Leighton Jane: One Month Old

I think most of you know by now, but our beautiful daughter Leighton was born on October 3 at 9:59am after a smooth delivery via c-section! She weighed 7 lbs 10 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Her birth and delivery was much different than the boys' - the morning of I felt much more relaxed, knowing what to expect this time (since I had to have a csection with Grayson), and honestly it just went so quick and went very smoothly! We checked into the hospital that morning around 730am and by 930am I was back in the OR getting my spinal, and she was born less than 30 minutes later! My doctor used a clear drape, per my request, during my csection instead of the traditional blue drape which gave me the ability to see Leighton being born and be much more a part of the whole process. I am really glad that I (ever so randomly) decided to ask her about it the week before I gave birth, and would absolutely recommend it to any of you who are having a csection delivery. 

As you can imagine, it is hard to put into words how special and incredible it was meeting our daughter for the first time. I shed so many tears of joy when I saw her face and they told me she was healthy and perfect. I spent over nine months in my head wondering what she would look like and dreaming about the first time I'd get to see her (actually, make that years!) and it surpassed every expectation...she was my perfect little angel girl! I remember thinking how much she resembled both boys and noticing her pretty long fingers and feet and her tiny little lips that resemble mine. Seeing Billy with his baby girl was a tear jerker, too. He was snapping pictures of her pretty much right away, haha. In the weeks leading up to her delivery, we were all so excited and beyond ready to meet her. The boys were getting anxious counting down the days and I was getting really uncomfortable being pregnant in the final few weeks because she kept switching positions and at my 38 week appointment they even wondered if she had turned breech (she ended up being born head down!) So...you can believe me when I say that when the boys came to the hospital later in the afternoon that day to meet her that they were over the moon excited to finally see her and hold her! They both asked to hold her multiple times and they even sang a few songs to her which melted our hearts. I felt so much happiness seeing her with her brothers knowing that they will forever all have each other and will take care of each other.

Truthfully, I'm not that shocked that I'm just now sharing about her here on the blog (over one month later-don't be mad at me down the road Leighton haha) because man oh man...life is busy with 3 kiddos and right now time is so valuable. The days go even faster than before and right now I am just doing my best to juggle it all. 

My postpartum recovery with her has been the easiest by far which has been helpful considering it's been a big adjustment transitioning from 2 to 3 kids. And by that I mean there is just a heck of a lot more planning that has to happen, many more naps on the go vs lounging with your new little one at home on your chest, and just a lot more logistics. However, aside from all that (the first few weeks were definitely tough trying to balance it all!) it has been smooth for the most part. The boys have missed having all my attention at times, but they couldn't be sweeter to their sister and want to be by her side at all times. They really are wonderful with her - I can't wait to watch her relationship with them grow!

Let's get into the one month update...

Weight: 9 lbs 1 oz

Height: 21.5 inches

Hair: Brown 

Eyes: Blue (so far!)

Clothes: She is out of all her newborn clothing now - that went so fast! 

Diapers: Size 1

Sleeping: She goes to bed around 830/9 and normally wakes up once around 2-3 to feed then goes back to bed until 5-6. Sometimes she will wake around 1am still to eat and then goes another 3 hours before her next feed. Since she was born, she naps really well on the go but in the beginning was just doing small cat naps when at home. She has gotten a lot better napping here at home now, but I'll still have to hold her or wear her in the wrap for one nap per day. 

Likes: Sister LOVES to be held and rocked, bath time (except for getting out when she gets cold!), listening to her brothers, music

Dislikes: Getting into her carseat (but once settled and on the move she is ok) and having gas pains! We found out early on that she has silent reflux (she was very fussy and uncomfortable the first few weeks - especially after feedings and in the middle of the night, lots of grunting, sad cries, a ton of hiccups, etc.) but since Camden had it we knew the steps to take and how we could help her and now she is doing so much better and much more content! Hardly any fussing and a happy baby :) Something that has helped her reflux tremendously has been seeing a chiropractor once a week...we never did this with Camden but now I wish I would have known more about it! She is so relaxed when she gets adjusted (they just apply light gentle pressure) and it has made a significant difference in helping with her reflux symptoms. 

Eating: Every 3 hours during the day and then the longer stretches at night

Milestones: She is great at holding her head up already and has started giving us some smiles which are SO sweet! She's getting more used to tummy time now, too.

She is truly the sweetest little babe and makes us all so very happy. I still can't believe at times that I have a daughter...it makes me want to cry! I am trying to soak up and enjoy every single minute of this infant season, even on the days I'm exhausted. Oh...and baby sister looks A LOT like Camden (it's crazy how similar they look!!) but we definitely see Grayson in her, too. I wonder if she will be a good mix of both boys, but of course be her own adorable little person as well. :) We LOVE you soooo much, sweet girl! You have made us so so happy since you came into the world. Thank you for completing our family!