Stella's 1st Month

Stella's 1st month held a host of exciting events. Two very fun holidays, baby's 1st photo shoot, baby's 1st trip to the doctor, baby's 1st bath at home, and many learning experiences for Mom and Dad. The day after we returned from the hospital it was Halloween. What to do with a newborn that is a peanut when you were expecting a "Steve-sized" baby? Find some clothes! We literally had one or two newborn outfits because we were anticipating a bigger baby, so we really had nothing for her to wear. But, forgot regular clothes, for some reason I was more concerned about getting Baby's 1st Halloween costume! Poor Steve, I sent him off to Babies 'R Us to find something for the big event. He returned, triumphantly, with a cotton candy colored bear suit. It was to die for! But, Lord bless her, Stella was too tiny for this newborn suit. We decided it would be less cruel to only have her in it for a few quick pose photos. Here are the results of our efforts:

 We moved on through the month getting to know each other better; figuring out quirks and habits.  But, as I've been told, baby's habits last about week.  So, just as we would think we had Stella down, she would start a new "thing."  She was and is a very quiet baby, so I really can't complain about our first month together.  She slept very well, and honestly only woke up because we made her when it was time to eat.  Half of the time it would take us 15-20 minutes to get her moving.  I wonder where she gets that... :).  She was just such a tiny little thing, we really had to get used to have this doll-like addition in the house.

Once we had Stella in the house about a week, I finally felt brave enough to give her a bath at home.  Well, I felt good about it, but I did invite Aunt Margo over to oversee the experience.  I was all prepared, new baby bath and accessories ready to go, and we were preparing ourselves for the worst.  Bless Stella, the little girl barely made a peep throughout the entire experience.  We had footprints made, too many pictures taken, and somewhere in there she did get clean, but she was a trooper during the long process.  Here she is... Baby's 1st Bath:

 Baths got easier as the month went on and we all were falling into a routine.  We were trying our best to help Stella gain weight and stay healthy.  So, this meant we weren't on much of a schedule with her because we wanted her to eat every three hours.  Our visit to the doctor came and went, and we were given the green light on Stella's growth!  We were so nervous (after our extra time in the hospital due to Stella's lack of progress) but it was a huge relief to hear that we were doing okay.  However, Stella was still VERY tiny!

The end of Stella's 1st month brought two big events: Thanksgiving and Steve's departure.  We decided to have a small Thanksgiving this year with only Stella, Steve, Mom, Dad, and me because it would be Steve's last night in town.  He had ended up staying longer than we had planned for (thanks to a very gracious boss) so we really couldn't complain that he had to go back after being here for almost all of Stella's 1st month.  But, after another lovely version of our "Stork Dinner," Steve had to head back to Albuquerque.  We have said goodbye many times since we have been together, but this was the first time that Steve didn't have to say goodbye to just me.  It was probably a little easier than leaving me pregnant and wondering if he'd miss Stella's birth, but more difficult because he was afraid of what he would miss.  He would be returning for Christmas, so we were only four weeks away from seeing each other.  We ended up getting me and iPhone so that Steve could see Stella every day, so he left and we both felt like we had a plan.  

The night that Steve left was my first night flying solo with Stella.  The little dear decided to see if Mom could hang.  Let's just say that Stella managed to forget how to swallow.  She would sit in her bassinet, getting curiously quiet, then all of the sudden, she would be gasping and choking for air.  It was a LONG night in which I was sure I would be calling Steve from the hospital, explaining that I was sorry and had tried not to let Stella die.  When she finally did fall asleep and was breathing normally, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  I could handle taking care of Stella on my own.  She hit her 1st month mark on November 28th, and here she is on her one month birthday: