Our 4th week with you dear little one…I think it would be accurate to say that this was the longest week of BOTH of our lives. It was a week of crying on both of our parts; lots of long days and nights trying to figure out what to do to make your crying stop, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Let’s just say we weren’t too successful. We also did get a diagnosis of reflux and colic from your pediatrician, you poor thing. We started on some Zantac, and it’s really starting to help with the spitting up and painful burping. But amidst the 24/7 crying, we DID find some new things out about your little self. And one of those things is that I still fell even more in love with you this week than what I ever thought I could. You are precious, my sweet little daughter. And no matter how much you cry, fuss or don’t let me sleep, you are mine.

With all that being said, we seemed to have hit a climax yesterday with your severe screaming and general discomfort. Since about 2pm yesterday, you have been nothing short of angelic. You even woke up and were smiling, cooing and comfortable for over an hour this morning. And it was so wonderful to just sit there and admire your perfection and adorableness. Will it last? Probably not, but I’m praying it does. Here is what we figured out about you this week, little one.

Things You Like:

*Being held or in your swing during the day.
*When you are held, you have a certain way you like it, and that’s close up to our chest, almost cradled in a fetal position and patted on the bum.
*Your pacifier. {And the heavens opened and the angels sang!}
*A light swaddle at night with the fan on.
*Nursing. Nursing. Nursing. Your a total boob-aholic.
*Tummy time! Even after a full feeding and being burped, you LOVE to be on your tummy, and occasionally nap that way during the day. This has been a HUGE lifesaver, plus your big sister loves to lay next to you on your play mat while you do this.
*Being outside. When your really screaming hard during the day, I have walked around with you and Nora outside for about 10 minutes or so and it really seems to calm you down. Your an outdoorsy farm girl already, Miss Andi Joy!
*Driving down Milford’s Main St. Seriously kid, I’m THAT crazy mom driving up and down the old bumpy cobblestone road in town to get you lulled to sleep. For anyone who lives in Milford, try it. It works like a charm!
*Baths – YES! You finally don’t scream during them at all and love the warm water!
*Grunting at night – Your Daddy and I are about ready to kick you out of our room, your such a noisy sleeper. But since we are in the guest house, we are stuck with you for a few more months. I’m hoping you quite down a bit, little piglet!
*Bouncing on the birthing ball with Daddy. You guys just sit there and bounce away when your super fussy and it quiets you down pretty quickly.

Things You Don’t Like:

*Clothes. Honestly, you are a sweaty beast and LOVE to just hang out in your diaper. Although today I put you in your Halloween jammies and you seem pretty happy with them 🙂
*Poopy diaper changes – While you don’t mind to sit in one for a few minutes, you still don’t like having them changed.
*Being constipated has set your mood off some I think this week, too. You only poop about once every 1-2 days and when you finally poop, holy smokes! You are so much happier after you go though, so it’s worth the massive clean up every time it happens.
*Your sister. Honestly, she just loves you so much that she can’t keep her hands, face, legs, mouth, body, etc. off of you. This normally results in you waking up and screaming your bloody head off. It’s a learning process for all of us.
*Waiting to be fed puts you in quite the fit. When you want to eat, you want to eat NOW, so Mommy had better be ready!

Milestones:

*You took your first bottle this week. I have to admit, I was totally nervous that it would make you not want to nurse, but you did just great taking your first bottle and went right back to me just fine. I was SO PROUD of you!
*Your tummy time is paying off! You have excellent neck and head control and love trying to roll over. You have succeeded twice now (yikes!).
*Your eye sight is improving this week as well. You are really trying to focus on the world around you, so much so that you go cross-eyed every once in a while.
*You continue to be a great nurser, even starting to go consistent 3 hour stretches at night. Way to go, baby girl!
*While most of them are from gas, you are smiling and cooing a lot within the past 24 hours. It’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen!
*You went to the pumpkin patch for the first time this week. Although it wasn’t our family’s traditional Schaake’s trip to Lawrence, you did great out in the Moby wrap. Plus your big sister had a great time exploring a fun, new place with Mommy and Nana.
*You are starting to move up into some of your 0-3 month clothes already. SOBB. SOBB. SOBB. Stop growing!

So here your are, 4 weeks old, almost a whole month! Truly where is the time going with you. The days this week have been so long, but at the same time it’s going by so fast! I am excited to see what this week brings us, sweet girl. Hopefully a lot less crying and a lot more happy days!