Weekends at Home: Shoshana at One Month

My little lady was one month old on Tuesday (the 13th). It is crazy how fast this last month has passed. Newborns just grow and change so dang quickly! I never realize it more than when I see someone else holding Shosh. It is in those moments that I can truly appreciate how much bigger she is from a few weeks ago.

She now weighs 10 lbs 15 oz (an ounce more than Judah did at 1 month). After her two week appointment where she weighed in at 9 lbs 12 oz, I predicted she would hit 11 lbs by one month. I'm sure she held off on that last ounce just to prove me wrong (mothers & daughters, amiright?!).

I took monthly photos of Judah for the first year. They were all a similar set up of him in front of a propped up backdrop using a sheet or blanket. However, I discovered I truly preferred the more natural style photos of my boy. Lifestyle photography is pretty much how I roll. I felt like I had to keep doing the backdropped monthly photos though, since I had started with them and I might as well see it through. I was all too happy to give up those style photos when he reached a year, and I haven't looked back since.

With Shoshana, I still want to capture her each month on the 13th (or as close to it as I can get), but I won't be doing them in front of draped blankets. Of course, her newborn and one month photos are still in front of super simple backgrounds, because, well, all she can do is lay there, so it pretty much has to he her laying on a blanket or swaddling cloth. As she gets bigger and can sit, crawl, and eventually walk her photos will follow her progression. They will show her as she grows and changes. Playing in the house or yard. Or out at the park or in the bath. Or whatever is going on in her life on her monthly birthday.

She has started developing a bit of baby acne. I keep thinking it is going to get worse, but so far we have been able to keep it in check. Her skin tends to look worse as the day wears on. I think that is because she has her face and body pressed against ours so often (either from nursing, or being in the beco, or just being held). I think the heat and oils from our bodies make her skin react. Her skin is noticeably clearer in the morning after sleeping all night in her bassinet. I also think out cleaning routine helps. She has yet to have a full immersion bath or use any soap. Instead, we just use a washcloth and warm water to wash her down before bedtime and follow it up by massaging coconut oil all over her. Plus, then she smells all yummy like a coconut.

Last week, I brought Shosh (and Judah tagged along) to a craniosacral appointment. I had noticed she has been strongly favoring turning her head to the right. No matter how I set her down to sleep she always would turn her head to the right. I also noticed she had a much easier time nursing on my left side (when she had her head turned to the right). Judah favored one side as well as a newborn (I don't remember which way though). We took him to a chiropractor in Tacoma that specializes in babies, but we certainly weren't going to trek all the way back there for Shosh. I asked my midwives for recommendations, and while they didn't have a chiropractor that specialized in babies to recommend, they did have a craniosacralist- Carol Grey (honestly, I'm not even sure 'craniosacralist' is a word, but I'm going with it anyway). Since her appointment, I have noticed a marked difference in Shoshana's ability (willingness?) to move her head to the the left (yay!). Carol (who was very nice and welcoming, btw) thought Shosh's favoring of the right side was probably due to her positioning in the womb, which makes sense because my placenta was located in the top left of my ute, so Shosh was in pretty much the same downward position on my right side for quite a few months (ROA for those keeping track).

Her patience was waning

The craniosacral appointment also marked my very first solo outing with both kids in tow. It went much easier than I expected. Carol's office is located in the Pearl and I ended up parking a few blocks away, but Judah did really well walking with me out in public (Shosh rode in her beco baby carrier). I didn't have to pick him up and carry him or anything. And when I needed to go into the street to unlock the car (the battery in my key is dead, so I can't just press a button to unlock the car) I told him to stay in a particular rectangle on the sidewalk (it was a grate cover) he did just that... and kept chilling in his rectangle while I got Shosh all loaded into the car. The ease of the outing gave me the courage to take them both out the next day to do a non-appointment related activity (the aquarium). Again, it went very well. Shosh chilled in her carrier the whole time and Judah had a blast looking at all the fish (as he always does).

and this is how you know the session is over

I was home alone with the kids when taking her photos this month, so you might be wondering what Judah was up to while I took Shoshana's picture. Well, here it is: