What’s New: Two Weeks Old!?
First, a little housekeeping…
Annabelle reading to “baby brother.”
I have so many posts written, waiting only for proofreading, pictures, and a title, but as you can see, they’re just not getting published. I’m grateful that no one has given me a hard time! I plan to resume the math and language series just as soon as I catch my breath. Most of my online reading is happening on my phone at the moment, so I’m seeing everything, but not clicking through to interact as much as usual. I’m missing the connection, but enjoying the snuggles that I’m getting instead! Do know that I’m still reading.
I skipped the July edition of Culinary Wanderings, and am trying to decide whether or not to continue with that. I don’t feel like the format is working terribly well, and it may be that those who come here just don’t come looking for recipes. I’m thinking I’ll switch either to a more specific format with regular prompts that others can write to as well if they want to join in, or will scratch it altogether. I’d love feedback on whether you’ve found those posts useful in the past, would prefer a different format, or aren’t digging foodie posts at all.
Singing to her animals at bath time.
It’s World Breastfeeding Week! The Natural Parents Network is celebrating again, and everyone is more than welcome to join. I’d love to join the fun myself, and hope to do so before the week is out!
Also, since I do most things one-handed these days, the good camera isn’t coming out as often. That means a few poor quality cell phone photos as I attempt to capture all the goodness of now.
What’s New?
Elliot is already two weeks old, which blows my mind completely. It’s so stinkin’ good to have a newborn around again. He’s still a big fan of sleeping, and never being moved. I didn’t even try to put him down last week because, why? I don’t interrupt the snuggles if I don’t have to. This week, I seem to have pinched a nerve somewhere in my left arm, so I gave the whole putting the baby down thing a try, and the little guy was not impressed. Thank goodness for my new wrap! The teeny tiny prefolds that we were putting on him the first several
Annabelle the gymnast.
days of his life are already too small, and I’m pretty sure the two week growth spurt has come and gone. He’s getting bigger before our very eyes, as they all do, I suppose. We started EC right away, and are “catching” at least a few pees a day. Annabelle likes to come and stand beside him, making the cue sound. We’re a perfectly normal family in every way.
It was a really difficult week for the older three in our household, with quite a few growing pains. Annabelle stopped napping almost as soon as Elliot was born, but her body clearly still needs the rest. The overtired state she reaches by bedtime has made it hard for her to go to sleep at night, and she wakes up with (or before) the sun every morning. The exhaustion, mixed with the big emotions that a new sibling can stir up have made for some pretty serious frustration, and with all that’s going on, the husband and I have not been responding in the way that we’d like much of the time. This makes it harder than it has to be for Annabelle to deal with her emotions, and can leave me feeling like a pretty lousy parent at the end of the day.
After holding Elliot, Annabelle decided she wanted to try holding daddy, too.
Fortunately, I have a pretty great co-parent and I think the two of us have worked out ways to meet all of the needs that were going unmet. I’m sure there are more challenges to come as we all continue to adjust, but for now sleep seems to be coming and Annabelle appears to be feeling much more secure. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about all of the emotional adjustment and what we’re learning from it in the months to come.
Annabelle continues to come up with something new every day, and is currently big into pretending. When it got much too quiet upstairs the other day, I found her in the bathroom smearing toothpaste on her knee. The same knee had recently been scraped and cleaned with peroxide, so when I opened the door, she held up the toothpaste tube and said with a grin, “Are you pretending that’s peroxide!?” A few days earlier, she had picked up a stack of breast pads, placed them on her head, and informed me that she was, “pretending those are caps.” I imagine she was thinking of the book Caps For Sale at the time. We’ve been doing puzzles and things together while I nurse the wee one, and I have been surprised by how much her skills on these things have developed, too.
The daddy is home with us for another three weeks of babymooning, so there should be plenty of time for us to settle in, get to know our sweet boy, and find ways to enjoy life together as four.
The rest of the week’s photos…
The angle makes the poor boy’s neck appear far more bent than it actually was! A favorite sleeping position.
Not the most precious of his expressions, but isn’t it fabulous how much that little face is filling out already!? He has an incredibly strong neck, too!
Feel free to link up with an update of your own in photos, words, or both! I’d love to read!
12 Responses to What’s New: Two Weeks Old!?
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And how is the Mammy doing? I am sad to hear you say you feel like a lousy parent. it’s hard when they are not getting enough sleep, really hard. virtual hugs to you.
