Cora June at One Month...

I have a one month old, what?!? I am going to say what every mother says- time is going by super fast right now. I really do not know how we are already at the one month mark. But as I type those word I also feel like I have lived every second of the last month. I am not going to lie, the last month has been hard. Caring for a small baby is one of the most challenging tasks I have undertaken. I knew it was going to be hard, people loved telling us before we had Cora how hard the first three months or so were with a newborn. I knew they were not lying, but I knew it was something I was going to have to live before I totally understood. But more on those thoughts in another post. Now on to the awesomeness that is Cora June at one month!

Cora is a great baby. I really have nothing to compare her to since this is my first born and all, but for the most part she has a pretty chill personality. She fusses around her meal times and of course she has her moments during the day when she cries, but over all she is pretty even tempered.

When she does get fussy the following things calm her- the dry, riding in her car seat (we have defiantly been those parents out riding around in the car just to sooth our baby), her paci sometimes, rocking, and swaddling.

She nurses 10 to 12 times a day (maybe more on certain days). Right now I feel like that is all my life consists of- feeding Cora. But I know it will not always be this much so I am trying to soak this stage in and be patient. Netflix and my iPhone are my day time companions right now.

Right now she sleeps a lot during the day and for the most part does pretty well at night (although we have had a couple rough nights!). During the night she can go 2 to 3 1/2 hours between feedings. On the rare times we have reached 3 1/2 hours I feel like I have slept days when she wakes me up- it is great. I am really ready for these feeding stretches to get longer- especially at night.

Cora already has several nicknames. Steve likes to call her his little frog due to her scrunching up on his chest when she lays on him. He has also taken to calling her pumpkin which kinda makes my heart melt every time he says it. I still call her sweet pea and I also call her little bit and bitty. Other names we use randomly are Cora-bear, Cora-girl, and Beautiful. Who knows which ones are going to stick long term.

She is still in newborn diapers and is quickly growing out of her newborn clothes. I have no idea how much she currently weights or how long she is, but I know she is defiantly growing. She is getting these awesome rolls on her arms and legs.

Cora LOVES her bath. We have gotten into a routine of bath time each night, this helps with her going to bed. And I have to admit, that is one of the highlights of my day. I hope Cora loves the water. I want to get her into swimming as soon as possible.

Cora has brownish/blond hair and dark blue eyes. As the month has worn on her hair has gotten lighter and curls are starting to show up- yes! We think she has Steve's nose and my lips. Right now I think she looks a lot like her daddy, but as time goes on more and more people are starting to say she looks like me.

I started seeing clients again last week. Cora took to a bottle like a champ and this has allowed for some flexibility with me going up to the office for short amounts of time. I am still trying to juggle nursing, pumping, and bottles, but I know we will get into a routine before long. I am just thankful her daddy has a day off during the week so I can work.

Cora had her first voluntary smile on Tuesday. I missed it- she was with her daddy when it happened. But Steve got a great picture of the beautiful smile. It has only happened once, looking forward to more in the future. Cora is SO strong. She loves tummy time and has been lifting her head up since day one of life. She can spontaneously roll from back to tummy, but she has only done it a couple times. Steve was walking by nine months- makes me wonder if Cora will be the same. She can already push herself up into a stand when she is in our laps.

She is also starting to focus more on objects and is turning her head toward voices and noise. This really just started happening this week so I am assuming this will only increase in the weeks to come.

We have tried a couple outings and it is 50/50 shot if she will not have a melt down while we are out. She has been to Target (of course), Hobby Lobby, Half Price Books, Sam's, the pediatricians office, the Container Store, La Madaline's, and Dillards. In about half of those stores she ended up having a melt down- but I should get credit for at least trying. I am soooo ready to be back into the world.

So there you have it, Cora at one month. Can't wait to see what this next month brings- more sleep maybe (wink, wink!).