Reese is 5 weeks old today!

I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by! Reese is already 5 weeks old today. She seems to change daily. I have noticed that her eyelashes get longer and longer and of course she is getting so tall. She has been having a tough time going down after her 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. feeding. By tough, I mean she doesn't go to sleep at all and one of us is up with her trying to get her down.

Last night she ate at 11:00 p.m. and didn't go to sleep until around 2:30 a.m. after I fed her again at 1:30 a.m. I think she may have her nights and days mixed up, but who knows...she changes so much it could be anything. I thought maybe it was the chocolate I was eating, but I stopped eating it for a couple of days and that didn't seem to help. I've allowed myself to eat chocolate again, but I'm limiting my caffeine and chocolate intake just in case. Tonight, I am prepared to stay up with her; I just told myself we'd be up so that way I will not be expecting to get to sleep until the early morning. Hopefully this stage will soon pass so Reese, Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Ruth can get some sleep. :)

Today was a beautiful day, so Grandma, Reese and I took a long walk around the neighborhood before stopping by the park.

Here is Reese at the park. This photo makes it look like she is shading her eyes from the sun, but the sun was not in her eyes, she was just stretching like she always does.

Visits from Grandpa Larry and Aunt Maylee

My Dad, Dana and Reese's cousin Ali came to visit us on Friday. Grandma Ruth went to stay with Mom for the weekend so Dad and Dana could stay at our house. We hung out at the house and Dad found a few projects around our house to keep him busy and they took a trip to Academy while Reese and I rested. Later we all took a walk to the park.

Reese and Grandpa Larry






Reese and Grandma Dana



Reese and her cousin Ali. Ali is 4 years old and really enjoyed helping with Reese.

Reese took a nap on the couch while we ate dinner. Dad propped her up this way. She really seemed to like this position. Comfy!

Before they left on Saturday morning, we walked to Buffalo Grille for breakfast. It was Reese's first trip to one of our favorite breakfast spots.

Matt had to go to work afterwards and Dad, Dana and Ali headed back to Brownwood, but I wasn't alone for long as Maylee and Lance came to visit for the afternoon. It was great to see them! We chatted while I fed Reese and then bathed her. Afterwards, they watched Reese so I could shower and then we walked to BerryHill for lunch. When we got back it was time for Reese to eat again, and they had to head back to College Station so Lance could go to work.

Reese, Aunt Maylee and Lance

On Sunday, I dressed Reese in her Texas Tech outfit that her Uncle Scott gave her.

The past couple of days, she has napped without being swaddled, but then at night we still swaddle her. Sometimes, I can't figure out if she wants to be swaddled or not. She is so strong that she usually gets her arms out anyway when she if fussy. She is napping right now and wouldn't go down until I swaddled her. It's a constant guessing game.

Here are some other pics of Reese from last week. She is enjoying her swing now.

Can you really spoil a newborn and a blogger?

I think the answer is YES for both questions!

It's been almost a week since my last post and you bloggers have already been asking me to update the blog. Well, many of you may have been thinking it, but my friend Debbie sent a text today stating, "Update the blog!". I was just telling my Mom last night that I needed to update the blog, but we've been so busy with Reese. I've gone and spoiled you all with my frequent posts and pictures!

This leads me to my first question, "Can you really spoil a newborn?" I didn't think so, but maybe you can. I think Grandma Ruth started spoiling Reese by holding her so much or it could just be that Reese is growing and changing (every week is different). Anyway, we've had a hard time getting her down after her feedings especially at night. This was not the case before Grandma Ruth came to visit. I think the problem is that Reese doesn't get good rest when she is being held (like I've stated in other posts, Grandma prefers to hold her instead of swaddle her). I know Grandma does this because she loves us both so much. When I'm napping, she holds Reese if Reese makes the a noise, so that I can sleep and not be awaken by her gurgles and grunts. I think all of this holding has gotten us all a little off schedule. Last night, I fed Reese 3 times between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and didn't get her down to sleep until almost 11:30 p.m. I think she was just over tired. So today, I've been putting her down right after her feeding and so far she has been resting well. She makes lots of noise when sleeping, but nothing that means she must be picked up and held. I just offer her the paci (which she has not wanted) and place my hand on her tummy to rock her. This has been working well. Of course, we always start the process with the swaddle and then sway her on her side for a minute or so. This calms her down too. Grandma was distracted all morning as she made her famous homemade beef enchiladas. I can't wait for dinner tonight!

