I mean, really, does it get much cuter?
I think not. :)
Collen is adjusting to big brother life pretty well. I'm the one who needs more time to adjust. Having two is tough. There's no other way to put it. Balancing my time between the two has been the biggest struggle. Because of Charlotte being jaundice and the usual "waiting-for-the-milk-to-come-in-so-your-baby-can-nurse-like-crazy" beginning stages of being home with a newborn, I have struggled with finding the balance. Luckily, my mom has been here with me, so Collen has been spoiled by time with his favorite playmate! But, Mommy feels pretty guilty most of the time....I miss spending time just me and him.
Charlotte is a week old now. A WHOLE week! She is doing really well. She is a content baby....very easy and laid back. She sleeps a lot...which I'm trying not to worry about too much. I have to remind myself that newborns sleep. They eat, sleep, poop, repeat. Collen was always restless and alert most of the time. Charlotte is not...just have to get used to her being a different child.
We go in for a weight-check on Thursday to see how Charlotte (and by extension...Mommy) is doing. I'm hoping she is back up to 7lbs at least. She was 7lbs 5oz at birth and got down to 6lbs 10oz. At our last check, she was 6lbs 12oz, and that was after being weighed the day before at 6lbs 10oz. So, if she has continued on the 2oz a day track, we should be doing fine. She is peeing and pooping as she should be, so I'm feeling good about her feedings. I'm much less nervous this time around about feeding her. Collen was my first experience with breastfeeding, so it stressed me out and I obsessed over it to no end. This time around, I still obsess a little, but I'm more confident that she is getting enough and that my supply is good. I'm worried about keeping up my supply because I'm not able to pump much with Collen running around, but again....I'm not going to stress. And if it doesn't work out....then I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I will breastfeed her as long as I can and continued once I go back to work, but if it starts dropping off after returning to work....then I will deal with that as it comes. I'm just going to do the best I can.
I want to get Charlotte's birth story down, soon. I just haven't had time (ha! imagine that!) to sit down and get all of it together without missing something. It was quite exciting....yet uneventful. And uneventful is good for my deliveries! :) My midwife was thrilled to have a drama free delivery this time around.
Until then....thanks for checking in on us. The word of the moment is, "adjust" and we're doing pretty well. :)
Has anyone told you what you are that the guilt you feel over time is normal? It does not change with the more children you have ( I have four)... it is a normal part of the adjustment. Once nursing is not new for you and Charlotte, you can actually use that time for Collen too. There were times I would read to one of my older children while nursing. Also, you will learn that quality (those 5 minutes snuggles of undivided attention) will do wonders for both of you! Paying God will give you laughter and grace as you adjust to a newborn in the mix!
ReplyDeleteTwo is hard! We try to put Luke to bed before Noah so we still get some one on one time with Noah. The grandparents are also really great because occasionally they will watch one or the other so we get one on one time with each child. That's been a big help. I always felt bad for Luke not getting all of the attention we got to give Noah as an only child. It does get easier! She is beautiful and we'll continue to pray for you guys!
ReplyDeleteThe two things I did after my second was born that helped me feel like I was keeping my connection with my first as much as possible were:
ReplyDelete1. Still napping with my older. I would nurse the baby and swaddle her up right before nap time and hand her off to my mom who was content to hold her and let me sleep. When mom left, I still followed that routine and just had the baby nap in the crook of one arm and the toddler in the other. She usually lasted at least till he was asleep. I loved cuddling my older to sleep and didn't want to give that up.
2. Bedtime. I usually nursed the baby while we read stories together in my toddler's bed. Then when it was time for lights out I would swaddle her up and hand her off to daddy and cuddle my toddler to sleep. Or on the nights when daddy wasn't around I would again cuddle both in the crook of an arm till toddler was asleep. It was our time and the newborn didn't get in the way too much because nursing and swaddling seemed to meet all her needs (I was really lucky with an easy 2nd baby). I didn't have to pay attention to her and could really focus on him.
Then, when she woke up in the night I would sing to her and gaze into her eyes and talk to her and smile. It was hard to do those things during the day. The nighttime was the only quiet time she got and I capitalized on it whenever I could. Her first smiles and laughs were deep in the night with mommy and daddy singing to her all by her little self.
Stories and cuddling to sleep at naps and bedtime were the routines that I just wouldn't give up with my toddler. With a little help (or not) I kept those routines sacred.
Good luck adjusting. It's so hard when you have a much-loved older child to keep things similar for him and give your precious little baby everything the older got when he was a baby. It's a balance that you will continue to work on for the rest of your life, but it is a joyful balance that only adds love to your life.
The two things I did after my second was born that helped me feel like I was keeping my connection with my first as much as possible were:
ReplyDelete1. Still napping with my older. I would nurse the baby and swaddle her up right before nap time and hand her off to my mom who was content to hold her and let me sleep. When mom left, I still followed that routine and just had the baby nap in the crook of one arm and the toddler in the other. She usually lasted at least till he was asleep. I loved cuddling my older to sleep and didn't want to give that up.
2. Bedtime. I usually nursed the baby while we read stories together in my toddler's bed. Then when it was time for lights out I would swaddle her up and hand her off to daddy and cuddle my toddler to sleep. Or on the nights when daddy wasn't around I would again cuddle both in the crook of an arm till toddler was asleep. It was our time and the newborn didn't get in the way too much because nursing and swaddling seemed to meet all her needs (I was really lucky with an easy 2nd baby). I didn't have to pay attention to her and could really focus on him.
Then, when she woke up in the night I would sing to her and gaze into her eyes and talk to her and smile. It was hard to do those things during the day. The nighttime was the only quiet time she got and I capitalized on it whenever I could. Her first smiles and laughs were deep in the night with mommy and daddy singing to her all by her little self.
Stories and cuddling to sleep at naps and bedtime were the routines that I just wouldn't give up with my toddler. With a little help (or not) I kept those routines sacred.
Good luck adjusting. It's so hard when you have a much-loved older child to keep things similar for him and give your precious little baby everything the older got when he was a baby. It's a balance that you will continue to work on for the rest of your life, but it is a joyful balance that only adds love to your life.