One Month and Our Adorable Shrek

Julia was one month old this past Monday.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long since we brought her home!  She has had a busy month meeting relatives, friends and neighbors, having video chats with relatives who have not been able to meet her yet, and becoming more aware of her surroundings and interested in the sights and sounds around her.  She has also become a great eater.  Andrew and I both commented over the weekend on how big she seems to us and that she has grown quite a bit.  That was verified when we went to the doctor today and found out that she now weighs 8lbs 1 oz! 

Starting tonight Julia will also be trying out some new sleeping arrangements.  We have been telling people for the last month about our loud grunting daughter and, not surprisingly, everyone has been skeptical of our claims that it really is surprisingly loud and persistent; most claiming that “babies grunt” and that as new parents we are hypersensitive to all noises she makes (which is 100% true).  But after four weeks of sleepless nights for us while Julia slept soundly in her bassinet we decided that a call to the doctor was in order.  So today we found out that some babies (and probably ours) have immature tracheas which can be sort of collapsed when the baby relaxes and the neck is compressed when they are on their backs.  It’s not that big a deal and Julia will grow out of it in the next few weeks as her neck develops but it can make sleeping on her back an effort for her (although not painful or distressing).  The solution – to have her sleep in her car seat or another upright position.  You’d think we would have thought of this as we had noted that she slept much more peacefully when held upright on someone or when she was in her swing, etc.  But lack of sleep causes you to not be able to connect the dots!  Anyway, we are hoping that the doctor’s office is right and not just making up things to make new parents feel better about the fact that their sweet new baby sounds like Shrek.  And we’re keeping our fingers crossed that there might be a few more minutes of peaceful sleep in our future!