Jen Russum

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One month

I’ve debated whether or not I want to do monthly posts on Zianne and her milestones. She is six weeks old and I still haven’t really made up my mind, but for now I am going to try to write these posts, if for no other reason than to record information that I want to remember for her baby book. Here it goes…
I wasn’t sure which categories I wanted to include in these posts, so I want to send a huge thank you to Jordan, whose monthly baby updates inspired most of the structure below!

Growing // At two weeks, Z weighed 10 lb. 3 oz, and by her one month check up, she weighed 11 lb. 13 oz. and was 23.5 inches long. This puts her in the 95th percentile for size.
Eating // It’s basically her favorite activity. She emerged from the womb ready to eat and hasn’t stopped since, as evidenced by her weight gain. Even though it is tiring, I am very, very thankful breastfeeding is going smoothly.
Wearing // Zianne never really wore newborn sizes other than in diapers. We squeezed her into a couple NB sized outfits that were bought by relatives, just so we could take photos of her in them. Thankfully, I always assumed we wouldn’t have a newborn size baby, so we didn’t have a lot of tiny clothing to begin with. By four weeks, her 0-3 month clothes were getting tight and I have been dabbling in 3-6 month sizes ever since. She also transitioned to size 1 diapers around two weeks.
Doing // Like most newborns, Z’s life pretty much consisted of eating and sleeping for the first month. Thankfully, she fell into a regular sleep schedule right away and hardly ever cried. Once a day, usually after one of her afternoon feedings, I would read her a story and consider it a great success if she focused her eyes on the pages, even for a few moments. Also, we introduced her to both the bottle and the pacifier right at two weeks. She took the bottle right away but hardly ever takes an interest in the pacifier. If it doesn’t have milk in it, she’s doesn’t have time for it.
Loving // Milk, her changing table, being held. The little lady prefers to take her naps on people, or at least she likes to fall asleep on someone and will then tolerate being moved gently to her bouncy chair.
Loathing // Being put down {into her chair, lying on the bed, in the Pack N Play, etc.} if she’s not at least half asleep; being overstimulated by consecutive days of being out and about in loud, bright environments; being delayed when she wants to eat
Nicknames // Z, Z Baby, Z-leen, Z Feeder
Daddy’s girl // Micah has been trying to get Z to crawl since birth. During tummy time, he will give her a little support against her feet and she will get mad, resist, and army crawl her chubby newborn body across her play mat. It’s pretty funny to watch, and she is surprisingly strong. Also, dad loves to snuggle with Z but we had to break him of the habit of picking her up to cuddle when she is already swaddled in her Pack N Play for the night.
Mishaps and milestones: The first month went more smoothly than I ever imagined it would. The only random hiccup happened around two weeks, when Z’s belly button continued to ooze green pus for days after her umbilical cord fell out. I was told by a nurse practitioner to treat it with diluted hydrogen peroxide, but when that didn’t fully work, we found ourselves at the pediatricians’ office unexpectedly on a Monday afternoon. Thankfully, her naval wasn’t infected and after treating it with Aquaphor for a few days, it’s now completely normal.

Comments

  1. What is it about changing tables and babies? M always loves hers. It soothes her like nothing else!
    And I agree about documenting monthly on the blog…for me it's the best way to ensure it actually gets done 🙂

  2. GAHH!!!! I want to hold that 11-pound sack of preciousness, she's beautiful, Jen. It's reassuring to hear she's eating and sleeping well, that's a blessing for Mom and Dad too. The name "Z Feeder" cracked me up. I think there is a brand of livestock feeders we've used for our horses and cows that begins with Z. Miss Z is a growing girl for sure. I don't have many "newborn" size clothes either. Husband and I were both well over eight pounds at birth and, after another ultrasound yesterday, Baby K weighs in at a whopping four pounds and 11 ounces. I think we'll have a big boy on a our hands too. I toured the hospital where I'll deliver Baby K last night and I have to say, reality got real REAL QUICK. Time is flying by. I can't wait to meet our little guy, but I'm completely terrified/scared/anxious of labor and delivery. I'd give anything if that Stork would just drop him off. LOL
    BIG HUGS!!!!!!!!!

  3. I truly only do it to keep up with Liam's growth and milestones since I have been behind on his physical baby book. For some reason, I feel more accountability when I keep up with it on my blog. 🙂

    I can't wait to see that baby girl this afternoon!