Has it REALLY been a whole month already?!

    Payton Joy is 1 month old today! Goodness where has this month gone?! Payton is now 10 lbs, 4 oz, and 21 inches long. Her head circumference is 39 cm. She wears size 1 diapers, size 0-3 M clothes, but her tiny feet are still too small for NB socks and shoes, they just fall right off! She takes Avent 0-6 M pacis. She is exclusively breastfed thus far; no formula for her little belly. She prefers nursing, but she will take a bottle of breast milk just fine. She has started to eat on a schedule, every 3 hours at 3, 6, 9, 12 AM and PM. Every now and then she'll skip the midnight feeding and go right to the 3 am feeding, but that is rare. She likes to cluster feed at night and will nurse every hour from 6-9, so at 6, 7, 8, and 9 PM, then go to sleep. She sleeps swaddled in her pack and play right beside our bed. We're planning on moving her to her crib in her room at around 3 months, but we shall see when the times comes.

     Payton turned over from her belly to her back for the first time at 3 weeks, 1 day old. She did it at least a dozen times that day, but has only done it twice since. She even knew it was too soon for her to be doing that! ;) Her favorite place is her swing. She is so calm and content there. She also likes her play mat for short periods. She can only stand tummy time for about 10 minutes before she gets fussy, but she can last playing on her back for about a half hour before she gets bored and ready to get up. She is getting very smiley. I love all her little expressions. If you make faces at her, she will try to mimic you, but it often just turns into her sticking out her tongue. She loves her big sister and tried to have her eyes on her anytime she is nearby. Rylee adores Payton as well. This morning, Payton was fussing a little while I was getting ready to take Rylee to school, so Rylee gave her her stuffed elephant and her paci and she instantly got quiet. I love my sweet girls!

     She went to church for the first time on Sunday. She did great, she slept the whole time. It felt amazing to be there as a whole family!

     I am so completely in love with this sweet girl. I just wish time would slow down! She is growing and changing so quickly, and I only have 3 weeks left with her before I have to return to work. That is going to be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I didn't have to leave Rylee full time until she was 18 months old, and it was still very hard to leave her part time when she was a baby. Pray for this mama, because it is going to take these next 3 weeks to prepare my heart for leaving this sweet baby, and I know I'll still cry like a baby when the time comes...



3 Weeks

 

      Payton Joy is 3 weeks old. It feels like she was only born yesterday, but also like she's been with us for a lifetime. I can't imagine life without her now. She is such a sweet baby, I love her so stinkin' much! She's been going through a growth spurt this week, so she has been wanting to eat about every 1.5-2 hours. It has worn this mommy out, but I don't mind. I love nursing her, it was difficult the first week, but it is amazing how easy it is now. And best of all, I know that it is what is best for her. I took her to daycare this week to meet Ne-Ne (Ms. Cindy). I know she is going to be in great hands, but I don't want to think about leaving her everyday just yet. I still have just over 4 weeks of leave left, so I am just going to enjoy the time I have with her before I have to go back to work.

     Last Thursday, Payton went on her first mini road trip to Chickasaw State Park to spend some time with my family. We all had a lot of fun. The weather was gorgeous and all the kids (even Payton) loved spending the whole day outdoors. Friday night we had a family cookout and Saturday my parents went back home. It was a good visit, and I'm glad they got to meet Payton.

    2 weeks ago, Rylee got poison oak on her hands. It was ugly, but I thought it'd just clear up and be gone before we knew it. Then it spread to her face, first she had just a little rash, but then Sunday morning, she woke up and her face was covered in it and so swollen that we could barely recognize her. I felt so bad for her. Monday, I took her to the Dr. and within minutes of getting a steroid shot, her swelling was gone. We have been putting a corticosteroid cream on it, and now it is almost completely gone, but it was scary how bad it got. Because I needed to get Rylee to the Dr., I had to leave Payton for the first time on Monday. Granny and Paw  Paw watched her for about 4 hours while I got Rylee to the Dr., then took her out to Chikfila to help her forget about the mean shots she had to get. It was fun to spend some 1-on-1 time with Rylee, but it sure was hard to be without Payton. I'm happiest when I have both of my sweet girls with me. Rylee decided that she was ready to go back to school on Tuesday, and I have been missing her during the day while she's gone. I love my girls and feel so blessed to have 2 of the sweetest babies on the planet.

