Two Weeks

Well, it's been two weeks (well, two weeks and two days) since Miss Kelly has joined our family.  My husband has gone back to work (*sniff* paternity leave, you are missed!) and we've been working on getting adjusted here at home.  Yesterday it occurred to me that while your first baby is hard because you have no clue what you are doing, and your second baby can be hard because your first one is going through his "difficult" stage, to put it kindly.  I can't even blame it on sibling rivalry or anything like that - this has been going on for about a month and a half now and it's maddening.  Talking back, yelling, straight out defiance, laughing while being disciplined... ugh.  Not a fun time.  I keep telling myself "this too shall pass" but it's hard not to lose my patience.

So how am I blogging right now?  HA!  Both of them are ASLEEP!  It's so quiet in here right now.  :)

Really though - he does seem fond of her.  He turned to me the other day when we were sitting on the couch and said, "Mom, I love Kelly.  She's my favorite!"  He was also explaining to the cashier that she was his sister, and she was little and that "she finally came out!"  He loves to give her kisses.  It's so sweet to see him just lay there and stare at her.  He's also pretty helpful, so that's nice.

Baby girl is doing well.  She had her second pediatrician visit on Monday.  I swear, it's been almost four years since I had Bubba and my instinct is still to refer the the baby doctor as the vet!  Terrible.

Anyway, she's doing well.  She gained 8 ounces and 3/4 inch in length since her visit the week before, putting her in the 97th percentile for weight and 90th for length.  She takes four ounces of pumped breast milk at each feeding, which are generally three hours apart.  With Bubba, I was fond of saying that two chihuahuas weren't going to birth a Great Dane since he was always around the 10th percentile for weight.  I'm only 5'4" and my husband is 5'7", so to think that we'd have a big baby was just not something that I ever considered, yet here we are!  I've already started a pile of clothes that don't fit the child, and today she's wearing a onesie that reads 3m on the label!

Late last week we noticed her belly button stump was leaving... well, Yuck, for lack of a better term, on her clothes.  We called the pediatrician and the triage nurse told us to clean it with alcohol.  When I mentioned it to the doctor on Monday, she looked at it, POPPED IT OFF, and said "Here you go!"

I.  ABOUT.  DIED.

I think she was more amused by my reaction than anything.  She cleaned the navel and while she was gathering the swabs she used to toss them, I asked if she wanted me to toss that stump too.  She says, "Unless you want to keep it."  EW!  People really save those???  I think I must have had a look of complete horror on my face because she started laughing again.

I had my checkup the next day.  I gained 31 lbs with this pregnancy, which is just just a couple pounds more than I did with Bubba.  The official gain with him was 25 pounds, but they didn't count the five I gained before my first prenatal visit that time, and this time they did.  I'm happy to report that despite eating PLENTY and definitely NOT watching calories (we've been enjoying the cookie dough I froze a few weeks back, among other things) I've lost all but five pounds.

I'm telling you, as much as it can suck, breast feeding is freaking AWESOME.

My friend Sam came over last weekend to take some newborn photos.  This is one I took with my phone while she was here:

I know some people think the big headpieces on little babies are stupid, but I love the way they look.  Since it's my kid and my photos, to heck with them, I say!  It's not like she's wearing it all the time.  This photo makes me happy.  :)  That's what matters, right?