E is 2 Weeks Old (Plus 2 Days)

"Good Morning" kisses!  Lia loves giving the baby kisses.

Well, I've been at this "mom of 2" thing for a couple weeks now.  I suppose things are going pretty well.  Lia is learning not to hit/poke/tug/lay on the baby (sort of). Sometimes she loves the baby, sometimes she gets very jealous and whines and tries to pull me off the couch when I'm feeding Eleanor.  But overall I think she's doing so great for having her life turned upside down so unexpectedly.  Every morning the first thing she says to me is "Baby? Baby?" She is obsessed with E's binkies. If the binky is not in the baby's mouth, she tries to cram it in.  If it is in the baby's mouth, she yanks it out.  She has to make sure the baby always has her binky and a blanky on her.  She always lets me know when the baby's crying and loves throwing the dirty diapers away for me.  I love her so much.

Eleanor is also doing well! At her 2 week appointment she was 9 lbs 7 oz! Such a big strong girl!  I am not surprised she has passed her birthweight already. She looooooves to eat.  She never goes more than 2 hours between feedings, even at night. Nights are hard.  It's only been in the last two nights that she's slept between feedings all night long.  For the first two weeks she'd wake up to eat and then want to be awake for a while.  She loves being held, especially upright against my chest (I've had to spend a few nights trying to sleep sitting on the couch because she didn't want to lay down).   She is not content to just sit by herself in her swing or bouncer unless she is deeply asleep.  Usually Dustin or I have to snuggle with her in our bed for at least part of the night, because she doesn't love her bassinet.  The past two nights have been good though, she has slept in her bassinet most of the night and hasn't woken up between feedings, so I am hopeful she'll keep getting better and better and I'll have 4 or 5 hours of sleep in a row sometime soon.  (Please, baby, please, learn how to go more than 2 hours between feedings! Please!)  

Another thing about Eleanor is, she poops more than any baby I've known.  Lia didn't poop much as a newborn, but Eleanor has pooped every time I change her diaper, plus she usually poops in the new diaper as soon as I put it under her clean bum.  What a stinker! (Literally) She is also a very noisy baby.  She is always making squeaky noises and little coos and cries.  She growls when she's angry or hungry and it's funny. I don't know if it's just because she's bigger than normal (90th percentile for height and weight) or what, but she has a very loud cry! Not a squeaky little newborn cry.

It sure has been an adjustment having a newborn in the house again.  I forgot how little sleep you get.  I forgot how often you have to change diapers (even in the middle of the night).  I forgot how much I hate umbilical cord stumps (E finally lost hers today!). I did my first load of laundry since having the baby today....and only because I am totally out of clean burp rags.  I forgot how much laundry a tiny baby makes.  It's been fun remembering how cute and tiny and funny and snuggly newborns are.  It's been fun seeing how already Eleanor has a different personality than Lia, and seeing Lia gradually get used to having the baby around, and even enjoying her now and then. I still feel pretty disorganized in life right now.  Dishes don't get done often, dinners are pretty dismal, and I spend most of my time each day sitting on the couch either nursing the baby or just being lazy.  It's hard to have energy when you're sleep deprived.  We are glad Eleanor is here with us though.  She is so sweet.