Emma: 4 Weeks/1 Month Old

Little Squishy,

Sweet Emma, you are one month old today!  Time is flying by!  I think that life is only going to get increasingly faster now that we have two littles in our family.  You are still in such a sleepy state and I'm loving it!  But the last few days you have started to wake up a bit more.  Unfortunately the night time is still your favorite time to be awake, but last night you did sleep for two 3.5-4 hour stretches, so things may be improving!  YEAH!  You are such a relaxed baby and rarely fuss (except when we put you in your crib...your least favorite place to sleep).  The past few weeks we have been working on getting you into a routine of eating, playing and then sleeping.  You have done very well with the eating part of the routine, but the sleeping hasn't been as good.  You don't mind sleeping, as long as it's in our arms or in your swing.  I've tried to be laid back about it all and just be happy that you are sleeping!  Hopefully you will eventually learn how to sleep in your bed during nap time, but for now I will just enjoy all the extra snuggles!!  Even though it is tough to get you to fall asleep for a nap, when you finally do you sleep like a champ for nearly 2 hours each nap!  This is the routine we aim for every day, but it definitely is VERY flexible and never happens exactly as planned.  I toyed around with several different schedules this past week, but this is the one that seems to work best for everyone.  I may eventually add in a dream feed around 10:30pm, but when I tried that this week it made for an awful night (lots of wakings).  I also tried cluster feeding (when you feed every two hours in the evening) a few days this week and that also seemed to make for a bad night's sleep.  So we will stick with the every 2.5-3 hour feedings and see how that works for now.

Schedule:
8am - Wake, Nurse, Play
9am - Nap
11am - Wake, Nurse, Play
12pm - Nap
2pm - Wake, Nurse, Play
3pm - Nap
5pm - Wake, Nurse, Play
6pm - Nap
7:30pm - Wake, Bedtime Routine, Nurse, Right to bed (around 8:30pm)
*You wake me up at least twice per night (around 1am and 5am)*

You are still only nursing on one side per feeding (for 8-10 minutes per feeding), but seem content and are definitely growing well, so I assume you are getting enough.  I know I am producing an excessive amount of milk though because even after she finishes nursing on one side, I am able to pump several ounces out.  When I have pumped instead of a nursed during a feeding time (when I am giving her a bottle instead) I am able to fill a 5oz bottle in under 7 minutes, from one side (using a manual pump!).  It's insane!  I give all the credit to nursing Hannah for so long (14 months) and my body just knowing what to do.  I am definitely thankful for such a great supply!

I'm fairly sure you hit a growth spurt this week because you had a few nights where you were insatiable.  I even gave you a 2oz bottle of formula for the first time the other night because nursing just didn't seem to be filling you up.  You gulped it down!  I then pumped 2oz just to be sure that my milk supply stayed up to speed with your eating.  Unfortunately the formula didn't help you sleep any longer than normal, but it did seem to fill up your tummy.  And I was glad to see that you would so easily take a bottle of formula....you just never know if formula might be needed some day down the road.

You are not a big fan of the pacifier, which Mommy doesn't like.  It's so funny because with Hannah I was so adamant about her not using a pacifier (which she LOVED) and now with you I just wish you would take it!  Oh how things change with a second baby. :-)

You have started spitting up less (since I finally realized you don't need to eat from both sides....too much milk!), but when you do spit up it almost always comes up through your nose.  Ouch!  The other night we were out to dinner at Chick-fil-a (your first visit) and I looked over at you in your car seat and saw that you were COVERED in spit up!  There was SO much...you were soaked, your blanket was soaked and you were sitting in a puddle of spit up!  Disgusting!  But there you sat, just as chill as could be.  Oh my.  I calmly cleaned it all up and thankfully had a spare onesie in the diaper bag.  We didn't have an extra blanket though, so we covered you in paper napkins.  HAHA  Oh the adventures of life with a baby! 

This week you started to like bath time more, which is a nice change from the screaming you did before. We also noticed how raw the skin in your neck folds is, so we started putting aquaphor under there to help it heal.  Thankfully your skin is still free of any baby acne, but your eyes continue to water non-stop (just like Hannah's did when she was a baby).  I'm sure it is just a clogged tear-duct, but when we go to the doctor on Tuesday (7/24) I will be sure to mention it to her.

Mommy has been working very hard on getting you to smile, but you won't.  I think you are going to be a serious one. :-)  You are able to hold up your head briefly while on your tummy and can turn it from side to side.  You can also follow an object from side to side as we pass it in front of your face.

1 Month Stats:
- Diapers: Size 1 (you seriously go through at least 10-15 diapers per day!!)
- Clothes: Newborn
- Shoes: Size 0
- Weight: 9lbs. 8oz.
- Height: 22 1/4"

We are so happy that you have joined our family and look forward to getting to know you better as time passes.  We love you little squishy (that's my nickname for you because you are just so scrumptious)!

Emma: 3 Weeks Old

Nursing: Emma is still doing well with nursing, but continues to only take one side per feeding.  It has been a lot of work to get her to nurse for even 10 minutes on the first side and she almost always refuses the second side altogether.  I have stopped trying to force the second side on her because when I do she almost always ends up projectile vomiting from simply being too full.  The only downside of nursing on one side per feeding is how lopsided I am throughout the day.  I know I could correct this problem by pumping on the side that she doesn't eat on, but I really don't need a massive freezer supply and don't want to continue producing such an excess.  My hope is that as she grows she will start to take more and that my body will also adjust to not needing to produce as much milk.  I know it's a good "problem" to have (overabundant milk supply) but it's still frustrating. 

Schedule: This week we started working on getting Emma on a more consistent schedule.  She is eating every 2.5-3 hours (usually 3 hours) around the clock and taking a 1-2 hour nap between each feeding.  While she is sleeping well during her naps, she refuses to fall asleep in her crib.  She took the majority of her naps in the swing this week.  I am trying not to worry about that since she is so little, but of course the rule follower in me worries that she will never be able to fall asleep in her crib, but I know better.  Right now our top priority is to get her to sleep during the appropriate times, next we will work on getting her to sleep in her bed and fall asleep on her own.  She is still so little!  Despite being such a great daytime sleeper, Emma struggled to sleep well during the nighttime.  Her most wide awake time seems to be after her 1-2am feeding.  This proved to be very exhausting this week.  On Wednesday night she was wide awake from 1:30-5am!  It was rough!  But then on Thursday night (last night) she did much better, sleeping for one 3 hours stretch, which was amazing!  We also have Brian's parents staying here for the weekend, so last night Grandma was able to do some middle of the night rocking, which allowed us to sleep a few solid hours.  As much as I love this tiny baby stage, I do look forward to the day where she sleeps soundly through the night.

Firsts: This week Emma went to her first playgroup.  This was also my first outing alone with the girls.  We managed to get to playgroup on time and home in one piece.  I fed Emma a bottle while we were there and she was wide awake the entire time.  It was so nice to get out and feel "normal" and Hannah really loved spending time with her friends!  This week was also Emma's first week sleeping in her own room at night.  She did pretty well, except for those middle of the night wide awake times.  But it has been nice to have our room back and not waking to every single tiny noise.

Mommy: This week was my first week on my own with both girls.  I was very nervous about doing it all on my own, but the first day went great!  Unfortunately, the rest of the week slowly went downhill, with Thursday being the toughest day of the week!  I was exhausted from so little sleep and both girls were fussy.  Hannah refused to play on her own, so I was unable to rest at all after being awake for the majority of the night (1:30-5am).  It was rough!  Thankfully Brian's parents came that afternoon, giving me a much needed break!  Despite some rough moments and sheer exhaustion, my emotions have been very stable this week and I feel like I have bounced back very quickly.  Physically I am nearly 100% and honestly think that I feel so good because I have been dealing with hyperemesis for the past 10 months and simply not having to deal with that makes everything else feel so much easier!  Being able to eat normally and not feel nauseous 24/7 is quite a luxury!  This week I packed away nearly all of my maternity clothes (ready to give away since I am DONE with pregnancy).  I didn't weigh myself this week, so not sure where I am as far as weight loss goes, but being able to fit into some of my pre-pregnancy pants is a good sign.


Brian's parents are here for the weekend, which is a nice break for us.  Grandma is helping with the middle of the night wakings, giving us a little extra sleep. It's hard to believe that Emma will be one month old so soon.  I really need to be better about taking pictures and videos because these moments are so fleeting!


