Thornock Happenings 2016: One Month and a Whole Lot of Pictures

Melanie is one month old today! I cannot believe how quickly it's gone by, but I can't really seem to remember life without her either. I have not done a good job of keeping up with the blog, so this post will just sum up our month.

It has been so amazing to watch Melanie grow and learn. Some days I pick her up and I can tell she's so much bigger, but other days I still see her as my tiny little baby. She has learned so much about how to use her body this month.

For the first 3 weeks or so nursing was pretty hard for us. She had a really hard time latching on and once she got mad it was pretty hopeless. There were lots of angry cries from her and sad cries from me. She has gotten much better now and only has a hard time once in a while. Usually in the middle of the night, when I'm trying to keep things quiet for Spencer. Nursing is less stressful than it was, but I still haven't quite seen it as a peaceful, bonding time yet. I think we'll get there.

The other major struggle in her little life was learning how to poop. For the first week and a half or so she would scream and cry and become inconsolable while she was straining. I would just rock her or rub her back and cry with her. Then we discovered pacifiers, and they helped a lot! She only had that problem while she was awake though. She could have a messy diaper in her sleep and not make a peep. So, I think she was doing something wrong as she tried to coordinate all of her muscles. I'm proud to say that she is now a professional pooper and has gotten me, her blankets, and both of our outfits on several occasions (in those few dangerous moments between diapers).

I love watching Melanie learn how to use her hands and fingers. And her arms and legs, for that matter. There is a lot less random waiving, and her movements seem more controlled and sometimes intentional. I wouldn't call her coordinated, but she doesn't whack herself in the face as much! She likes to hold onto fingers now and anytime she gets something in her grasp, her hand starts moving toward her mouth. She still gets her face in her hands and nearly pokes her eyes out or tries to scratch her ear off. Sometimes if you stick your face really close to hers she will grab your nose or chin.

We do tummy time every day. Her neck is getting strong and every once in a while she even gets her chest off the floor. If we hold her chest to chest she lifts up her little head and wiggles all over to see what she can see. It's pretty cute. She likes it when we put our hands by her feet so she can push off of them and scoot along like a little frog.

I think her internal clock is starting to sort itself out. She really has been a pretty good sleeper. Even at the beginning the good nights outnumbered the really tough ones. Now she sleeps in 3 to 5 hour intervals almost every night. About a week ago we moved her into her crib in the nursery (she kept rolling into the bars of her little bassinet) and I've been keeping her in there for diaper changes and to nurse at night. I keep the lights off if I can, and she usually goes right back down after a change and eating. That usually takes about 45 minutes, but it's better than when she'd decide it's time to be awake for 2 hours at 2 am. During the day she has a lot more awake time than she used to, and that's pretty fun.

When she is awake she likes to be held and gives us this sad whimper if she feels lonely. She doesn't mind being on the floor if someone is next to her, and she usually likes her swing. Most of the time she just likes to be held in a way that allows her to wiggle freely. She is a very wiggly girl.

One of Melanie's favorite things is bath time! We gave her a couple of sponge baths before her umbilical cord stump fell off and she was okay with them. But when we gave her a real bath, she loved it! It's hard to show in pictures because she doesn't smile yet (except on accident, but it's really cute when she does!), but in person you can just tell she likes the warm water. Sometimes she cries when we get her out and she gets cold, though. I do love the smell of a clean baby!

Spencer had his first exam a couple of weeks ago and he did great on it, so apparently Melanie isn't interrupting his sleep too much. :) I'm very proud of him.

Caroline came for a few days about a week and a half ago! We LOVED having her here. She took Melanie at night after she ate, she made us a ton of delicious freezer meals and treats, and she took some beautiful pictures for us. It was just a lot of fun to have her around and I wish we lived closer!

Today we took her for her 1 month well child check up. She weighed in at 9 lbs 15 oz (up 2 lbs, 3 oz from her birth weight!) and 22.75 inches long (more than 2 inches longer). She's average for weight and head circumference, but top of the chart for length. She's tall like her Momma! We are so glad that she is healthy.

And here are some pictures! I really tried hard to pare it down. This was the best I could do. We look pretty tired in some of these pictures.