Matt and I had a nice time on our Valentine's date. We went to Collina's and had a great meal and a little red wine.

Since then, Matt has been working like crazy and Grandma and I have had a Jane Austen movie marathon. It all started when I rented movies on Saturday, it was a rainy day, and I picked up The Jane Austen Book Club. It was so cute! We enjoyed it and Grandma started talking about all of the other Jane Austen books/movies. This lead us to watch the new Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Becoming Jane. Unfortunatley, I seem to get distracted while feeding Reese, doing housework or taking a nap, but I enjoyed what I did watch.

We had lots of visitors on Sunday. Mom and Sam came by in the early afternoon, Pat came by around 3:30 and Wendy, Nolan and Karsyn came by and brought dinner later in the day.

Here is a picture of Karsyn kissing Reese.

More tummy time. Reese does so well; she will raise her head and turn it from side to side.

She doesn't seem too interested in her play gym just yet, but I figure it's good for her to play or lay here when she is in her quiet alert state. We usually do this after her morning snack and bath before putting her down to sleep.

I measured Reese today and it looks like she is 22 inches long! She is really growing and getting long. She needs to start getting chubby now, so she can fill out her onesies. She still eats 8 times a day, and I've been trying to let her tell me when it's time. We still supplement at least one feeding a day with formula because she is still hungry after nursing.

Reese got mail! ~ Happy Valentine's Day!

Can you believe that Reese was due to be born on this day...February 14th? Matt keeps reminding me that she could have still been in my tummy. I am so glad she is already here with us!

Reese, on Valentine's Day...Grandma held her a lot today while she slept.


Reese received her first pieces of mail this week. She received 4 Valentine's Day cards from Grandma Pat and Grandpa Joe, Great Aunt Jamie and her friends Harper and Karsyn. How sweet! Mom made us strawberry cupcakes for Valentine's Day...my favorite...and they are yummy! I am sure Reese will agree!

Yesterday, my friends Debbie and Lynn came over to visit. Mom was here too delivering the cupcakes. It was fun to have visitors! I am definitely up for visitors now, so come see us!


Tonight, Matt and I are going out to dinner; just the two of us. I am excited that he is getting off at a decent time and we'll get some QT! Grandma Ruth will be keeping Reese will we are out.

Reese is getting bigger and longer! Grandma Ruth measured her at 21 1/2 inches this week. She is about to out grow some of the newborn outfits. I've only been putting her in about 5 or 6 outfits because it is all she can wear as everything else is too big. Now that she is getting longer, maybe we can try out some new clothes. She is also starting to eat more. We have had to supplement with formula a few times this week because she was still hungry after nursing for 30 minutes. I'm just happy she is eating and peeing and pooping like she should. She also wakes up when she is hungry now; this ranges anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 hours after her last feeding. I fed her at 1:00 p.m. and thought I had until 4:00 p.m. until the next feeding, so I went to run a few errands. At 3:30 p.m. Grandma Ruth called (I could hear Reese crying in the background) to ask if she could give her some formula as she was hungry! Of course! I was loading groceries in the car and heading home as she called, so I fed Reese as soon as I returned. She had already drank 1.5 oz of formula by the time I got home, but she still nursed for 30 minutes.

Here are some snap shots of our baby! I get lots of pics of her when she is doing cute stuff...

Prepare to be swaddled!

She makes this face a lot!

Us!

Sleeping Beauty. Aren't they so cute when they sleep?

Snoozing while Grandma Ruth holds her...this is becoming a habit for these two. Grandma would rather hold her than swaddle her, but I taught Grandma how to swaddle Reese today. I don't mind her being held some during the day, but I think Reese rests better when she is swaddled in her crib. Mom knows best! :)

Reese Meets her Great Grandman Ruth

(It now takes me two days to complete one post...so this spans the weekend)

Reese's Great Grandma Ruth is here all the way from Abilene, TX to visit for a few weeks. Sam met Aunt Jamie in Temple on Saturday to pick her up. After I got back from the salon and had lunch, Mom and I took Reese for another walk to the park. We got back just in time as Grandma and Sam were unloading the car.

On Sunday night, Grandma fed Reese at 10:30 p.m. so I could sleep until the 2:00 a.m. feeding. Getting 4-5 hours of straight sleep really helps! I think we'll keep this up while she is here!

