ONE month!

I cannot believe that Gracie is already ONE month old! These last few weeks have absolutely flown by ... all the days seemed to roll right into the next ... lots of sleepless nights, 3am crying fits, early morning snuggles and conversations about poop!

It blows my mind how much our life has been turned upside down, but in the best way possible. The first two weeks were a doozy, but by week three we finally started to get a handle on things and things are slowly getting easier!

SLEEP: Gracie is not the soundest, deepest sleeper. In those first few weeks it would take us two or three tries before she was finally asleep for a nap. We often find ourselves glued to the monitor because just when you think she's OUT, those little eyes pop open! In week three we discovered the Swaddle Me sleeper. Oh.my.gosh. This thing seriously saved us. It's the only way she will sleep now, and she sleeps much more soundly when she can't flail her arms and whack herself in the face :) She also make SO much noise in her sleep! She actually cries and screams in her sleep, and you go in to check on her and she's sound asleep. She does this for a good 30 minutes before she actually wakes up. Not so fun at 2:45am when I could really use that extra 30 minutes of sleep! Some days she naps all day, other days not at all. I am doing my best to nap when she does, but sometimes I just need a shower and a bowl of cereal!

We would not have survived without her Rock'n'Play ... she loves to sleep here!

Her scrunched up sleeping face :)

EATING: We are still nursing, but also supplementing with formula. This kid can EAT. Sadly, my milk supply just isn't enough for her and she's not the most efficient nurser lol. She likes to comfort nurse and then fall asleep. Then we put her down thinking she is OUT, and ten minutes later she is up wailing her head off because she's starving! I pump several times a day, in order to be able to give her a bottle of breast milk, but also I'm trying to build up a stash of frozen milk for when I go back to work. She is also (as of this week) getting one ounce of prune juice diluted with water because she has really bad gas issues :/ My poor baby ... she gets so worked up because her belly is full of bubbles and it takes her hours to work them out. The prune juice seems to be helping, although it isn't a miracle fix, so we just have to wait for her to outgrow this.

TEMPERAMENT: Wellllll .... not the happiest baby that's for sure! She was born crying and pouting, with her lower lip quivering, so that was our first sign haha! She always seems to be skeptical and confused, making the cutest little faces at us. She fusses a lot, but I think only because of her tummy issues. When she's fed, dry and bubble-free she is very content. The last few days she's started to coo at us, and make the cutest noises. She will hang out in her Boppy lounger and just look around, look at us and babble away :) I swear I even saw the tiniest hint of a smile the other day!

These are her content faces ... I'll spare you the crying ones :) 

FIRSTS/MILESTONES: Her first holiday was Memorial Day. Meeting one of her great-grandmothers. Peed on her daddy, not once -- but twice! First visit to the park. Met the midwife that delivered her. First bath (she loves it!)

Bath time!

First walk with Gunner!

Our first solo car ride - going to the pediatrician!

All dressed up in red, white & blue for Memorial Day

Cooing at her great-grandma

NICKNAMES: Gracie, Gracie-girl, Gracie-bird, Nugget, Grace K, GK, Lovebug

My thoughts on motherhood: Life changing. Amazing. Exhausting. I had wanted to be a mama my whole life and I waited 30 years to finally have this little girl. And it's the hardest and best thing we've ever done. I thought I had some idea of what to expect, but until they placed her on my chest -- I realized I had NO clue. Everything was a learning process, for all of us - for her and for me! But together, we've gotten through each day. I've learned to take things one day at a time. This little girl has taught me patience. She has taught me what unconditional love really is. I worry about so many things that I never did before. She has made me more aware of life. Instead of rushing so much, I have learned to sit back and enjoy the small moments. When she falls asleep on my chest, I take the extra time to just stare at her and snuggle her close. I don't worry that there is laundry I need to do, or some other mundane task that can wait. She has taught me how to ask for help. I'm not a saint, and some days are harder for me to get through than others. I'm grateful to have an AMAZING husband who knows just when I need a break. My mother has come over at 1am when Gracie had been screaming for five hours straight and we were at our wits end. My inlaws love to come and snuggle her to give me an hour to take a nap when I'm out of my mind exhausted. Those breaks make me a better mom and wife. I am so grateful to get to be her mama, and I am so excited to watch her grow!

My heart is SO full and I thank God every single day for blessing me with such a perfect gift. Our life feels complete <3