Phoebe: One Month

Dear Phoebe:

You turned one month old on Sunday, April 15.  What a whirlwind month it has been since you were born.  We spent your first four days in the hospital getting to know one another, and then we made the transition home. Because I'm still in pain, we've kept your big sister, Charlotte, in daycare because she's just too heavy for me to pick up.  Although I wish Charlotte were with us, it's so been nice being able to focus all my weekday hours with you.

You are overall a very happy and mellow baby.  Although you have really bad gas and stomach pains, you generally grunt instead of cry -  and it pains me and your Daddy to see you in pain, but you handle it so well.  You started out a very good sleeper, but the gas keeps you up, but once you've got it out, you pass out almost immediately.  We've had some rough nights, but I think we might be over the hump. Last week, when you were exactly 4 weeks old, you gave us a nearly 7 hour stretch - from 8:30 to 3:30.  It was pretty amazing, except I woke up at 1PM certain that something was wrong and had to run to your room to make sure you were still breathing.  Since then, you've averaged about 5 or 6 hours for your first stretch and 3 to 4 hours for your second.  Waking up once at 3 or 3:30 is pretty nice, and keeps us sane.  You're also really good these days about going to bed between 8:30 and 9.  I try to keep you up until about 8PM, so that you're good and ready for some milk and bed.  This generally involves tummy time, which you don't seem to like very much unless Charlotte is holding some toy in front of your face.  In fact, you hate tummy time so much, you've already rolled over onto your back at least twice from sheer determination.

You're starting to smile when you're awake.  I make silly faces at you and you smile for a few seconds before turning very concerned, like you're wondering what on Earth I'm doing.

You love taking a bath.  We started out giving you a bath every 3 or 4 days, but you love it so much, that we're giving you a bath in the baby tub every other day while Charlotte takes a bath.  You just sit in there totally content, looking out at me in the mirror. 

Your big sister adores you. She calls you "my baby" and asks about you first thing when we get her up in the morning.  She loves to help take care of you.  Charlotte will bring me your gas drops or diapers, or whatever it is we ask of her.  She really wants to be a big helper.  Sometimes she loves you just a little bit too much, and we have to stop her from hugging you too hard.  Charlotte has become very nurturing toward her baby doll, whom she has renamed "Baby Doll Phoebe."

We can't believe you're already a month old.  In some ways, it feels like you just got here, but mostly, it feels like we can't remember a time when you weren't here.  You definitely complete our little family.

Matching hats that my old boss knitted for the girls

Love,

Mommy

Bunnies, Eggs and Overdoing It

Although I have all these stories I want to capture, I don't have the time nor the energy, so I'm collapsing what should be two posts into one.

We had a great Easter. Charlotte's daycare was closed on Friday and Monday, so on Friday, I decided to have her decorate Easter eggs. One of my playgroup moms and her son came over and helped, and it was a lot of (messy) fun.  Charlotte apparently loves hard boiled eggs and would eat multiple ones in one sitting if I'd let her.

On Saturday, we took Charlotte to the Easter egg hunt in nearby El Dorado Hills (I heard that the Folsom one had something like 5,000 kids and was crazy).  Charlotte participated in the two and under hunt.  Since she's almost three, she basically ruled the Easter egg hunt, and collected a lot of eggs.  Two of her eggs had special certificates for prizes in them - an Easter cookie "pop" and a little Easter bunny stuffed animal.  She kept the cookie pop and gave the stuffed animal to Phoebe. (such a good sharer!)

This girl needs no parental help like all of the other toddlers!

On Easter Sunday, we had two families over for Easter brunch.  Charlotte and her birthday buddy Samantha (Sam is exactly one year younger than Charlotte) had their own Easter egg hunt in our backyard. 

Samantha's basket was quickly overflowing with brightly colored eggs

Charlotte wore this adorable dress I ordered on Zulily.  When I put it on her, she twirled around and said "I'm a ballerina!"

Demonstrating her "Ballerina" moves

Chris' mom sent Phoebe an adorable Easter bunny outfit, which she wore most of the day, even if I didn't take a picture of her until the end of the night.

Check out the cute bunny slippers and bunny hat

All this to say, we had a very eventful weekend. So eventful in fact, that I noticed that my incision site was beginning to hurt quite a bit on Saturday and Sunday.  Up until this point, the pain was lessening each day and barely noticeable. I went to the doctor on Monday to make sure that the incision wasn't infected. The doctor said it looked "beautiful" but that I was clearly overdoing it given that I explained that the pain increased as the day wore on.  She said that I need to take it easy for at least the next three weeks.  Now, silly me, I thought I was taking it easy - I mean, it's not like I'm trying to run a 5K or lift weights or anything. I guess the simple act of just going about my day like normal is getting to be too much.  It's frustrating because I desperately want to feel normal again and start going on long walks during the day. I've lost 30 of the nearly 50 pounds I've gained, but it's going to be hard to continue that weight loss when I basically shouldn't be doing anything but sitting around.  In the meantime, it's back to round-the-clock Ibuprofen and making sure I don't lift our 30 pound preschooler.

A Tale of Two Babies

I'm obviously not getting around to posting as much as I'd like, but well, having a newborn and a very opinionated (and oftentimes defiant) two year old makes it a little difficult.

It's been really interesting learning the similarities and differences between Charlotte and Phoebe.

Charlotte would not let me put her down. Someone had to hold her nonstop for most of the first few weeks of her life.

Phoebe is actually pretty content being put anywhere - her crib, the bassinet, the bouncer.  She'll look at whatever is around and putting in the pacifier makes her happy enough to get through dinner and deal with the older-I-don't-want-to-eat-anything-but-Mac and Cheese-daughter.

Charlotte was an excellent sleeper, pretty much from day one.  We had to wake her up for most feedings, and after her two week well baby checkup, we were given permission to let her go for as long as she wanted.

Phoebe is not as great of a sleeper.  We've only had one night of back to back four hour stretches - the rest of the nights have been a mix of 2 to 3 hours. We think part of this is because Phoebe caught Charlotte's cold.   Of course, Charlotte didn't get sick until she went to daycare at 3 months old, but we can't keep the toddler germs entirely in check anymore. Poor Phoebe has been so congested.  The other reason Phoebe doesn't sleep as well? At two weeks old, Phoebe is at the weight Charlotte was when she lost weight at two days old - 8 lbs 14 oz.  We have a long ways to go to get to Charlotte's birth weight of 9 lbs 9 oz.  In other news, Phoebe is actually longer than Charlotte was at two weeks - 22.75 inches. Impressive!

Charlotte was addicted to her pacifier from the minute we gave it to her, one sleepless night. And it became (until recently) the only way she'd go to sleep.

Phoebe will take the pacifier, but she's by no means addicted and sometimes she refuses it outright. Luckily, she has no problem taking it when we're out and about, which helps a lot.  At night, it's a toss up. Most times, simply nursing her will do the trick.

Charlotte had pretty much no stomach issues and spit up maybe once or twice ever.

Phoebe has horrible, horrible gas.  It's really the only time she ever cries.  There were periods of time last week when she went red in the face, arched her back and started screaming.  Her poor tummy was so tight.  We've started giving her gas drops every four hours or so, and they seem to work.

We've been really bad about taking pictures so far.  The days just seem to fly by with the nonstop nursing.  But here's one I took today when we got back from seeing the Hunger Games.  It was $5 ticket day at the movie theater, and because it's also Spring Break, the movie theater was packed.  Phoebe did great, and after a quick top off at the beginning of the movie, she slept the entire time.  It was really nice to get out.