Rachel: 2 Months

     Rachel is two months old today. Where the first month flew by, the second month has kind of dragged.     
     Around 6 weeks we hit a bit of a wall. Josh felt like he wasn't handling the adjustment to a family of four well, even though I felt like things were going much better than we had anticipated. Up until 6 weeks, Rachel had been fairly chill, but then she started getting fussy. Now, two and a half weeks later, she seems to be mellowing back out a little, but the second month has definitely been harder. (Laura was like that too, although her fussy period started at about week four and lasted much longer.) Laura has also been more difficult the past few weeks, as well. Maybe she is just acting out because she senses everyone is a little more on edge, but she has been pulling out all the stops lately. The worst part is, she knows exactly what makes me the most mad the fastest - clever little monkey, she is. One of them is her chanting in an impossibly annoying manner, "Baby Rachel, wake up!" while Rachel is sleeping. I know she is just doing this to get (negative) attention from me, but it really takes all of my control not to pummel her when she does this. Luckily, this particular behaviour seems to be on the downswing now. She has now taken to poking her in the eye or pulling her hair. Sigh.
     On a happier note, as of week six, Rachel has also started smiling at people. It's pretty cute - if you smile at her, she'll smile back. Or randomly at the fence. She is also cooing and gurgling a lot more now, too, which is also pretty cute. She has outgrown all her newborn clothes, so this past weekend I went through her dresser and re-organized everything, putting away all the too small items. She is still in the newborn cloth diapers, as they are supposed to go to 12 pounds, but I suspect she will be out of those shortly, too. She was 9 pounds 12 ounces at her 8 week check-up last week and 21.5 inches long. She had her first needles, then, too, which she didn't like too much. When we got home in the afternoon she was inconsolable for a while so I caved and gave her some Tempra, which seemed to help. I may or may not have cried from putting her through that. Poor little thing.
     We have also officially moved Rachel out of our room this past week. All of her clothes and laundry and changing station, et cetera that we had in our room are now in the nursery. We've been trying to transition her to sleeping in there, too. She sleeps in there in her cradle from about 10pm until 2am, and when she wakes up to feed, I bring her back into our room so I can nurse her in bed. She stays with us after that and usually wakes up again at about 5:30am. Sometimes she stays awake then for about an hour, but will eventually go back to sleep, and luckily for me, Laura doesn't usually wake up until after 8am, so I usually get to go back to sleep, too. We are planning to get Rachel a mattress for her crib this week because there isn't really enough room in the nursery for the crib and the cradle.
     Oh, and she has also started trying to suck her... fist. Or thumb, or something. It's not really working very well for her right now, so we'll see if anything pans out. I remember Laura went through something similar, but it never caught on. She is also starting to look less like Laura, I think. The first 7 weeks or so, I was considering having them genetically tested for being twins, but lately Rachel's face has started taking on it's own shape. There are some other subtle differences too, that are beginning to make themselves more pronounced.

Summer!

Laura and Rachel with all their girl cousins :)

     First long weekend of the summer = love.

   It has certainly been summery weather here for the past few weeks (read: too hot to not live with a/c!).
Saturday we were planning to host a BBQ for the neighbours, so we hit up the grocery store as early as possible (for a family of 4 who sleeps in until 8:00am), and then came home and did a quick tidy of the house. Then we took off to the cottage for the afternoon for a swim. One of my cousins that we hadn't seen in four years was going to be up, so we wanted to make sure we got to see her and her kiddos! It was nice to have a quick visit with everyone, and we enjoyed swimming in the lake. Laura was a little unsure of the waves, but eventually decided she liked them so long as she was clinging to Mommy or Daddy like the baby monkey she is. :) Rachel slept in her carseat the whole time we were swimming. Bless her. <3
 We headed home in the late afternoon to finish up prep for the BBQ. Homemade chicken burgers from Weelicious.com (they're sooo yummy - we have made them several times now) and a crunchy broccoli salad I found on Pinterest that turned out to be delicious, as well. We sort of ended up commandeering the neighbours' house for the BBQ as they have a patio table to eat at and we don't. They brought some yummy treats for dessert and we had a good time sitting around and chatting while Laura and their daughter played in the yard with the toys and pool. That night everyone needed a bath, so we decided to bath the girls together for the first time. This was only the second time Rachel has been in the big tub, but she sure loves it!

