Hallie's 1 Month Old!

Our sweet Hallie Mabel is 1 month old and I just want time to slow down! She is already out of newborn diapers and it was sad to pack away the newborn clothes, but exciting to see her grow! Anyone else get a little sad to see them grow out of clothes and "graduate" to the next size in diapers?! It's bittersweet because I feel like she's growing so quickly and would like to savour every moment, but at the same time it's fun to see all the changes that happen each week!

I don't think I mentioned this before, but we chose the name Mabel as her middle name because is was my Grandma's middle name! My Grandma was so sweet and had the best sense of humour! She crocheted a blanket for me when I was a baby (pictured below), and I've used it with each of my kids. I was so thankful to be able to take some newborn pictures with it as it is a sweet memory to have!

We have been soaking up all the newborn snuggles, smells (seriously babies smell the best! I wish we could smell like them all the time lol!) and her cute little squeaks! Her siblings love to hold her and kiss her which is so sweet. She has the darkest hair out of all my kids and the most at birth! Both Riley and Brynn were pretty much bald until age 1. I'm so curious to see if it will stay brown! She has deep blue eyes, which is similar to the other 2 when they were babies.

Routine

We haven't tried to set a super strict routine as she is only 4 weeks old, but she generally feeds every 2.5-3 hours during the day and is up 1-2 times at night around 3am and 6:30am. I have been trying to get her last feeding in at 11pm so that she has a good stretch of sleep (and so I can sleep too!) and it's been working really well! There have been a few random nights where she has been super awake and wide-eyed from 3-5am. She has been awake for longer periods of time during the day, and evenings have been her fussiest time of the day. I'm so glad she takes a soother, as this has been a game changer with this baby! (My other 2 didn't take a soother) If she starts to cry, the soother usually helps. Riley and Brynn will both put it in her mouth and it's so cute to see them want to help her when she's crying. It's also very helpful when Riley puts the soother in Hallie's mouth in the car so I don't have to lean back there in the most awkward position trying to put it in!

She also takes a bottle which gives us a bit more flexibility and freedom for someone else to feed her if I need.

Firsts

Hallie had her first doctors appointment and weighed 8lbs 3 oz! We've taken her on quite a few walks, and she is usually sound asleep during them. She does really well in the baby carrier and it's nice to have my hands free to help the other kids when she's in it.

Riley gave her a bottle which was a first for both of them! He did so well and even burped her! She has been to Riley's piano class and is super easy to take along wherever we go, whether it's preschool drop offs, grocery shopping or running errands.

She doesn't like baths yet, and also doesn't like to be put in her carseat, but once she's in she falls asleep really quickly!

Transition to 3

I've had a lot of questions about the transition to 3 kids, and I was so curious and asked so many people about how their transitions to 3 kids was so I thought I'd share bit about how it is going! So far, the transition to 3 kids has been easier than from 1-2. I think the fact that Riley is very helpful and both he and Brynn are quite independent has helped. It also helps having been through the newborn stage twice before this, so I knew what to expect for the most part when it came to breastfeeding, recovery, and caring for her. This being said, you never know what your baby will be like, how long they will feed for, if they will be colicky, and there may be some things that will come easier and other things that may be more of a challenge. So in that regard it is a whole new little person you get to figure out and know, and just when you think you've figured something out, they change and it's a whole new learning curve or routine! haha!

Hallie is a pretty easy going baby which has been a blessing, especially when we are pulled in more directions. Postpartum and recovery has also been going well, which has made the transition easier than I anticipated. What I didn't anticipate was how much less I can accomplish in a day! haha! I've learned to set my expectations lower and to be more flexible. I've also been learning to say yes more - yes to my kids, yes to help, to meals etc. Some things I have noticed are that Riley and Brynn need one-on-one attention from us, and when they act out, they are seeking our attention, so whether it's reading books together, going on a little special outing, an activity or baking together, they really appreciate these moments with just Scott or I. Another thing that has been harder is being outnumbered and not having enough hands to help everyone, and do everything at once. It takes a LOT more time leaving the house (will we ever be on time again?! haha!), and takes more energy, emotionally and physically, and my bed looks so good at the end of the day and I can't wait to crawl into it! ha! But despite these things to get used to and adjust to, we are loving miss Hallie to pieces and wouldn't change this for the world!

Here are some newborn pictures that the amazing Jessica of J. Stephens Photography took! She captured these moments and our family perfectly and is so great with the kids. She's so sweet, fun and relaxed, and listened to Riley's photo "ideas"! haha (he had some picture requests, and the one of him and daddy was his most requested picture pose lol!)

Hope you are all having a great week!

xo,

Lindsay

#hallie #1monthupdate #babygirl #babynumber3