Daycare and End of Maternity Leave

Back to reality. I start back to work tomorrow after a wonderful 10 weeks off with my baby girl....weeks I will cherish forever. To help with the transition and give Molly and I a chance to adjust (mostly me, let's be honest!), she started daycare on Monday. This way I could get used to the routine of getting her there for a few days, and saying goodbye for the day. Monday was rough, I am not going to lie. I love her daycare. It is a church daycare. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some places have now, but the important thing is that it is a loving Christian based environment. And the best part is that it is only 5 mins from my work! But of course it is still hard to leave her with strangers. Until Monday, she had only been watched by my Mom, or friends in church nursery during service, if she wasn't with either Brandon or me. I took her to visit this past Thursday morning. I got to meet her morning teacher, introduce her to the other babies in her class, and get a feel for things. Over the weekend, we got all the last minute things we needed for her to take with her, and I packed her daycare bag on Sunday. On Monday, we left on time (I was so surprised!) and I got her all settled around 8:30am. However, I had trouble putting her down to leave. I kept talking to her teacher, and kept giving her kisses, and then finally knew I had to leave. I held back my tears until I was out the door, but then let loose once I was in my car. I just drove and cried. I wasn't ready to go home yet, because that would have been worse - going home to an empty house. So, I ran some errands to keep my mind off things, and that helped. I went to the grocery store and got us stocked up for the week, and ran by the vet to get food and medicine for the animals. Then, I had to come home. And that brought on the tears again. I think I cried the hardest at home when Chelsi went looking for Molly and couldn't figure out where she was - it was so cute but so sad at the same time. I went into her room, and sat in the rocking chair for a few minutes, and then decided I couldn't sulk anymore. So, I ate some breakfast (a big fat cinnamon bun I had bought at the grocery store - yummy!), and then tackled my closet. I pulled out all the maternity clothes (well, to be honest, I kept a few in there that aren't obvious maternity that I can wear a little longer since I am still in between sizes) and changed out the seasons. I made a big pile for Goodwill which still currently sits in our hallway upstairs (will get to that eventually), and threw some other things out. Of course this was one of the tasks of many that I was convinced I would do while on maternity leave. But, did I get to any of the others??? Of course not! I just cuddled with Molly and got used to life with a baby - exhaustion and all :) I just hope I don't put off working on her baby book or scrapbook too long!! I was very proud of myself, because I made it the whole day, and didn't go pick her up early. I did however, call them about noon to find out how she was doing, and they said of course she was fine. When the clock hit 4:30pm, I hit the door running, and was so overjoyed to give her kisses and have her in my arms again. I even got a smile out of her before we walked out to the car while I was getting her in her car seat. Ah, made this momma melt :) Then, when Daddy got home from work, we gave him the full report on everything. I don't want him to miss out, since I am the one that will be taking and picking her up most days. Tuesday and today were easier. I didn't cry, but of course was still reluctant to leave her. I treated myself again to a cinnamon bun each morning when I returned home :) I will work on that post-pregnancy diet at some point :) But right now, I needed comfort food. Her afternoon teacher said she is adjusting very well compared to most babies she has seen, so that made me feel better. But then it made me wonder - did I not spoil her enough?!? I want her to adjust, sure, but why is she adjusting so well? Then I realized I can't question it, and just be thankful that she is transitioning well. Plus, for all I know, they could say this to all the parents to make them feel better. I know all day cares do this, but I still think it is neat. I get a little report card on her each evening. It tells me when she took a bottle, how much she took, when she napped and about her diaper changes. In a way, you still wish they could give you even more details on all the hours you just missed out on in your child's life, but I know I will be in constant communication with both her teachers. The ratio is very small right now, so that works out great for us! Molly gets lots of attention and I get to talk to the teachers more in depth about how she is doing. Right now there are only 4 other babies in her class, and one is actually getting ready to move up to the crawler room, so it will be down to a total of 4 babies, including Molly. So, now as I prepare to go back to work tomorrow, and hoping my brain will know how to function again after 10 weeks, the thing that is helping me hold on is that I know I will have a nice long week 24/7 with my baby again in a month when we take a family road trip up north.

Here are a couple of pictures I took Monday morning before we left for daycare. Of course I am a dork, and had to take a picture of her bags and everything. It was like the first day of school :) And I guess that just shows the scrapbook fanatic in me as well :) I can already picture this page in her 1st year scrapbook! :)



And check out that smile - I LOVE HER!!!

2 Months Old

It is hard to believe that Molly is 2 months old today!! My little girl is growing up way too fast!!! I am falling more in love every day with her. She has brought so much joy to our lives. And I am so very thankful for the blessing God has given us.

Molly is now smiling in response to our smiles, which is amazing! She always smiled as a newborn, but it was more because of gas or a dream. But, now it is actually a response to us talking to her and smiling at her. Especially when you tap her nose -she giggles in response. I noticed her first smiles on March 15th. I am trying to keep track of little things like this, so I don't forget!!

At her doctor's appt this month, they said everything looked great!! She is now 11 lbs 1.5 oz, 23 inches tall, and her head is at 39 1/2 cm or about 15 1/2 inches. This puts her in the 70th percentile for weight, 75-90th for height, and 75th for her head circumference. We have a growing little girl!!

She got 2 shots and one oral vaccine. She did great! She cried of course, but then Brandon picked her up to comfort her, and she immediately calmed down. She slept on the car ride home, I fed her, and then she slept a good portion of the day. When she woke up from her nap she was really fussing, and I could tell she was sore and just didn't feel well. So, I just took advantage of time with her, and just held and comforted her, and let her rest on my chest. Even though I hated she didn't feel well, I LOVE those moments when she naps peacefully on my chest. I just lay back and stare at her and listen to all her precious sleeping noises.