Sunday morning I fed Reese at 6:15 a.m. and then went back to bed until 8:30. In the meantime Grandma heard her hiccuping and went in and held her for an hour so I could sleep. Grandma said she will not do that every morning so Reese won't get spoiled. Grandma is notorious for holding and spoiling babies! I told her she could do it every other morning. :)

Uncle Chris came by Saturday night for a visit too. He had been to visit Reese twice before, but had not held her yet. He was finally ready last night. He did great!



Here are more pictures of Reese since the last post...I just love capturing these moments! She is precious!

Look at her arm...ta da!

Snoozing on Mommy's chest again...

She changes everyday!

Hang on to that paci!

Daddy loves her!

Reese got her first real bath on Sunday; well it was in this tub but still much like a sponge bath because she was not emersed in the water. It was the first time Matt had seen her get a bath since he had been at work every other time I bathed and dressed her. We were able to soap her up more this way. She fussed a little, but we made it quick.

On Sunday afternoon, my friends/co-workers (Debbie and Eric and his Family) came to see Reese. Here are Debbie, Reese, Cati, Cari, his wife Tammi, and Eric. I know, the walls need to be painted...we are still fixing up the house / moving in...but Reese is our #1 priority these days! And none of that stuff bothers me.

More Reeseisms...she sneezes 3 times in a row just like her Grandma Fredda and Great Grandma Ruth.

Also, many of you know how I come up with new nicknames for Matt all of the time. Well, I have found that I have new names for Reese every week. This week it's "Punk Punk" because I was calling her my Punkin Pie, and I shortened it to Punk Punk. You know that is how Matt got the name Plummy, I called hime my Plum Pie one day (to my friend Stacy back in college) and it turned into Plummy.

Most mornings, I sing a good morning song to Reese. I have not sung it in a few days. It goes like this..."Good morning, Good morning...Good morning, Good morning...Good morning, Good morning to the sweet sweet Baby Reese, the sweet sweet Baby Reese, the sweet sweet Baby Girl, the sweet sweet Baby Reese." It's real catchy and Matt even started singing it with me! Other songs we sing to her, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Hush Little Baby. Matt makes up words to the nursery rhymes, but they sound great to Reese. Aunt Sharon will be proud.

My First Walk to the Park

Matt has been encouraging me to take Reese on a walk to the park, and today I was rested enough and the weather was fabulous, so off we went! We have this wonderful park 2 blocks from our house; it couldn't be more convenient. We called Daddy from the park to let him know we were there; he was glad and wished he could join us. We'll go again this weekend with him!

After the walk, I fed Reese and let her nap on my chest. She slept so peacefully.

Turning 2 Weeks Old and Having Tummy Time!

Reese turned 2 weeks old yesterday and it was a busy day for both of us! She had her second pediatrician appointment plus newborn bloodwork, and I had my 2 week follow up with Dr. Leeds-Richter. Pat is spending the afternoons with us this week, and she was a huge help yesterday. Reese had a great doctor visit and she now weighs 7 lbs 3 oz (Yay, she gained weight...the breastfeeding is successful!) and she grew another 1/2 inch and is 21 inches long. She is in the 50 percentile for weight and 90 percentile for length. Dr. Miller said I must continue feeding her 8 times a day even if we stretch it out 4-5 hours during the night for at least the next 6-8 weeks. I am so exhausted that this news stressed me out a little.

I called in reinforcement. I thought to myself what did all of my friends do? How did they survive only getting 2 hour increments of sleep for 2 months? I called Wendy, and she said she did not wake Karsyn to eat during the night (I was waking Reese up at 1:00 and 4:00 a.m.), but if she woke up she fed her. Then Wendy called Holly (who has 3 month old Lillie) and Holly said that I should wake her up but to stretch the nighttime feedings out to 4 hours in between instead of 3 hours. This made great sense to me; in my tired state I couldn't have thought of it myself!

So, we are now trying the following schedule: 10:30 pm, 2:30 am, 6:30 am, 9:00 am, 11:30 am, 2:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 7:30 pm. During the day I'll feed her every 2.5 hours and then stretch the evening and nighttime feedings out to 3 or 4 hours. Last night went well. I fed Reese at 3:00 a.m. and then again at 6:30 a.m. Today she has done well with the 2.5 hour feedings. Hopefully this evening and tonight will go as well.

