1-Month Old

Wow...time has FLOWN! It really seems like it was just a couple of days ago when we were bringing Dakota Kate home from the hospital. Ridiculous.

This little girl has changed so much already too!

At our 5-Day Well Visit: She regained her birth weight. She failed her Hearing Test at the hospital so we had to reschedule for a retest, but other than that there weren't any health issues at all!

At our 2-Week Well Visit: She had easily passed the Hearing Test and we received confirmation again of this. She grew to 22.25"; weighed 8 lbs, 11.5 oz; and had a head circumference of 14.5"

At our 6-Week Well Visit: She had grown just a little to 22.5"; weighed 10 lbs, 7 oz; and her head circumference was 15.25". According to the charts, she's hitting 50th percentile for both length and weight.

She's very social and loves making eye contact; she studies faces thoroughly. She also demands to be held all the time-she's enjoys the warmth and coziness of being cradled. Lately she's been much more vocal too and coos when she's content, particularly in the early mornings when we have our special moments at the crack of dawn. Oddly enough, this child enjoys tummy time! It actually comes in handy when I must put her down for a short bit {since she doesn't normally like to be placed down at all}.

Her favorite things right now are...

• Our Pottery Barn Bassinet: {thank goodness I'm getting my money's worth!} She naps during the day in the living room and then I wheel it into the Master Bedroom and she sleeps in it at nighttime. I'm not sure what we're going to do when she outgrows it!
• Falling asleep being worn in the Pikkolo Carrier: Sometimes this is the only way I can get things done during the day. I also "wear her down" to sleep most every night and it works like a charm.
• Keeping her hands by her face: I have to diligently cut her nails so she doesn't scratch her face {at nighttime I pull her gown's mitts over her fingers}

• She nurses well though and has grown quite a bit. I kept an "Input-Output Record" for her first month to make sure she's getting enough food. Let's just say she gets plenty to eat! In fact, we've had some oversupply issues and she gets frustrated in the late-afternoons/early-evenings when I sometimes have forceful letdown, but we learned from our first LLL meeting that she'll grow to deal with it and my body should naturally adjust to her demands anyway.
• There's a bit of eczema that's shown up on her face; I've never had to deal with baby skin problems though so it's been a challenge finding out what to use to make it disappear. She's also sensitive and prone to heat rashes which doesn't help with her complexion. It even took me a while to figure out that one of the reasons she HATES care rides is because the newborn insert in her car seat prohibits circulation and actually acts as a insulation trapping heat in...bless her!
• Her eyes are a Steel Grey and I keep hoping for BLUE like her Daddy {yes, I realize it's improbable}. For now though it's cool to look at her face in the sunlight when she's wearing blue as her eyes resemble her Daddy's.

Homecoming

Dakota Kate is very LOVED! Mason just adores his little sister and asks to hold her all the time. It's such a blessing because I was concerned about how he'd receive this tiny stranger, but thankfully we have yet to see any jealousy.

And while Dakota mostly sleeps in her bassinet {note: this is a photo of her naptime in the living room next to me & I was watching her sleep so no worries for blanket-smothering}.

But it was heart-warming to walk in her nursery and see the homecoming sign that Mason and Gigi made for her on her crib:

Here the China doll is awake and alert...

Favorite Mommy Things

This is a quick list of some of my favorite baby investments. I've meant to do this for some time but I suppose late is better than never. Oh and I've had a year to let my opinions on the purchases "marinate" so perhaps they can be of help to others:

1. Storksak Gigi Diaper Bag- I'd had another bag for months, but realized that I don't really like the "baby looking" diaper bags and preferred something more discreet and with more pockets and dividers for organization. This bag is beautiful, the handles adjust for a stroller accordingly and the only negative is that my small infant child chewed on the straps and there's a mark on one of them.2. Pottery Barn Bassinet- This was a sizable splurge. And Mason only slept in it for maybe the first 2 or 3 months of his life. But I don't regret it one bit. It's still an heirloom piece that I've aesthetically enjoyed more than any other bassinet I've seen. 3. Polo Ralph Lauren Clothes- An infant hits growth spurts and will shoot out of his clothes in no time, but I've had too much fun playing dress up to notice. And admittedly, I've made horrible clothes choices probably spending somewhere close to $300 on smocked clothes; with at least half of those that will end up never being worn {wrong size for the season or I just decided it was too frilly} or that will only be worn once. Bad, bad investments...must RESELL!

But I waited and purchased all of his Polo RL clothes on clearance so there's not been one complaint from me. Mason is petite so he was able to stay in the infant sizes all year; although Polo RL runs small {well, I like to say it runs "true to size"...potatoes...potahhtoes"}. But his 12-month outfits are starting to fit snuggly. Thankfully the great thing about button-down shirts is that you can roll the sleeves up when they're too large and do the same thing again when it's too small for a preppy casual look.

4. CatBird Baby Pikkolo Carrier- I have 3 different baby carriers, and babywearing is something I support...particularly for nursing newborns. My all-time favorite is still the Pikkolo. I rave about it {HERE}. Oh and I can still carry Mason comfortably, only now he's worn like a backpack.