Clothing Size: Newborn
Diaper Size: Newborn

Emma: 2 Weeks Old



Nursing: Emma has been a great nurser since day 1, latching on without any problem. This week she started being less sleepy while nursing but also started eating less at each feeding. I have been working hard to get her to take full feedings throughout the day (20+ minutes per feeding) but it's been nearly impossible to get her to nurse for that long. She usually does great on the first side, nursing for 10 minutes without a problem. However, the second side is a different story. She will rarely nurse for longer than 4 minutes on the second side before refusing to continue. It's so hard because when she then starts acting hungry just an hour later, I start to doubt myself and wonder if I should feed her again or wait until the 2.5 or 3 hour mark for the next feeding. But then if I do feed her she often gets more fussy, making me think that it is upsetting her tummy to eat that frequently. So many questions in the early days...if only she could just tell me what she wants/needs! This week we stuck to a 2.5-3 hour routine around the clock and one night she actually slept an extra hour between two feedings, which was wonderful. I am hoping that she will soon begin stretching out the middle of the night feedings so I can get a little more quality sleep.

Sleeping: This week we still didn't start implementing a strict schedule, as we were focusing on full feedings instead. However, I did start to try to get Emma to nap more often in her crib. It was definitely hit or miss this week. There were more naps where she didn't sleep in her bed than did. She spent the majority of her naps asleep in someone's arms or in her swing. But the first goal is just to get her to sleep for her naps and then we will work on getting her to sleep in her bed. As far as nap times go that was also very hit or miss. While everything I have read in Babywise says to keep wake times very short in the early days, that didn't always work for Emma. There were several times where she ended up staying awake for the majority of the time between two feedings, refusing to fall asleep. I'm a little worried that I have another sleep fighter on my hands! Emma also seems to have her fussiest period around 5am. She usually wakes for a feeding around 4am but for the last few days she has not fallen back to sleep after that feeding without a lot of work for mommy and/or daddy. It's definitely not fun to try to soothe a fussy baby when you are so exhausted yourself! We are looking forward to this phase ending soon!


Firsts: This week was filled with milestones.  Emma celebrated her first Fourth of July and went to her first parade (right in our neighborhood).  Emma's umbilical cord stump fell off, which meant she could have her first real bath. She hated it! However, it was right before her next feeding and bedtime, so she was tired and hungry...a bad combo! This week also marked her first outing. We ventured out to Lenox mall as a family of 4, which proved to be a mistake. We only managed to get into one store before we had to head home for Emma's next feeding. But we were just glad to get out of the house. That night we also had our first date since Emma was born. My parents stayed home with the girls and we went out to dinner. We were only gone for about an hour but it was nice to get away for a little bit. Another first for Emma this week was her first dinner out. We went to Joey D's for dinner with Brian's parents. We fed Emma a bottle while we were out, which she ate well. She was content and sleepy for the rest of the meal. :). This week she also had her first full feedings from a bottle (filled with my milk). She had 3 or 4 different feedings from a bottle this week, which is more than Hannah probably ever had in her life. I have realized how much easier it is to pump and feed a bottle while out and about instead of nursing. I also realized how much faster Emma eats from a bottle, while nursing takes her so much longer! I'm definitely tempted to pump and feed her bottles full time, but I won't. I also really enjoy the closeness and convenience of nursing exclusively.

Mommy: This week I started to feel much more like myself. My recovery has truly been amazing! My emotions have been much more even this week, with only minor meltdowns happening in the middle of the night when I am so exhausted. My postpartum bleeding has mostly stopped at this point and my stomach pains are virtually gone. Things are still a little sore down there, but nothing too bad. I did not lose any more weight this week, so I still have about 14 pounds left to lose to get back to my prepregnancy weight. I did manage to fit into some of my prepregnancy shorts and shirts this week, which was so nice! I am slowly starting to weed out the maternity clothes from my closet! The weirdest thing is that I will never wear those clothes again. Definitely bittersweet!

Hannah: I am happy to say that Hannah had a much better week this week! She has adjusted so well to being a big sister (except for a few rough days in the first week) and truly adores Emma! She holds her hand every time we are in the car and loves to sing to her. Her favorite songs to sing to to Emma are both from Barney (her favorite show!) - "You can count on me, I'll always be around. I will cheer you up, when you're feeling down." and "I love you, you love me. We're a happy family. With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you. Won't you say you love me too.". She loves to hug and kiss her little sister and wants to hold her every time she sees her. She really is a great big sister!

