3 Weeks Old

In some ways it feels like Allyson has always been a part of our family but in others it is hard to believe she is 3 weeks old already. It has been a very busy first few weeks full of visitors, doctors appointments, feeding, changing, adjusting to a new schedule, etc... Karl started his leave from work this week so its been a little easier to manage both Ella and Ally with an extra set of hands. We are getting used to a new sleep schedule and are still trying to figure out how to balance Ally's needs with ours. She is growing and changing like crazy and she now looks more like a baby rather than a newborn. At her doctors appointment last week she weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and grew a quarter inch in length. She still only fits into her newborn size clothes but her cheeks are getting a little chubbier and she is starting to get some baby fat on her skinny little bones. We have been advised that Ally will hit her 3 week growth spurt this week that will include more crying, less sleep and more eating. Right now her appetite s crazy and she wants to eat almost every hour! She only takes one long nap in the afternoon but at night she sleeps in 3-4 hour stretches that get a little longer each day. I struggle with getting her back to sleep at night after she eats but its a work in progress. We hate to hear her cry but we aren't yet to the point where we know exactly what she needs at all times so its been trial and error for now. I have been bad about taking pictures so I really want to try hard to do a better job of documenting the things she does. We are starting to get a little more adventurous and have taken her a few places. We both have this fear of having her freak out in public so we have been pretty limited in our outings and try to do them when she is sleeping. Once we get a better handle on the feeding schedule, we hope to get out more while she is awake and alert.

Its definitely hard to find time to get the daily things done like laundry, dishes, check email, facebook, answer the phone, etc... so I apologize if you have tried to call or emailed and haven't gotten an answer. It seems like the phone only rings when I sit down to feed Ally and when she naps and I go to grab the phone, she wakes up right away. I will get better at this, I promise! We are taking Ally for her first road trip next week to visit family and friends in Oshkosh so lots more pictures to come. Thanks to everyone that has sent cards, clothes and gift cards for Ally! For someone that had zero clothes before she was born, we could now open our own Carter's store. Karl is thankful for the closet doors that hide the massive amounts of PINK from view! Ally is a lucky girl to have so many people that love her already.

Places we went: mom/dad's work, Tippecanoe Mall, Purdue vs Iowa volleyball game, Nine Irish Brothers
People Ally met: Mom's work friends, Dad's work friends, Great Aunt Kelly, Great Uncle Mark, Great Aunt Chris, Cousin Grady, Lauren Coros