Emsley at 1 month

My dear, sweet Emsley, I simply can not believe you are already 1 month old when you should only be days old.

This past month was a crazy, tough whirlwind and I am thankful to have survived it and have it behind us. Your first 2 weeks were spent in the NICU, and once you came home things were crazy still. Your siblings came down with a nasty cold and despite our best efforts to protect you from getting sick, you eventually caught the cold too. Thankfully, you did not get too sick and the Dr's did not send you back to the hospital.

You are still on oxygen, and we hope to have you off of it soon. You seem to be just as frustrated and "over it" as we are. You are constantly pulling and yanking on your oxygen tubes. :( Hopefully you will only be on oxygen for another week.

Emsley, this is your life at one month of age:

~Your nicknames are "Em", "Emy" and "Baby girl". Ellie doesn't like it when I call you "big girl" because she says that nickname belongs to her. ;)

~In the course of 1 month you went from size preemie diapers, to newborn diapers and now you are wearing size 1 diapers! You have grown like a weed!

~You went from wearing preemie clothes to size newborn clothes. Some of the newborn outfits fit like a glove, and some are still quite roomy on you.

~You weigh about 7 pounds, 3 ozs.  As crazy as it is, even though you are my only preemie baby, you are my biggest baby. Even Ellie and Ethan didn't weigh as much as you do at 1 month! I believe it's God's hand on you and the many people that have been praying for your health and growth!

~You are nursing or taking a bottle every 3-4 hours. You eat a lot, and you are my best nurser.

~You sleep about 18 hours a day but in the last few days you have been staying awake for longer periods of time. You're usually awake for several hours in the morning and/or several hours in the evening. You are waking once or twice a night for feedings.

~We gave you your first bath this past week. You were not a fan. ;)

~Your sister adores you and is constantly wanting to help me take care of you. She'll bring you your pacifier or tell me that you're crying and you're hungry. ;-) She always wants to hold you, feed you, or kiss on you. I often have to tell her to give you a break. :)

~Your brother shows some interest in you, but not nearly as much as Ellie. When he sees you he likes to say "Baby! CUTE!" It always makes us smile. Some times he'll gently rub the top of your head or give you a quick kiss and then he runs off to play. We're excited to watch your relationships grow with both Elliana and Ethan.

~So far, you are such an easy, sweet, textbook baby. You only fuss when you are hungry.

~Your favorite places to be are in my arms, nursing, in the swing, or in the bouncy seat. :)

~You haven't smiled yet, but Mommy can't wait to see that first purposeful grin on your face. You are very good at eye contact and when you're wide awake, you often stare at whoever is holding you  for long periods of time.

Emsley, I love you so very much! I have been so protective of you since your beginning was so rough and scary. I look forward to the day when I don't worry about you and how fragile you are. Still, God has taught me a lot this month and reminded me over and over again that all of our lives are in his hands. He's taught me how much he loves you, and each of us. I've been in awe at how much you've grown. I'm excited to get to know your personality more and to learn what God's plan is for your life!