My parents left on Tuesday morning and Brian's parents came on Tuesday afternoon. It was hard to say goodbye to my parents but having another set of family coming in to take their place was wonderful! Today Brian's parents left, so we are officially on our own for the first time as a family of four. Scary, but it's time. Thankfully Brian stayed home from work today and then we have the weekend to get adjusted as well. But on Monday I will be on my own for the first time with both girls. Ahhh!

Tonight will be Emma's first night in her own room. It has been nice having her right next to the bed for the middle of the night feedings, but it's time for us to move her into her room so we all get better sleep. We will see how it goes.

Clothing Size: Newborn
Diaper Size: Newborn

Emma: 1 Week Old

Emma turned one week old today and what a week it has been. Emma is so precious and tiny and spent the week sleeping, eating and pooping! While Emma's transition into our family has been very smooth, Hannah's transition to being a big sister has been rough. For the first 3-4 days of this week Hannah was a mess. She was crying a lot and throwing lots of fits. While this is common for most two year olds (terrible two's) it is definitely out of character for Hannah. I spent the week mourning the loss of my sweet and obedient oldest child and shed several tears with her. It truly broke my heart to see my "baby" hurting and knowing that it was something we could do nothing about. Thankfully things started getting better by the end of the week and Hannah has seemed to start settling into her new role as big sister. Thankfully despite her change in attitude, Hannah never took it out on Emma and was in love with her from day 1. She has asked to hold her everyday since she was born and is so gentle and sweet with her. She loves to hold Emma's pacifier too, which we found out was because she desperately wanted to put it in her own mouth! I let her put one in her mouth (one that was already broken because Bubbles has gotten ahold of it) and that seemed to satisfy her curiousity and I haven't seen her eyeing them like she was the first few days.

We have had family at our house the entire week, which has been wonderful. We started the week with Brian's parents and sister here as well as my parents. Brian's family left on Monday and my parents have been here all week. It's been wonderful having extra hands to keep Hannah occupied and to keep the house in order! I don't know what we will do when we are on our own. The idea of doing this all on our own is daunting!

This week we took Emma to her first pediatrician appointment, at 4 days old. At birth she was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and at 2 days old (the day we left the hospital) she was 6 lbs. 8 oz. Then at the doctor's appointment (4 days old) she was 6 lbs. 10 oz., which was great news! At birth she was also slightly jaundice but at her 4 day appointment her coloring was improving and her wet and dirty diaper count was up a lot, all good news. We don't have to go back for another appointment until she is one month old.

We gave Emma her first sponge bath this week and she was not a huge fan. But after washing her hair we saw that she has the same hair that Hannah had as a baby....it sticks up all over the place! :). We have also realized just how much Emma looks like her big sister did at this age. The main difference is that Hannah had huge dimples in her cheeks and Emma has one dimple in her chin.

We have decided to do Babywise from the start with Emma (we didn't start it with Hannah until she was 3-4 months old). During the first 1-2 weeks Babywise stresses the importance of establishing a good nursing relationship and not forcing a schedule at this point. So we have been pretty laid back about it. However, Emma has fallen into a 2.5-3 hour feeding schedule on her own and is napping for 1-2 hours between each feeding. For the first part of the week I let her nap wherever she fell asleep, but by the end of the week I was trying to put her down for her naps in her crib. On the last day of the week, she took two full two hour naps in her crib without a peep. I was definitely happy about that! But I know there is a lot of work ahead! The feeding schedule that we generally followed this week was feedings at 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm, 2am, and 5am...roughly. She has been a wonderful nurser since birth but was just so sleepy this week that it was a challenge to get her to take full feedings (at least 20 minutes total). Babywise tells you to aim for 15-20 minutes per side, but I was not able to get Emma to do that. 10 minutes per side was the average feeding I was able to get (after a lot of work!) and I was happy with that. But each 20 minute feeding took nearly an hour with all the stopping and starting we had to do to wake her up. It also proved to be a challenge to get her to burp at times. There were several occasions where I didn't do a good enough job of burping and we paid the price - a fountain of spit up all over everything! Oh the joy of smelling like spoiled milk!

One thing that we have done differently this time around is having Emma sleep in our room. We set up the pack n' play with the bassinet and have it right next to the bed on my side. It has made those middle of the night feedings so much easier! I don't know why we didn't do that with Hannah, but we were just so determined that she needed to be in her crib from day one. I don't plan on moving Emma out of our room anytime too soon, but we will see. Thankfully she is a very quite sleeper, otherwise I would not be able to have her in our room.

My recovery has been amazing this week. I can't believe how easy the whole labor and recovery process has been with Emma's birth compared to Hannah's! Everything has been so much better. I stopped wearing the hospital mesh underwear the day after Emma was born (while still in the hospital) and stopped using the huge pads the day we came home (when Emma was 3 days old). I haven't used the ice packs or epifoam since the hospital either. I'm pretty sure I wore those mesh underwear for several weeks after Hannah's birth! What a difference! I also haven't taken any pain medication since coming home from the hospital. I probably should have though because my stomach muscles or uterus or something has been pretty sore this week. Feels like I have some pulled muscles or something. Other than that, all systems are a go! I have also lost half of the weight I gained while pregnant. I gained 31 pounds during the course of the pregnancy and have already lost 17 pounds. I still look about 4-5 months pregnant and am wearing maternity clothes, but I'm pretty sure some of my normal clothes would fit if I tried. I've just been to busy to even try. The maternity clothes are what is in my closet (or the laundry basket) so that's what I'm grabbing. Nursing has been going great but my. Ilk supply has definitely not regulated yet. I am still dealing with painful engorgement and am pretty uncomfortable throughout the day and night. I'm hoping that this begins to regulate next week as Emma gets more consistent and proficient with her feedings. I even did my first short pumping sessions this week and fed Emma 1 oz. of pumped milk from a bottle when she was 6 days old. She took the bottle very easily and sucked down that ounce without a problem. It took me only 2 minutes to use my manual pump to get 1 oz. of milk. I was pretty impressed with that, especially since that was after Emma had nursed on that side for 8 minutes.
 

Overall, we had a good week, but I don't think I was quite prepared for what the transition from one to two would entail. It has definitely been harder than I expected, especially with Hannah's reaction. The one thing that was definitely not an issue was my fear of not loving Emma as much as I love Hannah. There is no question that I am completely in love with my tiny little peanut! She has wiggled her way into my heart and I can hardly believe how much love I have for both of my girls! I was instantly in love with Emma the moment she was born! I think that's one reason this week was so tough emotionally for me. Seeing Hannah so out of sorts over our new addition literally felt like my heart was being torn in two. I wanted to comfort Hannah and let her know that things were not going to change and that we loved her just as much if not more than before, but I also wanted to snuggle with my new little peanut and enjoy her tiny newborn stage. It was heartbreaking having to take time away from one to spend with the other. It is definitely a juggling act.

12 Weeks Old

Hannah is 12 weeks old today.  She is getting so big and really coming alive.  I'm not sure how much she weighs exactly, but my estimate is about 13 pounds.  She is such a happy baby (most of the time) and such a blessing!  I love spending everyday with her and am so thankful that I have the opportunity to stay at home with her.

Her schedule is about to change a bit, now that she is closing in on 3 months.  Right now her schedule looks like this:

6am - Wake, feed, put back to bed
9:30 or 10am - Wake, feed, playtime
1:20 or 2pm - Feed, put down for nap
5:30 or 6pm - Wake, feed, playtime
9:30 or 10pm - Feed, put down for the night

She does great with this schedule and is finally starting to get into a good routine.  But at 3 months, Dr. Denmark suggests putting them to bed earlier and doing a "dream feed" at 10pm.  She also suggests starting solids at this age.  We still aren't sure if we will do this now or at 4 months, but when we do begin, it will be very slowly.  We are excited for Hannah to be moving into this new stage, but also a bit sad to see our newborn baby grow up into an infant.

These days Hannah is smiling up a storm and cooing and squealing.  She still hasn't laughed out loud, but she is so close!  Any day now....  She hasn't rolled over from her tummy to back in a while, but I keep trying.  She holds her head all by herself now and has such a strong neck and back.  She loves to try to stand up and "walk" and we are practicing letting her sit up on her own too (not even close yet, but she likes to try).  I wish I could stop time right now and freeze Hannah at this age.  I LOVE 3 months (or close to 3 months)!!  I know I will probably say that at other ages, but this is definitely my favorite so far.  She is no longer a sleepy baby, but a happy, playful one!  I love her so much!