 

    Sunday we were planning to go strawberry picking first thing in the morning (before it got too hot). Unfortunately, Laura has developed the charming little habit of trying to take off in the other direction if she doesn't like the plans you have for her. So, as Josh was trying to get her dressed for the day, she attempted this little stunt and he grabbed her arm to keep her put. She immediately started screaming like she was being murdered. She continued to complain about her "eye-bow" while fairly hysterical for several minutes. We decided to call the Big Al Hotline to see if he thought we should get her checked out for a dislocation. He said if she could rotate her lower arm, she was probably fine. She couldn't. She wouldn't let us touch it without more hysterics, and she was just letting it hang limply. So, we trucked off to the ER, really the absolute last place I wanted to be on a beautiful summery long weekend. It was probably around 9:00 - 9:30am at this point, but the waiting room was already hopping. When we arrived, Laura was in hysterics again because I had to move her arm to get her out of the car seat, and there were several people in front of us just waiting to be triaged. Siiiiigh. So we sat down and I tried to calm her. Once she didn't have to move her arm anymore, she was fine and began chatting with the lady waiting beside us. After we had been there for about 15 minutes, she seemed to have forgotten about it, and was carrying Pooh Bear around and using her arm normally again. I took her over to where Josh was sitting with Rachel and told him I thought she was okay now. Josh, once again, asked her if she could do this: *rotates lower arm*. She looked at him and flailed bother her arms around like she was drowning. lol. Yep, I guess she was okay! So, we happily left the ER and headed out to the strawberry fields.

Apparently it was the last day for picking, and it was pretty scarce out there. We managed to get about a quart of smallish berries, but they were still quite tasty. Laura was right into it, picking over-ripe, under-ripe, smooshed - there was no discrimination. :) Josh kept trying to explain to her which ones were good, and which weren't, but it seemed a lost cause. I was just glad she was having fun.
     We came home after that and washed and sliced our berries. I had wanted to try out this strawberry upside-down cake I saw on Pinterest with our berries, and got Laura to help me. She was pretty excited, as two of the ingredients were Jell-O and marshmallows, probably her current two favourite foods. We got the cake in the oven and put her down for a nap. We had wanted to go downtown to check out the Canada Day celebrations, but ended up running out of time due to our extra detour to the hospital. Two-and-a-half hours later, Laura still had not gone to sleep, so we gave up on naptime and let her play in the back yard for awhile. My mom came over for dinner and got to have a nice visit with Laura. I was wary of taking Laura to the fireworks since she would be up past her normal bedtime and had missed her nap, but she was a trooper and enjoyed every minute of it. We brought sparklers (which she only sort of liked), and glow sticks (which were a much bigger hit), and we tried this glow-in-the-dark bubble idea (which failed miserably). She was scared by the loudness of the fireworks, but we were sitting far enough away that it wasn't too loud, and she eventually came around.
     We were all exhausted by the time it was over, and so came home and went straight to bed. She slept in until quarter after ten on Monday morning. We went out for breakfast after she finally woke up (sadly our favourite place was closed so we had to go somewhere else), and then spent the majority of the day relaxing at home. We did, however, attempt to escape the mid-afternoon heat with a matinee showing of Brave. There weren't too many people there on a holiday Monday afternoon, but both girls were miraculously well-behaved. (That movie is scary, by the way!!)
     Those were pretty much the highlights of our weekend - hope everyone else had as an enjoyable time as we did!

Popsicles & Other Stuff

Okay, so I said I wasn't going to post an update on how we are doing every week, but as it turns out, I seem to be doing just that.

In the past week:

• I went on a popsicle making binge. We had orange creamsicles (vanilla ice cream blended with orange pop), fudgesicles (Nutella blended with milk), and avocado-mango ones. All delicious. I highly reccommend homemade popsicles!
• Three separate people told me how sweet/ what a lovely little girl Laura is. Made mommy proud. <3  (Until we got to this week and she decided she isn't listening to a darn thing I say anymore.)
• We finally got our new windows installed, which is nice, but was also a huge PITA because they happened to both be in the rooms where my children sleep, releasing noxious chemical stink from the caulking for several days. It was so bad we put Laura back in the nursery, and I slept in the living room with Rachel for two nights, which really just resulted in a terrible night's sleep for Josh, her, and me. Ugh. I wish they would have just come to install them several months ago when we first ordered them.
• We got Laura (and Rachel) a play set for the back yard. Along with Josh, Laura's grandpa gave up his whole Father's Day weekend to come up and help assemble it. And it's still not even done. This thing was a massive amount of work. But, I'm sure Laura will L O V E playing on it when it's ready.
•  Rachel has finally started showing interest in things other than boobs and sleeping. She has started smiling a lot more (though not deliberately yet) and is looking around more and more now, examining lights, and other high-contrast things like trees against the sky, etc. She had her first ride in the stroller sans carseat, and really enjoyed laying back and looking up at the trees. Super cute.
• I have had a few more emotional days. Sigh. Most days, I'm completely fine, but when something upsets the delicate and carefully crafted equilibrium I have, it tends to be a bad day. Pregnancy & motherhood is such a peach sometimes. My C-section scar has finally healed up now, too. Only took five weeks. :/

A Special Day

Today was a special day for a few reasons.
1) Today was my original due date.
2) Today Rachel turned one month old.
3) Today we hosted a Sip & See for our family to come and meet Rachel.

