Augusta - 2 months old

This month, at five weeks, Augusta started to smile.  Sometimes it's in her sleep or when she hears a lot of laughter around her, but then it turned into intentional smiles when you talk to her happily.  She loves to smile at Kylie and even at Farrah when she's singing and dancing to her.  So sweet.  By the end of her second month, she smiles a lot and often, especially when she first wakes up from naps or in the evening when she is awake the most and for the longest period of time.  She is also beginning to use her legs a little when you hold her up and stand her on her feet on your lap.  Her hair has so much volume when it is first washed and it has lightened a little in color to a dark to medium brown.

She still clinches her fists a lot, and wiggles her toes all the time.  She is started to coo a little and vocalize some.  She rarely cries and patiently lays wherever she is laid down, waiting for the next person to come and pick her up or talk to her.

Farrah loves to help dress her and hold her, give her a paci or "wobble" her (bounce her).  She is a little rough so we have to be right there watching her and reminding her to be gentle, but we can't tell Farrah that she can't help because it breaks her little spirit.  Augusta seems to like the attention and handles it so well.

She is filling out.  She still sleeps in the Velcro swaddle with both arms out.  She nurses around 9:00 or 10:00 at night and then sleeps for 4-6 hours until she wakes up to nurse.  Then she gets back on her 2 1/2 to 3 hour feeding schedule.  Around 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning, she starts grunting and the only way to quiet her is to lay her next to me and she sleeps so well until I'm ready to wake up.

I have less than a month before I have to go back to work, so a little ahead we will start waking up early and getting Farrah a midday nap so we will be ready when August arrives.

At six weeks, I switched out Augusta's newborn clothes for 0-3 month clothes.  She also started letting out a singe cackle laugh when she smiles really big.  It's so sweet.

At seven weeks, some more family members got to meet Augusta when we went to Cousin Hadley's baby shower.  We also went to see a pediatric dermatologist to get her birthmark checked out.  During this week, Augusta spent time away from Mommy and Daddy for the first time when Keane and I went to eat for our 4 year anniversary.

We went to a restaurant called The Silly Goose in the town Augusta, Missouri, for namesake purposes obviously.  Nana and Papa McCoy watched both Farrah and Augusta for several hours.  We took all of Farrah's Peppa Pig toys so she was all set, and Augusta drank pumped milk from a bottle with no problem and slept almost the rest of the time.

Augusta also got to experience her first holiday.  For the Fourth of July, my extended family had decided to take a year off from our regular celebration so while Keane worked on the farm, I took all the kids to the Laddonia parade and then in the evening we went back to Laddonia to enjoy their fireworks show, which was quite impressive for a small town.  Augusta slept through it and Farrah loved it as long as she was wearing noise-cancelling headphones.

We then spent three nights in a hotel during Kaden's ball team World Series.  Augusta was so good the whole time, for both the long car rides, throughout the games and meals and nights.  We are blessed.

Although I learned about things like breech babies and Nursemaid's elbow with Farrah, I am learning about some different things with Augusta.  Things such as a sacral dimple and hemangiomas.  We learned that the birthmark on her right arm is a "medium" congenital melanocytic nevus, caused by extra pigment in the skin, that should be safe and normal and has less than 2% chance of becoming melanoma.  We are to keep an eye on any changes although her dermatologist expects it to darken even more and fill in.  There are laser treatments being studied that may be an option for her in the future as far as removal.  Currently, surgeons can remove it in sections when she is old enough for anesthesia, but we aren't planning on doing that for her.  I've also experienced D-MER and am going to bring up torticollis at Augusta's next appointment because she seems to always hold her head to her right and back.

Parenthood means always learning and adjusting and doing our very best.  Our little caboose sure adds to the joy in our busy lives!

Augusta - 1 Month Old

Sweet Augusta Joy is one month old.  It feels like she has been here forever.  She does this superman stretch quite often.  She is really starting to fill out and is bright-eyed when she's awake now.  At her one month appointment she weighed 9 lbs 7.4 oz (45th percentile) and measured 22" (78th percentile) with a head circumference of 37.8 cm (78th percentile).  She got a shot and cried hard for just a moment but was easily and quickly calmed down.

I was worried.  I was so scared.  Scared that my heart wouldn't be able to love another baby, that adding another baby would disrupt our lifestyle, and that Farrah would have hard feelings.  I spend a lot of time thanking God that none of that has been the case.