2 Weeks Old

Hannah is 2 weeks old today.  Time is flying, but at the same time it seems to be standing still! haha  This week was a lot better than the first week.  My parents left last Friday (when Hannah was 8 days old) and Brian's family came back the same day.  Brian's brother and sister came too, which was a lot of fun!  They stayed for a quick weekend trip and then everyone left on Sunday.  Sunday night was our first night alone with Hannah.  It was a scary thought to have to do this all on our own, but we did it and it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be!  The Lord has blessed us with a baby that generally likes to sleep, so we can't complain too much.  Brian stayed home from work on Monday (although he did work from home, so he wasn't able to help too much) but it was nice to have him here for support.  Then on Tuesday, it was just me and Hannah.  I managed to take her to the doctor all by myself!  She now weighs 8lb 3.5oz, so she has gained back her birth weight (8lb 2 oz) and then some!  YEAH! :-)  It's so good to know that everything is working right and I am able to provide her with all the nourishment she needs! 

This week we have been working on getting Hannah on a schedule, which isn't always easy.  We aim to feed her every 3-4 hours and so far she has been okay with that.  She is only waking me up once in the middle of the night (we put her down at about 11pm and she wakes me up around 2 or 3am) and then again at about 6 or 7am.  Can't complain too much about that!  But I do look forward to the day that I don't have to wake up at 2 or 3am to feed....oh to get a solid 6 or 7 hours of sleep! ;-)  Hannah has definitely become more aware during her wake periods.  She loves her swing and can sit in it just starring off in the distance for quite some time (as long as she has a full tummy and a clean diaper!)

I am feeling a lot better this week!  My emotions have leveled out a lot, although I still don't feel 100% "normal".  I so appreciate all the support I have been given and words of encouragement from moms who have been through this emotional rollercoaster!  It means so much to me to have friends and family that are so supportive and understanding of what we are going through!  So thanks!!  Physically I am healing well and starting to feel more and more like myself.  I have lost 32 pounds so far and have about 15-20 to go.  I can wear some of my pre-pregnancy clothes, which is nice!  But I still find myself grabbing my maternity pants from time to time, just because they are so comfy! haha

Oh what a difference a week makes! :-)  Thanks for the prayers...keep them coming!!

1 Week Old

Hannah is one week old today!  Hard to believe, yet at the same time it seems like she has been here forever!  Weird! ;-)  This week has been full of ups and downs.  Hannah is so beautiful and gets prettier with each passing day!  She is generally a happy baby (except during her fussy times - dinner time and after her 2am feeding) and sleeps a lot!  (They all do that at this young age!)  She has wiggled her way into our hearts and we look forward to watching her grow!  Being a parent is a HUGE responsibilty and that reality has made this week a bit of an emotional one for me.  Since we tried to conceive for so long (2 years) I always thought that once I had a baby I would just be so thrilled that I wouldn't have to worry about any "baby blues", but boy was I wrong.  Apparently, it doesn't matter how long you try or how much you think you are ready...bringing home a baby is a HUGE transition and many emotions go along with that.  If you think about, please pray for me as I continue to struggle with the changes. 

In the past week we have seen lots of changes in Hannah....

• Weight: 8 lb. 2 oz. (birth), 7 lb. 5 oz (2 days old), 7 lb. 6 oz. (4 days old)
• Length: 20 inches (birth), 20 1/4 inches (4 days old)
• She has smiled a few times and not just from gas....she smiled when MeeMaw was tickling her chin (several times)
• She has really big dimples! :-)  And a cute button nose!
• She can track her rattle with her whole head when we shake it in front of her (though not every time)
• She can lift her neck and turn her head from side to side when on her tummy (so strong!)
• She loves to be held!
• She slept through the night for the first time at 5 days old!!  7 hours straight!  What a special gift for mommy and daddy!!  This special treat hasn't been repeated, but we are hopeful! :)
• She is giving us lots of dirty diapers to clean up!  The first few days home she wasn't having any dirty diapers, which gave us a scare (and an unnecessary trip to the ER...opps) but she is making up for that now!
• She is a good feeder in general, but has a little trouble latching on.  From what I have read about breastfeeding babies, she is a "gourmet" nurser.  She likes to play around and take a few tastes before finally settling in for a good feeding.  But once she starts, she feeds for 10-20 minutes on each side and is so content after her feedings.

Hannah is a special gift from the Lord and we are so blessed to have her in our lives!  Thank you all for the many prayers for her (from before she was conceived until after her birth!)  It means so much to us to know that there are people praying for our little family of three!  Please continue to pray for us!