Catching Up

Obviously I started this blog a good few months after Cora was born so I haven't been able to blog about each of her milestones. This post's main graphic is a picture of Cora every week since the day she was born.

She just reached her 4 month mark on Sunday. It's so crazy to think she's been here that long already! She's progressed so much in these 17 weeks! She has hit most of her milestones already for her age and even a few past her age. I am definitely a proud mama considering she is actually 4 weeks behind since she was born early. There are things she doesn't do yet though. For example, other babies her age might be able to lift their heads 90 degrees. Cora absolutely hates tummy time though so we don't do it very often. She's not quite at 90 degrees, but pretty close. I was afraid it might delay her ability to crawl, but I've read that while tummy time is a great activity to strengthen her neck and back muscles, she should still be able to crawl around the same time as other babies even if she doesn't do tummy time every day. However, the biggest development happened just today! I had her down for tummy time and she rolled over on to her back! It was a very exciting and proud moment for me.

We had her 4 month check up last night and she is growing steadily. She weighs 13 pounds 6.5 ounces and measures around 24.5 inches long. The nurse couldn't get Cora to straighten fully for long enough so she may be closer to 25. Her head measures 16 inches around now. She is right at the 50% mark for length and head width and I guess she is a little skinny for her size since her weight is at the 38th percentile. Our nurse wasn't concerned about her weight though and said it is fine to keep exclusively breast feeding her for now. She said if Cora starts to get hungrier before the 6 month mark then we can start her on some rice cereal. She is very orally fixated right now though so I am having a little bit of trouble telling if she's hungry or if she's just putting her hands in her mouth. I don't want to jump the gun with the rice cereal but I don't want her to starve either!

Besides major developmental milestones, one of the big milestones Cora has reached was her baptism! We did it on January 20 before the Lenten season started, otherwise we would have had to wait until after Easter. It was the perfect date since all my family members and even some close friends were able to travel down to Dallas to attend.


photo taken by Lauren Bendiksen!
As for me, I have been adjusting to life as a stay at home mom. I will admit at first it was odd not having to work since I've been doing it for so long. I would have dreams about returning to work, but of course something was always off. I am very happy staying at home though, especially since there really isn't any type of career out there that I would love more than raising Cora. I do miss the everyday adult interaction, but this has just made me better at staying in touch with my friends! I also miss other silly things, like wearing high heels haha. Anyway, I think I'm doing a good job as a mom but am still settling into my role as a "homemaker." Adam is still definitely the better chef between the two of us, and sometimes I don't have the time to do everyday chores right away. Even writing these blog posts takes the course of a week to finish up. Luckily Adam is an incredibly understanding and supportive husband and father! He knows we will get into a routine eventually.

I am also still trying to lose the baby weight! I haven't started exercising yet and I haven't been restricting my caloric intake since I'm breast feeding. Luckily for me that burns as many calories as it does because I only have 10 pounds to go before I hit my pre-pregnancy weight! I believe I gained about 55 pounds in the pregnancy. I know these last 10 pounds will be the hardest to lose. I really want to tone up too so I know I'll have to start exercising soon. Plus I still can't fit into my wedding rings, sad to say. I am getting closer and closer though! It is just hard so far to find time in the day to work out since Cora's naps can range from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Then when Adam gets home I would much rather spend time together instead of leaving to work out. Lots to adjust to, but I will get it together soon!