Mac 'n Cheese Face...

Who knew eating Mac 'n Cheese could get so messy yet be so cute!?

Colic nightmare...

Why oh why are we cursed with the colicky babies?  Parker showed colicky behaviors from 4 weeks to 8 weeks and I remember it being challenging but I think Peyton is even worse.  She decided to get an earlier start then Parker too...at 1 week we had our first night of colic behavior.  We quickly were thrown back into it all!  She now is 4 weeks old and we are just at our wits end with it all.  Luckily it isn't every night but the times where it is two nights in a row is almost more than we can handle.  Joel and I both stay up to tag team because it becomes very evident why people shake babies and we don't want to leave each other alone.  One minute you are handling it fine and the next you find yourself transitioning them to different positions in a not so gentle and loving way and you want to throw them across the room!  Literally that thought has crossed my mind and it seemed like a rational thought...not good!

Peyton is a model colic baby.  It happens about three times a week, it always happens at the same time in the evening, it last for about three hours (in our case we are sometimes blessed with it lasting longer!), and they say it should be done by the time they are three months (I am hoping that last one is not true and it ends much sooner than that).  It is probably almost comical to watch Joel and I during these times...I am always on the Internet looking up new things to try and Joel is usually the one trying the things I read.  We have tried...

Different positions
Burping her
Burping her in different ways
Bouncing her
Putting her in the swing
Letting her cry it out in another room to give us a break
Feeding her
Swaddling her
Driving her around in the car
Running the vacuum right by her
Swaying her
Shushing in her ear loudly
Rubbing her tummy gently
Bicycling her legs
Giving her Gripe water

So far the vacuum has been the most successful thing.  We struggled with knowing how long was too long to keep the vacuum running in the same spot...so we got creative and recorded the vacuum on the iPad and so we now play the recording right by her ear.  Joel was concerned that this was going to effect her hearing but the Internet says (and it is always correct!) that the womb is twice as loud as a vacuum...that is why they like it.  You are supposed to simulate the womb during these colicky times.

Joel and I are hoping some day we are able to look back on this time and laugh about it...right now that isn't really happening!!  We are just in survival mode and hope that we all make it out unharmed!  We also hope this does not affect our desire to want another child at some point in the future!

1 month...

I am happy to say we have made it to the one month mark!  Wow!  It has been a roller coaster of a month to say the least!  Peyton has had some great successes and some struggles in her first month in this world.  I am happy to report that she is getting the hang of sleeping/wake time during the day quite well.

Parker continues to do awesome and loves Peyton so much!  Every time he wakes up he asks where she is.  He then goes to where ever she is and bends over to be face to face to her and says "Hi Peyton!".  He then gives her a gentle hug or touches her head and is off to play!  He loves to hold her as well.  It usually only lasts about 30 seconds but it is still so cute!  I don't think he truly realizes yet that she is never leaving, but I am sure the next month will be telling as to how he will handle this long term.  Hope it is a positive response!

Although breastfeeding went so well in the beginning I am now solely pumping and giving her bottles. After giving myself a week to heal I tried to start breastfeeding again and it appeared to be confusing for her and she acted really frustrated.  After trying for a day I decided to not stress about it and just keep giving her a bottle.  It seems like she is bothered by some of the things I eat...garlic, pasta sause, tomatoes, peppers, etc...so that makes it challenging to regulate what I am eating but it is worth it for now!

Peyton has had a lot of new experiences this month!

First birthday party (1 week)...we celebrated all of the February birthdays with Joel's family our first weekend home, my birthday with my family the next week and then went to Connor's 1st birthday party the next!  Peyton is a party animal!

First bath at home (1 week)...at first she didn't seem quite sure but then she really seems to like it. She sits quietly looking around while we pour warm water over her with a Solo cup.  Parker loves to sit up at the counter and watch her.

First colicky night (1 week)...we do not need to wonder if Peyton has a good set of lungs...we get to hear them in action at least three nights a week!

First basketball game (2 weeks)...we have been able to attend several of Joel's basketball games these past few weeks and Peyton slept through them all.  I think I need to record the games so we can play them at night to help her sleep through the fussy times!

First Bible study (2 weeks)...Peyton did not like to sleep during Bible study which was kind of a bummer...instead during a quiet moment she decided to let a huge fart and poop go which lead everyone to laughing hysterically...oh boy!

First time sleeping in the crib (3 weeks)...it took us a long time to have Parker sleep in the crib and we knew we wanted to introduce it to Peyton much earlier.  It has been a week since we have been putting her in the crib to sleep at night and she is adjusting fairly well.  We swaddle her up nice and tight and have the sound machine on the rain sound very loudly.  She sleeps stretches of 3-4 (mostly 3) hour stretches.

First visit to daddy's school for lunch (3 weeks)...all of the kids had been asking for Peyton to make an appearance from day one.

Starting to have slight baby acne and losing some hair in the front (4 weeks)...why do our children lose their hair like old men?  Just in the front down the middle!

Stats: weight-8 lbs 1 oz./21 1/2 inches long 

Losing hair in the front...yikes!

Wintery Lake Michigan...

My mom has been so fabulous coming over to help out often which allows me to have time to run errands, take naps and spend some special one-on-one time with Parker.  Today we headed to Lake Michigan to see all of the ice before Spring shows itself...which we hope happens soon!  Parker loved tromping around in his boots on the snow, in the sand and on the pier.  I love watching him experience new things as he looks around in amazement...he was most excited about the ducks that were still swimming in the water!

Parker LOVED the pier.  For some reason he has always liked the blue posts...I remember that from last summer too.  Today he wanted to play each one like a drum!  So down the line he went to the end of the pier drumming each one as he went along!

Splish Splash I was Takin' a Bath...

 Parker loves bath time!  He loves to stick the letters and numbers on the edge, play with the bubbles, shoot hoops and pour water on his tummy!