*Month 1*

1:28 PM
It's so fun getting to know her!  As little as she is, she already has her likes and dislikes.  She has always liked her bath time.  She makes the sweetest sounds when she feels the warm water, plus she yawns the whole time- it's seriously the sweetest thing to watch!  And when all else fails this little girl loves to rock; in her glider that is... I think it has to do with the reflux.  Also, she loves to hear people having discussions.  When Joey and I are talking or when we're listening to NPR, she gets really quiet and concentrates as though she's really listening and contemplating the discussion.  :)  Lastly, to all who have little ones at home or about to have a little one of your own, the Sleep Sheep is well worth every cent!  It goes everywhere with us.  I use it every night and I also attach it to her car seat when we go places.  It immediately calms her down!  The only thing I do not like about it is the fact that it has a timer and sometimes when it goes off, she wakes up.  Other than that it's an awesome product... definitely needs to be on your "must haves" list.  

As far as things she doesn't like, she does not like getting dressed or being on her tummy.  We've tried tummy time already a couple of times to help with the reflux and she gets really upset.  However, she can hold up her head like a champ!  So... no worries. 

Speaking of things we like, here are some of my favorite things to use since I've become a mommy.  
Links to the items are listed below.


We love the baby bjorn; it's not bulky and hard to strap around your body. Plus, it makes carrying your baby effortless.  We took it to Biltmore with us and she slept in it during the entire tour!  

Any monitor is a must, but this is the one I liked best because of the night vision.  I can literally see her little chest moving up and down, and also because the camera moves in all directions. 

And don't even get me started on Baby Magic.  I love that the smell doesn't wear off; I can still smell it when I snuggle her the next day!  

Scrubbie brushes are mostly used to treat cradle cap, but I bought them because you can use them so easily in the bath.  I use the sponge side to apply shampoo and then gently comb through her "hair".  I've noticed a couple times cradle cap starting to form on her head, but using these has pretty much prevented it from continuing or getting worse.  Also, these brushes smooth down fly aways on baby, (and mommy on the go), when they have longer hair.  

I haven't had any pain from breastfeeding and not many other issues either, but these thermapearl pads are amazing feeling when you put them on warm.  You just pop them in the microwave for a couple seconds and apply them a couple minutes before baby nurses.  They can help increase your supply too.  (Better than eating those nasty cookies.)  

And like I mentioned before, the Sleep Sheep.  Winner!

Also, I have found that Pampers work best for us.  I think this is probably a preference thing, but we don't have to change clothes a million times when she wears Pampers... if you get my drift.  I initially was on the Honest bandwagon, but when I actually used them I didn't like them.  Like I said, it's a preference thing.  They are adorable, but I didn't like how they felt or fit on Juliet.  And just like the Honest Co., you can get Pampers shipped directly to your front door each month through Amazon Mom, just click here and sign up!  

Lastly, I added our boppy to the list.  DON'T JUDGE ME, but Juliet slept in her boppy for the first 3 weeks.  I put it in her sleeper, (we have the nuna sena mini), and she would sleep 3-4 hours at a time from the first night!  It helps with her reflux as well.  I don't use it for breast feeding much, but it's essential for tummy time or just for relaxing.  

 Here are some pictures from the weekend.  
Like I mentioned earlier, our Jules loves her thumb! 


And she has to be able to see what's going on... so curious!  
(This tummy time lasted all of 2.5 seconds.)  HAHA!

Sincerely, 

The Lishias











4 Weeks of Juliet

8:02 PM
It doesn't seem possible that Jules is almost a month old.  When you say 4 weeks, it sounds sooooo long.  When you live it, it goes by toooo fast.  I no longer live for Fridays...  I live for everyday; including Mondays! :)  We've enjoyed every minute of being parents, even the rough parts!  Here are the last 4 weeks in snapshots.


