Newborn Summary: Week 8

Nursing: This week I started doing 1 formula bottle a day most days. I pump in place of that bottle & save the breast milk. That way I'm building up a supply & Lux is getting used to both taking a bottle & taking formula. She's done great with both! We are using Tommee Tippee bottles. We used Born Free with Isis, but after seeing the Tommee Tippee & how many fewer parts they have, it's just way easier & I actually like them a lot more. 
Actually nursing has been fine this week. She nurses from both sides most feedings now except in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning. Both of those I seem to be really full on just 1 side, so she just takes 1 side and is fine.
Reflux: If she eats a lot, she spits up. That's really all I've seen. There is a little spit up with most feedings, but nothing crazy. I didn't notice any change with breast milk as opposed to formula. She seemed to do fine with the formula, both with bowel movements & reflux!
Waketime: I got out Isis' old toys this week and have been showing a few to Lux and seeing if she can follow them with her eyes and things like that. It was fun to get those out and remember when Isis played with them! That doesn't seem that long ago, but it really was!
Swaddling: She is successfully sleeping with both arms out for naps & night time. I am supposed to meet up with my friend Laurel sometime next week to get some sleep sacks from her that I can use with Lux, but until I get those, I'm still swaddling her around her midsection just for warmth.
Nighttime Sleep: She is getting so great with nighttime sleep!! I'm writing this on Sunday of week 9 & I've got really exciting news from last night, but I'll share that next week!! Here is her breakdown for the last week:
Night 1 - Friday night - I fed her at 6:30 and she woke up at 12:30, 5:30 and then 8:00. She went down fine after the 6:30 feeding. She had 2 feedings after we went to bed (12:30 & 5:30) and her longest stretch was 6 hours from 6:30 to 12:30.
Night 2 - Saturday night - I fed her at 6:30 and she woke up at 3:30 and then 7:00. She did great after the 6:30 feeding. She had 1 feeding after we went to bed (3:30) and her longest stretch was 9 hours from 6:30 to 3:30. (Keep in mind I feed her at 6:30 and she's asleep by 7:30, so it's a 9 hour stretch between feedings with an 8 hour block of sleep.)
Night 3 - Sunday night - I fed her at 6:30 and she went down fine by 7:30, but she woke up at 11:45 and then 2:15. I wasn't sure why she had such a short stretch there or why she didn't sleep a long stretch at first. I guess she was just hungry. She woke up for the day at 6:45. She had 2 feedings after we went to bed (11:45 & 2:15) and her longest stretch was 5.25 hours from 6:30 to 11:45.
Night 4 - Monday night - This night I decided to go out with my friend Diana for the first time since Lux was born! I fed Lux at 6:30 and left the house at 7:15 after I put her to bed. Well, she went down okay, but then Isis had a really bad night - she's having some potty issues - and she ended up screaming so much that it woke Lux back up and Lewis had to end up giving Lux a bottle again to get her to go back to sleep. So she had a bottle around 9:30. She drank 4 oz. She then woke up at 3:30 and 7:00. She had 1 feeding after we went to bed (3:30) and her longest stretch was 6 hours from 9:30 to 3:30.
Night 5 - Tuesday night - I fed her at 6:30 and she woke up at 11:30, 4:15 and 7:15. She actually didn't go right back to sleep after the 11:30 feeding so I fed her from the other side at 12:00, too. She had 2 feedings after we went to bed (11:30 & 4:15) and her longest stretch was 5 hours from 6:30 to 11:30.
Night 6 - Wednesday night - I fed her at 6:30 & then I left to go to church around 7:30. My mom was there to watch them while we were at church and Lux didn't go to sleep right away, so my mom had to go in & offer her a bottle, which she didn't take, and then just cuddle her for a minute before putting her back down. She ended up going to sleep fine. She woke up at 4:00 and then at 7:30. She had 1 feeding after we went to bed (4:00) and her longest stretch was 9.5 hours from 6:30 to 4:00.
Night 7 - Thursday night - I fed her at 6:30, but she didn't go to sleep right away. She kinda fussed & woke up again so I fed her at 9:00. She then slept until 4:15 and then woke up at 7:15 for the day. She had 1 feeding after we went to bed (4:15) and her longest stretch was 7.25 hours from 9:00 to 4:15.
