Since Noelle is the neglected second child, it has taken me a while to post another update on her!  It has obviously been difficult to find the time to sit down and write.  Surprisingly I don’t spend nearly as much time sitting on the couch as I did with Ethan!

Noelle had a great 1 month check up.  She weighs 9lbs 8oz (53%), is 21 inches (38%) and her head circumference is 36.7 cm (50%).  She is still having problems with a blocked tear duct so we are going to try a different antibiotic to try to get it cleared up.  We also found out that a small rash on her neck is a strawberry hemangioma.  It is very small and not raised, so we don’t need to do anything about it right now.  She did great during her exam but of course was very displeased with her one shot.  Ethan also did very well during the appointment and proved to Dr. Wheeler that he was a great big brother.  He insisted on standing next to the exam table and watching her exam to make sure she was ok.

Eating – Noelle is still a great eater.  She still only nurses for about 10 minutes every 2 hours during the day.  She is gaining weight well and we aren’t really having any issues.  She does eat really fast and suck in a lot of air sometimes so I have to make sure and burp her well.  Unlike her brother, she is usually wide awake the entire time she is nursing.  If she does fall asleep it is usually just for a few minutes.

Awake time – Noelle has lots of happy awake time during the day.  She is in a nice eat/awake/sleep routine during the day which is very nice.  She loves to stare at us with her big blue eyes.  She also likes to focus on things intently, such as a light or her mobile in the swing or pack n play.  She does like to be held when she is awake but lately seems to enjoy being down when she is awake.  She will start to get fussy when she is tired.

Sleeping – Noelle is still proving to be a better sleeper than her brother.  She is now sleeping swaddled in her rock n play sleeper in her room.  Most nights she goes down around 9 or 10 and wakes up twice, once around 2 or 3, and again around 5 or 6, then sleeps until 8 or 9.  Of course we have some good nights (only waking up once!) and bad nights (taking a while to settle down at night, waking up several times after her 5 or 6 feeding, etc).  She also seems to have the common “witching hour” in the evening before bed where she will be quite fussy and not want to settle down.  Thankfully, Jason and I are now both baby calming experts and have learned how to get her to sleep.  During the day she is all over the place with sleeping.  Most naps are pretty short.  Some days she prefers to be held, others in her pack n play or rock n play, and lately she is liking her swing.  She will fall asleep in her carseat when we are out and about but usually wakes up as soon as the car stops or I have to get her out.

Ethan is doing great with his little sister.  He absolutely loves her and constantly wants to touch her.  He has to find out where she when he wakes up in the morning.  He loves to point to all of her body parts “Noelle’s eyes! Noelle’s nose! Noelle’s feet!”  He will hold her and say “she’s a sweet girl.”  Sometimes he drives me crazy because he won’t leave her alone, especially when she is sleeping.  He can’t stand it when she cries and says “Uh oh baby Noelle!  Noelle crying mommy!” and will try to shove her pacifier in her mouth or rock her.  We are still working on some things (being quiet when she’s asleep, not standing close to her head when I’m changing her diaper) but overall he has accepted her into our family.