Week 1- Her first week in the world was spent mostly going to the doctor.  She aced her first well check at 4 days old and mommy and daddy got a "keep up the good work"!  She weighed 6 lbs 10 oz, which is what she weighed when we left the hospital.  My lactation consultant did noticed, however, that Juliet, (in simplier terms), was a bit tongue tied.  The correct terminology is a short frenulum.  She was feeding like a champ, but I wanted it clipped for fear that it might have caused her to have speech issues in the future.  So we went and saw the EENT Dr. on Friday.  He took her back, clipped it, and it was all done within 3 minutes.  Believe me, it was 3 minutes.  I was the anxious mom in the waiting room looking at my watch the entire time.  We also celebrated Halloween during her first week, (hence the purple glow-in-the-dark skeleton pajamas), by putting a basket of candy bars on the porch and making cupcakes- very festive, I know!  We'll participate more next year.  Some of her cousins and Aunt Chantelle came by to get some sugar that week too! 

Week 2- We mostly spent her second week at home watching Hallmark Christmas movies.  We did run into another problem, though.  Her umbilical cord.  I had some concerns about it so I called her doctor, took her in, and he had to cauterize it with silver-nitrate.  They called it an umbilical granuloma.  They also weighed her again and this time she had gained 10 oz!  She was up to 7 lbs 4 oz.  On another good note, she took her first bottle with no confusion!  Woo Hoo!  Also, Joey's sister and dad came down from PA and OH to see her for the very first time, so we ate pancakes, played at the park, and just chit-chatted the weekend away.

Week 3- She got to experience the wonderfulness of a hot bath!  I loved listening to her little sounds when I poured warm water over her belly.  We also found some time to take a few newborn pics in her nursery.  The mornings are her favorite- and mine!  We snuggle on the couch by the fire.  She smiles so much in the mornings and I'm not sure if it's sass or gas, but it's adorable either way.

Week 4-  We've feared from day one, that our little gem has had to fight reflux, but wasn't quite sure until this week.  We had 3 days of straight tears; no naps; uncomfortable feedings; lots of gushing, spitting, gurgling... One thing that we found to relieve some of the discomfort was for Daddy to bounce her around the kitchen while whistling.  So off to the doctor we went... again.  He prescribed some baby Zantac for her and gave me some pointers that might help.  He also had to cauterize her belly button again; surely for the last time.  She weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz, so I know that she's getting something inspite of all the spitting up.  We started her on the Zantac as soon as we got home and everyday she seems to be better.  Thank goodness!  We celebrated by taking her Christmas shopping on Saturday.  She was so content with only a few hungry and tired tears.  We even ended the night with dinner at Carrabbas!  It was her first time in a restaurant.


You know us... We are so excited about making Juliet's first holidays memorable.  These pictures of us in front of the gigantic Christmas tree at the mall just makes me giddy!  What are your plans for the upcoming holidays?  

Sincerely, 

The Lishias


The Bump

9:43 PM
So now that the watermelon "bump" is gone I can enjoy so many things that I have missed for 9 months.  (Well, like 6 months...)  However, I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Here are a few things that I've enjoyed now that it's gone...

1.  Sleeping comfortably.
2.  Brushing my teeth and being able to reach the sink to spit! :)
3.  Giving hugs.
4.  Being hugged.
5.  Bending down and not having to squat.
       -Let's just stop here for second and say...  While you're pregnant, anything that can fall-will fall and you will have to pick it up like a 500 pound sumo wrestler.  Half of the time I just left it on the ground; or if it was really important, I watched in fall to the ground in the same manner a 2 year old would watch their balloon float off into space.  
6.  Wearing regular clothes.
7.  Walking... without a waddle.
8.  Having a clean shirt sans food/condiment stains.
9.  Buckling my seatbelt after one, single pull.
10.  Seeing my feet.
  
I wanted to document the different stages of my pregnancy, so that one day I can share them with Juliet and tell her all the horrid wonderful things I experienced while pregnant with her.  

So I give you.... the bump through the seasons! :)
Winter- 6 weeks  Spring- 12 weeks  Summer- 28 weeks  Fall- 39 weeks

How did you document your pregnancy?  
Weekly photos, monthly photos, by a pro, daily in the same spot, make a belly cast?  

Sincerely, 

The Lishias



Bath-time Baby!

5:22 PM
Time continues to fly right on by without any regards to our feelings.  LOL!

Good news however, her umbilical cord finally all came off this week!  (After partially falling off within the first week of being home and then having to get cauterized; twice.)  So tonight, we decided to give her her very first bath at home.    I was very anxious to see how she would react.  I was hoping that she would love it -- and neither one of us were disappointed.  She loved every minute.  :)


Towel:  Similar Here

Sincerely, 

The Lishias