Norah's First Two Weeks

Little Norah is nearly two weeks old already! She has already changed so much since she was born. Let me tell you a little bit about her.

Her hair looked medium brown when she was first born, but now it looks almost blonde, and in the sunlight it looks red. I also think it might get curly when it gets longer. Her eyelashes are VERY light and very long. Her eyes are the classic newborn shade of dark blue-grey. My mom thinks they're getting lighter and bluer, but I can't tell. Her (adorable!) face looks like both of us, I think.

The first couple of days, we had trouble getting her to eat. She just wanted to sleep and sleep! She's doing WAY better now. She only lost 4.5 ounces, and at her doctor's appointment on Friday she was already back up to her birth weight of 8 lbs. 4.5 oz. The help I received from my midwife and from a lactation consultant was invaluable.

She is such a good baby! She never cries unless she's hungry or sometimes when we're changing her diaper. Oh, and when we give her a bath! She hates that. :-(

She is very strong. She has been holding her head up since day one. She also smiles! :-) I love the expressions she makes.

She likes to clasp her hands together, and she likes to suck on her fingers, but she hasn’t quite found her thumb. She also likes to be sung to. J

We just started using cloth diapers yesterday. So far it's going great! We had to wait until her cord fell off, which happened when she was 8 days old.

She has been sleeping really well some nights. It's sort of hit or miss, but it seems like if she's really comfortable she'll sleep longer. My mom stayed with us for a week, and last night was our first night without her. She discovered that if she held her and kept her really warm she would sleep for at least 5 or 6 hours. Last night we set up the Pack 'n' Play next to our bed, swaddled her in a knitted blanket, and propped her in the Boppy pillow in the Pack 'n' Play. She slept until 6:00, and she would have slept even longer if I hadn't moved her (I noticed that she had slid down and looked uncomfortable). After I fed her, she slept between us until about 9:45.

I am feeling fine now. It took me about a week to feel normal again (and to be able to sit in a chair...). My belly is getting smaller by the day, but the stretch marks haven't faded yet!

Travis is an AMAZING daddy. He loves taking pictures of Norah. I think we have about 500 now. He also changes tons of diapers (I didn't change one until maybe day four or five) and never complains. He loves spending time with her. He also waits on me hand and foot while I'm nursing! :-)

Here are some photos from our first 12 days! We could stare at her all day long!

Ready for the drive home!

Hours old, with Travis's mom

One day old

Two days old (hungry!)

Four days old, holding her own bottle!

(Daddy got to feed her some pumped milk)

After her first bath

Napping with Mommy

With Travis's dad

Kissing Daddy

10 days old, with my mom

Nine days old

With my dad

11 days old, in one of her cloth diapers