I have to admit that so far, I'm pretty impressed with myself. I've managed to keep both kids not only alive, but fed, bathed, well dressed, and played with. On top of that, the laundry, dishes and cleaning hasn't gotten entirely out of control, and I've managed to get Petey outside in time for him to do his business. I've even kept Lyla's schedule as normal as possible, having taken her to story time at the library on Tuesday and her gymnastics play group on Friday. I did push my luck, however, by adding a mall trip to our day on Friday, where Lyla was pushing my buttons and the baby was letting the world know she was ready for lunch. I had my first meltdown when I got home from that trip - but after 10 days of nearly nothing to complain about, I guess it was time for a good "holy shit" moment. I even made Eric proud when I tossed one of Lyla's sippy cups onto the kitchen floor out of frustration that it would not fit into our over packed dish washer. He said this little act let him know that I'm indeed human, and not super woman. Not to mention, my first week on my own with both kids happened to be the week that Eric was asked to work 10-hour shifts in order to get a job done by a deadline. All in all, I really can't complain.
Lyla has been the tougher of the two. She's been testing my patience and her luck by purposely doing things she knows she shouldn't be, like throwing water out of the bath, or pulling the dogs tail. But as frustrating as it can be, especially since I am a bit more tired these days, I had prepared myself for these outbursts and cries for attention, so it doesn't always seem so bad. Some days I have more patience for it, and other days she spends quite a bit of time sitting in time out. But keeping her involved with the baby has been a huge help; she loves to get me diapers, help pick out little outfits, and rock her sister in her swing. As long as she feels like she's helping, she does just fine. But when the baby cries and needs to eat (aka steal mommy's attention), that's another story.
The baby has been wonderful. She's only given us one rough night's sleep so far, and otherwise is a totally happy and content little girl - until she gets hungry; then she lets you know just how much noise a person her size is capable of. She stays awake for 1-2 hours at a time between feedings, and then will nap for a couple of hours. It's perfect because it gives me time to color, do puzzles, or paint nails with Lyla, and by the time Hannah wakes up and needs to feed again, Lyla seems content with our time together and is more apt to be independent for a while.
When I had Lyla, I was so afraid to go anywhere. This time is so different, having already left the house on a daily basis and continuing on with our normal lives - but just bringing a baby along, too. On Wednesday we'll be heading to Maine with my mom. I'm mostly excited for Lyla, because she will get loads of extra attention from Grammy, and be able to do her favorite beach activities: finding sea shells and sea glass. We also plan to take her to York Zoo, which I know she'll love. I'll enjoy the break too, whether my mom is holding the baby so I can be more engaged with Lyla, or spending more time with Hannah while my mom takes Ly. Plus, there's always fabulous food involved when you stay with Deb, and when Eric joins us Friday after work, it'll be a nice mini-vacation for us after 2 weeks of 10-hour work shifts for him.
So far so good with this mom-of-two thing.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
"She's Here!"
^ This was the text message my friends received on Tuesday, June 12th, without any warning at all of me being in labor. Hell, I barely had any warning of being in labor. All those rumors about exercise during pregnancy making for a shorter labor are definitely true.
At 12:15 my water began to break, so I called Eric to give him the heads up that he may have to leave work early. And it's a good thing he did - he was at work a half hour away, and once he got to the hospital, little Hannah made her grand (and fast) appearance into the world within 45 minutes. From start to finish, my entire labor was less than 3 hours. Certainly beats the 25 hour labor I had with Lyla. However, it went so fast that I didn't have time for my beloved and much wanted epidural, so this little girl was born all natural.
The entire first day she was born, I was in shock. It was almost too fast to fathom what had just happened. I kept asking Eric if i was dreaming, especially because for some reason, I was in very little pain afterwards. I was up and walking within minutes of my delivery. All of our visitors were poking fun at me for being in such disbelief of Hannah actually being here. It didn't feel real. And on top of that, she was an amazing nurser and sleeper. What? Is this newborn for real? I had to wake her during the night for all her feedings otherwise she would have slept right through them. Foreign territory for me since Lyla was up nearly every hour as a newborn - and even still wakes during the night at almost 3 years old.
