Elsa Meets World

This Face

1 day old, 4 days old, 2 weeks old, 4 weeks old- turning into a little girl already!

Happy first 4th of July to our munchkin! We headed down to our neighbor's shore house for the holiday, and had a very busy day! We ate a ton of food (boob juice for Elsa), hit up the beach, and spent some quality time and a lot of laughs with one of the nicest families around. Somehow we didnt take a family picture for the holiday, but here are a few snapshots from that day and Elsa's 5th week of life:

cheeks for days!

all 4th'd up and headed to the shore!

at the NJ shore in a baby tent

1 Month!

Obviously I am a bit behind and just writing these posts now. But oh my gosh 1 month with you flew by so fast! At 1 month:

You weigh 10lbs on the dot, what a little chunker!
Your head is still on the small size but is growing
You are much more awake and alert than in the first few weeks but you still sleep alot during the day
You eat like a champ
You are doing well on your little routine each day but get overtired really easily
You hate the carseat
You like going for walks in the park
You have been out to 3 restaurants, such a social butterfly!
You LOVE "climbing mount daddy"
You hate tummy time, and just cry and rest your head on the ground each time

after our dr appt. 10lbs- BOOM!

climbing mount daddy

Happy 1 month munchkin!

Week 4

During week 4, we started really following a 3 hour routine with Elsa. She would eat, play for a little bit, and then nap, all in a 3 hour cycle. This actually worked pretty good for us, and helped her start to sleep a little bit longer at night. I think she was doing about 5 hours consistently at this point, which was a good amount, but not nearly enough for someone like me, who was used to getting about 10 hours of sleep pre-baby. This was also the week we noticed that Elsa was watching tv. A huge no-no for many, but considering she could only see the movement and brightness, we knew it wasnt a big deal. We took a little family outing to Verona Inn for dinner and propped our girl up on the table so she could take in the sites. She slept the whole time, even with super loud music and people all around us!

mug of baby

snoozing on mom

her clothes are still huge on her!

watching tv with daddy

one of the first smirks i captured

Dinner at Verona Inn

Week 3

All these weeks are definitely blurring together for me. Luckily I have taken about 800 pictures of my little nugget, and those are helping to remind me of all the fun things that have happened so far. Week 3 was when John was back at work full time in the office, so I was at home with Elsa most days. She started napping during the day for a decent amount of time, which gave me a little personal time so I could eat breakfast and shower before 5pm. We went for walks in the park, and Elsa spent a lot of time in her swing and bouncy chair. We hired a photographer to come over and take her newborn photos, which she slept through and was such a ham for the camera. We even had our first Skype date with Grinny and Grampy! Towards the end of the week, Elsa got to meet two more of my good friends, Morgan and Melissa. We went out to lunch, and celebrated Elsa's first lunch date with cocktails (for the adults only of course). John and I also took Elsa to Hoboken for brunch one day, and showed her the NYC skyline. It was so hot outside but she was a trooper and slept most of the time, even as we walked in and out of baby stores just to enjoy the AC. And last but certainly not least, we celebrated Johns first Father's Day with a picnic in the park, under a big tree. Elsa loves her daddy so much and she even decorated her nursery with little notes about all her favorite things to do with him.

newborn photo shoot

family selfie

Daddy and Elsa, both opened mouth

picnic in the park for Father's Day

Visit from Morgan and Melissa

Week 2

This was a big week for Elsa. Not only did she meet her Grinny and Grampy (my parents), she also met our neighbors Warren and Alyssa, Jenn and Adam, and Krissy. We hosted a little BBQ at our house, and showed off our new baby. She was tiny, so practically none of the clothes we had even fit her. She also had no shoulders, so all the dresses we put on her didnt stay in place. Another highlight of the week was going for our first walk in Brookdale Park with her puppy brother Barkley.

Elsa didnt sleep much during these first few weeks, and both John and I were definitely turning into zombies from the lack of sleep. She spent a few nights in her swing, and I laid on the couch, staring at her and making sure she was still breathing and being in awe that this baby was ours, forever. She was still all scrunched up and tiny, but everyone that met her just fell right in love.

Week 1

We came home with our daughter on Saturday, June 1st. 5 days before my due date, and in the middle of a serious heat wave. Elsa was so tiny, having lost 10 ounces while in the hospital and weighing only 6 lbs 4 oz when we brought her home. The first week is now a complete blur to me, but at the time it felt like time was standing still. Elsa cried a lot, and so did I. I was completely overwhelmed and unprepared for this amazing tiny baby. No one gave us instructions. No one told us that these first days would not only be the happiest days we had ever experienced, but also the most stressful. The first night home Elsa was a rockstar sleeper, giving us almost 5 hours straight of shut eye. She tricked us into thinking we could beat the odds and actually get more sleep than most other new parents. The second night she woke up every 2 hours screaming to be fed. Reality had slapped us in the face.

Two days after we got home we brought her to her first doctor appointment. She was sleeping, so we hopped in the car and drove the 10 minutes to the doctor office. When we arrived, we realized she had not only pooped, but had pooped so much it was all over her and her car seat. Luckily we had a diaper and wipes, but no other clothing, so little Elsa made her first trip home in just a diaper.