Well, I managed to get one thing knocked off of my to-do list today. I found a day care provider that I think I’ll be happy with. She’s not in the ideal location but it isn’t too far away and the cost is about what I was expecting to pay for a newborn. If all goes well there, we will most likely move Zach there too. I know he likes his school, but moving him will save us $200 a month in day care costs, plus save me from having to do 2 drop-offs and pick-ups every day. I’m not completely decided on that yet, but it does seem like the best option.
And now, because I’m so tired of thinking about day care, and the fact that I only have one more week at home with my gorgeous baby girl, here are some pictures that make me smile.
Evie’s not real fond of the plastic baby bathtub that we’ve been using, so when I spotted this mesh tub seat at the store the other day I figured we would give it a try. Tonight she used it for the first time and got to take a bath with her big brother. I think they both enjoyed it!
Evie was having fun for a while, then she got a little bored.
Zach posed for a quick shot, while Evie looked on.
And then I’m not sure what happened, but their faces in this shot just crack me up!
Evie seems to approve of her new bath seat. She didn’t cry even once during her bath and she usually screams through the whole thing. I’m sure this was the first of many shared baths to come (at least until Zach decides he’s too old for such things).
Other than checking my e-mail, searching classified ads for child care, and a bit of twittering, I’ve been away from the internet this week. Part of that is because Hubby’s parents were in town and part of it is because nearly every time I look at a computer screen I start falling asleep. I suppose the sleep deprivation that comes along with a newborn is finally catching up with me.
The good news is that Evie does sleep pretty good most of the time. She generally sleeps for four hours at a time through the night and a couple of times has made it even longer. Plus, I have perfected the breastfeeding laying down technique so when she does wake up it really doesn’t disturb me that much unless she needs a diaper change. That is the one major advantage of the co-sleeping/breastfeeding combination. As long as I keep a stack of diapers and some wipes beside the bed, the farthest I have to go at night is into a sitting position.
In all honesty, I think the bigger cause of sleep deprivation is the two-year-old rather than the newborn. When he wakes up at night-which happens nearly every night-he wants to climb into bed with us. That wouldn’t be a problem except that now we have a baby in the bed, plus two rather large adults, and a two-year-old. And we have a queen sized bed. Four people in a queen sized bed (even if one is tiny) is a bit much. If I had the money I would go out today and buy a King because I’m guessing we have several more years of this and the kids are only going to get bigger.
Speaking of the two-year-old, things have been getting a little more stressful with him. He still appears to adore his little sister most days, but his behaviors say otherwise. I expected the backlash to come at some point, but it is getting quite frustrating. He doesn’t listen to a word that his Dad or I say. He’s hitting, pushing, and biting (yes, I now have that kid). On top of that, my fully potty-trained kid has been having accidents left and right (but only at home of course). It all came out tonight though as he was throwing his latest tantrum. He was mad because Mommy came to get him out of the bathtub instead of Daddy. When Daddy asked him, “Why don’t you want Daddy to hold Baby Sister?” Zach said, “Cause I DON’T LIKE HER!” Enough said.
I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with him at this point. I realize that this is a major change and he’s probably having all kinds of feelings that I can’t even begin to understand, but Hubby and I are both at the end of our ropes and don’t have a clue what to do with him. On top of having the new baby at home, his favorite teacher at school just had a baby and is out on maternity leave. That means his class is stuck with a teacher that Zach doesn’t really care for and it is getting harder and harder to leave him there in the mornings. It has me considering another day care change for him, but at the same time I know if we just wait it out his teacher will be back and that situation will get better again. However, it would be nice to have both kids in the same place if I could find openings for them both.
Oh, and while we’re on the topic of day care, I have yet to find a place for Evie. I do have an appointment to meet with a lady on Thursday, but she’s opening a new day care and wasn’t planning to open until sometime in May. She is willing to work with me though and may be able to watch her a bit earlier. She’s not in my ideal location, but at least she’s not too far out of the way. I have a few more places to call tomorrow, but I really haven’t had much luck at all. If any of you local KC people know anyone who does home day care in the Grandview or OP areas (or anywhere between those areas) I would love some recommendations.
Other than those things that I’m stressing and obsessing about, things are going good. Evie is growing, growing, growing. She seems to have gotten huge in the last week and I’m really anxious for her one month check up later this week so I can see just how much weight she has gained. In the last few days she has pretty much outgrown all of her newborn sized clothes and we’re definitely on our last pack of newborn sized diapers. It makes me a little sad to see her growing so fast, but I suppose that’s just how it has to be.
I’ve been trying all day to come up with something to write about besides the baby because I’m sure you all must be tired of that topic by now, right? The problem is, she’s about all I can think of right now. When you spend all day catering to the demands of a two week old baby, that’s pretty much all you can focus on.
I am slowly getting a few things done around the house. Evie sleeps for a good stretch in the mornings, so in between taking Zach to school and lunch time I generally have a few hours to work on whatever my project of the day is. Today I finally managed to get my bills paid. It actually took me three days to finish that project.
Once Evie wakes up from her morning nap, I don’t accomplish much. By the time I feed her, feed myself, take a much needed bathroom break, and maybe check my e-mail, it is time to feed her again. That feeding is the one where I usually fall asleep and then end up napping the rest of the afternoon. Apparently the sleep deprivation is catching up with me because I simply cannot stay awake in the afternoons. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage when I have to go back to work and actually think in the afternoon.
Before I fell asleep today, I decided to take advantage of the nice sunny day we are (finally!) having. No, we didn’t go outside at all. Instead, I raised all the blinds in my living room and took even more pictures of Evie. No one can ever say this child’s first few weeks weren’t documented well. The lighting was great and I finally had a chance to play around a bit with the settings on my camera. I ended up taking about 60 shots, but many of them were very similar. Sleeping babies just don’t move a whole lot. I did end up with several that I just love though.
This weekend is going to be a busy one for us. My in-laws are coming up Sunday to meet their granddaughter and spend a week or so with us so that means I’ve got massive cleaning to do. Plus, I have another baby shower to attend after church on Sunday and I still need to go shopping for a gift. And of course, on top of all that, I have to feed and change a baby about every two hours. It is amazing how much time that takes up.
Two weeks ago at this time I was laying in a hospital bed anxiously waiting for the arrival of my daughter. Today, I look at her in amazement. Evie is everything I expected her to be and more. I can’t believe how much personality she has already at only two weeks old.
Evie definitely has her likes and dislikes. For instance, she likes to either have a boob in her mouth or to be curled up on Mama’s chest. She doesn’t mind other people holding her, but it doesn’t take long before she realizes Mama is not there. She does not like to be put down, although she will sit in her bouncer or swing for short periods of time before crying for someone to come rescue her. She most definitely does not like to sleep by herself. She wakes up the instant you put her down, so she has ended up in bed with mom and dad (which is lots of fun when big brother wakes up and wants to join us as well). I don’t mind her sleeping with us at all though. It makes it much easier when she wakes up and wants to eat. I don’t have to get up at all since she’s already right there.
As far as looks, Evie is the spitting image of her big brother. She’s a little softer and curvier while Zach was a bit more lean and muscular, but when you look at their baby pictures side by side it is hard to tell the difference.
Breastfeeding is going much easier this time. Evie latched on right away and has barely let go since. The girl loves to eat. I think I spend over half of the day nursing her. The hardest part is that she never wants to stop. I think if I was willing, she would just stay attached all day and use my boob for a pacifier.
I wish I could remember Zach’s first few weeks a little more clearly. I know I felt so much of what I’m feeling now with him too. I honestly could spend my entire day doing nothing but staring at Evie and her perfect little face. It amazes me that something so perfect, so beautiful, was created with my body. It amazes me that I can feel such all-consuming love for not one, but two children. I love watching the two of them together and seeing how much alike they are already.
