February Family Update

Where did February go???  I think I just lost an entire month of my life.  The days have blurred together, somewhere between napping and nursing a dozen times a day.  But it's been worthwhile, and the time has been devoted to caring for my newborn.  These are sweet moments that we'll always cherish.

Andrew
Little Andrew is quite the sweetie.  We bonded from the moment I saw him.  During surgery, for reasons I'll divulge later, I remember thinking "I never want to go through this again!"  But then I saw his little face.  I was overwhelmed with love for this little guy, and knew he was worth every bit of pain and misery I'd gone through, and I'd happily do it again for another baby. 

I love my little chunky guy, and in many ways, it's been easier caring for him than it was with my first child.  This time, I know what to expect, for the most part.  Nursing him has been a breeze, although like any newborn, he eats all day long.  He's been gaining weight like crazy.  He does have reflux, which made him pretty fussy at first, but his Zantac is definitely doing the job, so it's been fun to see his happier moments lately and to hear his sweet coos.

Our nights have been pretty good.  Most of the time, he just wakes up, nurses, and goes right back to sleep.  He's a quick nurser, so by the time he eats, burps, and gets a diaper change, I'm usually up for a total of 30 minutes and then we're both back to sleep again.

Isabelle
Isabelle is doing great with her little brother.  I've yet to see a single jealous moment from her.  Much of the time, she's pretty indifferent to him, but other times, she enjoys checking him out, touching his head or his not so little hands (the kid's got great big man-hands, perfect for catching a football one day).  She laughs at the funny faces he makes sometimes.  She has had more whiney moments lately, and I'm not sure if that's part of her adjusting to the changes at our house or if it's part of being a two year old.  I'm learning how to deal with her better when she's whiney, not giving into her demands, but it's definitely been an adjustment.  But overall, it's been a good transition, and I've really appreciated her obedience, especially when I'm busy trying to care for the new little one.

Isabelle spent a week and a half at my mom's while she got over the flu and while I recovered from surgery.  We missed her so much while she was gone.  She came home knowing more than when she left, and has now added numbers and colors to her repertoire, in addition to the alphabet, which she learned several months ago. 

Gabby
I'm healing well from the c-section.  There's still a bit of lingering pain, but it improves all the time, and I'd guess that I'll feel back to myself again by the end of the week.  I remember feeling great at 4 weeks postpartum last time, but then again, Isabelle was already sleeping through the night, so that made a world of a difference! 

It's definitely been a challenge to get used to caring for two little ones while recovering from surgery, but we just take it one day at a time.  We have rough moments sometimes.  One day last week, Andrew was having bad gas and was crying steadily. Meanwhile, Isabelle disobeyed and was spanked.  I ended up with both kids piled into my lap, crying.  But such is life.  I'm so glad I have both of them, and I know that every week will get easier.  The newborn stage is so hard but so sweet, and it'll be over in a matter of weeks. 

Some of My Favorites

• A tiny baby falling asleep in my arms
• Singing to Isabelle at naptime, and ending up with both kids falling asleep to the sound of my voice
• Nursing Andrew and reading books to Isabelle at the same time
• Itty bitty baby clothes
• That newborn smell
• Soft, downy newborn hair
• Delicate newborn skin
• Watching my two year old's fascination with someone so tiny
• Seeing my husband tenderly care for each of our kids
• Peepee surprise!  Every parent of a boy has been sprayed at some point, and we just collapsed into laughter the first time it happened to us.

Being Productive with a New Baby

Here's a list of my accomplishments over the course of the past week:

• Slept
• Nursed the baby 10-14 times per day
• Changed oodles of diapers
• Mastered the art of swaddling

I haven't cooked a meal or washed a dish since coming home from the hospital over a week ago. 

I have, however, learned to say the phrase "Thanks, we'd love that" instead of "no thanks, we're fine."  When someone offers to bring dinner, or when a kind friend offered to bring lunch over one day, it has been tempting to be polite and say "no thanks."  But over the past week, I've chosen to say thanks instead, and appreciate the help and kindness.

I remember talking with a woman from China shortly after I'd had my first child.  She said that in China, a woman is like a queen for months after she has her baby.  All relatives and villagers help out and make sure she doesn't do anything but rest and care for her baby during that time.  I know that the queen mentality stems from their policy of limiting family sizes in China, but even so, it sure sounds nice to me. 

While I haven't necessarily been a queen for the past week, I've gotten a chance to really recover after surgery and get the rest I need to adequately care for my child.  I've stayed in my pajamas every day, except to go to the doctor last week.  Several older, wiser moms, including my own mother, have told me that the only things I should do for a while is nurse and rest.  There will be time for cleaning & cooking later.  I get to cuddle with my baby now.  And I think I'll do just that.