The spread - nothing too fancy since it was really a party to come meet the baby

 

buggy cupcakes for our Junebug

Ladybug for Rachie Bug

... I should probably take some cake decorating classes...

To sip: Watermelon Lemonade and Raspberry Beermonade (amongst others)

Lots of unnecessary but adorable and much appreciated presents

 It was a great day and a great excuse to get together to see everyone. As usual, I must include a shout out to the parentals for all the help with preparations, etc. Couldn't have done it without you!

So, now, at 1 month old, Rachel is 7 pounds 2 ounces and 20.5 inches long (as of Wednesday) and has already rolled over, grabs at/ plays with her toys and holds her soother in or out of her mouth in accordance to her own wishes. One night this week she also slept 5 hours in a row. That was nice. She still doesn't cry much, mostly grumbles and grunts, and occasionally coos. <3

Rachel Bee's one month picture with Chester

Week Three: I Can Do This!

      This week was the first week I was on my own with our two girls. Josh had been very helpful while on his paternity leave, so Monday I was pretty nervous to do it by myself. In the morning I took both the girls for a 45-minute drive to pick up a new crib for Laura's big girl room (since she is still refusing the big girl bed). It went pretty well, so Laura got to go to the toy store and pick something out. When we got home, lunchtime was a bit crazy, and we had a little snafu when I was busy nursing Rachel and Laura was deliberately poking Chester in the eye after I asked her to stop. Trying to discipline her while nursing my crappy-latcher was ... something. But, I can happily report that that was the most difficult moment of the whole week. The rest of the week has gone pretty well - we've been to the park two mornings and to the Early Years Centre, too.
      I'm not even that tired, either. I think mostly because my poor body is just accustomed to being sleep deprived, but also because Rachel is a pretty good sleeper (and she sleeps a lot, too). Heck, this morning everyone slept in until 9am! We have had a few rough nights, but generally I'm only up with her for 10-15 minutes when she needs to nurse. And she can also nurse in the side-lying position, so that helps. Night-time feedings were much more of a production with newborn Laura, usually lasting 45-60 minutes. I can honestly say I was more tired the first time around. I have also been able to nap in the afternoon when Laura is napping, which has helped greatly. I would say I am no more tired than I was during my pregnancy.
     The hardest part is mealtimes. Especially now since Rachel has decided that she doesn't want to be put down. I've asked Josh to get Laura's breakfast in the morning before he goes to work, and that has made it a lot easier for me. He is home by dinnertime, and we have all of these awesome home-cooked frozen dinners, so really it's only lunch that I am responsible for feeding three people simultaneously. (Rachel's feedings often seem to land at meal times). As long as I make something for lunch that Laura doesn't need help with eating, it's not too bad.
     I don't want to jinx anything, but so far this mom-of-two gig has been a lot easier than I had anticipated. I read somewhere this week that how the older sibling handles the new baby is what determines how the experience for the whole family goes down. So far, I can attest to this. Other than the first couple of days when Laura was getting back into her normal routine after being uprooted while we were in the hospital, she has been stellar with Rachel. She hasn't really been jealous, and this week she has taken to comforting 'Baby Sister' (what she exclusively refers to Rachel as) when she is crying, "Oh no! Baby cry! Okay, okay, okay, shhh, shhh, shhh." It melts my heart a little bit. She asks to hold her every day, and enjoys snuggle time while she watches TV. She is an amazing big sister and I am so happy and proud of her.
    
     Today I was thinking to myself that having two kids is almost easier than having one. Then I realized that was crazy talk, since there is and always will be more laundry now. But honestly, I have found the transition much easier than anticipated. Phew! I can do this!

Week Two with Two

Now I don't plan on posting an update every week on how things are going, but I did want to write this to remind myself that it was really only about a week that things were rough.

The good stuff:

•        I'm not pregnant anymore! No more heartburn! I have comfortable positions available to me for sleeping again! I'm actually not crazy tired, despite having a newborn! (though, this may change once Josh goes back to work next week and I don't get to sleep in)
•      Laura's outlook has improved over the last week. The first few days home were a little rough, but in hindsight I think that was because she had been away from us for so long, not because there was a new baby. She is now very helpful and loving towards Rachel most of the time, and generally back to her delightful self.
•     Rachel is still a good sleeper, and really doesn't cry much unless she has gas pain - mostly just grunts and squawks. Please keep it up!
•     I would again like to mention that Josh has been extremely helpful to have around this week. We took another trip to the pool today (following going out for breakfast), and it was so nice to spend time as a family. I really wish we could just win the lottery and he could retire and be home all/ most of the time. <3
•     Breastfeeding has significantly improved in the last week. I am not bleeding anymore, and the engorgement seems to have subsided, which, in turn, has given my back a break. Rachel has decided she has trouble latching some of the time, but other than that, things are going much better.
•     Rachel's umbilical stump has finally fallen off. This might seem somewhat trivial, but it makes my life a lot easier re: diapers and clothes for her.
•     Generally speaking my mood has improved, and I feel much better and able to get around/ do things for myself now.

