Our little Annabelle is 2 weeks old already!
So far, she is a really good baby. She is nursing well every 3-4 hours during the day and usually gives me a 4-5 hour stretch between feedings once a night. The last couple of nights, she’s been nursing every 2-3 hours and hard to get back to sleep, but I’m hoping that just means she’s going through a growth spurt, and will go back to longer stretches soon. Otherwise, Annabelle sleeps pretty much all the time. She doesn’t seem to mind her carseat at all (yet…), is totally content to sleep in her swing with the vibration on both day and night, and doesn’t wake up even when Emma is yelling loudly and standing right next to her. I don’t get to hold Annabelle as much as I would like (since I’m chasing Emma around) but I’m thankful that she is as content as she is to sleep on her own. Emma wanted to be held all the time.
Annabelle went to her first pediatrician appointment the Tuesday after she was born. She had been discharged from the hospital at 7 lbs 8 oz, and at her appointment was up to 7 lbs 9 oz, so we don’t have to go back to the doctor until she’s a month old. Her eyes turned a little yellow from bilirubin, but she is peeing and pooping a ton (which helps get rid of jaundice) so I’m not worried. I don’t remember this with Emma, but Annabelle’s farts/poops are SO loud and wet! I keep expecting to see a total blowout when I change her diaper, but there’s usually just a little squirt of something in there. It’s impressive that a person that little can make such a loud noise.
Annabelle doesn’t cry much (yet…), but when she does, it’s because she’s getting her diaper changed, her clothes changed (she really doesn’t like being cold), wants to be swaddled (loosely — she does not like a tight swaddle!), or is uncomfortable from gas or an air bubble. Most of the time, though, she wakes up to nurse and falls back asleep right afterward. When she does stay awake for a little while, she is mostly content to just look around, whether she’s being held or not.
Big sis is adjusting to Annabelle well overall. Emma loves checking on “Baby” as we call her (since Annabelle is a little tricky) and is obsessed with making sure that Annabelle wears a hat at all times. She also loves to “hold” Annabelle — meaning I place Annabelle on Emma’s lap and hold her there while Emma “holds” her. Emma has been pretty good about being gentle, though there have been plenty of times already that she is too rough. I’m sure they won’t be the last. Nothing too serious though. Annabelle has only cried a few times from things Emma has done.
So far, the hardest part about having 2 young kids has been Emma’s need for attention while I’m nursing Annabelle. Poor Annabelle gets her nursing sessions interrupted fairly often. Just today, Emma emerged from her room with a sheepish grin as I was sitting on the couch nursing Annabelle. I called Emma over to find out what she was getting into and discovered that she was buck-naked. I had taken her clothes off for lunch (we had spaghetti and I hate dealing with sauce stains) and she had then removed her diaper. Other problems during nursing have been Emma getting into lotion, toothpaste or soap (she is getting very clever in reaching things she couldn’t before!), wanting to sit on my lap or cuddle, wanting a refill on food or drink, or needing me to do something for her and refusing to be patient.
One thing we have done with Emma that has proven helpful is buy child safety knob covers. We put one on our bathroom, one on Travis’ office, and one on the door that leads to the stairs from the basement (so that she can’t go upstairs without me). I’m thinking about buying some more so that we can keep her out of the other two bathrooms and the utility room too. Otherwise, Emma can get into any room she wants and to truly childproof everything would be sort of ridiculous.
The dogs have adapted to a new baby well. Katy pretty much ignores Annabelle and Charlie just sniffs her every once in a while.
I plan to do a postpartum update soon so I’ll save the details on how I’m adjusting to being a mother of 2 for then, but for now I’ll just say that it’s going WAY better than I thought it would. I know a lot of that has to do with Annabelle being a good baby, but I think also that it’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking about a new situation before it happens, but once you are actually put into the situation, you find a rhythm or routine that works for you and your family, and realize you were freaking out unnecessarily. It’s also easier to respond to the specific reality of a situation when you’re actually dealing with it, instead of just thinking (and worrying) about all the different “what ifs” ahead of time. (And can I just say that after having an extremely busy toddler to chase after all day, the days that Emma is at daycare and I have only Annabelle seem like a walk in the park? That’s not meant to discredit the major life changes a new mom goes through — because I had a hard time with them myself — but to just muse on how different things are the second time around. Like that Luvs commercial where they contrast the mom’s actions with the first child and second child. First child: Require anyone who holds your baby to douse themselves in hand sanitizer. Second child: Ask the car mechanic to hold your baby while you write a check. They’re funny because it’s true!)
Life, Really Blog 