Sarah { one month }

I can't believe one month has already gone by with our little girl (one month and one week, actually). In the past month Sarah has changed and grown so much and we have fallen more in love with her everyday.

When Sarah was born, she weighed 7 lbs 15 oz. When we left the hospital, she weighed 7 lbs 4 oz. Now? She is a happy, chunky 10 pounds 6 ounces! It blows my mind how much she has grown in just 5 weeks. And to be honest,  I think she's going through another growth spurt now. We've got a little weed on our hands!

Sarah eats great. Most of the time. We've had a few set backs along the way but we've made it through so far. I am nursing throughout the day and Eli feeds her a bottle at night before bed. He really enjoys this time with her and it helps her to calm down and sleep better. We've been trying to read her cues to tell us she's hungry. We think we do a pretty good job, but sometimes we miss the cues and she LETS US KNOW she is hungry! I really do think she's going through a growth spurt because she is hungry more often and takes more milk at night in her bottle. But I'm not complaining about our growing girl!

She is still mostly in newborn size clothes, with some 0-3 month onesies mixed in. However, she'll be out of her newborn clothes before too long - I actually had to take a zip-up sleeper outfit off of her today because the pants turned into capris and it was tight to snap between her legs. It's a shame too, because that was a really cute outfit!

Right now, our routine is mostly baby-led,but she's fairly consistent. She cycles between eating, playing, and sleeping. After she eats, she will usually stay awake for a good 45 minutes to an hour. This time is getting to be quite fun! She likes to look around, recline in her bouncy seat, be carried in our Baby Bjorn carrier, and make lots of really cute faces! When she is alert and content, she loves to look around at faces, lights, and our ceiling fans. Anything that moves really catches her eye. It's fun to watch her take in her surroundings. I just wish she could tell us what she thinks about it all.

She has been smiling for several weeks now, and I think she's finally smiling on purpose (not just as a reaction to gas!). She also loves to stick her tongue out, which is one of the cutest things ever! We love when she interacts with us and responds to our silly faces and noises with her own. I cannot wait for her to start laughing and giggling! I'm sure it will happen very soon!

Sarah is a wonderful sleeper! During the day, she takes shorter naps, usually around an hour long. Sometimes if she has had more stimulation, she will sleep longer, but she seems to be a big fan of those short naps. We've been working to find a good schedule for nighttime. She was going down around 11 pm and getting up between 8 and 9 am, with one feeding around 4 am. We are trying to get her to sleep earlier in the evening so when I go back to work, she'll be ready to get up earlier in the morning. Last night she actually slept from 11 pm to 6 am without waking up! I'm hoping that she will continue to sleep longer stretches at night. It was so wonderful getting a full 7 hours of sleep!

Sarah is generally a very content baby. But like a nurse in the hospital told us, "when this baby gets mad, she's gonna get MAD!" She definitely lets us know when something is bothering her, like a wet diaper, when she's hungry, or when she is sleepy. And apparently, when she is done with her photo shoot!

We are so thankful for such a wonderful baby girl. We could not imagine her being any different or any more perfect for our little family. We know God has blessed us and is continually teaching us how to love deeper and depend on Him. I am excited to watch Sarah learn, explore, and grow into the beautiful person God created her to be.

Not everything is the same each day or each week. I go back to work this Tuesday and she starts with a babysitter three days a week, so things will change again. I will admit that I’m excited to get more routine back in my life, because I only shower every other day right now and going to the grocery store is an adventure away from my typical days on the couch.

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it - aside from salvation and marrying Eli, Sarah is the best gift that we have received. Our hearts continue to grow with love for her every day and we pray that we can learn to be the best parents for her.

Sweet Sarah,

I'm so glad you became a part of our little family just over a month ago. Thank you for making me into a mommy and for blessing me with your sweet spirit every day. We keep praying for you to grow strong and healthy, physically, mentally and spiritually. We pray that we can show you the love of God each and every day. Stay sweet, baby girl. We love you more than you know.

Always, Momma