Dear Julia, you are 4 weeks old!

Dear Julia, 

I find myself wishing it was Thursday when it is only Monday so I can note your changes. Then this week, I do not have a weekly onesie sticker because it is almost your 1 month birthday so I waited for yesterday for nothing. It is Friday and I do not want to wait until Sunday to tell you that I love you. 

We finished your birth announcement! I could have tweaked it a little more or worked on the boys' expressions to make it more Norman Rockwell feel, but I did not want to overthink it and my boys did not have a long attention span. I had a small window of opportunity and it is good for that. 

You like to look at the ceiling fan, the dangling Micky Mouse on your pack 'n play, and the mobile on your swing that we just got out. 

You went to the beach for the first time! Corrie and Ivy went, so did Elisabeth with Altazara, my patient Serina with Jalen, and Liz with Peyton. I let Dylan and Isaac skip school. Here you are with Reese Walke. 

A lady with two tweens (daughters??) walked by and asked if I was ok b/c I had so many kids. Ha! My 3 older ones were building a sand castle and you were resting under the umbrella by Liz. I could understand if I were chasing your brothers or if one was having a tantrum, but just the idea of 4 kids overwhelmed her. Funny. All of my friends just brought one  of their kids each. They helped. Corrie took Tyler in the water. So nice of her. 

You burp more and sometimes have gas in the evenings. Your burps seem to hurt you but you just make a silent cry. You open your mouth and tense or squirm but only get a little cry out if anything. It is harder to burp you. Not too hard, but I used to just put your head up and you would instantly burp. 

You wake up smiling still. Or maybe hiccuping. Sometimes grunting noisesalert  me to scoop you up. You smile with your eyes rolling back in complete relaxed contentment. 

You still peel a little on your hands after baths. Your head has some peeling too. 

You are awake at lunch and dinner/evening time. But today you fell asleep at 7pm and I picked you up and changed your diaper thinking you were awake til 10pm or midnight like usual but you did not even want to eat. You were asleep! At 10:30, you woke up and I fed you a little but you are sound asleep now! Like in the middle of the night. Asleep. I do not want to put you down. This is our time each night. 

Just yesterday Daddy said "this is the most awake I have seen you." We like your eyes. You have eye lashes now. They are still fine like your hair but your eye lids are no longer so folded in tightly like they were the first couple of days. 

Your legs still collapse and do not have any idea yet that you could push to a standing position when I bounce you on my lap. I love your tiny soft folded legs coming out of pink onesies. 

You like tummy time on my chest. When your neck gets tired you are content resting your head. 

You take a pacifier sometimes. You found your fingers or finger today. 

I left you with Barbie to do a photoshoot. I tried hard not to think about it but it was hard not to since the family had a baby girl only a couple of weeks older than you. And they asked about you. I trust Barbie and had just fed you and you are not a crier so it was easier than it could have been. I did not call on my way to the second location for fear of hearing you cry. Apparently Daddy got home from Dylan's field trip and relieved Barbie fairly quickly. That made me a little more nervous. I am not sure why. Both said that you barely had any defrosted milk and maybe the nipple flow was too fast. They also reported that you were happy but wanted to be held while they stood. Tyler later said "do you want to see me bounce? I boince like this like Daddy does." So I picture Steven could have a new calf muscle routine. He said that he had not even gone to the bathroom since Legoland. Dylan could not hold you even. You slept rhe whole time unless he tried to sit. On my way home I did not know whether to cry or what. I talked to Daddy who was not rushing me as much as I thought he would since he was going to basketball after. I tried calling Barbie then called Kat. Oh I love you and your soft fuzzy hair. I held you. You needed a diaper change of course. Then I nursed you before getting your brothers to clean and go to bed. Barbie had brought dinner!! She is too much. Here is the pic she sent. 

I guess I will go to bed with you now. I wish you would eat more now. I will put you in the bassinet now. Goodnight my Pretty Pretty. 

Love, Mommy