7-8 Weeks

I finally caught a big smile on camera! Too bad it was taken with my iPhone in low light, so it's not the best picture, but I still love it! This is what I wake up to most mornings- a happy, smiling baby!

We spent New Years Eve with Stephen & Jenny and a few friends at Stephen's parents house. Natalie was a bit fussy and unfortunately she had a minor blowout! She was in a cloth diaper and luckily it held the contents quite well, but Eric seriously had to use a garden hose to clean it! Typically we just throw dirty diapers into our "wet bag" but this diaper required some rinsing and an immediate cycle in the wash once we got home! After the diaper incident, we decided to call it a night and head home early.

We've been trying to implement "quiet time" starting at 10pm. I'm hoping that creating and maintaining a bedtime schedule will help improve Natalie's sleeping patterns. Once I feed her, she'll typically sleep from 11 or 12pm to about 7ish when Eric leaves for work in the morning (with one or two feedings in-between). Speaking of nursing, I've been trying to block feed lately in order to remedy our latest issue (green poop!). It's really funny how obsessed I am with my baby's bowel habits now! I'm constantly worried that she's not going enough, that she's going too often, or that the color might indicate some kind of problem... Researching has led me to believe that I may be producing too much foremilk, which is highly probable since Natalie likes to snack quite often. I really have to encourage her to spend more than five or ten minutes actively eating. But I'm still feeding her on demand, as opposed to watching the clock. I'm sure she does a great deal of "comfort nursing" which I've been advised against by many, but I honestly don't see much of a problem with it right now. She loves to nurse and kind of gently caresses my chest with her hand while she eats. Then she usually falls asleep shortly thereafter, so peaceful and content. I'm happy to be the one that can nourish and calm her. It's an awesome feeling.


In my spare time, I've started to plan Elaine's baby shower. I've decided to go with a Hello Kitty theme! I'm only starting to brainstorm at this point, but I'm looking forward to planning games, favors, and such- I know it'll be a challenge with Natalie, but I'm excited to get the plans rolling. I really want Elaine to have a great shower!! I've also been working on cleaning out Natalie's room. We ended up with so much random stuff after the move and unfortunately most of it has landed in her room since it's not currently being used much. I still hate the fact that her room is so unfinished! I'm hoping to paint in there soon too- the walls are horribly chipped and there are spackle patches everywhere. One of many projects to add to my short list!