Baby P 5 week old update!

Hello blog readers! I hope everyone's holiday season was cozy and happy- ours was peaceful and quiet, with lots of snuggles by the fire. Baby P is 5 weeks old, and we are doing well. She has gained 3.5 pounds since we left the hospital (she was 6lbs 11oz at birth, 6lbs 4 oz when we left the hospital and at her one month check up a few days ago she weighed 9.9 lbs!!! on demand breastfeeding for the win!) She has also grown an inch and a quarter since she was born- I think she is going to be tall like her dad! We are settling in with her, learning her cues and adapting to her needs- she loves loves loves to be held, and we spend most of our time holding her and hanging out. Luckily she loves to be swaddled too, so sleeping in her bassinet on her own has been going well since we got the hang of it. We decided not to co-sleep in the bed with her, but are co-sleeping with her in her bassinet right up next to the bed on my side- it makes breastfeeding at night way easy, and I feel safer knowing she is safe and contained- no us rolling over baby- but right next to my side). Right now she is sleeping for about 3 hour chunks in the night, so we get up 2-3 times a night to nurse and such, but J and are both not feeling totally exhausted at this point. She likes to listen to music and be held/put in the carrier and swayed back and forth, so if I need to be up doing stuff and she is up, she hangs out in the soft carrier (we have so many, I am super into baby wearing- right now we love the Ergo for outside walks where you need more structured support and such, the lalabu soothe shirt for just chilling around the house, the baby K'Tan and the Moby for soft carriers with more back support, and we just got a Nesting Days skin to skin carrier which we'll be trying out today) and I can write or do whatever and she is snug as a bug right up on me, hands free. We are just starting to get some smiles, she usually gives me a smile when she is done nursing and falls asleep- they are the cutest little happy smiles. She is getting more and more alert everyday, and her favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which I think I have sung about a billion times by now (and love every time). It is crazy how fast she changes, I swear I wake up everyday and see new growth. We are starting to do more stuff outside the house- baby wearing makes taking her out much easier, and it makes me feel safe and confident having her out in the world when she is safely tucked up against my body. The whole experience has been amazing. Of course, some days are tougher than others, but we are so so in love with this little girl, even the tougher days when she is fussy are precious. It feels like a dream come true.

I just wanted to post an update and let everyone know we are doing great, so loved up and helping this girl to grow big and strong! Much love to all, and happiness in the new year!