2 Weeks with Payton

     Payton is 2 weeks old today. She has already grown so much! She's now in size 1 diapers and she's fitting into her 0-3 M clothes much better than she was at first. She is exclusively breastfed thus far and eats about every 3 hours during the day but goes for one 4-5 hour stretch almost every night.

     On Friday, she had her very first doctor's visit, and she passed her check-up with flying colors. The doctor said she was doing so well, there was no need to schedule a 2-week check-up, and he'd wait to see her again until 1 month! She weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and was 19.5 inches long. My big girl!

     We've also gone on our first outings this week. First Granny and Paw Paw took us out to lunch at Olympic Friday after her check-up, then Saturday, we all went to Pumpkins, Pines, and Ponds. Rylee, Kade, and Bailey had an absolute blast, and Payton seemed to enjoy it as well. She liked riding around in her stroller and spending some time outdoors. She even got on her very first hayride, even though she slept through the whole thing. Haha!

       Rylee has decided she likes her baby sister a lot and has been spending much more time with her lately. Everyday she gets more and more interested in her. It's so sweet. And she's still very protective when anyone says they're going to take baby Payton home with them. Rylee's phrase over and over this week has been, "We're a family!" I love it!

     Rylee is on fall break from preschool this week, so she has been spending her days with Payton and I. I am tired because I haven't been able to sleep as much, but I love having both of my girls with me and watching them interact. Payton is never as alert as she is when Rylee is playing with her. It's adorable.

     Payton got to meet her Ma and PA this week! They both thought she was a keeper, and I agree! My sweet girl will steal your heart on sight!

         Payton's umbilical cord fell off this week at 12 days old! So today she got to have her very first bath. Rylee was excited to have Payton join her for bath time. She even picked out 2 rubber duckies for them today at walmart. Yes, I took both girl grocery shopping, and no it actually wasn't difficult! :)

      Payton loved the warm water, but hated when she got out and it was time for lotion and pj's. After she was dressed and fed, she was knocked out. That's what mommies and daddies love about baths... ;)



1 Week Old

    Little Miss Payton is 1 week old today. I forgot how quickly time flies when you have a newborn. She is such a good baby. She nurses like a champ and sleeps well at night. She is usually alert for about 2 hours in the afternoon, and she is so funny looking around taking everything in. She is the quietest baby, she never fusses and only cries when she's hungry. I am so impressed with her, and already so in love.

    Ryan started orientation at his new job Monday, so it has just been Payton and I during the day. We mostly sleep and eat. I think this quiet time has helped a lot in my recovery from my csection. I know I didn't feel this healthy this quickly after having Rylee. We had to go somewhere either the Dr or to visit with family everyday after having Rylee, but I haven't left the house once since getting home from the hospital with Payton, and I really think that's made all the difference.

     Rylee has been doing great, too. I make sure once she gets home to spend some time with her while Ryan spends some time with Payton, but that's more for me than for her. I miss my Rylee during the day while she's at school, and I'm excited that next week is Fall Break so she will be home with Payton and I all week. Payton likes to check out her big sister, but Rylee still isn't too interested in Payton. She hasn't shown any jealousy, but she's just not interested in holding her or anything. She is however very protective of her and won't let anyone else say they are going to take baby Payton. And the one thing she is interested in is giving baby Payton bottles. Since I nurse, she hasn't had many chances, but I pumped her a bottle to give her, and she was so excited to help feed baby sister. It was sweet. I love my 2 girls to pieces and I have thoroughly enjoyed this week. I am looking forward to many more wonderful weeks to come.

Payton's Birth Story

     On Tuesday night, I started to experience some mild contractions. I had been having contractions on and off for weeks now, so I didn't give them a whole lot of credit until I woke up the next morning and they were still coming regularly. Around noon, I called my doctor's office to let them know how long I had been contracting and even though they weren't extremely painful, they did seem to be picking up a bit. The doctor advised me to head to the hospital to get checked out, so off we went. When I got there, we were able to see that I was having regular, strong, contractions, but they were making very little progress. The nurse let me know they were probably going to send me home until they picked up even more, but she quickly came back in with different news. When she called my doctor and let him know about the regularity and strength of my contractions, he decided it wasn't a good idea to send me home, and since I hadn't made very much progress, he decided to go ahead and do a repeat C-section right then. It took me a minute to process what was happening, and it happened really fast, but before I knew it, I was on the operating table and I heard the doctor say, "I can't get a grip on this big head, someone get me the vacuum." Haha! seconds later, I heard my angel's first cry! This C-section was such a better experience than the one I had when Rylee was born. I ended up being put under and missing her birth, but with Payton, being able to see her immediately after her birth, it made the whole experience so amazing.

