One Month Old Esther

Esther turned one month old on July 28. (Her due date, incidentally.) Of course time always goes by too fast with a new baby but I think it is especially true since she only came home to us a third of the way through the month.

• At her one-month checkup (which was this morning) she weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches long. Way to go, baby! She has really jumped up on the growth curve since she was born. Dr. Jabir says she looks "excellent."
• Esther is a very sleepy baby. Most days she is awake for a few hours in the morning, then sleeps until evening, waking up only enough to eat, then is awake for a few hours before Zach and I go to bed.
• That whole "I set an alarm " thing so she wouldn't sleep too long at night? That didn't last. She is still far easier at night than Austin was, but now she sleeps anywhere from two to four hours between feedings at night. Sometimes she settles right back down to sleep, sometimes it takes a bit of time.
• When Esther decides to eat, she is a good nurser. But sometimes it takes her awhile to decide to eat, even when she is clearly hungry. She doesn't like to open her mouth very wide--I often pry it open for her. (That sounds harsh; I'm talking a little nudge on her chin, people.) I keep hoping this is just a phase but so far it persists.
• Esther has dark hair that is getting a bit thicker. Have I mentioned on the blog that I was hoping she'd be a dark haired baby? Looks like I got my wish. :)
• Esther's eyes are dark blue, at least for now. People with dark hair in our families generally have brown or hazel eyes, though, so we're curiously waiting to see if her eyes change.
• I thought pottying during a diaper change was a baby boy thing. Wrong. It's just not as messy. Visiting relatives who volunteer to change her, you've been warned.
• Esther is quite tolerant of all the love she gets from her brother. That love includes lots of kisses. (He leans close and goes "mmmmma!") It also includes several very near misses of the "don't sit/fall/lean on your sister" variety.
• When people hear that we've named our daughter Esther, they often ask if it's a family name. Now that's not the real reason; Zach and I admire the Biblical Esther and also had a close mutual friend in college named Esther who was a wonderful woman of God. She holds a special place in our hearts because she thoughtfully told me "You and Zach should get to know each other; you have a lot in common" just before we met. BUT--it turns out that Esther is a family name. One of my aunts has done a lot of genealogy research and she told my mom that our Esther has a great-great-great-great-great grandma Esther. What do you know?
• Practically everyone says that Esther is a beautiful baby girl. We think so, too. :)

My Firstborn

I have some cute pictures of Austin that I have been meaning to post for a long time. But it's never too late for cuteness. :)

Gran and Pops visited us the week before Esther was born. Austin was delighted, of course. They brought some great toys for our backyard (Pops is trying to make Austin into a little golfer), played outside tirelessly with our little bundle of energy, and read the train book (pictured below) as many times as requested. A good time was had by all.

The week before that, Zach and I took Austin to Idlewild, a local amusement park that claims to be the #2 park for children. Not an empty claim; there is a huge area of rides just for little ones and a "Storybook Forest" area that brings dozens of nursery rhymes to life. I was a little nervous before we put Austin on his first ride: would the round-and-round motion make him sick? would he wait for the attendant to undo his straps and lift him off? But my worries were groundless. Austin loved the rides and was happy to let all sorts of strangers (park employees) help him get on and off of them. :)

One more pic...we got out Esther's carseat a few days before she came home from the hospital. It sat around the house until needed. It makes a great recliner, did you know?

Accomplishment

I made my first solo trip out of the house with both kiddos yesterday. I know this is nothing to my mommy friends with three, four, etc. children but it was a big step for me. We went to the library. They have a kitchen set and a train table that Austin LOVES so I knew it'd be good for an hour or more's amusement. We made it in and out of the library without any toddlers attempting to run away (Esther was in a stroller, Austin was not) and experienced only one small tantrum when Mommy said it was time to leave the trains and check out our books. Only one reference book was unshelved while Mommy was checking out, and the unshelver was brought back by a request to load the books into the stroller basket. I'd call it a success!

Settling in with Esther

A few decades ago, Esther's mommy came home from the hospital wearing this. It's a little big for Esther but she looks sweet wearing it.

Austin loves to give Esther kisses. He leans over and says "mmm."