The bad stuff:

•      I'm not pregnant anymore. Clearly I have mixed feelings about this. Now that it is sinking in, I'm starting to feel like I got ripped off for not being pregnant for the last month. I'm still upset we missed our maternity photoshoot. And Josh says we're not doing this again, so having it end so abruptly and without warning is a little sad.
•      I am constantly paranoid about SIDS. It's exhausting.
•      When I took the Steri strips off my incision earlier this week, I discovered that it was not completely closed on one end. This freaked me out and is really gross.
•     I'm fretting about Monday and being on my own with two. I'll be outnumbered. What am I supposed to do when Laura needs me while I'm nursing? I am going to need to learn to multitask, and fast.

It's Been One Week

So, we now have a full week under our belts of being parents of two. How are things going, you ask?

The good stuff:

• We have awesome family and friends that have helped us out so much. My mom and sister & fiancee who watched Laura while we were in the hospital for most of a week, my in-laws for coming to maintain/ clean our house for us before we got home, my sister-in-law for coming to stay with us for a few days to cook & freeze meals for us and to generally be another set of hands, our neighbours for maintaining our cat and having Laura over for more than their share of playdates... all have been so much appreciated. I don't know what we are going to do when we're on our own again!
  
•  Rachel is a good sleeper so far. Last night we finally got to bed around 11pm and she didn't wake up until almost 3am, and then again at 7:30am. It was glorious - I can only hope she keeps it up! She is starting to have more wakeful periods during the day, too, which is fun to be able to interact with her more.
  
• Josh has been home all week, and will be home all next week, and it has been so nice to be able to spend this time together as a family (even if we are a little high strung at times). Yesterday we took the girls to the pool as a special outing for Laura and we had such a blast.
  
• Laura loves giving the baby kisses. So cute.
  
• Although we had a hell of a time picking out a name, I am really thrilled that we landed on Rachel. I think it suits her perfectly and it goes really well with Laura.
  
• I have two beautiful daughters now, and although a boy would have been nice, too, I am so happy for Laura to have a sister. Sisters are special.

The bad stuff:

•  Recovering from a C-section sucks. Recovering from a C-section when you have a toddler who doesn't always remember you have are recovering from a C-section sucks even more. Not being able to sit up without assistance has been a real drag. But at least now, after a week, I can do most things myself again without too much pain. I'm also dealing with some Baby Blues, too. No fun.
  
• Speaking of pain... breastfeeding really sucks at this stage, too. I mean, I am very glad that Rachel is a great nurser - one less thing to worry about - but, it has been so much more painful for me this time around. My nipples are sore and bleeding, my boobs generally feel like one giant bruise, and my back! My back is so sore from carrying around all the extra weight up top. Oi. At least I know it is all worth it to power through and it will get better and much easier as time goes on. 
  
• Rachel is jaundiced. It is common in preemies and low birth weight babies. She spent a day on the biliblanket and was doing better, so we didn't have to continue the UV treatment. But several days later she still looks yellow to me, especially in the morning, so we took her to the hospital yesterday to get re-tested, and her bilirubin levels were still going up. However, they said as long as she is still continuing to eat and poop regularly she is getting better. 
  
• I feel like we have no time to get anything done, which is stressful since we still have quite a number of things on our Before Baby To Do List due to her surprising us with her presence a month early.
  
• Laura is getting better now, but the first few days that we were home she started showing signs of jealousy towards Rachel and generally just acting out. It broke my heart. I have felt so guilty about the whole pregnancy "ruining" her life, and now that the new baby is finally here, I feel even worse that she needs to express herself by hitting Rachel. I know it will get better, and I'm thrilled that they will be so close in age and (hopefully) be best friends when they grow up, but right now it is so hard to see my baby feeling this way.
  We were out for a walk the other day and Laura kept stopping to pick up pinecones and various other items. Josh wanted to go home and was trying to hurry her along and so said, "Okay, bye Laura". The following look on her face made me want to cry. She looked so stunned and upset that we were going to leave her there, I had to run over and give her a kiss, trying to explain that Daddy was kidding and we weren't leaving her again.