     Payton Joy Massengill came into this world at 5:18 pm on September 25, 2013. She weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz and was 19 inches long. As soon as they stitched me up, we headed to recovery where I got to hold her and feed her and keep her with me the entire time. It was so much better than recovery with Rylee, because they kept her in a nursery the whole time, and we didn't get to bond until she was over 2 hours old already. We asked the nurses, and were able to sneak Liz into the recovery room, and she got to meet Miss Payton right away as well. I was anxious for Rylee to arrive and meet her sister, and it felt like it took forever for her to get there, but finally around 8pm, Rylee came in, and she was so cute meeting her sister. She just stared and stared for a while and then finally she said, "Look at her cute little nose." It was so precious.

    After Rylee was able to bond with her new sister for a little bit, Nonna, Granddaddy, Aunt Mel, and Austin came in to meet Payton as well. They couldn't stay very long because it was getting late, and I felt sad when Rylee had to leave. I felt torn between my two favorite girls. The next day Rylee came with them and Granny and PawPaw around 1 (again it felt like forever without her!) and when they were ready to leave, we decided to let Rylee stay with us for a few more hours, and Ryan took her back to Nonna's when he had to head to work that night. It was good to have more time with both of my girls together, but I was sad again when she had to leave. Luckily as she was leaving Mary, Baily, Liz, Brandon, and KAde were coming in, so it helped keep my mind off it a little I spent the rest of my time bonding with Payton, and loving every minute with her, but still missing my Rylee and wishing I could be with them both. So Friday, Ryan went ahead and got Rylee as soon as he got off work that morning, and she spent the whole day at the hospital with us and was there when we were discharged and we got to go home together as a complete family.

     We got home last night, and it has been a smooth transition thus far. Rylee is acting as if nothing has changed and being just as well-behaved and independent as ever, and Payton is such a content little lady. Rylee loves Payton and watches out for her from afar, but isn't really into holding her or anything like that. Which is fine. She gives her lots of kisses and checks up on her often, and I think that is incredibly sweet. I feel so blessed to have 2 amazing little girls to call my own!

Family Time

    Lately, we have been spending lots of time together as a family while we are still a family of 3. Last weekend, we went to Memphis and spent the day shopping and playing. We let Rylee ride the carousel at the mall, then we took her to a nearby park. She had a blast. Since I started my leave a few weeks ago, I kept her home from school Thursday and we spent the whole day cuddling and rocking while watching cartoons. 

     Baby Payton will be here by Friday at the latest, so this past Saturday was Rylee's last Saturday as an only child. We let her pick what she wanted to do, so we headed to Incredible Pizza to eat and play-play-play! She had so much fun going form game to game to game and riding all the little rides. She won enough points to get a little pink stuffed puppy that she has been obsessed with ever since. After we got home, she took a short nap, then we headed to Nonna and Granddaddy's house to spend some time with them and Aunt Mel and Austin.

      Sunday after church, we headed to Alamo to Tennessee Safari Park. We had a lot of fun. Rylee like the baby piggies the best during the drive-through part. She liked the baby ostriches the best in the walk-through section. She also had a blast playing on their little playground. She has gotten to be so much more active than she used to be. I love my energetic child!

     As excited as I am about meeting baby Payton in just 3 short days, it's weird to think that my whole world will no longer revolve around this one little princess. Rylee Love is the child that made me a mommy and that is a very special thing, but I know I will love Payton just as much. On Friday, my love will not be divided, but multiplied. I think my heart may explode... :)

Fair Fun

     Last night, we went to the Dyersburg Fair and had a blast. The kids rode lots and lots of rides. Rylee is OBSESSED with rides and she would have kept going and going until morning, I am sure. It was fun to see her having so much fun.

    Some of the rides required an adult to ride with the kids because they were a bit intense. Those kinds were Rylee's favorite. She must take after her mommy and daddy: we love going to Six Flags and riding roller coasters. I think Mary and Ryan had just as much fun as the kids did on those rides.

 After their arm bands expired at 7, we grabbed some fair food and headed over to the mud bog. It was fun to see different ATVs try to make it through a huge mud pit. The kids REALLY got into it, and that surprised me. Rylee said, "I don't know why they want to go through that yucky mud, but this is funny." Haha! Love my girlie girl! It was a fun night and I love making memories with our sweet kids.