2 months old vs. 9 weeks old

Okay...so girl is now 9 weeks old...or 2 months old...you know this whole calendar thing is a bit difficult to navigate. I felt much the same way when I was prego...am I 12 weeks, 3 months, or at the end of the 1st trimester....ahhhh counting AH AH AH (think the count from Sesame Street)....well here is the scoop on little Miss Caroline.
Last week we attempted the 4 hour feeding schedule and that didn't quite work out...so we are doing a 3.5 hour feeding schedule and we are good there for about another week and I'll try the 4 hour again. This week, many things happened:
1st-we gave in to the passy...not all the time, but is a good soother I am realizing and no it doesn't make me a bad mother (he he he)
2nd - she went to her Uncle Justin's college graduation yesterday and was a champ...she did great
3rd - she got her 2 month check up at the Dr....drum roll please... 9 lb. 10 oz (so 2 lb and 1 oz increase since birth) and she is 231/4 inches long (the girl grew 3 inches since birth)...she is long and lean. Then she got her first round of shots and she did way better than her mom...she turned that interesting shade of purple again, cried and then was easily soothed...I on the other hand i'm sure turned an interesting shade of white and cried not easily soothed...he he he...She's run a bit of a fever this weekend but mostly is doing really well.

Have I mentioned that I love being a mom. She is cooing and smiling a ton. When I sing to her I notice that she loves to watch my mouth move, and has begun to coo along w/ me as I sing...I am sure she is singing w/ me...I am realizing as i type this that she hasn't been introduced to Barbara yet (Streisand for all of you wondering) that will need to happen soon.

so there is the newest update...I love this new job...it is the most difficult one to date. Thanks Lord!

Mother's Day

Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving , present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

What an amazing thing today is...it's my mom's day...Carolyn Unruh's day...not mine...it is a bit sureal to hear people telling me "happy mother's day" as I walked through the halls at church. An honor really that the Lord would entrust Caroline to our care, that He would request of me to be her mom...humbling to be sure.
As I just got off the phone (for the 3rd time today I think) with my mom back in KC, she gave some very encouraging words found in the scripture above. I was freaking yet again about milk supply and will Caroline have enough...and mom began speaking those words over me..."do not be anxious...."Somehow she always knows what to say when. Mom's are good that way.
It has been a great week with Caroline...accidentally sleeping 7.5 hrs one night because I forgot to turn my alarm on...so hey now we know she can go that long...so we did again last night and her diaper had literally exploded when I got her up this morning...we have also switched to the 4 hour schedule during the day...it is a little hard but she is doing great with it. We go back to the pediatrician this week for her 2 month check up...I can't believe it.
Personally, I am learning a ton about myself. Marriage is a constant learning experience anyway, but now w/ a child it is even more of a denying of self, learning to ask him questions differently, ask for help differently...to let him figure his way to do things for Caroline out on his own...I now know why during pregnancy I grieved over the change a child would bring to our marriage. I miss Jason. But, then again I turn and look at Caroline, see her smile...and know that things have changed. It is possible to be wife and mother. Today we celebrate the mother part...but I must remember that Jason is the first priority, not her...that is hard.

Smiles

I didn't realize you couldn't read the scripture verse in the pic from yesterday...It is Psalm 86:11 "Teach me your way and I will walk in your truth. Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name."

I was able to snap some photos this morning w/ a smile...she's chillin' in her boppy!

"Growing up is hard to do"

Please insert music with above title: "Growin' up is hard to do"...well, harder for Caroline or harder for her mom. This week was a first for several things in our lives. We began teaching Caroline to sleep in her crib...you can see she looks so little in the pics. She is taking some of her naps there or in the pack-n-play ... we are trying to move her out of the moses bed so in a couple of weeks she'll maybe sleep in her room at night. Holy cow! That will probably be harder for me than her. This week I also began doing some contract work. So, we began to learn how to take naps in the car seat, walk around Target and Ikea in the Baby Bjorn, nurse in the backseat, and in general be more on the go...
Top all of that off w/ a great trip to the pediatrician for yet another weight check and praise the Lord she is now 8lbs. 14.5 oz...she has gained 14 oz in 14 days...thanks Lord for providing for her needs, even when I can't see that you are. (Maybe the Lord could've given us see through boobs to be able to tell when they were "empty" ...but alas He didn't...yet another reason to trust in Him!)
All of that to say, it has been a wonderful and hard week for me. I can't believe she is already 6.5 weeks old, they have flown. I began contract work knowing that that is what I must do...even though it has been tiring and difficult mentally to balance. But then I look at her in our quiet moments when we nurse,and I am driven to realize yet again, that as a mom, I would do whatever is necessary for my child's well-being. Even when that means letting her cry because in the end it is teaching her good sleeping and eating habits...or it is taking her w/ me to do this work on the go, because it teaches her flexibility...or even learning to say no to certain opportunities because it will be important to teach her how to say no so she doesn't become over commited...
So many things to teach this little one...I agree w/ her "growin' up is hard to do"! I am forever blessed w/ the opportunity to be her mom!