And as if all of that wasn't enough to make me question if I was dreaming, Eric and I have been getting along better than ever. He's been simply amazing; if he's not holding Hannah, he's playing with Lyla. If he's not with the girls, he's helping with the dishes. Another foreign territory for me. Aren't we supposed to be sleep deprived and arguing over who works harder and who got the most sleep? He even took a week off from work after Hannah was born to stay home and help me adjust to everything. I keep waiting for the storm to roll in since this feels like the calm. It can't be this good, this easy, can it?
Hannah is doing amazing. She nurses so well that I've nearly lost all my pregnancy weight and she's only 9 days old. Unfortunately my belly won't fully shrink until my uterus goes back to its normal size in about 5 weeks. But this little girl loves to eat and sleep - it's made the adjustment from 1 to 2 much easier with her being such a good baby. She only cries when she's hungry, and once she's fed she's either contently awake until her next feeding, or snoozing away. This has made for an easy adjustment for Lyla, too. She pretty much ignores her most of the time, until she's fussy and ready to eat. Then Lyla will pretend to cry and say "no Mommy, I need you" which broke my heart the first time she said it. But I've incorporated her into Hannah's feedings by reading her favorite books to her, which so far as worked out well.
It's hard to believe that Hannah's really here. Just over a week ago we were doing all we could to start my labor, and now she's really here. She's perfect, with 10 fingers and 10 toes, happy, and healthy. Hard to believe Lyla was ever that little, and even harder to believe that Hannah will grow up to be a big girl like her sister. I'm appreciating all these surprisingly easy days, and prepared for the hard days to come. But either way I'm enjoying the ride and loving watching our family grow. So glad you're here, baby girl!
At 12:15 my water began to break, so I called Eric to give him the heads up that he may have to leave work early. And it's a good thing he did - he was at work a half hour away, and once he got to the hospital, little Hannah made her grand (and fast) appearance into the world within 45 minutes. From start to finish, my entire labor was less than 3 hours. Certainly beats the 25 hour labor I had with Lyla. However, it went so fast that I didn't have time for my beloved and much wanted epidural, so this little girl was born all natural.
The entire first day she was born, I was in shock. It was almost too fast to fathom what had just happened. I kept asking Eric if i was dreaming, especially because for some reason, I was in very little pain afterwards. I was up and walking within minutes of my delivery. All of our visitors were poking fun at me for being in such disbelief of Hannah actually being here. It didn't feel real. And on top of that, she was an amazing nurser and sleeper. What? Is this newborn for real? I had to wake her during the night for all her feedings otherwise she would have slept right through them. Foreign territory for me since Lyla was up nearly every hour as a newborn - and even still wakes during the night at almost 3 years old.
And as if all of that wasn't enough to make me question if I was dreaming, Eric and I have been getting along better than ever. He's been simply amazing; if he's not holding Hannah, he's playing with Lyla. If he's not with the girls, he's helping with the dishes. Another foreign territory for me. Aren't we supposed to be sleep deprived and arguing over who works harder and who got the most sleep? He even took a week off from work after Hannah was born to stay home and help me adjust to everything. I keep waiting for the storm to roll in since this feels like the calm. It can't be this good, this easy, can it?
Hannah is doing amazing. She nurses so well that I've nearly lost all my pregnancy weight and she's only 9 days old. Unfortunately my belly won't fully shrink until my uterus goes back to its normal size in about 5 weeks. But this little girl loves to eat and sleep - it's made the adjustment from 1 to 2 much easier with her being such a good baby. She only cries when she's hungry, and once she's fed she's either contently awake until her next feeding, or snoozing away. This has made for an easy adjustment for Lyla, too. She pretty much ignores her most of the time, until she's fussy and ready to eat. Then Lyla will pretend to cry and say "no Mommy, I need you" which broke my heart the first time she said it. But I've incorporated her into Hannah's feedings by reading her favorite books to her, which so far as worked out well.
It's hard to believe that Hannah's really here. Just over a week ago we were doing all we could to start my labor, and now she's really here. She's perfect, with 10 fingers and 10 toes, happy, and healthy. Hard to believe Lyla was ever that little, and even harder to believe that Hannah will grow up to be a big girl like her sister. I'm appreciating all these surprisingly easy days, and prepared for the hard days to come. But either way I'm enjoying the ride and loving watching our family grow. So glad you're here, baby girl!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Now vs. Then
I can't tell you how different it is expecting a child with your husband, who you are in love with, in comparison to an unplanned pregnancy with someone you had no real feelings for. I've said it once and I'll say it again - it has all made me realize why people wait until marriage to be intimate with one another. Of course, you can't look back and regret, because then I would never have had Lyla, the little love of my life, and I can't imagine life without her. I am, however, looking forward to having a different experience with the birth of Hannah.