I digressed...back to the appointment...Reese was scheduled for her second newborn screening (bloodwork) and we realized that this had to be done at The Woman's Hospital of Texas next door. It was already 3:00 p.m., so Pat took Reese over via the shuttle, and I went to see Dr. Leeds-Richter. The goal was to get Reese back in time for me to feed her at 4:00. I was so tired (I know I keep saying this), so I am glad Pat took Reese for the bloodwork; I don't think I would have handled it too well. When Pat got there, the staff was not going to see Reese since her mother was not there and Pat didn't have written authorization from me. Luckily, they called me at my Doctor's office and I gave my approval to 2 ladies.

My appointment was short and sweet, since it was 4:15 when I was called in and Reese was ready to eat. The doctor said my incinsion looked great and she'd see my in 4 more weeks. She said the night sweats were normal, the weight loss was due to breastfeeding and keep taking my iron until I finish it.

It's amazing how tiring the trip was! Reese and I were both worn out.

This morning Reese had her first tummy time after I fed her at 9:00 and dressed her. She did great! I let her stay on her tummy for about 10 minutes and she turned her head twice.

Today we rested and Pat feed Reese at 2:00, so I could take a nap. I ended up only sleeping for about an hour and a half, but it was nice. It's crazy I wake up thinking I must have slept a long time, and I look at the clock and it's only been an hour or so. It's hard to relax and sleep during the day. Everyone says, "Sleep when she sleeps", but it's easier said then done. My goal is to try and get a nap each day from 1-4 and let Pat or Grandma Ruth feed Reese at 2:00.

Reese is funny...I wanted to note some of her Reeseisms. I've stopped changing her before I feed her because she tends to start pooping right when I start to change her or when she starts to eat. I was waiting for her to catch me off guard and poop on her sheet or bumper pad. Yesterday, she did this! I knew it would happen eventually. The lactation consultant taught me to change her before feeding her for two reasons, 1. it would wake her up and 2. she would be more comfortable eating. Well since she poops most of the time during the feeding I decided to just change her afterwards. Sometimes she waits to poop after I have put her down and you can hear her toot from the other room. Mom and I just laugh! Oh, Reese will be so embarrased to read this one day. I'm sure she'll say very sarcastically, "Thanks a lot Mom!"

Also, when she eats she makes these grunting, snorting noises. At first Matt and I thought she was having a hard time breathing, but it's just what she does when she eats. I call her my little piglet. Such a cutie!

I can lift my head and Mommy can drive again!

This weekend was pretty laid back, but I'm still so tired! Matt had to work on Saturday, so Mom and I hung out with Reese. The day flew by! My friend Amanda and her husband Pete came by to meet Reese and go on an errand with me. It was my first time to drive since Reese was born, and I wanted someone to be with me. I needed to buy a gift for Dr. Leeds-Richter, Dr. Firpo and Nurse Amy since they took such great care of us during the pregnancy. I was on a mission to the unique jewelry store, Fly High Little Bunny, which is only about a mile or so from our house. The drive was fine, Pete said I passed. I was glad Amanda went with me to pick out the necklaces because I am so indecisive. It was nice to get out for a bit and be independent again. Mom stayed home with Reese and I got back just in time to feed her again.

Last night, Matt feed Reese at 1:00 a.m. in an attempt to give me 5 hours of straight sleep. Unfortunately, Reese was a little fussy, so we were both up and down with her from about 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. I think the issue was that she kept getting out of her swaddle. I finally got her wrapped up good about 3:00 a.m., and she slept well until I woke her up to eat again at 4:00 a.m. Getting only 2 hours of sleep at a time is wearing on me, but I hope her doctor will say we spread out the feedings soon (like Monday).

Today, we packed up the maternity clothes and broke out the pre-preggo duds. We needed to organize our closets from the move and Mom was a huge help. We are also making headway on the guest bedroom/office. My Grandma Ruth will be here next week, so we need to make it liveable for her.

Here is what Reese has been up to over the past few days...

Hi Mommy!

Stretch! She does this when she takes a break during her feeding.

Cuddling with Daddy! This helps to calm her after she finishes eating and before we put her down. Look at her little smile.

I can lift my head! After eating (I told you we do this 8 times a day), she lifted up her head and flashed those beautiful eyes at me. I think we can start some tummy time this week!

Cuddling with Mommy!

Cuddling with Grandma Fredda!

Mom took a break to hold Reese before I fed her again at 4:00 p.m.

Our sweet family!

Hi Daddy!