Magic Seat

In hopes of helping Norah feel a little happier, we purchased our first ever bouncy seat. Neither of the other kids ever had one, but Norah is extra whiney, so we thought it might make her happy to sit in a vibrating seat sometimes. The first time she sat in it, she almost instantly fell asleep, something she rarely ever does without some super bouncing, etc. Good purchase!

Still Not So Good

Norah has been crying A TON lately. She is one month old now and we haven't seen any decrease in fussiness. We are assuming she is colicky (crying for no apparent reason) and that she will make a change at around 6 weeks. I wish she was a little happier so we could enjoy this time of her life more.

The other night I was telling Kyle that I feel like Norah fusses so much I am always holding her because she is crying, which isn't that cool for a parent. Well, a minute later she seemed content just laying there, so I wanted to hold her while she was so happy. As soon as I picked her up she started crying again, it was pretty gut wrenching.

Super Swaddle

The kids have totally noticed Norah being swaddled up all the time and this morning we decided to let them try it out.

Ava loved it, she rolled in and out of it with ease, but Jack was a little uneasy when he couldn't get right out of the blanket. He kept saying, "Help, help!"

Kyle even held each of them so I could get an idea of how big these kids are compared with Norah!

The Swaddle

While I was chilling at the hospital by myself for so many hours, I discovered some health videos on demand and watched most of them. Among advice on recovery I found a video based on the book The Happiest Baby on the Block. The take away for me, were the 5 S's-swaddle, sway, shh, swing and suck. We are firm believers in the swaddle and suck and have come to adapt the shh and sway as well.

In this picture Norah is swaddled twice. Her little arms are always busting out causing her to startle herself, but with the double swad, as we have come to refer to it, her arms are totally pinned and she is as happy as can be!

Holding Hands

This was taken the day Nana left, the very same day that things started to get back to normal. Normal, as in, not crying ALL THE TIME!!

While Kyle and the kids were dropping Nana off at the airport, I was at home trying to figure out what was going on with our sweet baby girl. I tried feeding her less and ended up learning I was overfeeding Norah.

The lactation consultants at the hospital told me 10-15 minutes of nursing on each side and I tried to follow that advice despite knowing neither Ava or Jack ate for that long. Throwing advice to the wind and following intuition led me to the knowledge that Norah is just like our other kids, not eating more than 6 minutes on each side!

Our sweet baby has returned, too bad it took a week if fussiness to figure her out!

New Outfit

With Nana's arrival came gifts for everyone. Jack got a new green ball, Ava got a microphone that we can't figure out and Norah got this cute little number. The size is 6 months, but our 75 percentile baby fit into it perfectly! You can see from her face that she was pretty fussy when we first put it on, but that was par for the course this whole week!

Being Held

While Nana was visiting, Norah was the fussiest she has ever been, forcing me to spend a lot of time on the couch holding her. I think most of the time Norah was awake this week, she was crying and therefore being held, it was a trying time for me, but thanks to Nana is was bearable.

Bracelet Boy

Jack and Ava both love to go in my jewelry drawer and put on whatever suits their fancy. Since I have a rule that I won't buy any jewelry that costs more than $5, I don't mind at all. Today, though, Jack decided to put on a whole bunch, it was super cute and even coordinated with his outfit.

Handstands

Handstands were a favorite activity for the kids during Nana's stay, both kids got pretty good there towards the end, and from the look on Nana's face, she was having a good time too!

Group Photos

The kids were so excited when they found out Nana was coming to visit, Ava was totally pumped to pick her up from the airport and was even willing to give up her seat in the second row and move to the third row to accommodate everyone.

Both kids were requesting Nana put them to bed every night and for her to help them with other various activities. It is always so nice when family comes to visit, it is fun for everyone.

Most of all, though, we loved that Nana was able to spend some QT with the newest grand baby. Newborns are only small once and having family meet her so early on, is the best!

Grandkids

A visit from Nana always brings delight to the kids' lives, but this time, it made life way more enjoyable for everyone. She was here for a week to help out, since I was ordered not pick Jack up for at least 3 weeks by the doctor.

She was able to read books, go to the Rocket Park, get some more books at the library, let me take some time alone with the big kids and lots of other low key activities while Kyle was working. It was so wonderful to have someone so experienced around to help out with Norah's third week.

We have heard that weeks 3-6 are the fussiest times for a newborn and Norah is no exception to the rule. The week of Nana's visit was her crankiest time ever and the week where we needed the most help. Thank goodness for Nana!

Norah's First Bath

Norah's first bath happened a couple days after her umbilical stump dropped off, unfortunately for a milky smelling baby it was way over due. The sponge baths she was getting up until now just weren't keeping the rotten milk smell at bay.

Despite her dire need to be cleaned up, she was not happy about the temperature of the water and the general nakedness she was forced into, proving once again, Norah prefers being swaddled to anything.