Whooo hoo! We have officially hit our stride as a family of four! I had always heard that the transition from one to two was the most difficult (by three, four, etc. apparently you’re just adding another to the mix…?) There certainly was an adjustment period, but we have all settled nicely into our new normal.

A few months ago, I was able to work the girls into a schedule so that they both nap at the same time every afternoon, which is HUGE. At eight months old, Nora still takes one cat nap in the morning and a long nap during her sister’s nap time. We’re lucky that even if Dakota isn’t in the mood to nap, she’s happy to play on her own for TWO WHOLE HOURS in her room (let’s face it, there’s plenty to keep her occupied in that room!)

Two months have gone by and our sweet little babe has developed quite a personality. Dakota loves to spend her hours awake playing with her rattles and “activity” toys. She’s perfectly content to lay in her crib as we wind up her mobile and watch it unravel over and over again.

I’ve started back to work (part time, from home) so instead of daily outings, our mornings and afternoons are filled with fun little games around the house. This way I can quickly dive into work during naps.

Where has the time gone? We can hardly believe our sweet girl is 4 weeks old already. At 11lbs and 22.5 inches, she’s in the 90^th percentile for weight and length. We just can’t get over her adorable pudgy roles and chubby cheeks.

Although we aren’t on a consistent routine just yet, we are getting a bit more sleep with only two feedings a night. She’s spending more time awake during the day and she’s quite alert, curiously staring and chatting. She’s especially noisy, cooing and snorting, when she sleeps!

Our first week with baby Dakota has been euphoric.

We aren’t sleeping much but every time we look at Dakota’s sweet little face or hold her tiny body in our arms, we can’t believe we made this little creature. My favorite part of each day is when we snuggle up in the armchair by the fireplace for early morning feedings and skin-to-skin cuddles. Dakota and I are lucky in that we’ve both taken to breastfeeding naturally (and boy, can she eat!)

4:40am on October 31st, 2017 marks the best moment of our lives and the start to a never-ending journey that will fundamentally alter everything we know and feel in all the best ways possible.

This seems like the perfect opportunity to start a blog so we can share this journey with close friends and family. We’re aiming for a photo diary of sorts that we can look back on as sweet Dakota grows up and our burgeoning family evolves. We hope this is the first of many posts that give you a glimpse into this new chapter in our lives.