Happy Two & One-Half Weeks Old to Baby

I sat down to write a two week update for Lexie earlier this week, but only made it to three sentences before getting interrupted. One thing I've learned since becoming a Mom is to be flexible, efficient, fast, and to multi-task on 3hr increments of sleep. Yes, as you can tell, we are headlong in Newborn Phase.

Anyway, I write this as Lexie naps and I switch back and forth between Sunday NFL games. Lexie took several hours today to finish eating breakfast, so she may actually be out for a while.

So what's new with us?
1. At her 3rd pediatric appointment this past Wednesday the 19th, Lexie weighed in at 7lbs 6oz. She gained 11 oz in just one week! No surprise there if you saw how much she eats. Normal weight gain for infants is one ounce per day.

2. She now consistently eats/drinks 4oz per feeding. According to her Pediatrician and the Lactation Consultant, an infant her age usually only eats 2-3oz per feeding. Baby Girl's got quite the hearty appetite!

3. She's no longer jaundiced. Yah! She's got more color in her cheeks now, but it's that really cute ruddiness.

4. We think we got her to re-latch on after having issues with her only wanting to bottle feed. Apparently, there is a name for the latter condition - "nipple confusion." We think Lexie's nipple confusion originated at the hospital when we had to start supplementing on Day 3 with Enfamil formula on the Pediatrician's orders. In any case, I still have to pump often with my Medela PISA (thank Heaven for this device!); but at least, she now knows to associate me with food. LOL

5. From time to time, we still supplement Lexie's feedings with formula (e.g. one to two bottles a day). Besides breast milk, she had been on Enfamil Lipil; then on Similac Advance Shield. However, because she's been gassy and fussy for the past one week and a half, her pediatrician advised us to try Enfamil Gentlease. We try to keep her formula feedings to a minimum; but it's hard to keep ahead or even keep up with her hearty appetite.

6. It was an early Christmas this week when Lexie received a bunch of really nice presents from both her Grandmas, her Great Aunt & Uncle from Florida & Ohio, and her cousins from Florida. She received so much cute stuff that we are having so much fun dressing her. And don't get me started on her toys.... Her Great-Aunt Mary Lee sent her an Ocean Wonder Aquarium infant soother that we can't wait to try out. We also really liked the engraved (with "Alexandria" & her birth date) infant shoes, a hanging cross, and a gorgeous knitted blanket that she received from her Great-Uncle Ed & Great-Aunt Barb. Thank you to all of you for your generosity!

7. Steve & I took a complimentary Infant/Child/Adult CPR class yesterday at a participating health clinic. Finally, a useful, baby-related class that is FREE! Of course, we hope never to have to use what we learned.

8. We are finally getting into the groove of having a newborn in the house. Steve took last week off (our first week home), while my Mom took this past week off to help out with Lexie. Because of this, I was actually able to return most of our congratulatory emails, some text messages, and a few phone calls. I know, I know- I'm still delinquent on most calls, as well as posting new photos.

Things are still chaotic at home and daily life, but more so along the lines of "organized chaos." These days, the house is much more cluttered. There always seems to be piles of laundry to do and stacks of mail to sort. The kitchen is strewn with a wide array of bottles, nipples, caps, brushes that are constantly in need of washing and sanitizing. And let's not forget the diaper pail that constantly needs tossing. And as for our own lives, yah, right, fuggedaboutit. I half-jokingly say that my days are made for Lexie. But for all the upheaval that she's brought to our lives, we can't imagine life without her.

Okay, gotta run. Lexie just woke and is crying. I'm going to try to post new photos tomorrow.

Wish me luck. It's our first day home alone together.