The Bell Family Blog: February 2015

Well...I knew this day had to come eventually... After 8 weeks of staying home full time, and then 3 weeks of working 3 days a week and staying home 2 days a week, the time finally came for Miss Adalee to start daycare full time.

February 16th was Adalee's first day of childcare at St. Joseph's Early Education Center. I knew it was going to be difficult to leave her in someone else's care, and I had prepared myself for all the emotions, but there was no way I could have predicted the hectic-ness of this morning. Adalee slept horribly the night before (waking up multiple times) and then did not want to wake up to breastfeed and get changed/dressed. Eventually we were able to wake her up approximately 10 minutes before we needed to walk out the door, and of course she then decided she was starved, so I had to listen to her screaming cry all the way to daycare. Needless to say - it was a rough start to an already hard day.

Michael and I both took her to her first day of daycare, which was great because we both got to meet her teachers and the other babies in her room. We spent a little time getting her settled, and then I think I said to her teacher, something to the effect of, "so what...now I just give her to you..." It was awkward. Thank goodness her teacher has a sense of humor.

Despite the rough start, Adalee did great at her first day of daycare, once they were able to feed her! It will take a little getting used to, but I know she is going to do very well! Here are some photos from that morning...

Stats:
Due to scheduling conflicts between Michael and I and our pediatrician, we had to schedule Adalee's Two-Month Checkup a little early, on January 21st - 12 days early to be exact. At her check up, Adalee weighed 11 pounds (60th percentile) and measured 21.7 in (45th percentile). We were happy to see that she was still doing well on her weight gain, which was such a big cause for concern at her first appointment. The biggest concern for us during the two month check-up was her skin. Miss Adalee developed some baby acne at about 5 weeks old, as well as some dry skin on her cheeks, arms, belly, and legs. In addition, she developed some cradle cap on her scalp. With some help from hydrocortisone cream and dandruff shampoo, her acne, dry skin, and cradle cap was starting to clear up by the time she actually reached two months! Miss Adalee still has not had any sickness or colds - something we are so thankful for! She is now wearing 0-3 month clothes, with most of her newborn items now being too small! It was a sad day when I had to pack her newborn items away... :(

Eating:
I am not sure if most first times moms who are breastfeeding experience this, but I had a vivid moment during the month of January when I felt Adalee actually start breastfeeding. I am not sure what she was doing prior to that moment, or how much milk she had been getting, but once it "clicked" for her, I could feel the difference. I remember yelling at Michael, "Omg! She is actually eating! This feels so weird!". I knew it would take some time for us to figure out the whole breastfeeding thing, and I am so glad that it is finally working!

We have been able to ease up on her feeding schedule, so we are actually getting some sleep during the night now! Adalee is still not on any sort of schedule, but she generally wakes up twice during the night to eat, usually between 11:00pm and 12:00am, and again between 3:00am and 4:00am. I usually breastfeed the first time, and then Michael gives her a bottle the second time, while I pump. While she still breastfeeds a majority of time, we have also been using bottles so that she will be used to it by the time she starts daycare - Yikes! Don't want to think about that yet! When she takes a bottle, she has this cute habit of folding her hands in her lap. It is almost automatic - when the bottle enters her mouth, she bring her hands together and rests them on her stomach. Sometime we call her "Baby TRex" because of how her arms look when she is resting them on her stomach - it is just too cute!

Sleeping:
Miss Adalee is still a fairly good sleeper, especially at night! We made the transition from her cradle in our room to her crib around 7 weeks. While it took her a night or two to get used to it, she has adjusted really well! The bigger struggle has been her naps during the day. She is not a big fan of sleeping in her her crib during the day. In fact, she would rather sleep anywhere else! When she does fall asleep during the day, it is usually only for 20 minutes, and then she is up again. I have started allowing her to sleep in her swing during the day, and I have even started allowing her to sleep on her stomach as long as I am in the room with her (even though it is a "no no"). She usually sleeps for an hour or longer if she is on her stomach, and sometimes she just needs to get some sleep! Of course, there are always some rough nights, where little sleep is being had by our family, but luckily those nights are few and far between!

Playing:
Adalee has just recently started to half-smile, but it is not really in response to anything. Sometimes a little smile-smirk appears for no reason at all! She has also started to make some cute noises (other than crying). We still spend a lot of time just talking to her about anything and everything. As she does not yet have an interest in toys, we mostly "play" by using our facial expressions. Miss Adalee is great at tummy time, usually spending at least two hours a day on her belly. She has great neck strength and control over her head - the pediatrician was super impressed during our appointment!

Here are some milestone moments this past month:

First Stroller Ride - January 19th - She slept entire time!

Loving the outdoors, but not loving my hat!

2 Month Pediatrician Appointment - January 21st - First Round of Shots! Overall, Adalee did really well with the immunizations. She got a little fussy that night, but the baby Tylenol definitely helped! Mommy and daddy got lots of cuddles!

Recovery by Sleep!

Mom's First Day Back to Work (Part-Time) - January 26th - Definitely a tough day, but Michael, my mom, and my mother-in-law were able to help watch Adalee part-time for three weeks, allowing me to ease into the transition of returning to work!