"Did You Give Her a Starbucks on Your Way Here?"

Week 4 Round Up!

This question asked by our pediatrician sums up the Week 4 Round Up! Little Miss Everly turned a month old last Tuesday and she is growing and thriving. She weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long at her one month checkup. She is definitely starting to notice the world around her and she appears to be more than ready to get moving in the world. Everly might just squirm and wiggle more than any newborn I have ever met. She moves when she is eating, getting her diaper changed, when she is lying on a blanket hanging out on the couch, when you are holding her, and most of all when she is sleeping. She even managed to roll over on her back during tummy time this week (what???). If she isn't wiggling around then she is squawking. Sometimes she coos and oohs, but here lately she also screams a lot. According to all the books Everly is what the experts like to call a "spirited" or "intense" baby. She definitely has an opinion and is not afraid to share it. She has also started to have intense crying episodes when she gets annoyed, frustrated, or uncomfortable. When this happens it is difficult to soothe her or calm her down and sometimes the crying spells can last over an hour at a time. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by her temperament since the nurses at the hospital were calling her the CEO of the nursery on her 3rd day of life. However I would be lying if I said this phase wasn't challenging. I have been reading several books to help us understand how to deal with her outbursts and so far "The Happiest Baby on the Block" has proved to be the best resource. We have been using his techniques a lot (5 S's - swaddling, shhhshing, swinging, side/stomach position, and sucking) and have had some success in calming her down when she gets upset. So far her fits seem to be worse at night (when we are the most exhausted - hooray)! This behavior also fits the textbook definition of colic and according to the books spirited babies are more likely to go through a colicky phase than calm and easy going babies. Danny refuses to accept that it is colic. He says that she is just passionate (like her mama & daddy). After all you shouldn't expect to get a Labrador Retriever after two Doberman Pinchers mate, right? Nope! Instead you get a little "Min Pin". Either way, the books all say that colic is normal behavior for some babies and that it will pass by the time we hit the 3 month mark. Hallelujah! One month down...two to go!

Cuddling with Cousin Claire


Defeated Sausage! The Woombie Wins Again! :)

Video of Everly rolling over!