hallie is one month old!

wednesday marked hallie's one month birthday!



in a way, this month has flown by... and then again, it feels like it's been a really really long month. we are so glad june is here because with it has come more sleep and more of a routine for sweet little hallie. you just forget how hard those first few weeks are with very little sleep and figuring out this new little person who is trying to figure out life as well! :) there was one night where she just wouldn't go to sleep, and i looked at brian and said, "i feel like a completely clueless first-time parent!" (no offense to first-time parents!!)

indeed, every baby is different. sure, they have their similarities-- they all eat, cry, sleep, pee, and poop-- but they each have their little quirks and things about them that you have to figure out. hallie spits up more and needs to be burped more than our other babies did... and just when you think she is fast asleep after eating or rocking, she will perk up with the most alert look on her face. granted, it's a cute little expression, but it was not so cute at 2 am in those first few weeks. we finally got her to sleep in the swing, and while i really wanted her to get used to sleeping in her bed early on, i was happy just to have her sleeping! we should've bought stock in duracell... those swings sure do suck down some batteries!

now that we have closed the book on "those first few weeks", i am happy to say that hallie is mostly sleeping in her bed. i still put her in the swing at night if she is having trouble going back to sleep right away-- she is sleeping no more than 5 feet away from me, and i need as much sleep as i can get these days! she usually only wakes up one time in the middle of the night (after we night-owls have gone to sleep, that is), and she is taking pretty good naps during the day, so i'd say we've come a long way since mid-may!

here is a visual for the term "sleeping like a baby".


this picture may not seem like that big of a deal to you, but it surely is to us! :) (and of course, as i am writing about how great she is sleeping now... she is having a hard time falling asleep right now!)

the big kids are just itching to play with hallie. they love rubbing her head and watching her get her diaper changed. ethan and caroline would hold her all day if i would let them! (hallie was just 2 wks. old in this picture.)


we bought this little play gym for hallie the other day, and the girls just think it is the best toy ever. they can't wait for her to start reaching for the toys...


we had finished taking hallie's one-month pictures (which was a family affair, of course), and ethan disappointedly said, "but i want to be in one with her!" so this might be a new addition to the monthly tradition... the kids piling on the couch with hallie, the sign, and the monkey. you can see that hallie is really loving this idea.


we did catch a smile from little miss hallie earlier that evening... which will surely make up for her crankiness in the picture above. :)


sleep or no sleep, we love this little girl and are so thankful for her! i am also thankful that may was a very empty month, and we had very few places to be. the older kids have been so patient with my need to rest and recover, and we are looking forward to the rest of the summer!