(written October 18th)
Dear Nella,
Happy Due Date, sweet baby. I can’t believe that you’ve been here with us for two whole weeks already! It feels like I’ve known you forever, and yet, the time is going by so quickly that your birth still feels like yesterday.
For now, I’m listening to your sweet, soft breathing, and tiny, dream-induced whimpers. You’re asleep, but you won’t be for long, so I’m typing this and uploading photos as quickly as I can. These first few weeks with a new baby are a juggling act, and honestly, I’m always guiltily torn between soaking in all the sweet moments and taking time to record them. I’ve found that I need to write these things down, though, because one day, without these words and photos, I’d never remember any of the small details. I hope that someday, you’ll cherish reading and knowing about your first few weeks of life, too.
You are a dream baby. You are still a newborn, so I really don’t expect much as far as sleep goes, which is good, since your sleep patterns are still very random. Sometimes, we get a good 4-5 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep, and others, you are up every 2 hours (or less) wanting to nurse. You still nap for most of the day, although you do seem to have a few hours of awake time divided between morning, afternoon, and late evening.
You have sisters who wholeheartedly adore you. Before you were born, they would kiss my belly every single night. I eagerly waited to see how sweet they would be with you once you arrived, and amazingly, seeing you in their arms warms my heart even more than I could have imagined. You were a much anticipated, greatly loved, member of our family long before we ever met you.
Kaya has nicknamed you “Baby Nella Sunshine”, and we even have a little song we sing to wake you up:
Good morning, Baby Sunshine!
Good morning, Baby Sunshine!
Do you want some milk?
Do you want some milk?
Good morning, Baby Sunshine!
Good morning, Baby Sunshine!
We love you,
yes we do!
It’s completely silly, but it does seem to get you to open your eyes, at least.
You’ve had a few milestones this week. Your umbilical stump fell off on day 9 (just when your sisters’ did). You had your very first blowout, which ended with you taking a bath because your diaper really failed that badly.
You get hiccups after almost every meal, and I think they actually agitate you a little. You’re also already a pro at busting out of your swaddle at night, so I’ve started leaving your arms unwrapped.
You also went on your first of several walks. We tried out the Moby wrap (you’re the first of our babies to use it), and you seem to really like it. I’m still working on learning to tie it a little better though.
You also had your first ride (and nap) in the stroller!
You “met” you Uncle Karl and Kaitlyn, but there aren’t any pictures because there wasn’t a chance for them to hold you. We had our first real outing as a family of five (besides taking walks) to the pumpkin patch!
We love you so much, littlest princess.
Love, Mommy