The best of Imaya...

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I am soooo excited to get my new camera...

Imaya's one month checkup

On July 28th, Mommy, Daddy and Imaya went to go see Dr. Cook for Imaya's one month appointment. Daddy had CQ the night before so he was able to go with. We were so excited to spend the day with daddy! Imaya weighed 9 lbs. She is in the 50th percentile, meaning that 50 percent of babies the same age and gender as your baby weigh within the same range.

Imaya is now 19 inches long, which is the 60th percentile.

It really doesn't matter what percentile Imaya falls into. What doctors are generally looking for on a growth chart is that baby stay relatively consistent in their growth pattern. Imaya was in the 50th percentile for height and weight when she was born. Therefore, her growth is normal at this point. According to her birth weight and height, Imaya should gain 9 1/2 lbs the first year and grow 6 1/4 inches. We are so happy that Imaya is doing so well. We are so blessed to have a healthy, beautiful baby girl!

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In addition to her scheduled checkup, Imaya received her 2nd HBV (Hepatis B) shot. We aren't sure if it bothered her or not, because she was already crying before the shot was administered. I had to interrupt her feeding for the checkup, therefore, she was not a happy camper! Hepatis B protects against the hepatitis B virus, which attacks the liver. There are three doses: at birth, between 1 and 2 months, and between 6 and 18 months.

Happy one month birthday Imaya

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This month has brought about many changes. Imaya is now keeping her gaze and his following an objects with her eyes. She feeds regularly and often keeping me from doing many of the tasks around the house that need to get done. She sometimes falls asleep before she finishes eating, therefore, she is up an hour later for the rest of her feeding. After feeding, I bring her to my chest and burp her. Most of the time she doesn't burp. Instead, she spits up me. Then, after is a deep sleep I transfer her to the crib on her belly for her nap until the next feeding. While she sleeps I often see many smiles and last week started hearing her giggling. When she begins to wake up from her nap she grunts and begins her 2-5 minutes stretching routine. Her stretches are the cutest thing I have ever seen!
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We are still breastfeeding, however, Imaya does get a bottle of formula or pumped milk 3-5 times a week. We do this at night, so dad can feed her. Usually, if we do this she eats about 4 to 5 oz. When she does this, she sleeps 4 to 5 hours during the night. The first couple of nights, I woke up in a complete panic that something was wrong with her because she had not woke up. Now, I enjoy that sleep!

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We were unable to take our pictures with Collins Photography this week due to the photographer having difficulties post labor. We will be taking them the third or fourth week in August. Until then, I have purchased a Canon Rebel XSI to get started with my own photography. Thank you mom and dad for the birthday gift of a camera as that is what I used my money for. I already purchased three "how to" books. I can't wait to get started taking pictures of my beautiful subject! So far, I have just been messing around with the pictures I have already taken.

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Mommy update:

As for me, I am still experiencing some pain and tenderness in the peri area due to tearing really bad during labor. Imaya was so excited to meet her mommy and daddy that she did not wait for the Doctor to perform a episiotomy. In addition, I have been experiencing back pain in the upper portion of my back/shoulders. I believe this is due to holding Imaya when breastfeeding and etc. I am unable to sleep on my back as a result, which is quite hard for me since I am a back sleeper! I hope that both will subside with time=)

After a bath...

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Imaya was just chilling out after her bath. I figured it was a photo opportunity as she was not screaming like she usually is after a bath. I love that she has more facial expressions as she gets older...

Imaya spends a day with the Soldiers

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Imaya went with me this weekend to drill. I was pretty skeptical as to how it would all work out with the noise, breast feeding, and etc. However, the weekend ended up going very well with the exception of me not getting much sleep at all. On Saturday, she slept most of the day while I worked on my S-3 duties and Sunday afternoon we had our family day activities at Happy Hollow. There were so many new babies there...I want to say that there were 5 under 4 weeks old. Imaya definitely had the most hair!! Pictured with Imaya is my battle buddy Jess Cowman. Unfortunately, her and her husband are moving to Fort Stewart, Georgia for his next assignment. We will miss them lots, but wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

ZZZZZ.....

