Charlie Dawn: 1 Month

Little Miss Charlie. How are you one month old already? Time is going by so quickly, I barely have time to gather my thoughts. 

STATS:
Length - approx 20 inches
Weight - I'm guessing around 8-9 lbs. We will have an accurate measurement at her 6 week check next Thursday.

SLEEP: Charlie sleeps well through the night, or as well as a month old baby will sleep. We have had a couple 4 hour stretches, mostly 3 hours, which I will take. For the first 2 weeks, she slept in the bassinet next to our bed or in the bed with me, but I wasn't getting much sleep these days. Charlie tends to make a lot of noises while she sleeps. So at 2 weeks, we moved her to her own room (around the same time we did with Palmer) and things have been going smoothly.

There is no sleeping pattern or schedule during the day. There are days she seems to be awake much more than other days. She does like to be awake in the late evening, usually from 9-11 or so. I'm hoping to see a little bit more of a pattern in the coming weeks so we can start to make some sort of schedule.

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT: There isn't too much to add to this list right now as being only a month old, there isn't really a long list of milestones to be hitting. Charlie is getting noticeably stronger every day. Around 3 weeks, she was starting to hold her head up and now, she does really well.

FAVORITES: Charlie is still quite young to have any real favorites, but I know she loves moving. Whether I am carrying her in the baby carrier close to me, driving in the car, or just being held while I'm walking around, there is something about the movement that must soothe her. I remember Palmer being the same way. 

BIG SISTER: Palmer is so in love with Charlie. I can hear it in her voice when she says "Charwee," I can see it in the way she cuddles and kisses her. It really is the sweetest thing. Palmer loves to help me do as much as she can; she will pick out Charlie's outfits, and will offer to sing Charlie songs when she's upset. In the car, she gives me updates on Charlie, "Mommy, her eyes are closed." or  "Mommy, she's crying, I will sing to make her feel better." There was never any doubt in my mind that Palmer would be a great big sister, but watching it just melts my heart.

MY THOUGHTS: Charlie is behaving much like her big sister did when she was this age, which makes me very optimistic for another good baby. There are days when things are chaotic obviously, and we don't get out of our PJ's until it's time for a bath, but we are doing good.

I'm struggling with two things right now. One, the fact that Mitch is only around on the weekends. Single parenting is tough, so props to all you out there. I know it's really hard on him too, not being able to spend as much time with the girls as he wants to. Two, I find myself desperately wishing these two girls would sleep at the same time. Palmer gets up early, Charlie sleeps in (most days). Charlie naps, Palmer doesn't. Palmer goes to bed at 8:30-9, Charlie is awake from 9-11pm. I like routine and structure, so finding a sleeping pattern for Charlie will be good for us. I know it will happen eventually, so I'm not stressing over it.

Time can pretty much slow down though, because I know this will be the last time all these milestones happen. This will be the last time we will have a snuggly little baby like this, so I am in no rush for them to end.

Happy (belated) one month, sweet Charlie.