Sloan - One Month

Height: 23.5 inches (98%)

Weight: 10lbs 13 ounces (98%)

Sleep: She is not a bad sleeper. We found out very early that Sloan can't tolerate dairy. It only took a few days for us to see a new baby! She had started refusing to eat - but also wouldn't sleep because of the pain - the same road we went down with Emma. Glad to get that cleared up. We are following Mom's on Call - so that calls for a paci 3 times before feeding to make sure they are hungry and not just in between sleep cycles. Dan has been sleeping in a different room the first few hours - so that I wont hear her wake up and can sleep a solid few hours in a row. Then he comes back to our room and I'm on deck. Very recently she has been making it to 2am and then 6am for feedings (with a few paci's in between). It is hit or miss whether it is easy to get her back down after the 2am. She sleeps in her crib from 9-6. I feel like she's making a lot of progress in the sleep department for a one month old.  

Naps are a different story. The morning we can usually get a 45 min nap in. And she gets a nap while in her car seat when picking up the big girls. My parents have been here a lot (+ Dan's paternity leave) to help and that has allowed Sloan to get a nap in someones arms for the afternoon - but I'm not sure how we will handle that one now that they are all gone. Naps were always hard for the big girls too. 

Eating: She eats every 3 hours during the day with an additional random feeding in the late afternoon or evening when extra fussy. When she has taken a bottle, she took 3 ounces. She spits up SO MUCH though. Around 10 times per feeding. Its a miracle any of it stays down. But you can tell by her growth, she's doing fine in height and weight. She soaks burp cloths, her outfit, my outfit, her crib sheets. We just started zantac which will hopefully keep her more comfortable.

Milestones: I'm not sure what milestones they are supposed to hit. #thirdkid. She's smiling a lot more, which is so fun. Trying to hold her head up some. She's not as strong as Emma was, but probably comparable to Olivia. 

Clothes / Diapers: She never fit into anything newborn. The big girls were 8 pounds and were in newborn for a month. Sloan couldn't even fit into her going home outfit. I had to come home and put all the sweet newborn outfits away - even the few that were brand new. She's getting tight on her 0-3 month clothes, but still in them. I have a feeling we will move to 3-6 here soon. She just started wearing size 2 diapers - which is just crazy to me. We have a giant baby.

Best Moment of the Month: All of the interactions with Olivia, Emma, and Sloan. I knew Olivia was excited, and she loves babies so I knew she would be so sweet and helpful. I wasn't sure Emma really knew what she was getting into. She LOVES her sister. She is so sweet. Always wants to hold her, kiss her, play with her hands and feet. She gives her a paci, wipes her spit up, gets diapers and onesies and wipes and helps change her. She has become the sweetest big sister - and Sloan is so lucky to have such sweet helpers that love her so much.

Parent of the Month: I'm just going to go with my temporary insanity caused by sleep deprivation. I handed Dan a pillow and told him to help me get the swaddle off of her so I could feed her. I also told Dan to "watch the baby in our bed, while I go feed Sloan." Good thing we figured out new sleeping arrangements, or Dan might have had me committed. 

Favorites: We love the leachco podster - its just a little pillow that you can put places - including their crib - for them to lounge or sleep in. It has been helpful for getting a little bit longer naps in the crib where we can still use the breathing monitor. We give Sloan a lot of gas drops, and I read the Mom's on Call book every few days - but other than that, we don't use a lot of new things this time.

We are trying the Love to Dream swaddle that allows their arms near their face. I'm not sure it makes any difference in her sleep, but it is easier to change diapers in the middle of the night - so we have been sticking with it. 

Sloan likes pacis - another Olivia (not Emma) similarity. 

Overall, the first month has been chaos, but with Dan's paternity leave, his parents visiting, and help from my parents, we have survived the first month with 3 kids! We are learning Sloan, and what works for her - and also juggling the needs of the big kids. Once Sloan gets into a good nap pattern - it wont be hard to have all 3. But trying to tend to the big kids, and spend 20 minutes rocking Sloan to sleep - and putting the paci back in every 5 - is just hard. However - once she gets into a good nap pattern, she'll no longer be a newborn and I'll miss all of the curled legs, stretching faces, teeny tiny cheeks, newborn sleepy noises, and full body snuggles on my chest. So we are soaking in the chaos, knowing its short lived.