Maggie's Monthly Milestones: Month 1

In an attempt to remember all these precious "firsts" of Maggie's life, I decided to start a monthly installment called "Maggie's Monthly Milestones." I do love good alliteration. :)

Maggie, at one month old, here you are!



Weight: 8.1

Height: 21 inches

Clothes: Newborn (you probably could have worn preemie those first few weeks though)

Eye color: A beautiful dark blue

Doctor's orders: At your two week check-up, doc said you were doing great! He told us to keep up the feed every three hours routine, and then let you go at night. Made our day to hear that, since you have proven you are quite the little sleeper. (You take after your mom like that).

Biggest accomplishment: Sleeping for a 6 hour stretch. Could you please keep that up?

Funniest moment: On our way to a pediatrician appointment, you had quite a blowout that your lucky Daddy got to change, since Mom was getting ready. Upon coming into the nursery to see if we were ready to go, I see a stack of diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and a very overwhelmed look on Dad's face as he said "I don't think you understand what just happened here." You had a very pleased look on your face - I think you were pretty proud of your first BIG poopy diaper!

How we spend our day: Since we are breastfeeding (and loving it now that we have the hang of it), we start the day with a nursing session in bed, while Mom watches the Today Show when she's not watching your little jaws work. After Mom's cup of coffee (welcome back, beloved java), we go for a midmorning walk in your stroller, since you seem to love to be outside and in anything that moves, though you typically sleep the entire time. We really took advantage of the beautiful weather, and the exercise combined with breastfeeding helped Mom get back to her pre-pregnancy weight pretty quickly. Once we're back home, we nurse again, then you're usually back to sleep for an afternoon nap on the sofa (surrounded by your boppy) while Mom tries to get things done around the house, though I usually just want to stare at you! Once Dad gets home from work, he gets his Maggie time by giving you a bottle of breast milk and taking over diaper duty. You usually go back to sleep while we eat dinner, and then nurse twice more before bedtime. Bedtime varies from day to day - it could be midnight or it could be 2 a.m., but you do love sleeping in your pack and play in our room, and have been sleeping there since your first night home. Mom has the camera set up in the bedroom so she can look at you on the monitor at anytime - and does so often through the night to be sure you're still there!

Likes: Being swaddled, being read to at bedtime, being held by all your visitors, short sleeved onesies or your Baptist t-shirts (they are the easiest for changing), going for rides in your carseat or your stroller, and taking a nap in your swing!

Dislikes: Bathtime, though you seem to be warming up to it, slowly but surely. Being woken up, having your diaper changed, and being put on your tummy for tummy time.

Trips You've Taken: We've made you quite the foodie! You've been to Taco Mamacita for lunch, Germantown Cafe for Sunday brunch, and Jimmy Kelly's for dinner during Restaurant Week. Also, two trips to the pediatrician, one trip to the grocery store, and two trips to Target!

Sweetest Memory: Seeing you smile in your sleep. It absolutely melts Mommy's heart. I can't wait until you actually smile AT us!

Until next month, my love. Thank you for making this the best month of my life!

Introducing...

Miss Margaret Mae "Maggie" Turman!

She arrived on August 16, 2011, weighing 6 lbs, 10 oz. and 19.5 inches long. I had quite the labor story, with an unexpectedly natural labor (no epidural!) that took only 2.5 hours, from my water breaking at 11:45 p.m., arriving at the hospital at 1:15 a.m., and hearing her first cry when she came into the world at 2:20 a.m. Best moment of my life.

Her proud daddy is completely smitten. :)

10 tiny fingers, 10 tiny toes!

Angel. Baby.

Modeling her hospital door sign, lovingly made by an Etsy vendor right here in Nashville and announcing her name, which we had kept a secret. It was quite the hit with our nurses!

Our second morning together, in one of the rare moments I took my eyes off of her.

Heading home from the hospital! Daddy has never driven more carefully in all his life.

As IF I could sit anywhere but right beside her.

I had to be able to look at this adorable little face the whole way home. :)


My Maggie,

Since the moment we met you one month ago today, we have fallen so in love with you. It is absolutely, without a doubt, the purest love I have ever known. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of heaven by showing us how beautiful life can be. You are such a good baby, and have inherited my ability to sleep just about anywhere! You love your carseat, your swing, and your walks in your stroller, and can sleep in all three with ease. You also love the bassinet in your pack-and-play, and thankfully, have slept there every night since you were born. We learned early on the swaddle is a game-changer, and have mastered the art of rolling you like a burrito to help you sleep soundly, though you've already started trying to bust those arms out.

You are completely at ease being held by all of your admirers, from our families who came to see you that first day in the hospital, to our friends who have steadily visited (and brought lots of lifesaving delicious dinners) in the weeks since you came home. We've passed you around like a hot potato, and love seeing how content you are in everyone's arms. You always seem to fit best in mine though. :)

You're quite the foodie, having visited three of our favorite restaurants in your first month - Taco Mamacita for lunch, Germantown Cafe for Sunday Brunch, and Jimmy Kelly's for a fabulous dinner during Restaurant Week - and slept through each with complete and total ease. You weighed 7 pounds, 5 oz at your last checkup with the pediatrician, so you've gotten back up to your birth weight after getting down to 5 lbs, 14 oz, and then some! You love to eat and can get fussy if you don't get fed exactly when you're ready for it, but who doesn't get ornery when they're hungry? You seem to equally enjoy nursing from me and taking a bottle of breast milk from Daddy when he gets home from work, so we hope to keep up that routine as long as you'll let us. Your Daddy took two whole weeks off from work to be with you, which went by in a blur. We didn't know what date it was, but we sure loved laughing over every funny face you made, and capturing everything on camera we could!

You have your daddy's long fingers and toes, and your mom's microscopic toenails. Though it's still hard for us to tell who you favor, your Dad thinks you have my lips, and I think you have his pretty eyes. You have our olive complexion and dark hair, and are starting to rock a pretty solid mullet with more hair in the back than on top! I have lots of pretty bows ready and waiting for you, but we'll have to wait until you get a little more hair first.

All the sleepless nights, diaper blowouts, and marathon nursing sessions are so very worth seeing your sweet face when we wake up each morning. We are overwhelmed with gratitude and awe that we get to be your parents, and we love you more than you will ever know.

Happy One Month, sweet Maggie. May the months go by slowly so we can savor every moment!