all I do all day is feed this child), pooping many times a day (I thought this was supposed to slow down?), and sleeping from 7:30 pm – 6:30 am (with NO wake ups…the day has come!!!). She weighs 21 lbs 10 oz (75%) and is 31.75 inches long (99%). Nora has gone from a few steps to easily walking all over. She almost never crawls. We have had many bumps and bruises this month but no major falls. Her favorite word is uh-oh. Our baby has turned into a toddler with a mind and opinion of her own. We enjoyed her first birthday party with many family and friends. This little girl is so loved! I think this will be my last monthly update. I hope to return to a little more regular blogging, but we will see.

      Eleven Months

      This month Nora is eating 4 bottles (eight teeth meant the end of breastfeeding for us) and having solid finger food at breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner, pooping a couple of times a day, and sleeping from 7:30 pm – 6:15 am. She weighs 20 lbs 3 oz and is 30 inches long. Nora got her eighth tooth and survived a multi-day road trip to Indiana to visit lots of extended family. She loved playing with her cousins and began standing by herself, sticking her tongue out, pointing at things, and dancing to music. We think her first word is doggy because every time she sees a dog, Nora points and says, “gee”. Right at the end of the month Nora stood up on her own, took her first steps, and slept through the night. What a month!

      Ten Months

      This month Nora is eating every 3 hours and having solid finger food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, pooping at least once a day (or more if she eats corn!), and sleeping from 7 pm – 6:30 am. She weighs 19 lbs 6 oz. Nora is much more aware this month watching animals at the zoo and imitating things that we do. Jesse and I had our first night away to celebrate our anniversary while Grandpa and Grandma watched Nora. We started swimming lessons, and Nora even dunked her head under the water. With two trips Up North, we spent lots of time outside and in the lake. The saddest part of the month was having hand, foot, and mouth disease in addition to getting three new teeth. One of the most fun things is that Nora will now turn the pages when we are reading books.

      Nine Months

      This month Nora is eating every 3 hours and having solid finger foods at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, pooping once a day, and sleeping from 7 pm – 6:45 am (with one feeding around midnight and sometimes a second toward morning). She weighs 19 lbs 1 oz (64%) and is 29 3/4 inches long (98%). Nora went from crawling to pulling up to stand in less than two weeks. Two weeks later she was walking along the furniture, and one week later she was holding on with only one hand. She figured out how to stand in her crib the same week she got her fourth tooth. Night sleep is an even more distant memory for mom and dad, but we finally have a daytime schedule with two one and a half hour naps. Nora has started to wave and charms people everywhere we go with her cute curls, smiles, and waves.

      Eight Months

      This month Nora is eating every 2-3 hours and having finger food solids at breakfast and dinner, pooping once a day, and sleeping from 7 pm – 7 am (with 1 feeding between 2-4 am). She weighs 19 lbs 6 oz and is 28 inches long. She started the month up on all fours rocking and finished the month being able to crawl. She spent about two weeks army crawling in the middle. She has also started drinking water from a straw cup and is wearing summer clothes. For Father’s Day we celebrated by going to Nora’s first Twins Game. We only stayed for a couple of innings because she hated the loud cheering.   Another first was swimming in a swimming pool which she loved. She did get her first top tooth. The cutest thing is that she has started to clap. She does it every time she sits up on her own.

      Seven Months

      This month Nora is eating every 2-3 hours (growth spurt?), pooping once a day, and sleeping 12 hours at night (mostly with 2 wake ups). She weighs 19 lbs 6 oz (maybe my scale was wrong?) and is still 27 1/4 inches long. Food was the topic of the month. After beginning solid purees, Nora went on a food strike refusing to be spoon fed. We decided to take a complete break from solids and try again later. Nora can now sit up on her own, so we baby proofed the house (put up a baby gate and outlet covers) just in time for her to start scooting. She is getting up on all fours but not moving forward yet. It was also finally warm enough to visit the park, and Nora loves the swings.

      Six Months

      This has been a month of incredible development! This month Nora still eats every 2.5-3 hours, poops a couple times a day, and sleeps 12 hours at night (this month with MANY interruptions). Nora weighs 16 lbs 4 oz (51%) and is 27 1/4 inches long (92%). She finally mastered rolling both directions and can now move across a room. Nora sleeps on her stomach and started wearing her 9 month clothes. Sadly, they are summer styles, so we have had a to buy a few long sleeve onesies to keep her warm enough. Lastly, Nora got her first two teeth! This has been a sleep SINKER. One night she woke up crying every hour. Jesse and I were going crazy until we finally saw that first tooth. Sleep has improved, but the doctor told me the top teeth will be close behind. Yikes!