Where has the time gone?

Okay, so its only been a month but seriously where has the time gone?!? Addison is 1 month old today and it seems like yesterday that we were in the hospital. I started thinking about sending her off to college and got all teary! Scott said I need to worry about day care first. Addison was given her first Barbie, and I got really excited remembering how much I loved Barbies and Cabbage Patches! I can't wait to play with her with them, although that's a ways off.

The last month has been challenging, rewarding, and wonderfully amazing. Being a parent is nothing like I ever imagined. Everyone said the first several weeks were really hard and exhausting, and I believed them but I never understood what they really meant until now. Addison is starting to focus and grab onto our fingers (and pretty much anything within reach). She will stare at us and turn when we talk to her. It is so cool! I gave her a bottle (with breastmilk) Friday. She did not like it. I tried again with a different bottle and she took it...temporarily. I tried again the next day and she did better. Then Scott tried to give it to her and she wouldn't take it. He tried again and she took it. I guess it just takes time and practice. We plan to continue breastfeeding with occasional bottles - she has to be use to it so that Scott (and others) can feed her. Plus she will be starting day care and/or sitters in a few weeks so we have to be prepared. I enjoy breastfeeding. It was a struggle at first - definitely a skill to practice and learn but luckily Addi is a great eater and took to nursing right from the beginning. Plus, I had a couple of friends tell me to hang in there for 2 weeks before giving up. They were right! At 2.5 weeks things completely changed and became much easier.

Addi is usually wide awake in the mornings and gets fussy in the evenings. She likes to nap during the day and days when she doesn't nap well she doesn't sleep well at night. She has naturally transitioned into eating every three hours during the day so that is pretty much her routine. Addison is sleeping well overall. We usually get a nice 4-5 hour stretch in the night. She is in her crib at night (for a couple of days now) although she doesn't fall asleep in it every time...one step at a time. We are still swaddling her as she startles and wakes up if we don't. She naps in it some and in the pack-n-play bassinet some. She LOVES her vibrating chair - as do Scott and I - such a great invention!