Josephine is 1 month old

Dear Josephine,

Welcome home, my tiny love. Today you are one month old. These days with you still feel surreal. Some days I still can’t wrap my head around how incredibly blessed we have been to welcome home our third healthy, beautiful baby girl. Three adoptions; three incredible birth moms we have the honor to know and love. I don’t know what I did in this life to deserve such an honor, such love, but I’m forever grateful.

This was by far the fastest month of my entire life. Life with you and your two sisters is filled with so much love, but it presents its own challenges, making time pass by all the faster. Being a mother to a newborn, a potty-training toddler and a pre-schooler with ADHD and SPD is the hardest job I've ever had, but I’m forever grateful to Daddy, Mimi and Poppa for stepping in and helping me keep my sanity and not let one thing go in regards to our ever-demanding life.

From the moment you entered our hearts, you started lighting up our world. You have this peace and calmness about you unlike your sisters had as newborns. Heaven and Earth moved to make you ours and you feel right at home in our arms – I think you feel right at home too. It’s incredible how quickly the human heart can love someone they’ve only just met. We loved you and your birth family the moment we laid eyes on you. And with each new day, that love has grown and will never cease for the rest of our days.

Here’s a peek into your world at one month old:

• ·      Tummy time – you are not a fan. You kick your little feet and push yourself right over and back onto your back. We practice unsuccessfully, but we practice. This time may only last a minute or two, but I’m not concerned. Your true tummy time is on my chest and your neck muscles are getting stronger by the day.
• ·      You are my sleepiest baby by far. You were welcomed into this world three weeks early and I think that may be why. You sleep about 22 hours a day right now and are only awake for a few minutes at a time.
• ·      You never cry. You make a couple little grunts, we tend to your need and it’s over. That’s it. You are the most easy-going baby I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and you are ours! My always calm, always peaceful tiny baby girl.
• ·      You love baths. We thought for sure we might get a cry out of you (not that we wanted to, but we were anticipating it) during your first bath – nope, not a peep. You loved it! You just laid there peacefully and let us wash away.
• ·      As of now, you don’t like your baby swing, but you don’t mind your bouncer. But, lucky for you, we have enough hands here when Mimi and Poppa are in town, that you are always in someone’s loving arms. How lucky you are... Or if you aren’t in someone’s arms, Mommy is carrying you in my wrap – you love it and fall asleep instantly.
• ·      You lost your umbilical cord after just a week – that was so fast! I wish it would have hung on a little longer so I could breathe in that fresh from the hospital baby newness a little more. 
• You've always been a great eater, but you do have a bit of trouble latching on to your bottle.  You started out eating 2 ounces every 2 hours and now you eat 3-4 ounces every 2-4 hours (you tell us when you are ready!).       

Birth:

5lbs 10oz

19 inches 

2 weeks old:

5lbs 10 oz (<1%)

18 inches (<1%) – someone measured wrong along the way. You didn’t shrink an inch – promise!

1 month old:

You don't go back to the doctor until you are 2 months old, so per the scale at home – you weighed almost 7 lbs. Still our tiny little baby swimming in newborn clothes.

My tiny love, you are amazing in every single way possible.  In one short month, you have enriched our lives and brought so much happiness to not only us, but your sisters who are obsessed with you and your every move. It’s been incredible to watch your sisters love on you. They, just like us, fell in love with you the moment they met you. You are our dream come true, our happily ever after and God has blessed us far greater than we ever imagined.  You are loved by our family so dearly, it brings tears to my eyes.  To simply say you are special would never be enough.  You are the center of our world.  And just as we promised, we love you with our whole hearts, our entire being, forever. 

We love you beyond measure,

Mommy, Daddy, Emeline and Giselle

(and Oskar and George, too!)