Busy Bonvillain's: 1 Month

My, how time flies! I cannot believe that Jolie is now 5 weeks old! The past 5 weeks have been a blur. We were home for 3 weeks and then went to Houma for Christmas, for a wedding the weekend after Christmas and then again this week for my great-grandmother's funeral. Now we are finally settling back in at home. With all that traveling, we are still trying to settle into a routine.

Here are her 1 month stats:

Growth: Jolie goes for her one month check-up this coming Monday. I am looking forward to seeing how much she has grown. I definitely think she has gained weight. We have weighed her a few times at home by holding her and stepping on the scale. She seems to be around 8 to 8.5 pounds now.

Food: The first 2 weeks of breastfeeding were rough! She could not get the hang of latching and she was very sleepy during feedings. We supplemented with formula for the first few days, but switched back to breast milk only. In week 2, we met with a lactation consultant who really helped! Now we are really getting the hang of it! She eats every 2-3 hours for about 20-40 minutes per feeding session. She is still somewhat of a "lazy" eater and needs some encouragement to stay focused and awake. We have also had to use bottles of pumped milk for all the traveling and holiday festivities. She does well with a bottle also, eating 3 oz. per bottle.

Sleep: This is a touchy subject. We have a little night owl on our hands... This little one likes to play between the hours of 11 pm and 3 am. She is not usually fussy, just wide awake! Now that we are home and settling down from the holidays, we are working on a bedtime routine. She gets her bath around 9 pm and eats between 9:30-10:30 pm. The past two nights she has done well with waking to eat around 12:30 and then sleeping for about 3 hours before waking again. To mommy, those 3 hours are like HEAVEN! So even though we are still trying to figure out our sleep schedule, we have faith that it will get better soon.

Daily Routine: We wake up around 7-8 to eat and then begin our day (or stay in bed depending on how the night went). She spends most of the morning awake and playing in her bouncy seat, swing or activity mat. She usually takes 1-2 good naps per day and multiple "cat" naps throughout the day. She also enjoys snuggling with daddy when he gets home from work!

Nicknames: Jo-Jo (given to her by cousin Cole), Tootie Bug, Toot-toot, Sweet Pea, Baby Girl, Night Owl or Vampire (because of her lack of sleep at night)

Personality: This little girl is a spit-fire already. She is NON-STOP and always on the move. She makes tons of adorable faces. Our favorites are her big eyes and her surprised look. She is also beginning to coo and squeak. She seems to recognize faces and voices a little more. She is very alert and seems to be more engaged.

Motor Milestones: She has been trying to hold her head up since day one. She is extremely strong for such a small little thing! She now holds her head up when propped in sitting and when laying on someone's chest. Her arms and legs are always on the move with constant punching/kicking.

Here are some more pictures from our 1 month photo shoot: