Well now that she’s 7 weeks old, it seemed fitting to publish this ha! It’s really hard to imagine that Nora is over a month old!! Those first four weeks of her life sure did FLY by!! She was born at 7lbs, 7oz, 21in. At her one week check up she was 7lbs 15oz and by the time her one month check up came, she was 10lbs exactly and 22in. She’s a growing girl for sure and for that we are SO grateful!!

Some highlights:

• Her birth! It was an incredible experience…you can read more about it here!

• Introducing her to our families for the first time. Since she was born during COVID, Drew was the only one allowed at the hospital. While it was a bit crazy those first few days at home with our immediate families visiting, it was so sweet to share her! The first time I cried after delivering was when my dad walked in the door…it hit me that WOW my dad is here to meet MY daughter!

• Story time with daddy. One time when I was nursing her (around 2 weeks I think) Drew came over and read the children’s book “God Gave Us You” and I sobbed. Those kids books are brutal I tell ya!

• Reflecting on God’s love. It’s crazy…Nora has done absolutely NOTHING but exist and I love her so much/would do absolutely anything for her. It’s simply because of who she is. And even still my love for her doesn’t even begin to compare to the Lord’s love!! That has been such a sweet reminder.

• Going on a date with Drew when she was 4 days old. Nana & Pappy were super excited to watch her- makes me so grateful to have family close!! This was a sweet memory because Drew and I processed her birth/first few days at our favorite date spot. We’ve been told so many times that the best thing we can do for our kids is have a healthy marriage so I’m excited to keep fighting for that!

• Her newborn session with Sami Renee Photography when she was 5 days old

• Taking her to my hometown and visiting my mom’s grave (which happened to be the day before her 11th anniversary). This was really special to do with my dad, stepmom, brother Dan & Drew. The weather was perfect that day and it just felt so sweet…definitely treasuring that memory!

• Her First Halloween! I had fun making our lady & the tramp costume… Nora was a (very sleepy) plate of spaghetti.

• Meeting friends! Sharing her with people we love has definitely been a highlight!!

• Learning to be Nora’s mom. Learning what she needs and how to communicate that has been one of the hardest parts of transitioning but also one of the best! I wouldn’t have described it as fun initially but now that I’ve gained more confidence and feel like we know her more, it has been a fun aspect. In a way I feel more connected to my mom, just imagining this is how much love and adoration she felt about my brothers and I, just like I feel about baby Nora!

Some things we’ve learned about Nora:

• She LOVES getting baths, especially when we run warm water over her head.

• She loves getting her diaper changed. It took me a little bit to figure her out because there was multiple times we went through 3 diapers in one changing because she would get sooo relaxed and home girl lets loose haha. I had no idea you could be peed on by a girl but turns out, you definitely can!

• She loves her daddy’s voice and being held by him- if she’s crying she pretty much instantly stops once he holds her.

• She smiles when she farts haha

• She tolerates tummy time but sure has surprised us with her strength! She definitely prefers to do tummy time on our chests vs the play mat or floor.

• She loves her sleep…especially the first two weeks I was waking her up every time she needed to eat. We’ve been using the flexible sleep/eating schedule from Baby Wise and that’s been so helpful for us- we highly recommend!!

Here’s some pictures from her first month of life!

Until next time friends!

Cheers,

Mon