Our first month with Grace has flown by.  She’s had quite an eventful month with lots of visitors and a stay in the hospital with RSV.  She is growing and weighed 7 lbs, 7 oz at her one month check-up and was 21 inches long.  It was a relief to find that she had continued to gain weight even when she was sick.  Her cough has stuck around but otherwise Grace seems to be all better.  We’ve found that steaming her in the shower before bed and letting her sleep in her car seat help her to sleep much more comfortably at night.  Last night she slept for 6 hours between feedings which was good for all of us!

Grace Elizabeth Wolfe was born at 10:31am on January 26, 2012.  She weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz and was 19 inches long.  She has a little bit of blonde peach fuzz and blue eyes and very pink skin which turns bright red when she’s crying.  She looks a lot like Andy did when he was born.  She is doing all of the things that she is supposed to do, although we would like her to sleep more at night.  Grace made a very fast appearance, just two hours after the doctor broke my water and with a quick few pushes.  She did end up with a fractured clavicle, but the pediatrician told us that is fairly common and they don’t really do anything to treat it, and it should heal itself in a couple of months.

Andy is very interested in Gracie and gets very upset every time that she cries.  He loves to hold her and then refuses to give her up to anyone else.  Eden doesn’t seem all that interested in Grace, but she really likes to be the helper and does a great job getting diapers and blankets and paci’s when we need them.

We’ve been blessed by people bringing meals and helping with the kids and are now trying to get into a routine.  We’ve had a lot of changes recently and the big kids have done a great job, although we occasionally see the effects.  Ben and I are hanging in there and running on not much sleep.  It makes us really appreciate having my parents willing hands around because these days we need all the help we can get!  🙂  There are a few pictures of Grace below and some others on the ‘photos’ tab.  There’s also a video coming soon!

I am now 36 weeks.  It’s very exciting to be getting so close to my due date and my nesting instincts have set in.  I’ve been very busy washing newborn clothes, rearranging furniture in our bedroom to make room for the cradle and a changing area and buying lots of necessities for Grace and me.  I bought a pack of those itty-bitty newborn diapers and was shocked that they are about the size of my hand.  I really think things have shrunk since Andy was born.  There’s no way he was ever that small!  🙂

I still feel great, although by dinnertime most days my back hurts from carrying Andy around and most days I find I need to catch a nap while Andy sleeps in order to stay awake until bedtime.  We had an ultrasound at my appointment on Monday and it was so much fun to see Grace!  They estimated she weighed 5 lbs 4 oz and all of her organs looked good.  We saw her spiky hair and she was sucking her thumb.  We could see her face pretty clearly and we watched her yawn, which was really cute!

I’m way overdue for a post on the pregnancy, but better late than never!

I am now 33 1/2 weeks.  Grace is very busy stretching and kicking these days but has settled herself quite uncomfortably on my bladder.  I feel her most often on the bottom left portion of my belly.  She is sitting much lower than Andy did.  (You can see a picture of me at 35 weeks with Andy here).  It’s funny how different this pregnancy has been from Andy’s.  I suppose her being a girl and this being my second pregnancy make the difference.

I can’t believe that I only have 7 weeks left.  The last several weeks have flown by and I know my due date will be here before I know it.  I had an appointment on Monday and everything looked good.  I’ve consistently measured just a little bit smaller than my weeks indicate, but Dr. Lund has told me that I shouldn’t be optimistic about having a smaller baby this time.  I’m still hoping!  I have another appointment next Wednesday before the office is closed for Christmas.

I am now 20 weeks.  Wow!  People are definitely starting to notice around here; although, I can still fit in to a couple of my non-maternity pants.  I felt Grace for the first time last night.  She gave a mighty kick that surprised me so much I jumped up off the couch.  I haven’t been able to feel any small movements yet, but I sure felt that!

At this point I should have gained about 10 lbs but instead I have lost 2.  Sierra ordered me whey protein shakes that I have to drink twice a day in order to bulk up.  The powder hasn’t come in yet, but I’m not really looking forward to these drinks.  I’m not too worried since Grace’s estimated weight at our last ultrasound was on target for how big she should be right now and I’m sure that when we get home I will make up for lost weight.  🙂