Naps: Naps are still extremely inconsistent. She will take a 45 minute nap in the crib, but then that messes up our whole feeding cycle of eat-wake-sleep. I do not nurse her to sleep, so I like for her to eat after she wakes up & then play before going down for a nap. It gets all messed up when she wakes up early because then I feed her earlier than 3 hours & she's never as hungry plus I have less milk & it's just a vicious cycle. I put her in the swing for several naps this week to get her to sleep longer. That usually worked. She also napped in the car several times this week because I was running errands or something. She always naps pretty well in the car, too.    I'm still trying to figure out the right amount of wake time so that she can take a good nap. I have this app on my phone that I used with Isis & have used for tracking feedings with Lux. With Isis, I used it to track diapers, feedings & sleep as well as growth at doctor visits & milestones. With Lux I've used it just to track feedings but I also enter her growth & milestones so I remember. I've decided to start using it with Lux to track her naps. That way I can stop the timer when she wakes up & I can actually be a little more precise about getting her down for a nap in the right amount of time. I know that seems a little particular, but I'm seriously so sick of these 45 minute naps & I'm ready to stretch her to longer than 3 hours between feedings, so I've got to do something.
Sibling: Isis is doing great with Lux! If she sees that Lux is laying on the floor or in the swing or something & doesn't have a blanket over her, Isis will always cover her up. She's so sweet with her & I love watching them together! Lux will stare at Isis & follow her with her eyes around the room. Especially during bath time - Isis always helps me by using this cup to keep pouring water on Lux's belly and legs so she will stay warm. Lux will just lay there & grin at Isis while she's in the bath!
Isis has been having some potty issues related to holding her pee and BM's. We've taken her to the doctor twice in the last couple of weeks to check for a UTI because she all of a sudden started asking to go pee all the time - like 4 times an hour! We, of course, assumed UTI, but it ended up that it was a holding issue, where she'd held her BM's for so long the last several months (like every 3 days or so she would go), that she was also holding her pee. They said her bladder now just can't take it, so it's like she has to go all the time. They said if we treated the constipation, it should help with the pee stuff, but it would take time. So for the last week we've been giving her apple juice once a day & putting a half capful of Miralax in it. The doctor said that should help with making her more regular & it really has! We've also just been letting her go to the bathroom by herself whenever she feels like she needs to pee. At night was the real problem. She started waking up crying and asking to pee at least 3 times a night! One night she woke up 3 or 4 times and Lux woke up twice and between the 2 of them, we were up every hour & a half that night! It was awful. But it's gotten better the last couple of days and we're back to almost normal. Isis even had a BM on the potty by herself today, which hasn't been happening in the last couple of months. It's always been an ordeal when she had to go.
Schedule: Schedule has stayed about the same. If I can figure out the nap stuff, I'll be able to stretch her a little bit between feedings!
Mom Stuff: I saw my new counselor on Thursday of this week. That was really helpful and I think she's going to be a great fit! I have another appointment next week & the week after. She encouraged me in some things & gave me some stuff to read and look at this week that have helped me with some perspective as well. I'm feeling a lot better. As far as the Zoloft goes, I'm really not sure how much to expect from a medication. I still feel like myself & I don't feel a major change or anything, which I think is good. I don't want to take something & it make me into a different person. The way I describe how I feel to others is just that now I feel like I have this huge buffer where my patience is stronger & I'm less affected by stress or anxiety in my day to day life. That's really helpful. That could be the counseling or the medication, but either way, it's a positive change.
I'm starting to get a little nervous about going back to school in January. There are just a few weeks left & that just seems so crazy to me! This time has really flown by! I have 1 full week left at home just me & Lux. Then I'll have half a week just me & Lux & half a week with both girls. Then I'll have a whole week of both girls, but Lewis will also be home the whole week with holidays and vacation days. I will then have 2 days with both girls & then I'm back to school. Crazy. That's 17 week days & 3 weekends! I can't believe it!!
Milestones: She is now making eye contact with me and others throughout the day. She will smile back at you if you smile at her. She follows objects with her eyes and she makes little coo sounds throughout the day as well. She loves this little bug thing that you can hang from things & she will look at it & swat at it when she's laying near it. During tummy time, she can hold her head up for a while and even sometimes push up a little with her arms. She likes to push with her legs when she's on your lap. She seems pretty strong.