One Month Old!

I'm behind the times a bit here, Peanuts, but I don't want to let too many days slip by without celebrating a whole one month of Little Miss!  Can you believe She is a whole one month old, Peanuts, can you?  CAN you?! Goodness gracious, neither can I.
It has been an adjustment, melding this new little person into our lives.  And at the same time, it feels like She has always been here.  
A big thing She has taught us in the last month (which we already knew, but now we really know) is that just because you put the same two sets of DNA together twice, does not mean you get the same two results.  At all.  Little Miss may be made of the same stuff as Little One, down to the double XX chromosome, but She is already so distinctly Her own little person.
We have a lot to learn about this individual, of course. 
In the maternity ward, a nurse asked me, "Aw, is She always this calm?"
And I was stumped.  Well, yes, I told Her.  ALWAYS- for the last DAY and a half that I have known this person, She has been this way.  If you can really discern a personality trait after having known someone a matter of hours. Well a month isn't that long to get acquainted, either.  There is a lot more to Little Miss that we will discover as we go! But here's what we've got so far:

She really is always that calm.  So far Little Miss rarely cries, and She gives lots of warning first; making these polite little grunting sounds and waving Her arms.  Sort of a "hey, excuse me, over here!"  She doesn't startle much, happily ignoring and even sleeping through loud big sister antics, dog barking, even fireworks.  She didn't even cry for Her first shot.

When She does get upset, She is so easily soothed.  Most of the time, all it takes is for me to put my hand on Her and say Her name.  Sometimes just hearing my voice calms Her down. And picking Her up and holding Her close will calm Her even if She is really, really hungry.

Because all the girl really wants from the world is just to be held all the time. She doesn't love the intense under-my-chin snuggle that Little One preferred, She just wants to be in arms or a lap.  Just held.  And She's happy.

It helps that She didn't get colic (or misery from allergies, as we now know) like Little One.  But besides that and being generally just a calm girl, Little Miss is an easy baby altogether.  She does not spit up at all. She eats really well, and really fast.  She sleeps really well, and really often.

In fact, get this.  At one month old, She has already elected to be on a schedule.  She sleeps from about 8:30 pm to 2:30am- that's SIX straight hours- like clockwork every night.  Then She wants to be fed again around 4:30/5, and 7am. Which means that I have a newborn and am only getting up once a night, twice if I sleep in.  It is awesome.  During the day She still sleeps a lot too, and will pretty reliably pass out if I put Her in the carrier. 

Which She loves I think because it puts Her so close to me. She is a bit of a mamma's girl already.  When I pick Her up, Her whole body just melts into me, Her breathing slows.  She picks up my voice in a room and turns Her head to look for me.   I eat this up with a spoon, Peanuts.  I do.

Of course, She knows Her dad and sister too.  Little One is actually a top-notch Little Miss soother.  She sings to Her, rocks Her swing, pats Her tummy, pops in a pacifier. She runs to tell me whether Miss is hungry or needs to be changed.  And She is always right.  And She will not stand to have Her sister kept waiting.  She won't stand for it people!

Frequently, if Miss fusses the problem is a diaper.  Excuse me for mentioning it, but this child is a poo factory.  I mean, goodness.  If baby poo were oil, we would have solved the energy crisis, right here.  If it were gold, I would be typing this from my personal jet.  We go through at least 15 diapers per day.  Although this has paid off in one way, it is certainly keeping me hopping in the laundry department.

That is not Her only talent, though.  She also makes lots of air. One thing that does make Her fussy sometimes is the air bubbles She gets in Her tummy.  But it helps to perch Her with my shoulder bone right in Her stomach, draping Her so Her arms and head hang down my back. It's an odd position.  But it's Her favorite.

Though She's calm, She's serious.  She typically has this funny expression on Her face, eyebrows slightly arched, a deep wrinkle in the middle of Her forehead.  As if She's just a bit perplexed, or intensely studying something.  It makes Her look a bit like a grown up, with that serious face.

She doesn't make it always though.  She has recently begun to smile, revealing two adorable dimples.  She even had Her first giggle last week, apparently inspired by a laughing fit Little One and I were having at breakfast.  It was about the cutest thing ever.  Not that I'm biased.

Her other new skill is batting at the toy on Her bounce chair (which She really doesn't like much) and swing (which She tolerates for short periods of time).

Her biggest talent though, apparently, is growing.  Ok, so at the 37th per centile (last we checked a week ago), She is still on the small-ish side of "normal".  But goodness.  After Little One?  To me this child seems HUGE.  She is wearing outfits that Little One was months old when I put Her in them.  Miss is already outgrowing some newborn sized clothes.  She is round and squishy and all roly-poly with these big kissable cheeks.  She's 9 and a half pounds already.  That's a lot of growing in only a month!

I like seeing Her a few lines up on the growth chart and doing so well.  The nasty looking rash that has plagued Her for a few weeks is clearing up, and last week we were told that the little hole She has in Her heart is not going to bother Her and will close up on its own.

So She is healthy and thriving, sweet and easy, lovely and precious, and She smells like baby.  It doesn't get any better than that.  And I have to say I am loving every second of it.  I'm just completely crazy about this girl.  And while I might not know enough to be sure She will always be calm, or always like to be held under the arms with Her shoulders scrunched up around Her double chin, I'm pretty sure I can say after this month that She will always be wonderful.

Happy One Month, Little Miss. We always love you.