One Month Old!

Zoë Kayte, you are one month old today! It has gone incredibly fast. The past month has felt busy in some ways, and slow in others. Here's what you've been up to:

August 2 -- just a few hours old! This was Mommy's first time to see you. 

So many tubes for such a tiny baby. Thankfully they came off pretty quick! 

One of our favorite nurses, Arla, giving you a bath! 

Not yet a fan of the bath

I just love your look in this picture!

We spent lots of time snuggling in this chair in the NICU

A few days with a feeding tube gave you a leg up on growing. 

First day in Mommy's room! New hat and blanket! 

Sitting up on Mommy's bed on your last morning in the hospital

In the van... going home! 

Your going home outfit was so big on you! 

- You were discharged from Valley View Hospital on Saturday, August 15. You were in the NICU for 12 days, in Mommy's hospital room for 1 day, and then discharged. After birth, you were on oxygen for just over 24 hours before being able to come off the C-Pap and stay off. You were able to stay in a private room for over a week because the nurses didn't think you liked all the noises and lights in the NICU. You only had to be under the bilirubin light for about 24 hours. You drank donor milk and some of my milk during your hospital stay.

Our precious family of five

A little like Levi, one sock missing already!

- You eat about every 3 hours (Mommy wakes you up if you don't wake up on your own). You are breastfeeding and bottle feeding right now. Most of it is Mommy's milk, but we occasionally throw in some formula which Mommy is learning is OK.

Bath time at home... getting a little better. 

And then again, not ;) 

We love this sleeper -- it says "Little Sister" and has a pink ruffle on the back! 

Good sleeper girl

Hanging out with the boys!

- Zeke got used to calling you "Rosie" throughout the pregnancy. While he still slips up sometimes, he typically always calls you by your full name, Zoë Kayte! Levi loves to check up on you, making sure you're doing ok, and giving you the little blue singing bear. He lovingly refers to you as "Oë". He loves to give you kisses on your head and he's even tried to hold you a few times.

More sleeping pictures because they're just too cute! 

- You are a decent sleeper. Really, this first month has been uneventful because you eat, sleep, and fill your diaper. I'm not complaining! It has been great to "ease" into having three children. These past two weeks you've begun to have a little more alert time, but mostly you're sleeping, which is good since you need to keep growing and get your rest. Your favorite place to sleep is while Mommy is holding you in the solly wrap. This will come in handy once all our helpers leave and Mommy is spending more time taking care of the three of you on her own. You also do fairly well in your swing and the newborn sleeper in your pack-n-play. You are doing better about sleeping through noise (aka your brothers).

Hanging out with Daddy! 

- You've had quite a few visitors in your first month of life -- Aunt Teresa, Uncle Paul, Miriam, Grandma, Great-Grandma Stenerson, Great-Grandpa Stenerson, and Mimi.

We are monitoring this relationship closely... 

Already spending lots of time in the solly wrap. One of your favorite places to be!

Tummy Time -- August 31

Little peanut on a big quilt! 

Zoë we are so thankful for your life! You are strong and brave and have been through much already in your first month outside of the womb. You have such beautiful blue eyes and dark hair. Your fingers and toes are long and you seem to be quite tall. You wear NB clothes -- some of them are starting to fit a little more snug (yay!) and plenty are still loose. We take you in for another weight check-up tomorrow so we'll see how your progress has been over the past 9 days. You cry some, but not too much, just enough to let us know you need something. Mommy has lots of fun picking out your clothes each day. Pink and purple and ruffles are more fun than I expected :) You have lots of cute clothes and people keep giving you more. I think you're set for a least the next 9 months! You are wearing disposable, newborn diapers for now, but I intend to start on the cloth diapers before long. We can't wait to see what this next month holds as Fall begins and we start preschool with your big brother, Zeke. You are so loved, little baby girl! Happy 1 month!

Love, Mommy and Daddy