Bits About Brynley: 19 Weeks!

Brynley,

Mama is ashamed of all the things I've said lately about your bad sleep habits! You must have heard me and God must have heard me too, because you have been a dream the past week! Sleeping so good from 7:30 and waking once at 12:30 or later and then going right back down. In fact, you slept so well a few times this week that I woke before you even! Unfortunately your nursery is above the garage and your Daddy may have woken you on his way to the gym, but we've since realized this and from now on will have him either go later or have him park in the driveway. Oh the joy of living in a townhome!

You are grabbing everything in sight and think you have to hold whatever it is that Mommy has in her hands! I carry you around a lot during the day and you love getting a good look around at everything. You're becoming so aware of this great big world around you, and you want to be apart of it all! So it only makes sense that you'd want to hold everything too ha! Blankets have become your favorite toy and you love to play hide and seek (or hide the baby as we call it)! You coo and giggle when I throw the blanket over you and Ryder gets a kick out of it too, and asks for me to throw it over him too!

You also love to stretch and I have started to let you lay on a blanket in just your diaper, or when I'm changing you or getting out of the bath because you just love the feeling of being free! You cry when we have to change you back in your clothes and it's so funny. I guess you are my daughter afterall, and I've always hated wearing socks and being trapped under the covers. You are a rollie pollie and have also discovered your feet! You always want to grab them and put them in your mouth! I may have to start calling you my little monkey girl.

We just switched your bottle nipples to a heavier flow, size 2 in hopes that you'll eat a little more because you seem to get sleepy. I have continued nursing you through the day and the only time I pump additionally is first thing in the morning and after I have put you to bed, before I go to sleep. This has helped tremendously and I only wish I'd done this long before now! I have such a great supply in both our freezer and Nana's that I don't really need to supplement by pumping so much anymore. I'm happy to know I should be able to get you with mostly breastmilk to your first birthday if I continue nursing you. You seem to really love nursing and will grab for your "boonies" when you're hungry, though I'm still trying to keep you to eating every 3 hours. Except at night when I cluster feed you after your 5pm feeding in hopes that you'll sleep well!

You continue to win over hearts with everyone you meet, and they always compliment you on how pretty you are. Your eyelashes are getting so long that they have started to curl and you are just the sweetest! Your big brother thinks the world of you too, and just recently you have really started to notice him and kick your feet at him when he's near. Mama is so proud of you for being a good girl at both the church nursery and the gym childcare this past week! I feel like we are off to a good start, and although last night proved to be a bit challenging and I finally could only get you settled by laying next to me in bed nursing, you were a very good girl at our playdate today!

My prayers each and every night for you are that you will sleep well and you will grow to know God and love Him, and that he will use you to do great things. I had to switch out a lot of your baby clothes today because you are getting so big! You are now in most 6 month clothes which makes me kind of sad, but I also know that it just means you are my strong, healthy girl. You seem to really notice when we are eating now, so I'm sure it won't be long before we introduce you to rice cereal! Happy 19 Weeks Bryn Bryn!