finley // one month

I can't believe it's been a month already since our Finley girl was born! It has been the longest and shortest and hardest and most wonderful month of my life all at the same time. It's definitely been quite a ride, but I can honestly say that through all the ups and downs, I'm just so happy and grateful to be this little girl's mama. It's the best job in the whole world. I love it so much.

Finley is the sweetest and most alert little girl. We love her big, beautiful eyes and her cute (and rapidly growing!) double chin. She makes the funniest facial expressions all the time that we can't help laughing at and mimicking. And I swear she's going to get a wrinkle or two if she doesn't stop furrowing her brow all the time! I can't believe how much she's already changed in just the past four weeks. I can't even imagine how different she will be in just a few months!

While there have definitely been some challenges the past month, Zach and I are completely overjoyed to finally have our baby girl here with us and to actually feel like a real family now that it's not just the two of us. We love her so much it's insane. And we couldn't imagine life without her now.

Here are some little tidbits about our one month old Finley!

Weight: At her two week appointment she weighed 6 lbs 2 oz. Her one month appointment is next Tuesday so we're hoping she might be in the 7 pound range by now. She's definitely gotten more chunky looking and her newborn clothes are getting tighter!

Height: Still 19 inches as of her last appointment.

Hair: She has about 1 1/2 inch strands of dirty blonde hair all along the base of her head and some growing peach fuzz on the top. 

Eating: I was worried that breastfeeding was going to get all messed up when in the hospital the nurse told us they would be feeding Finley formula due to her low blood sugar. But she totally surprised me by doing great with both breastfeeding and bottle feeding! I think she prefers the bottle slightly more, but she still latched on to the breast pretty well from the beginning and it's just gotten easier and more comfortable as the month has gone on. We're currently having about 40-45 minute feedings at the breast about eight times a day and then supplementing with an ounce of formula after each feeding. There have definitely been some rough moments throughout the past month with breastfeeding (and lots of tears!!), but overall I really can't complain too much. I know many women who have had it much worse than me!

Sleeping: Most nights Finley does four hours of sleep in between each feeding. But honestly every night is a little bit different. Some nights she's woken up every two hours to feed and others she'll sleep five or six hours straight! It all really depends on how much she slept during the day and whether or not she's going through a growth spurt. Hopefully we can get her to do some more longer stretches at night soon!

Likes: Finley LOVES anything black and white--especially the black and white pictures we have hanging above our couch. I think she would stare at them all day long if she could! I even catch her trying to look at them while I'm feeding her! She also loves being held and snuggled, going on walks in her stroller and on car rides, looking out the window during diaper changes, and listening to her daddy sing to her in Portuguese. 

Dislikes: She doesn't like being left alone for long periods of time. If she's awake, she gets bored just laying on the ground by herself and wants you to hold her. She also gets frustrated sometimes while breastfeeding if she feels like the milk isn't coming out fast enough. 

Milestones: So many! Most notably: first doctor's visit, first car ride, first bath, first time in the stroller, first time sleeping through the night, first (and second!) growth spurt, and first nail trimming (so scary!!!).