Elizabeth is 1 Month Old

Four weeks ago today our sweet Elizabeth Irene was born. It’s unreal to me that she is already one month old. I have to say that things have been incredibly different with Elizabeth than it was with the twins; from the pregnancy, delivery, and the first four weeks of life. I carried the twins full-term (37 weeks and 3 days) and had a natural delivery. But with Elizabeth things were different, she arrived at 36 weeks (technically a month early) and I had to have a c-section due to her footling breech status. I know, you would think it would be reversed that the twins would have been more complicated in pregnancy, but this was God’s perfect plan for me and my babies. With the twins I was utterly exhausted within the first 3 days of their lives. By one week old I was on the brink of an emotional breakdown due to sleep deprivation and feeling totally secluded (sorry twins, this isn’t a guilt trip, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat for you). And here I am one month into Elizabeth’s life and I keep waiting for things to get really hard. I feel like it’s a whole new world and had I had one baby to begin with I would have thought being a mom was easy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m tired and wish I could get more than 3 hours sleep at any given time, but I’m just so thankful that I’m not exhausted. Thankful would be the word that defines this first month of being a mom with three. I go to bed at night and the last words floating in my head are thank you God. Thank you that my children are healthy, thank you that they are beautiful, thank you that I can be a mommy, thank you that I have family who assist me and love me, thank you that I have a husband who is a hands on dad, etc. I pray that this attitude of thankfulness will continue to sustain me as we continue to transition as a family of five. Today on Elizabeth’s one month birthday she really looked at me and gave me a half grin in response to some silly sounds I was making. She is getting ever more alert with every passing day. Elizabeth is one stretchy little things, she stretches so much and makes the cutest little grunts in the process. Elizabeth gets the hiccups at least 3 times a day. They seem like they’d be such a bother, but she doesn’t let them stop her. When she hiccups Elizabeth makes a squeaky sound, she sounds like a dog’s squeaky toy actually. I’ve considered nicknaming her “Squeaker,” but she’d probably hate me for that when she got older. Elizabeth is strong, she has been trying to sit her head up since we brought her home and I don’t remember the twins being so determined to sit up their heads so early. Elizabeth has been a good sleeper (thank you Jesus!). She goes to bed around 11-12 each night after I feed her and will sleep until about 3:45, so I actually get at least 3 hours of sleep at the time, which is so much better than a measly 1.5-2 hours between feedings. Elizabeth is a good eater. Nursing was burdensome and painful with the twins and I inevitably had to solely pump by the time they were 3 months old. Elizabeth has been a joy to nurse and I actually see how it can be a bonding experience instead of a burden (once again twins, not a guilt trip, it was worth it to keep my precious babies healthy). I think being a mom of two nearly 4 year olds has helped me gain perspective and appreciation for these little stages. I want to treasure all these experiences, as I know this will be our last child (unless the Lord has other plans for us). I know that before you know it we will be celebrating her 1st birthday and then she’ll be 4 in a flash. Elizabeth Irene Manning, we are blessed that God gave you to us and I’m so thankful that his plan was better than anything that Steven or I could have ever dreamed of. Happy one month!