3 Week Update

Today marks Abigail's 3 week sojourn on this earth.  So here is a little update on how mommy, daddy, and baby are doing.
Week one: During this week, Steve was able to take his first week of paid paternity leave, so we were home as a family.  This was a nice time to get used to 2 hour blocks of sleep and snuggling our little girl.  Abigail still spent most of the day sleeping.

On June 27th we went for a one week appointment with our pediatrician, just to make sure everything was going well as new parents.  Abigail already surpassed her birth weight, weighing in at 7 lbs. 10 oz.  The pediatrician was impressed and told us to keep doing what we are doing.

Week Two:  Steve had to go back to work on June 28th.  Alison's mom was able to come by and help out on Thursday and Friday, which was a great blessing.  Alison was very grateful that she could be at home with Abigail, though getting the new mom thing right was a big worry.  She is learning to not expect perfection from herself or from their new little angel.  Steve was off for July 4th (Happy Independence Day!), so we ventured out of the house to get our first family photos.  We managed to get one picture of Abigail with her eyes open, before she nodded off again.

Alison took Abigail for her 2 week check-up on July 5th.  It was the first time just the two of us went out, which was liberating, but a little scary.  Abigail weighed in at 8 lbs., so still gaining great weight.  She was looking healthy in every way.

Week Three:  Some new challenges arose during this week.  Starting on July 4th, Abigail began spitting up her whole meal every so often (5 times over the next week).  Needless to say mom and dad were both very concerned.  The doctors office recommended keeping her upright for 30 minutes after eating, which has helped quite a bit.  At the same time, she stopped having consistently messy diapers.  As first time parents, we were very concerned that something was wrong.  After a weekend of hoping and worrying, Alison went back to the pediatrician with Abigail.  We were reassured that she is still gaining weight and that there is nothing irregular about her spitting up or her lack of messy diapers.  Don't worry though, she surprised us with a near blow out later that night.  She is already losing her new born look and getting bigger each day.

Some exciting things Abigail is doing developmentally: Staying awake a little more often, focusing on faces and pictures briefly, holding her head up when lying on her tummy on mommy or daddy's chest, and wiggling her arms and legs more.

Another favorite thing is watching the many faces of Abigail Mae as she sleeps: half smile, eyes rolling back, pouty face, puckered lips, furrowed brow, sticking out the tongue, and more.  She is adorable and we love her to pieces.