5. Pedipeds- These shoes are the bomb! They have a flexible leather sole that's durable enough for outdoor wear, but it ingeniously allows for movement...considered "the next best thing to being barefoot." I'm still sick over the fact that I lost one of the shoes. Mason is walking in stiff-soled shoes, but something I think around the house it'd be better for him to wear these rather than just his socks {which can sometimes bunch up and trip him}. 6. Boon Squirt Feeding Spoon- I cannot count the number of times that people have stopped us in restaurants after they're in awe of this cool contraption. It's a huge lifesaver when feeding on-the-go. The squeezable rubber compartment acts as an insulator for the baby food and you can actually fit about 6 oz of baby food inside. I've learned however to make sure that I only use Stage 1 or very pureed Stage 2 foods because anything with lumps will not squirt correctly.

7. Boon Flair High Chair- Wow! Can I just add that this high chair may be my all-time favorite purchase PERIOD. It's extraordinarily easy to clean up, I roll Mace around the floor like he's on an amusement park ride, it's a sleek and non-invasive design, and I really like that it easily adjusts heights so I can sit him at the kitchen island, the table, or even wheel him in front of me while I'm on the sofa. Amazing!

8. BOB Sport Utility Jogging Stroller- I use my Chicco travel system stroller for store trips, but there's no way that I'd be able to run without this jogger. The BOB was graciously gifted to us from Gigi and Grandadder before Mason was even born. It's been a life saver. I've kept sane by being able to exercise with Mason and right now I'm just itching for it to get warm again so we can go back out to the park for a jog. It's also the best BOB for us because of the natural park trails where we run; the suspension is a great feature!

Happier Things

In lieu of my complaining post below, I decided I wanted to post something a bit more positive to lighten the mood =)

Here is the much anticipated bassinet!

I've had it for a while now, and have still not ironed the skirt (nor have I ironed my bed linens). The top part is removable and can be used as a Moses basket, the bottom has a great shelf for storage, and of course my favorite feature is that the linens look like they were made to coordinate with my Master Bedroom perfectly!

Design Progress

While I didn't get much accomplished for the Nursery this past weekend, I did find a great resource for Nursery Design: http://babysdream.icovia.com/

Here's Mason's Room Layout

The door on the bottom right enters into the hallway and the door on the top right is to the closet. This layout is drawn to scale architecturally, including the (potential) furniture and accents.

SLEEPYHEAD

Also, last week my dream bassinet arrived for pickup (I just have to pick it up!) and last night I ordered Mason's crib. Mom graciously offered to sew the custom bedding and I'm definitely taking her up on that offer...THANKS AGAIN MOMMA! I had a jumpstart on ordering the crib so she'll have exact measurements for the bedding (I want a tailored straight skirt not a ruffled one, which would be much more forgiving). The actual crib will be a bit of a surprise-I definitely am veering from my original plan for dark rich wood furniture (like a mahoghany) and Mom has also promised to add her artiste touch to the new idea!

Tomorrow my Amy Butler "Little Stitches for Little Ones" arrives and I'll review patterns for bedding in this book too. I hope they're helpful!

DIRTY DIAPERS
I hate the idea of changing diapers so please do not judge me as I've dreaded looking for a changing dresser and decided to go cheap...very cheap. This will likely be the very last piece I purchase as I'd rather invest in a great glider chair and ottoman first.

Babies R Us Graco Christon Dresser/Changer regularly $260, but now @ $100 (although I have some reservations as all of the reviews have been very poor)

Albee Baby DaVinci Kalani 3-Drawer Changer @ $290 & free shipping
Babies R Us South Shore Changing Table @ $160
OR

Target Pure White Country Style Changer @ $170

(these are the same exact furniture pieces, but I haven't figured out which will be more expensive when taxes / shipping is factored in)

Target Pure White Open Baby Changing Table @ $100 (although this is only a bookshelf and I'm really looking for a dresser combo)

Target DaVinci Roxanne 3-Drawer Changing Table @ $294 & free shipping

Sneak Peek

The madness has begun!

Well the decorating madness that is...

These are fabrics samples from my first visit. I've decided on chocolate brown walls and then fabrics in browns, creams, and robin's egg blue (when I try to describe this color, it's definitely not a sky blue but more of a light dirty blue with a little bit of a green hue).

It's gonna be so pretty handsome!

Here's some of the sketches too...

It Was Made For Me!

I haven't yet decided if it would be a good investment to purchase this lovely Pottery Barn bassinet as it would probably only be used for Baby's first few months. I went to the store first-hand and with the bassinet's strong construction, it would definitely become an heirloom piece.

Pottery Barn Bassinet & Bordered Pique Bedding @ $450

Although when I saw Pottery Barn's bedding color options Online, I was floored to discover that there's a chocolate brown choice (see bottom right) that would make this bassinet a perfect match to my Master Bedroom's linens (see left). Was this fate?