Zach is slowly becoming more and more interested in Evie. He’s a very proud big brother, but is still pretty timid around her. He’s also very protective. When I drop him off at school in the mornings, Zach’s classmates are very interested in the baby. They tend to hover around her and Zach doesn’t like it at all. He’ll tell them, “Don’t touch her! That’s my baby sister!” Then, when he’s alone with her I hear him quietly telling her, “I love you, Evie.” It is so sweet I can hardly stand it.
As for me, I’m feeling almost back to my normal self. Well, except for the lack of sleep of course. Everywhere I go people tell me I have a glow about me. I don’t see it, but I can only assume it is because I am so in love with my perfect little family.
I’ve spent nine days with my little angel now and I absolutely cannot get enough of her. I am completely consumed with the love I feel for this baby. I remember feeling much the same way when Zach was born and it never really went away.
We’ve been quite busy since we got home from the hospital last Thursday. I honestly can’t believe that she’s already been home with us for a week. We actually spent Friday relaxing, but then were out and about on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we took Zach to the Easter egg hunt at church, then we went to my sister’s house so the kids could all color Easter eggs together. Sunday we got all dressed up in our Easter clothes for church and then went to my Dad’s house where the Easter bunny had left baskets and hidden eggs for all of the kids.
On Monday Evie (which is what we’re calling Geneva if you haven’t caught on) had her first check up with the doctor. The doc thought she was doing great. Her weight was back up to 8 pounds, 11 ounces (after dropping to 8lbs, 9oz at the hospital). She did show slight signs of jaundice, but they weren’t too concerned and just told us to keep an eye on it.
Hubby had to go back to work on Tuesday and Evie and I were left alone for the first time. I have to admit that I really enjoyed being able to just sit and snuggle her. I took some time out to clean my kitchen up while she was sleeping and a friend stopped by for a bit, but I spent the rest of the day after that just holding her and napping off and on.
Wednesday was a pretty relaxed day, but Evie was a little more fussy than she had been. She didn’t allow me much time to do anything but feed and hold her. Fortunately I didn’t mind too much. We snuggled all day and took a much needed nap together.
Today I figured it was time to introduce her to one of my favorite hobbies – shopping! Ok, so we only went to Wal-Mart and the main goal was groceries, but we did take a spin through the clothing section so I could pick up some fat pants to take the place of the maternity pants that are now falling off of me. Evie slept through the entire store so I guess I’ll have to show off my shopping skillz some other time.
After our shopping trip my brother and his little girl Caitlin came over to visit for a bit. At nearly three months old, Caitlin looks huge to me. It makes me a little sad that Evie will be at least that big in a few short months.
It is hard to believe that two of my six weeks of maternity leave are almost over. I don’t even want to think about leaving her with someone else while I go off to work everyday. The only things I want to think about right now are how my little girl’s favorite place to sleep is curled up on my chest, how she stretches her hand out and places it on my chest while she’s nursing or sleeping just like her big brother used to do, and how she lets out the most relaxed, content sigh when she’s just about done feeding.
I’m trying to soak it all in and remember every moment, every quirky little look she gives me, every sound she makes, and every second I get to spend snuggling with my sweet little baby because this time around I know how very fast it all goes by and how quickly these days will fade from my memory.
Yes, I’m slightly crazy, but instead of sleeping like I should be, I’m taking advantage of the free wi-fi at the hospital. My baby girl is sleeping next to me and I’m waiting for photos to upload to Flickr so I can share them here.
Everything went really well today, but I’m not going to take the time to write about it now. Miss Geneva Dee was born at 2:22 p.m. after a quick 10 minutes of pushing (somebody must have heard my prayers!). She weighed in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce and is 19 inches long. Apparently, even with the early induction, we underestimated her weight. She looks just like her big brother and is beautiful. She has a little bruising and swelling on her face, which I’m hoping will go away quickly.
