7 weeks + in love

MacKenna is starting to show her little personality and I am loving it!

Backdrop this week courtesy of Melissa :)

She’s starting to babble more + more, oohing + ahhing at pretty much anything.  In fact, just yesterday she was babbling over the baby monitor during one of her naps.  It was so stinking cute and totally made my day!  She’s starting to really talk back and forth with me, and I love her little laugh!  It’s not quite a laugh, per se, but more like a little yell.  But, I don’t care – I love it!

We’ve had a few battles the past 7 weeks that are starting to get better.  One of them has been the bath.  The first few weeks, she would scream bloody murder during her baths.  Now, I don’t really think she’s enjoying them so much, but she’s at least not screaming through them every time.  (She had been doing so well until Sunday night when she was hungry and I was trying to give her a bath.  I’m pretty sure she woke the neighbors.)

Our other battle has been bedtime, which actually left me in tears last week.  She fights sleep a lot.  She’s such a nosy little baby and doesn’t want to miss anything.  However, I’m really working on getting her on a good bedtime routine and it seems to be working.  We do a bath (on bath nights, which are Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday), baby massage (just lotioning her up), swaddle her, nurse, and then read a book.  We’ll rock her for a little while and say our prayers, and then put her in bed.  I’m trying to put her down when she’s still a little awake but just very sleepy.  So far, the past few nights it’s been very successful! 

(Edited to add:  Last night was not her best night.  Went through our routine, got her sleepy eyes, put her in bed, and they popped open.  She didn’t fall asleep until 10 PM after trying to put her to bed at 8:30.  I’m hoping that means she will nap really well today!)

We’re also down to 1 feeding a night now, usually between 3:30 and 4:30 (sometimes a bit earlier).  I can totally handle that.  I also haven’t been overly tired either – thank goodness!  I’m hoping eventually that middle of the night feeding will be dropped, but I don’t really mind it right now.  Any time I get to spend with my little girl is enjoyable – even at 4 AM!      

I mean, how could you not love a face like that?! :)