12.07.2010

1 Month



Time is flying by and Claire is already one month old. I have LOVED being home with her all month and am pretty much dreading going back to work in January even if it is only part-time. This is the first time I haven't worked since I was in high-school and I have always kind of thrived on being busy and stressed. Of course motherhood is still insanely busy and stressful but on a different level and I am surprisingly doing a lot better than I thought I would with the new pace of life. I expected to go pretty stir crazy, to be a tad insane and to have a severe bout of cabin fever. But on the contrary, I have found absolute joy in being a homebody and being with this little miss all day long. Don't get me wrong, I have had my hard days and have had a few sleep deprivation/hormonal breakdowns but it is all worth it.

We have enjoyed learning and trying to figure this whole parenting thing out together. Niels is already such a great father and he is completely smitten. Actually, the relationship is very much mutual. She locks eyes with his thick black frames the minute he walks in the door and melts to sleep in his arms. He had never changed a diaper in his whole life until she was born and I would say that he has likely changed more than I have. I am so grateful he loves to help.

Here are a few highlights and notes from month 1:

Birth weight 6 lbs. 11 oz.
Weight at 1 month: 9 lbs, 6oz.

I love how every baby guide book claims that most newborns sleep between 16-18 hours a day. Not our baby, that's for sure. Claire pretty much hates daytime naps and fights sleep as hard as she can. She is super alert and extremely observant and just wants to hang out and look at ceiling fans, blinds and dad's face as much as she can.

We moved her to her room at week 3 because she is a very noisy sleeper. It was like we had a barn in our house. She lasted about a week with us before we moved her about 15 feet outside our door to the loft, only to be moved about 10 more feet into her room a week later. We are a little ridiculous.

She hardly cries, but is very vocal and tells us when she doesn't like something by grunting kind of like a dinosaur or fidgeting until we figure out what the heck she is trying to tell us. We tell her she is "spicy".

She gets bored in about 5 minutes when you put her down anywhere. She just wants to be upright and on the move all the time. Not sure where she gets this from …

She LOVES her hands. We swaddle her as tight as we can at night since that is the only way she will sleep and she always finds a way to break her hands free. It's really quite impressive.

She HATED her first real bath. You would have thought we were dipping her poison. Luckily we bought this highly referred yet kind of funky looking bath contraption and she is starting to dig bath time.

We love our baby girl!

11 comments:

Taylor and Melissa said...

Claire looks so sweet! You guys sound like you are doing great. Hopefully we can meet your little one soon. Happy Holidays!

Janae Walker said...

congrats on little claire! sounds like she is growing great :) oh, i can't sleep with my babies in the room - both of mine have been grunters. i would wake up so many times, it just wasn't worth it! keep up the good work :)

noelle said...

FINALLY. I feel like I have been waiting for this post forever! She is so cute and I'm glad you are loving it. I knew you would, and she's a lucky little girl. Text me your address!

Angela said...

Claire is so cute! I love all the pictures you have of her. They do grow up way too fast.

Heather McClellan said...

I've been waiting to see some new pics of Claire! She is precious! And where are all these beautiful baby blankets from? I'm so glad that you finally get to enjoy some time away from working. It's the best. I'm glad everything is going well and that you are loving being a mommy!

Unknown said...

I agree with Noelle..FINALLY! I'm glad you are loving mommy-hood and hanging out all day with Claire. She is too cute, I can't wait to meet her!

Niels and Susie Jensen said...

Noelle/Kristy: I put pics on Facebook last month so I felt like it was overkill to post them here too. But I will moving forward so I am not rebuked further :)

Clarke and Kamie said...

aw! I am so happy you are just taking it all in and enjoying it. Newborns are THE BEST. who cares if you're sleep deprived!

Stephanie said...

Great update. Thank you Susie. I want to stay as involved as possible and can't wait to meet your little peach.

Anya said...

so exciting for you. happy happy for you guys.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Suz on the beautiful addition to your family! The Christmas card was so beautiful. Nothing compares to the birth of your first. Amazing!