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. :)