the part.

Hartley is 1 month old today!

We'll have a photo shoot later today, for now we're waiting for guests to arrive! Auntie Morgan and Unca Garrett are coming to see Hartley today! Of course, she has no idea and is slowly waking up from her nap..

But for now.. the part..

The part is very important to me. The part being the great divide of Hartley's hair. I established a part once we got home from the hospital. My only concern is if it's on the proper side. What if she goes through the rest of her life with her hair parted on the wrong side? How do you really know where a natural part is? Is there a natural part??

I know, silly. But whenever I play with her hair, this is what consumes my mind.

We haven't worn bows yet.. simply because her head is so tiny and the bows look huge on her. I'm going to find a tiny ribbon and make my own for today.. since it's her special one month old day!

Pictures to come later!

the times they are a-changing..

I'm thinking we're going to need to upgrade to a larger vehicle. The current seating arrangements include Marshall driving, Maddie and Sassy fighting over the front seat, and me and Hartley in the back. Now, there's definitely room for one of the dogs to sit in the back with me.. but they enjoy making things difficult, I mean, interesting.

Our family has also been expanding. In Marshall's immediate family, there are four kids in diapers. Three of them being almost within a year of each other. And these two boys.. well, there's going to be a lot of trouble with them..

There's only been girls for the Moore family the past 7 years.. and now two boys in one year! And these boys are very.. boyish. They're at the typical "I'm gonna bang on everything and hit whatever I want" stage.. which means we have to be careful with Hartley.

But I'm glad Hartley will have older boy cousins to play sports with.

And for those who want a "live" viewing of Hartley..

I promise she was doing her version of "talking." It's the only noise she really makes, besides grunting, snorting, smacking, and crying. Of course, when I decide to video her performance she stops. At the end she finds her hand and you can see her begin to smack on it.. telling me that she wants to eat (more).

I do notice a difference with her today. I've been asking her to make eye contact with me when she's nursing and today she did. I try to talk to her when I nurse, but I usually have the tv to distract me for a good 30-45 minutes. She looked at me a good bit today, though! And she "smiles" too! I know, they're not real.. but I'm looking forward to the real thing.

baby blues..

Dear Dad,

Quit calling me and asking if I'm still depressed. I was never depressed nor did I ever tell you I was depressed. I'm pretty sure that I explicitly stated that I'm not depressed. And I'm very confident I've told you repeatedly.

I have post-pregnancy hormones that make me exhausted and cry, especially when I can't figure out what Hartley needs. But never, never was I depressed.

And I'm not sorry that I hung up on you. You made me upset.. and not because I'm depressed.. but because you don't listen.

Hmph!

babywising it up!

I had really good intentions when I started reading Babywise. I wanted to get a routine/schedule down pat. Right from the start. It's taken a while and I've had to modify my lifestyle and Hartley's, but we're getting there and have made great progress.

Aren't you cute? First off- not sleeping in. Both of us enjoy sleeping in late. But if we want to establish a decent bedtime, we can't sleep in 'til 10am! It was nice while it lasted, but I'm aiming between 7-8am to begin the day.

And we also can't have her cluster feed so much during the day. It made it a lot easier to put her down for a nap, but I don't want that to be the only way she'll fall asleep. During the day we were going 2 hours, sometimes less. Partly that's my fault because she would get overstimulated and, again, the only thing that helped was nursing. Also, I'd like to produce really good milk for her so we're going back to aiming for 2.5-3 hours between feedings.

At least I've identified routines that need fixing! We just have to work on them.

We had a good waketime this morning with a photo shoot. Hartley's first of many. After a bath and nursing, we got her nakey for some pictures. And of course, she decides to poop and pee all over her blanket.. and me.

I was really impressed with my little girl, though! She made great eye contact with the camera and was content for the most part!

It's another beautiful day! Once Marshall gets home we'll take Hartley and the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood. I learned yesterday and when my Momma Lib came over, that Hartley usually falls asleep in the stroller. So that will help get her down for another nap!

