The Wilkinsons: February 2017

One month has passed and what a beautiful addition Charlotte is to our family! It really feels like she has been with us all along. She just fits right in. Our first nights at home the reality that we had a newborn again sunk in. I worried she wasn't breathing and that we would break her because she was so tiny. We also thought maybe Cooper would crush her with a toy. But sure enough, things smoothed out after the first days of adjustment and my anxiety subsided so much. It's amazing how much you learn after your first baby making number two a great deal easier. The lifestyle adjustment isn't near as huge either. So I really feel like we were floating on cloud nine the whole month and just loving every minute. I tell everyone Charlotte has been an angel from the start. She is an easy going, sweet baby.
We went to see "Dr. Nick" Hinkebein for Charlotte's newborn visit on 1/30/17 just a few days old. At that visit she weighed 6 lbs, 10oz. (10th percentile) was 19in long (maybe an inaccurate measure since was born 18.5in but anyhow that's 25percentile) and head circumference was 33.5cm (10th percentile) She's a petite little thing! We had been concerned because she hadn't had a bowel movement in 24 hours. She was having lots of gas that was keeping her awake. I quickly had to adjust my diet for the gas. But Dr. Nick was also worried that she may have a high bilirubin count with the lack of bowel movements. We had to run some bloodwork and breastfeed extra to get her overhydrated to flush that stuff out. We even had her sunbathing in the bathroom!

Her bili came back higher than from the hospital but not in a critical range, so we were ok. And the next day I went back for a weight check and she was up to 6 lbs and 13 ounces, had pooped a couple times and her color was improving. My milk had come in that morning so I think that finally got things moving in the right direction. So our next visit was this one month check.
waiting for Dr. Nick

At one month Charlotte weighs 8lbs 15 ounces (25th percentile) is 21 inches (30th percentile) and head circumference of 36in (25th percentile).

She started to grow a hemangioma on the top back of her head that we will just monitor and should go away in the future. It's the shape of a heart and just adds character! Everything checked out well at the doctor and we are so lucky to have a healthy growing baby.

The month has brought some transition for our family. I knew it would be an adjustment for Cooper to no longer be the only one needing our attention. But I have to say I underestimated just HOW big of a change it would be. He needed lots of my attention and had many moments where he "wanted to be little again." Don't get me wrong, he is obsessed with Charlotte. He wants her around wherever he is and likes to do anything to help us like get us a diaper (or change his baby's at the same time) or his favorite thing is to give her a paci which he looks at proudly after she sucks on it like he has really accomplished something. He just had to get used to sharing mom and dad. He didn't like to leave the house anymore, and he started having lots of pee pee accidents so we are back in diapers. There were times that he wanted to be swaddled like Charlotte, or rocked to sleep, and needed lots of "hugs."
this was me swaddling and cuddling him like a baby per his request haha

All that being said, he has been a trooper. I had to adjust balancing my time. If I was busy getting Charlotte to sleep there were days when I'd find Cooper misbehaving during that time.

Each day gets easier and easier and we have found our groove by the end of the month! Charlotte is easy to love!
her first sponge bath at home

This month she has slept ALOT. It's confusing us to have a baby that actually sleeps. And not in our arms! haha She averages 16 hours a day and eats every 3 hours both day and night. Feburary 23 we had our longest stretch this month with 5 hours at night! Let's hope she starts repeating that! She is a night owl and we have our only difficult time with her in the late evening. She usually has a big 2 hour awake time but she is happily awake! There are nights when we think she is down for good and then she wakes up for these large periods of time. She about outlasts us on these evenings! Im hoping this works itself out soon. We thought maybe she had her days/nights a bit confused this month. The mamaroo has been helpful when she wakes up early in the morning and can't settle back to sleep. After she wakes to eat it can take almost an hour to get her back to sleep. But, she gives great cuddles and is very easy going!

She doesn't even mind water on her head during her baths. She loves bath time even her first one that happened this month (she lost her umbilical cord on day 7).

She has the cutest little wrinkles above her eyebrows that are starting to fade but for now I like them :) We went on our first family walk this month and she loved being in the Moby wrap on me for that.

She is still in newborn clothes and diapers. When we put a bow on her you can bet Cooper was the one who picked it out. She is starting to loose her hair up top and some cradle cap is present, but she is still the cutest thing ever! Luckily our favorite Auntie Emmy captured her cuteness on camera. We are so so so lucky to have an awesome photographer in the family. AND she even came back a couple times to snap extra photos.