The Littlest Rausch: September 2015

Height: 22 inches (2 inches growth)

Weight: 9 lbs 3 oz (2 lbs 4 oz growth from birth weight, 3 lbs growth from lowest weight)

Diaper size: One :(

Clothing size: Newborn

Nicknames: Baby bird, baby dinosaur, mama

Sleep: She typically sleeps 4 hour stretches at night!! Some days she will nap all day and other days I have to trick her to sleep. But she really sleeps well at night and I am so grateful!!

Baby girl and daddy - two days old

Medical issues: When Evelyn was two days old, we took her to a lactation consultant and Mellanie noticed that her hip was out of place. Evelyn had her first chiropractor visit at 5 days old and Dr. Jessica also mentioned her hip being out of place. At 6 days old, Evelyn went to the pediatrician and he also noticed that her hip was out of place. He scheduled us an ultrasound for Sept 25th (that was yesterday! It seemed like FOREVER AWAY when it was scheduled) to check for hip dysplasia. As someone who really suffers from anxiety, I am normally totally consumed when something like this happened, but I felt very at peace with the conversation with the doctor, like I already knew she didn't have any problems with her hips. It was a little nerve wracking waiting a month and a half to get the sonogram, but yesterday we received the EXCELLENT news that Evelyn's hips are perfect and her hip bones have already started to ossify, so she is all good to go!

Mommy loves this grumpy face

Evelyn also struggled with her bilirubin levels and lost quite a bit of weight at first, but that was pretty quickly resolved. Other than that, she's been a pretty healthy and delightful baby!

Diet: She's a healthy little chunk! She's been completely breastfed from day one and is a super healthy eater. Luckily my midwives and the lactation consultant were very pro-breastfeeding and didn't push formula on me when Evelyn wasn't gaining weight in the beginning. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed because of my PCOS but we are going really strong. This is such an awesome bond, although I won't lie, there are nights at 5 am where I am OVER her being on my boobs. That's when I take her to Mike and say "Your turn!!"

Milestones: She can lift her head for a decent amount of time. At least 10 seconds, I would say. Last Friday, she looked at me and really saw me for the first time. This was amazing!! I love looking into her eyes and knowing that she is finally looking back at me, not just gazing around. Also, we survived her first growth spurt!

Likes: Mommy's milk, being held ALL THE TIME, being worn in the baby k'tan or ring sling, sleeping on her side, cuddling in bed with mommy, when daddy sings in a falsetto voice, the hair dryer noise, taking baths, daddy kisses.

Meeting Benny and Lucy for the first time

Dislikes: Being put down, not being fed immediately when she asks for it, having a wet diaper, having her blood taken (OMG traumatizing), daddy kisses (it depends on the day).

Firsts: the other day we were at the Perot Museum and my mom goes "Evelyn, you are having so many firsts!" and we all started laughing because of course she's having so many firsts, she's only a month old! But here are some of the cool things we have done since Evelyn was born: went to a babywearing meeting, went to Dallas Love Field Airport, met Uncle Scott, went to the Perot Museum, visited her great grandparents, went to church, spent a looot of time at her grandparents, visited Colleyville Middle School...and probably other things. She's a busy little girl. We pretty much did nothing for three weeks, but when Scott got into town, it was a party!

Baby gear we love: Well, at first we loved the rock and play. She laid in it all the time and would even sleep in it at night for a few days. Now she only likes it while I am showering and getting ready. Any more time than that is unacceptable. The same with the swaddle. It used to instantaneously put her to sleep, but now she cries when I put her in it. She loves the baby k'tan wrap and ring sling, and I'm obsessed with them too. I love being able to hold her close to me while having my hands free! The other day we went grocery shopping with the ring sling and it was so much better than putting her in her car seat in the buggy. She tolerates the bouncy chair, but she pretty quickly realizes that no one is holding her and gets upset.

Milk drunk

Things To Remember: I love the little sounds Evelyn makes. I try to take videos when she is being especially expressive because I want to keep these sounds forever! I also don't want to forget how little and cuddly she is. I know she'll be independent soon enough so I need to take advantage of all the time I am required to spend holding her.

I love this sweet baby so much. What a blessing God has given us in Evelyn Grace. Thank you for all your prayers as we struggled with loss, infertility, and all the anxiety that comes with pregnancy. Mike and I appreciate you more than you know. And another special thank you to everyone who has talked me down about breastfeeding, being a mommy, and baby diapers. Love you all!

Monthly Photo Dump :)

Playing the trumpet before bath time

We were not a fan of our first at home bath.

On a walk with mommy - still jaudiced

Nap time with daddy

Facetiming with Uncle Scott

Daddy's hands are bigger than Evelyn's body almost!

Pinterest fail HAHA

After she threw a giant fit and refused to sleep during her pictures, this is what happened as soon as Kate left. Daddy's in the background showing her how it's done.