Hadley is 1 Month Old!

Hadley is 1 month old today! On October 10, my water broke at school, and Hadley was born less than 8 hours later. She weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21.5 inches long. Today Hadley weighs 10 lbs. 2 oz and is 22.5 inches long. She's a perfectly healthy and active baby who does a good job eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. Ha!

As expected, our family has experienced some ups and downs over the last month. The seemingly endless crying and lack of sleep have been the most challenging aspects of having a newborn again. Hadley often cries 3-4 hours in the evenings...when everyone is tired and ready for bed.  I average 5 hours of sleep a night and get up 1-3 times each night to feed Hadley. Thankfully, our baby girl often sleeps 5-6 hours straight at night...which is awesome for a newborn (and this tired mommy).

Despite these challenges, our family has done really well adjusting to having a newborn again. Both Tal and I agree that it has been much easier as second-time parents. We are more easy going and experienced with Hadley. Savannah adores her little sister, and she is getting better about using gentle hands and an inside voice around Hadley. Tal and I work really hard to make Savannah feel important by giving her our undivided attention and carving out one-on-one time with her daily.

I'm on maternity leave until February 2, and I love staying home with Hadley. My days are busy with feeding, diapering, and soothing Hadley, as well as pumping, washing and making bottles, and taking a shower. I also drop off and pick up Savannah from Kindergarten, help Savannah with her homework, make her lunch for the next day, and feed her dinner. As time allows, I try to accomplish 2-3 chores daily, including laundry, errands, and straightening up our house. My days are full, but I'm thankful to have this extra time with Hadley and Savannah.