Overall she is eating and sleeping great! She has had a few long stretches of sleeping at night, but they begin around 6pm, which means she is up around 2 or 3 am. But that is ok. We will get a better schedule eventually. I am not worried about it. She is still eating every 2.5 to 4 hrs unless she is having one of her long stretches of sleep. If she is awake she tends to go a shorter amount of time. We are offering her 4 oz at every feeding, and most of the time she takes all of it, but she still will only sometimes take 2 or 3 oz. I am thankful that she tells us when she has had enough, because I don't want to overfeed her.

She is getting better at dealing with her gas. That is what made her the most fussy as a newborn. But she is a little better at burping now after a feeding, even though sometimes we have to work at it, and she is a champ at passing gas! My little girl is not a lady - LOL :)

We started playtime this month too. Since we were having longer stretches of her being awake and happy, I pulled out her play mat and let her go to town kicking her legs and checking out everything around her. We also spend a lot of time on blankets on the floor playing, and just letting her explore her voice and environment. Of course her canine sister, Chelsi LOVES to come and give her kisses still whenever she has a chance - and the floor gives her the best opportunity :)

Overall Molly is a wonderful baby. Every baby is going to have their fussy moments, but hers are minimal. There was a stretch around 6 weeks, where it seemed every night around 5 or 6pm, she would scream for an hour, and nothing would calm her, but she seems to have worked herself out of that phase. Now she is actually the most fussy right before going down for a long stretch of sleep. She fights sleep some, and so we just rock her and she eventually calms down. Brandon loves to walk around with her and sing to her. It is so wonderful to watch. I love holding her anytime I can, but I almost love more watching him with her.

We get together with family whenever we can. Grammy and/or G-Pop see her about every week, and Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw about every two weeks. It is also wonderful to see her with her grandparents, and watch them interact with her. Her cousins, Ashlyn and Weston are adorable with her. Ashlyn is especially smitten, and keeps asking, along with Aunt Jana when I will let them keep her for a night! :) In time I keep telling them :) I am not ready quite yet to be away from her that long!

I have had some outings away from her, and she has also started to go into the church nursery so that we can enjoy service and not worry about her crying. Mommy's real test is coming soon though, and sooner than she would have liked! Molly starts daycare on Monday, April 4th, and I go back to work on Thursday, April 7th. I figured this way, it gives me 3 days to get used to the idea before I am thrown into the thick of work. I know she will do great, and will be well taken care of, but it will still be hard!

Molly's facial expressions still amuse us - she has so many funny faces!! And we are enjoying every moment with her!!

The 2 month photo :)


Look at those fat rolls!!! I could just eat them up :)


Such a pretty girl!

1 Month Old

It is hard to believe that Molly is already one month old! She was officially one month old yesterday, the 27th, even though she was 4 weeks old on Thursday. Not sure which is best to go by :) We went to the doctor this morning for her 1 month checkup. Here are her stats: 9 lbs 7 oz 60-65th percentile, 22 1/4 inches long 90th percentile, and 14 3/4 inches head 60th percentile. She gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks! No wonder she is outgrowing the newborn clothes already :) I put her in one of her new 3 month outfits from Carter's today. While it is sad to already be outgrowing the newborn clothes and feeling like she is growing up too fast, it is exciting to see her development and to put her in these new cute clothes :) The doctor told us to try and get her to a every 4 hr feeding schedule, and if she acts really hungry in between to give her some water. I had never heard of that. Makes sense as all humans need water, but just never thought about for a little baby. But since we just assumed she was only 8 lbs and surprised us with being 9 lbs already, we may need to increase her formula intake too. She is currently taking 3 1/2 oz at most feedings - sometimes a little less. But she is also feeding anywhere from every 2 to every 4 hours. I think this is the only thing we really had questions on for the doctor today - trying to figure out this feeding thing! But I was super excited to hear she was not only gaining weight, but putting it on well! Just want to make sure we don't overfeed and create bad habits early. All the things a parent worries about :)

This momma is tired, but not too bad. I need to be better about napping when Molly naps. Brandon is good about taking her on Sat and Sun mornings and letting me sleep in a bit to try and get caught up. I am doing all the middle of the night feedings now as I don't want Brandon to be tired at work. And really those aren't that bad, unless she gets really fussy, which she sometimes does. She is already spoiled and likes being held or likes the vibration of her bouncy seats/swing. But, it is so easy to spoil them :)

We have gone out and gotten a little exercise here and there when the weather is nice. It feels good to walk, but still trying not to overdo it which is hard. I feel so good and then push too much and pay for it the next day. But overall, momma's recovery has been really good. I go back to the doctor on Friday and will be anxious to hear if Dr F agrees.

We have taken over 600 pictures so far. Just can't seem to have enough of all her expressions and special moments with visitors :) The doctor mentioned today for us to enjoy all her little noises now, as they will quickly be replaced with new noises. We have taken a few videos of her, but now makes me want to get more! I don't want to forget anything!!

For the sake of not having to wait to upload a million pictures, since this post is entitled "1 Month Old", here is her 1 month old picture we took yesterday. I love it, because it looks like her Panda is her little buddy :) Our plan is to get one of these every month so we can compare her progress and see how much she has grown and changed. I just hope it doesn't go by too fast, but I am sure it will!