Girly clothes! Love it!

She's not a fan of baths so far.

As a parent, you hear the phrase "Every kid is different" a lot. And now I can personally attest to the truth of that statement! Esther is NOTHING like her big brother was as a newborn, and for the most part that is a wonderful thing.

Example 1: For his first few weeks Austin was really only content to sleep if he was being held. This was particularly the case at night. So nighttime feedings were inevitably followed by an hour or more of walking around the room with him, putting him in his bed, hearing him cry, picking him up again, etc. (Sitting and rocking, not good enough.) Esther, on the other hand, eats, gets changed, and falls asleep. Quietly. Quickly. And so I fall asleep, too. Um, I didn't know that was even possible. Bliss!

Example 2: Austin wanted to eat really often. Like every two and a half hours, or possibly more often. Day or night. Esther nearly always goes three hours between daytime feedings, and at night it's rarely less than three and a half. Occasionally I have to wake her up (I set an alarm for myself) after four hours because at her size and age, the pediatrician says she shouldn't go longer than that. I find myself thinking "Is this real? Am I going to wake up from a dream in a few days?" Because it really doesn't seem like a baby should be this easy.

Esther has been home for a week now and I am just so in love with my little girl! I had forgotten how sweet cuddling a newborn is. How many cute faces a new baby makes. How you marvel at how this tiny person was inside you such a short time ago. A baby is such a miracle!

Home!

What can I say? Life is good.

Look Ma, No Nasal Cannula!

Esther's nurse took her off oxygen today and she did great! That is huge progress; obviously she can't go home if she still needs supplemental oxygen so we were very excited about this step forward.

One other exciting development: I was able to start breastfeeding Esther yesterday! She is doing really well so far. She has stayed at the breast for a longer period each feeding we've tried and she has a good latch. I had forgotten how hard it can be to keep a sleepy newborn interested in eating instead of napping...but as Zach and I tickled her feet and tried other tricks to keep her awake, it felt incredibly normal. Not much in the NICU feels normal, so this was a good feeling.

There is a chance that Esther will be moved out of the NICU and onto the pediatric floor in a day or two, basically just to wait until her antibiotics are finished. That is contingent, of course, on her respiration staying on track, but our nurse thinks it's quite likely. If all goes well, Esther will be able to come home with us at the end of the week!

Here is Esther strapped into the stroller, ready to make the trip around the corner to the breastfeeding room. Isn't she cute?

"Essie"

Austin and Grandma Susan came to the hospital to meet "Essie" today. (Zach and I thought we picked a nickname-proof name for our little girl...leave it to our two year old to prove us wrong.) Austin was pretty eager to go in and see her, although once in the NICU he was kind of distracted by all the monitors and machines. He peered in at her, though, and stuck his hand in the isolette to give her a little pat.

Esther is still doing well. Her bilirubin count came down a bit from yesterday on its own, so she may not have to go under the lights. The nurse thinks her breathing sounds better, although the rate is still too high. Her IV got moved to her head, which looks a little sad, but her hands and feet are now free of wires or tubes, except for her pulse oxymeter, which is nice.

Mom brought her new camera, so we got some better pictures than we get with our camera. Esther made some adorable faces for us, and she opened her eyes again! Both of them! Looking in her eyes is so precious.

The Sweetest Hour

Zach and I got to hold Esther for over an hour today. It was the sweetest hour of my week. She stayed calm the whole time; her breathing and heart rate slowed down slightly and her oxygen level stayed really high. She even tolerated being passed back and forth between me and Zach a few times without showing distress. Plus, she opened one eye for a few seconds--the first time we've seen her eye(s)! What a beautiful day.

In general, the nurses and doctors tell us she continues to do well. The doctor thinks her lungs will begin producing sufficient amounts of surfactant within the next day or so--that is the stuff that allows the air sacs to expand and contract correctly. So hopefully we'll see her breathing rate slow down soon, which will allow us to start breastfeeding. Her bilirubin count is going up a bit each day, so she will probably spend some time under the lights soon. That is common, though--apparently just about all babies in the NICU do that at some point.

We continue to be thankful for all the health and strength she has. Praise God for so much progress!