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I don't know what it is about sleeping babies...but I love photographing them. When Imaya is sleeping I find myself getting out the camera quite often. Since her birth, I have found an interest in photography and hope to start learning how to take professional pictures. I was inspired by my college buddy Michelle Warren. She started learning, I believe, after the birth of her first daughter as well. She was now blessed with a son and continues to take great photos. Take a look below.

Tomorrow, we go take our professional pictures...not looking forward to the price tag on those! Another reason why I am interested in taking my own photos. We had my belly pictures taken at the same place, Collins Photography. So, stay tuned for the reveal of our pictures!

3 weeks old

Almost a whole three weeks has passed by. It took me almost two weeks and my mother visiting to adjust to the feedings and get some good sleep. This week, I feel like a brand new woman. I apologize for the lack of communication these last few weeks. I promise that the pictures will be more frequent now as Imaya is napping on her own.

Imaya has been to the doctor every week since her birth due to losing body weight. She was born at 7 lbs 14 oz. When we left the hospital she was 7 lbs 9 oz, which is normal for a baby to lose weight the first couple days. Then, a week later she was 7 lbs 6 oz. The next week, she was back up to 7 lbs 9 oz. She should have been gaining about an once a day at this point. Needless to say, I was getting concerned. Was she getting enough breast milk? Should I supplement with bottles? Her Dr. recommended I supplement and my doctor gave me a medication to help. However, I held off on both and just tried to eat better. It worked!! Today, Imaya was 8 lbs 4 oz. She gained 8 oz this week. I was so elated to find out that all is well and that we are on schedule with the feedings.

The next hurdle that we overcame over these few weeks was napping/sleeping. Imaya did so well sleeping in the hospital...she woke up every 2 to 3 hours during the day to eat and actually slept 5 hours the second night. However, when we went home it was a totally different Imaya. Only one word explained the new Imaya...colicky. The first week, she was most intense during the night. She would not sleep in her crib and was up almost all night. The second week I figured out that she would sleep on belly on my chest at night. Therefore, her most intense crying spells now were durin the day. After trying a vibrating chair, swing, bassinet, and crib I realized that she just doesn't like to sleep on her back. So, as long as I can sneak her in her bassinet on her tummy, she is good. If I only would have known this earlier. Now, I know that all the baby books DO NOT recommend this...but I guarantee you that when you and I were young we probably slept on our stomach because that is what the doctor recommended back then. I am, however, very cautious and check her religiously as a result of going against advice. I sit here now writing in peace and quiet with my little angel right beside me sleeping...silence...something I took for granted.

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Some of Imaya's favorite things:

hanging out with dad before bed

riding in the car

getting her hair washed/head rubbed

stretching for a good 2-3 minutes after a nap

going #1 and #2 on mom and dad

being held, carressed, and carried

Happy Birthday to me!

Today we headed to Springfield for my birthday. Luckily, TJ had CQ (change of quarters) the night before. Since TJ was up all night performing the duties of CQ, he got the next day off. CQ shifts rotate throughout the company. The CQ shift runs after normal duty hours when the drill sergeant or other noncommissioned officer. Mainly, they ensure that all Soldiers are accounted for and the CQ shifts of the basic training Soldiers perform their assigned nightly duties.

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For my birthday, TJ bought me a mother's ring. It has two stones: Alexandrite for Imaya and Ruby for me. I am so excited to go pick it up. But even better than the ring was spending the day with Imaya and TJ. Those moments are truly cherished moments that I will never forget!
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I have to tell a little story about the picture of Imaya in her car seat. I swear if she knew how to smile, she would be grinning from ear to ear in this picture! The story goes...daddy took Imaya out to the car to change her while I made a pit stop in the bathroom. When I got to the car, TJ informed me that I only had wipes that needed to be wet in the car. So, I had to run back into the mall and wet the wipe. I returned and TJ began cleaning Imaya...when she decided to pee all over. So, here I am holding our naked baby in the air, while daddy dumped the pee drenched changing pad on the ground. I had tears in my eyes it was so comical.