One Month

Our sweet girl turns one month today. I have a hard time believing it. It's strange because it feels like we just had her yesterday, yet we cannot remember life without our incredible little girl. She truly is amazing.



So far, Makaela has proved to be an easy going baby. She settled into a routine fairly quickly, eating every 2 to 3 hours, with an hour to 2 hour nap in-between feedings, except for evenings. She tends to cluster feed, so she eats about every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. It tends to be a little difficult only because it's Harmony's bedtime- trying to get her into her bath, her pajamas, and bed isn't easy when you have a baby who wants to constantly nurse. When Mike is home it's a non-issue, but there are a few nights a week he isn't, so it's.... interesting. :-) But I have to applaud Harmony for how well she is doing with a new baby sister. She LOVES her. Makaela is smothered in hugs and kisses during her wake times. It's adorable, yet she is a little too aggressive with her love that we have to constantly tell her to be gentle. But we try to include her in all we do with Makaela. If she cries, we ask Harmony what she thinks Makaela wants, so that way she feels important by being able to help make the decision. Best thing we ever did. She loves to help change diapers, change clothes, give her baths, and to shush her while she cries. She doesn't love when Makaela cries in the car, or when she is on mommy's lap when Harmony wants to be, but other than that, it's been a surprisingly smooth transition. Yay for big sister, Harmony! P.S, she is looking so grown up these days.



At Makaela's one month appointment, she weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces (up from 7p 6oz at her two week), and was 20 1/2 inches (up from 20 at her 2 week). She had a bout of gassiness at around 2 weeks, but with a diet change, it already seems to be going away. Thank goodness. It was sooo hard to see her in pain.

She's a pretty darn good sleeper at night- usually hitting the hay between 10, then up like clockwork at 2:30 and 5:30. She usually is up around 9ish, which is nice cuz we have an hour where Harmony has us all to herself. We eat breakfast and get dressed for the day, and usually by the time we are done with our morning routine, she is begging to get her sister up. I still send Harmony to day care two days a week. She would go insane if she stayed home every day, so it's so good for her to have that time with her friends. She BEGS to go to school. So she goes Monday and Wednesday, and is home with us Tuesday and Thursday, and Fridays are our family days. It's been a great routine for us, and it's so nice to have these quiet days with just Makaela and I. Lots of snuggle time. :-)

As for Harmony, she is our constant chatterbox, who needs to be doing something/going somewhere/seeing someone at all times. She is one of the most social children on the planet. On the days she is home, I try to find play dates for her, or think of creative things to do at home. Like playing with bubbles in the sink.





Her most favorite thing to do? Dance. All the time. We soooo need to put her in ballet classes.





Overall, we have a good routine going here at the Shipman home. We're loving life, and we constantly are thankful for our beautiful, healthy little girls.

Speaking of beautiful, I still see a lot of Harmony in Makaela, but at the same time, she looks so different. Maybe it's the blue eyes that get me, or that she is chubbier. What do you think?

Makaela


Harmony


Either way, I can't get enough of her. We're a big fan of Makaela Reese around here. We'll keep her.