I love thinking back to when Eric and I first started dating - it was so fun and filled with childhood giddiness. All the cliche high school moments from counting the days until we saw each other again, to the "no, you hang up first" phone conversations. I would time Lyla's nap perfectly to give myself enough time to primp myself for my man's arrival, and give us a few moments of "gosh, i missed you so much" hugs and kisses before she woke up. We spent our days at the playground with my baby girl, and our nights sipping wine and getting to know each other. I was always surprised at how well he did with Lyla, and how he never felt he was missing out on going on dates or out with friends all the time. He was the guy I never thought I'd find, and 4 months later when we were engaged, I knew he'd be the guy that never got away.
Now 9 month into our marriage - and 9 months pregnant, I can't help but feel a different form of excitement about the arrival of our baby Hannah. I almost feel guilty talking about this, because I never want Lyla to read this and think that I love her any less than her sister just because circumstances with her father we different. In fact, with all the love I have for Lyla, I'm wondering how I can produce enough for our newest addition to the family. But, as I've been told by all moms with more than one child, there's always enough.
Most of my excitement comes from the thought of Eric seeing and holding his daughter for the first time. This is a moment I never experienced with Lyla, because I was more concerned with my friends love and emotions towards my new daughter than those of her own father. I couldn't wait to show her off to all my other friends and family members, and never really had that "new family" feeling. This time, there will be no one in the delivery room for support except for my husband, and when she finally makes her grand entrance into the world, I cannot wait to basque in that moment - just us 3. We just get to stare at her and know that we made her because we love each other. And then, of course, Lyla will join us to meet her baby sister, and our family of 4 will be complete. I have asked my mom to bring Lyla in before any other visitors so she can be one of the first to hold and bond with her. I can't imagine the mess of emotions I will be that day, watching the two people I love most in this world welcome this little (or not so little if she stays in there much longer!) bundle of joy into our family.
This little girl will have all the love in the world, that's for sure.
We cannot wait! So, what are you waiting for little Hannah!?
I love thinking back to when Eric and I first started dating - it was so fun and filled with childhood giddiness. All the cliche high school moments from counting the days until we saw each other again, to the "no, you hang up first" phone conversations. I would time Lyla's nap perfectly to give myself enough time to primp myself for my man's arrival, and give us a few moments of "gosh, i missed you so much" hugs and kisses before she woke up. We spent our days at the playground with my baby girl, and our nights sipping wine and getting to know each other. I was always surprised at how well he did with Lyla, and how he never felt he was missing out on going on dates or out with friends all the time. He was the guy I never thought I'd find, and 4 months later when we were engaged, I knew he'd be the guy that never got away.
Now 9 month into our marriage - and 9 months pregnant, I can't help but feel a different form of excitement about the arrival of our baby Hannah. I almost feel guilty talking about this, because I never want Lyla to read this and think that I love her any less than her sister just because circumstances with her father we different. In fact, with all the love I have for Lyla, I'm wondering how I can produce enough for our newest addition to the family. But, as I've been told by all moms with more than one child, there's always enough.
Most of my excitement comes from the thought of Eric seeing and holding his daughter for the first time. This is a moment I never experienced with Lyla, because I was more concerned with my friends love and emotions towards my new daughter than those of her own father. I couldn't wait to show her off to all my other friends and family members, and never really had that "new family" feeling. This time, there will be no one in the delivery room for support except for my husband, and when she finally makes her grand entrance into the world, I cannot wait to basque in that moment - just us 3. We just get to stare at her and know that we made her because we love each other. And then, of course, Lyla will join us to meet her baby sister, and our family of 4 will be complete. I have asked my mom to bring Lyla in before any other visitors so she can be one of the first to hold and bond with her. I can't imagine the mess of emotions I will be that day, watching the two people I love most in this world welcome this little (or not so little if she stays in there much longer!) bundle of joy into our family.
This little girl will have all the love in the world, that's for sure.
We cannot wait! So, what are you waiting for little Hannah!?
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