4 Weeks!

My sweet baby girl is 4 weeks old today!  I can't believe how fast she is growing.  I also can't believe that I have a class starting tomorrow and that I go back to work on Monday morning.  I've discovered that I am definitely not suited to be a stay at home mom.  I love my little one and I love spending time with her, but I really just need to have a schedule and feel like I'm accomplishing something.  Soooo.....back to work for me.  Ryan still has another 2 weeks off, so I'm not at all concerned for Layla's state of mind or well being.

I also wanted to throw in an update on the sleeping situation.  After doing some research and talking to my physician, we decided to put Layla on a flexible schedule and let her learn to fall asleep without being rocked.  I know a ton of people don't agree with letting her cry it out, but there has been a ton of new research on the subject and it has shown absolutely no adverse affect on the baby's bonding or learning.  Plus, our family faces the fact that we WILL NOT be able to hold her at all hours of the day come Monday morning.  We both have to work, and no day care or any other caretaker will hold her constantly while we are away.  So an update on her progress:  After one day of teaching her the ropes and our new schedule, she sleeps perfectly at night, stays awake for about an hour after each feeding, takes a nap for about 2.5 hours at a time, and is generally less fussy now than she was when we were constantly holding her.  It takes her on average 5 minutes to go to sleep on her own, and Ryan and I are much less exhausted and frustrated.  So with that said, this method may not be for everyone, but it has certainly worked wonders for our family.

NOW: on to Layla's 4 Week Old Photo Shoot