And we can't leave a great post without a picture of Hartley's mullet. My little white trash. :)

pictures like I promised

Do you remember this??



And look what happened!



And this is what we have now..



One happy little family :)



And a beautiful girl that loves to stretch out, because obviously there wasn't much room for her in my belly.

wanted: more than 3 consecutive hours of sleep

[I wanted to begin by typing that Hartley has been asleep for a good 30 minutes, but I knew as soon as I did that she would wake up. She hasn't yet, but I wanted you to know every time I try to sit down to do something Miss Hartley decides she wants to fuss.]

With that said..

No pictures until Marshall gets home to fix iPhoto.

[dang it, she's crying. Okay maybe I'm hearing things. I just checked on her and she appears to be fine]

I have been taking pictures though! Not enough.. but we're getting there. I should actually take a picture of Hartley sleeping right now. She's too darn cute! We're learning her likes and dislikes. One thing she loves- having her arms free. We like to use the kiddopotamus on her, but she has to have her hands mobile. She loves stretching out! I will post a picture of this soon!

Grandmommie (Momma Lib/crazy lady) came over for a few more days to help with Hartley. Actually, she came to make sure that I wasn't depressed and that Hartley was being taken care of. Apparently she was worried that I was being a horrible mother!!

But she left assured (and really sad) this afternoon. Hartley is her favorite grandbaby, I'm sure.

We were able to finish the nursery. [Yes, I know, I've said it's been finished dozens of times.. but really.. I think it's finished now] I had been looking for curtains and a mobile to complete the room. And I got the mobile items the day before Hartley decided to make her grand entrance. She didn't give me time to assemble everything though! So Momma Lib and I, okay Momma, hung everything up while I fed Hartley and directed her where to hang stuff. I have to say, it looks great. And pictures will be here soon.

We also put curtains up.. but I'll have to work on those more because neither of us are very good at installing hardware. That's what Marshall is for!

I think Hartley and I are getting the hang of things though. Breastfeeding has improved tremendously. So far today, no nipple shield! A week ago I thought I would be using that thing for the next 6 months. But I feel so much more confident now!

We still have good and bad nights. But, hey, our baby girl is not even 3 weeks old. Hartley is pretty good about going 3 to 4 hours during the night. During the day is a little different. She'll want to eat every 2 hours and stay awake more than I think she should. But I have to remind myself that she's getting bigger and doesn't sleep like a newborn, even though I still consider her one.

She makes the cutest squeaks. She has the biggest grin when she's almost finished nursing. And she's definitely not shy with her poots.

I'm enjoying learning all about her!

I've also learned that I'm an anxious mother already. Momma Lib babysat last night so Marshall and I could have a Valentine's date. We were apart for less than 2 hours, but I was constantly thinking about Hartley and what her grandmommie was doing with her. My mother is accident prone, so I was certain she would get in a wreck, drop Hartley on her head, or simply over-stimulate my baby girl. But we arrived home and all was well.

I should probably brush my teeth since Marshall will be home in a little bit. Maybe I'll take a shower today, but I can't promise anything. And Hartley is waking up.. so the end.

recovery

We're on the path to recovering from childbirth!! I can definitely tell a difference this week, and let me tell ya, I'm feeling a lot better.

There were a few items I failed to mention with Hartley's birth story.
1. I tore. My doctor never stated what degree the tear was, only that it was "complicated" with it's design- it wasn't straight. I googled tears and think mine is only a first degree. Don't look at what fourth degrees are.. SCARY!
2. Hartley didn't latch on very well in the beginning. We had to use a nipple shield to help her.. and myself. But this week we made great progress and are down to using it maybe 40% of the time.
3. After my milk came in I hurt incredibly! I was having to keep a rag over my chest while showering, but I don't now. That makes things a lot easier.. and nursing too.
4. There was a Hispanic lady in the delivery room next to us. We were pushing at the same time and I was determined to beat her. We could hear them yelling in Spanish through the air vents. It was a good laugh between pushes! And during one of my pushes I held my breath and counted in Spanish really loudly. It was fun.



And Sassy is also recovering. She decided to pull a "Maddie" and jump out of Dad's truck. She's sitting behind me as we type. At the end of our pregnancy she couldn't fit in my lap anymore, so she decided this other location was just as good.

Good news, that I know will jinx myself, Hartley slept very well through the night. After a busy day at the pediatrician, Daddy's office and Mema's with ALL the grandkids, she was tuckered out. And she really likes her car seat.. so she stayed there. I had to wake her up to feed a few times, of course, but she is such a good baby!

Her doctor's visit went well, though. She was born weighing in at 6lbs 10oz and left the hospital at 6lb 2oz. Unfortunately she only gained 3oz in 2 weeks. Apparently that's normal for breastfed babies, but it upset me and I got really emotional in the office. Imagine that?

Our goal for the next week is to eat lots of fatty foods. Get Hartley on poly vi sol, a vitamin supplement. And get lots of rest! We're going back on Thursday for the big weigh in. Hopefully she'll back to her birth weight.

getting there

Pictures are out of the question until we get iPhoto fixed. I seriously thought I lost all my pictures yesterday. Not a good feeling.

Hartley did much better last night, even though we had 3 feedings 2 hours apart. This is my fault. And I feel like a horrible mother.

I've always been bad about eating well. Disclaimer: I DO NOT have an eating disorder, no matter what my dad thinks. I just tend to skip meals easily if I get busy. Or don't eat enough.. or don't eat healthy food. But get me to a buffet and it's on!

So, with that said, I suffered through the night with a clogged duct, chills, and low blood sugar that made me feel like I was going to pass out.

I let Hartley feed and feed, we pumped, I ate a banana and yogurt at 4am.. and I felt much better.

I'm so thankful for Marshall though. Even though he's gone back to work, he continues to help me during the night. Diaper changing when I'm laying on the floor desperately trying to hold down a banana. Bringing me yogurt in bed. And just being considerate with how exhausted I am.. even though I know he is also. He's a good husband.. and a hot Daddy.

I'm taking in all the encouragement and advice. I know these rough days are going to pass.. and we'll have a testy teenager one day. But I'm glad to know I'm not alone in the hectic world of motherhood.

our sweet Hartley

Sigh.

It's been an eventful week and a half. Hartley is a wonderful and beautiful baby! Our only complaint is her nighttime spells. For some reason she starts crying during the middle of the night.. or right around the time Marshall and I drift off to sleep. She's eaten, had her diaper changed, cuddled, everything imaginable. But she's inconsolable. Unless we let her sleep on our chests.

But during the day, she's so hard to wake up. It's a matter of getting her sleep/wake schedule sorted out. That's a lot harder than you think..

I've been reading Babywise and that's helping me uncover some issues (the sleep/wake problem).. but it's just so aggravating. I know that this will pass, it's just a stage. But it's been really hard on me and Marshall. I find one thing that works, he finds another.. and I have a difficult time convincing myself that Marshall knows what works. It's frustrating because I've read and read on baby stuff.. and he just tries different things.

And, gosh, I'm getting upset right now.. it hurts me to see the both of us get aggravated with Hartley. Okay- enough. I've made myself get way too emotional. Let's talk about the good stuff and look at cute pictures.

Before we left the hospital. It was her first time in the car seat. She wasn't thrilled at first.. and I was certain that the straps were cutting off her circulation. But she settled down and slept the whole way home.



She had her first bath at home Wednesday night (when she was ONE WEEK OLD!). This is after she got wrapped up.. she didn't enjoy being naked! But she loved having her hair washed. By the way, her hair is at least an inch long. I am seriously going to get back to taking more pictures because you have to see her soon-to-be mullet. Which will be the topic of a later post.. I promise it's going to be a good one.



And all she does is sleep.



And sleep some more.



But she's really cute when she's asleep. Daddy will be home in a few minutes and we're waking her cute butt up.