January 28, 2012

Brrrr! This morning got off to a chilly start. We were nice and warm inside for a while...until the heat went out. Olivia and I were taking a nap and I didn't realize that I was slowly adding more and more blankets. When I woke up my face felt chilly. I checked the thermostat and ... no heat. Olivia and I got our things together, bundled up and went out for some lunch and to visit the Abel ladies. We weren't going to stay in a cold house. (It never got too cold, probably in the 50s.) But boy was it cold outside! The ice fog was thick and we hit temperatures in the -50s! Not a good day for Fairbanks Utilities to run out of natural gas!

Olivia really enjoyed visiting Jessica & Sarah. She sat up, with some assistance from Jessica, most of the time and was holding her own head up and turning it from side to side. Sarah held her and sang her some pretty songs, so sweetly. I got to eat my lunch not over Olivia's head! Once we got the call that the heat was probably fixed, we went back to check on it. It was! Hooray!

This morning, before we went out, I brought the Boppy back downstairs. I'd left it upstairs a few days ago and we've been nursing without it. However, I think Olivia really prefers it to a regular pillow. It keeps her head up and she seemed to be able to nurse with more ease. She also likes to stay squished inside of it for a post-nursing nap.

Olivia was very snuggly this afternoon. She's also gotten very good at pulling hair. It might be time for me to start keeping my hair tied back. I've also learned that Olivia really prefers to sleep on her side. Her hiccuping and some other symptoms she's been exhibiting during feedings make me wonder if she's got a little acid reflux problem. Two of the main ways to deal with this, according to the internet, is to have the baby sleep on a slight incline and/or to sleep on their left side to aid digestion. Perhaps this is why Olivia likes to sleep in the 'nest'. It keeps her on a modest incline. Since I propped her on her side after our last feeding, she's been sleeping for about four hours. I would say that's a success! Any time she starts to cry I just reach over and hold her hand, and she stops right away.

Olivia's eyelashes have darkened. They were so very blonde before, but now it's very clear how long they are. Her eyebrows are still very light though. So many changes, little ones and big ones. It's hard to believe that she's five weeks old today. The time is flying. One part of me doesn't want this time to fly, because it is so precious, while the other part is happy that it is flying because that means that Daddy will be home soon! It'll probably be a while before we go to bed in earnest, but I thought I'd take advantage of the quiet(er) moment and get this post up. Hopefully the night continues in this vein...