I loved Augusta instantly.  In the surgical room, when I first laid eyes on her and when I heard her crying so beautifully, I knew my heart grew to make room for her.  Just like that.  Just like I had always been told.  And I'm happy to say this transition of adding another baby to our world has been a much easier transition than adding the first was.  I hardly felt a ripple at all.  I don't feel sleep deprived.  I don't worry about her sleep schedule so much, or every little fuss or cry.  To make this all so much easier also, Augusta has been a wonderful baby.  She is so lax and patient.

Her first week, she slept so good that I had to work really hard to wake her for her regular feedings.  My milk supply was in with a good oversupply, and I depended on her to help me regulate it and empty my breasts when they hurt so badly.

I have been feeding her every 3 hours, sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less, and she nurses 5-10 minutes on each side.  She is wearing newborn diapers and size newborn clothes.  Her hair seemed to lighten from nearly black to a brown after her first bath at home during her second week.  I feel like her face still has a slight jaundice coloring but at her one month appointment, her doctor didn't think so and said that's mostly her coloring.

She had to go in for a weight check-up at four days old, one week (10 days), and two weeks (17 days).  Her measurements were:
5/18/18 - 7 lbs, 20"
5/24/18 - 7 lbs 8 oz, 21"
5/31/18 - 8 lbs 2.6 oz, 21"

She's such a great baby so far.  She sleeps well (a lot) and nurses well.  By her second week, I was able to wait for her to tell me when she's hungry, even if it was 3-4 hours.  She never cries out when she's hungry at night.  I wake up to the sound of her grunting and sucking on her hand.  I usually move to the recliner in the living room to nurse her, change her diaper between breasts, and then feed her the second side.  She falls right back to sleep.

At exactly two weeks, her umbilical cord fell off so I was finally able to give her an actual bath and it made for much easier diaper changes.

She burps really well when she's awake, but usually not at all when she's sleepy.  Around 7:00am each morning she gets really loud and makes all sorts of grunting noises.  She will settle down with a pacifier, but only temporarily.  She will also settle down if I snuggle her next to me in bed.  She never really cries out though.

She still sleeps in the bassinet next to our bed, and during the day she naps around the house in various places...the bouncy seat, the Mumbelli, her crib, or in someone's arms.

I keep her swaddled at night.  I tried two nights without it and she didn't seem to sleep as well.  She gets a little upset as I am wrapping her, but I continue to swaddle her for now.  Around 4 weeks, she started to get her arms out of the swaddle.  I switched from the muslin blankets to a swaddle blanket that has a foot pocket and velcro straps that we had bought for Farrah who didn't like them.  I usually keep her arms, or at least her right arm, out of the swaddle and that seems to make her the happiest.



I won a Mumbelli on Instagram.  It has seriously been amazing.  Just before Augusta was born, I entered a giveaway by @lenae_hamman and I was chosen for a free Mumbelli.  I chose the color and they shipped it to me right away.  It was created to help ease babies from their womb to this world.  Mumbelli even reposted my photo!  It has been so amazing since it's portable, lightweight, soft with a machine-washable cover.  It is adjustable with easy velcro to make the bed the right size for your baby to snuggle.  I highly recommend this product for your newborn and I am very grateful for the opportunity to have one for our sweet peach.

Farrah asks almost hourly, "Can I give Augusta a hug and kiss?"  It's very sweet.  She is always talking to her and checking on her and loving on her.  She asks to hold her daily, but often tells her she can't have her toys or clothes.

Kaden and Kylie are sweet and great help with Augusta.  Kylie has been especially wonderful.  She plays a lot with Farrah throughout the day, and she is quick to help me with Augusta.  After being around me and my way of parenting, Kylie knows and picks right up on what Augusta needs.  She is always willing to carry her to the car or buckle her in, change her diaper, or just hold her and calm her down a bit.  Kaden mainly loves to hold Augusta when she's asleep!

Keane likes to talk to her in the evenings when he gets home and gets a lot of snuggles when I'm busy getting Farrah to bed usually.  Augusta doesn't hardly cry in the car.  She has a few times on long rides and usually she's been hungry, but you are able to calm her down with a lot of shushing and with her pacifier.  Most of the time she sleeps in car rides and on the go.  My prayers of a calm and easy-going baby, and a smooth transition, have been answered.

We are in love with our littlest family member and I'm excited to watch her as she grows.  Keane asked her the other day, "What are you going to grow up to be?"  He has claimed that Farrah will be the family member who keeps everyone together, who hosts family get-togethers, and is always talkative and bubbly.