He is so not 2 weeks already. Is he? Wow. He does look like you doesnt he-A does too though. She is too funny with the “caps” on the head.!
I love the culinary wanderings, but I never find the time to cook much, plus stick to simple stuff with B as she usually gets involved. We both love cooking but agree we will go back to more experimenting when she is older.
Lovely pics, and please do only post if you feel like it. I imagine it is something you love to do anyway, but people will and can wait.
You know, I’m happy to say I’m doing incredibly well. Tired of course, overwhelmed of course, but physically my recovery has been a breeze. It’s wonderful to have Andrew around, too. By this point in Annabelle’s infancy, he was deployed and I all by my lonesome.
Thanks for the reminders to take my time! I do love to write and post, it’s true, but sometimes the time and motivation needs to be directed elsewhere :) Hugs to you and B!
It looks to me like you are doing really well. It is going to be hard for Annabelle to adjust to not being the only child. I think Abigail is still adjusting and she is twelve now and was 23 months when Johnny arrived.
She did the same thing as Annabelle – ditching a much needed nap as soon as the baby came along. I seem to remember that I used the bath a lot more than before. Water is very calming and so she had a bath two or even three times a day sometimes. If it is warm outside then the bath can be water play – lots of pots and pans and jugs and ladles in the paddling pool, I seem to remember. We also moved to a much earlier bed time, and she slept well, because although tired, the water and the bath (which she always had at bedtime, even if there had been others earlier) meant she was relaxed. Her bedtime was the one time I made sure Ed took the baby. I fed him before she was ready to come out of the bath and if he protested about going to daddy then he was taken out of ear shot, for a walk down the road or in the garden. This gave Abigail a precious, protected time she could rely on to have with me alone. I think this saved our sanity some days!
Everyone looks well and Elliot already has a look of Annabelle about him. They are both very beautiful!
Thank you, Anna. We really must start taking advantage of the bathtub and water play on these no nap days, though I do hope the nap ends up returning.
Your advice is perfect, I think. For the first week and a half or so, Andrew and I were taking turns putting Annabelle down to sleep and, when it was my turn I usually had Elliot in one arm the whole time. It went terribly. The first night that he was asleep at A’s bedtime, I noticed a huge difference. She seemed so happy to have me all to herself again, and things went so much more smoothly! Since then, I’ve been trying to make sure baby E is fed before bedtime so that I can leave him with his daddy and have that special time with Annabelle. It’s so good for both of us!
I am in love with your children!! The first shot of A. reading and her brother laughing…. oh my gosh!!! It took forever for Em to laugh like that! He’s not wasting any time enjoying this life, it’s clear.
Then the second to the last one where they’re lying together and Elliot looks like he’s explaining something very important and Annabelle just looks adoring and tickled.
I’m so glad you have more solid time with hubby home. That way Annabelle can get lots of good attention. Does she have a special Auntie nearby?
I can’t believe how you’re still writing and reading anything at all! As far as the recipes, I do love to read what you post and you always inspire me to want to try something new. But do what works for you. This blog will be nothing but love and good times if all you do is write about daily life with your little humans.
xoxoxoxoxo
Aw, thank you, Tree! I’m pretty crazy about them, too :)
We don’t have any family nearby, but Annabelle has made some great doula friends who have offered to come around and spend time with her anytime, and the family visits will start in just a couple of weeks, too. Hopefully she gets plenty of love and attention with those!
Oh my gosh how time flies! Sounds like you all are adjusting as well as can be expected. I’m totally impressed that you’re continuing to blog at all! Sending you all love and peace, patience and compassion. <3
I just love the first picture of Elliot with Annabelle reading to her new little brother, very sweet!
I really enjoy reading about the conversations you and Annabelle have. Eliot is filling out pretty face. Was that a smile I saw in one of the pictures. Having your husband home during the babymooning is heaven. Thank you for sharing.
Annabelle looks absolutely besotted with Eliot, so darling!
Ahh, new baby… I can haz? Seriously, he is so cute and it looks like Annabelle is settling nicely? Hopefully it continues when it’s just the three of you for awhile. Seems like you’re a natural at this mama-of-2 thing. Congrats again!
Oh goodness, congratulations!!! I’ve been completely off the grid lately, and I just popped in to see what you were up to… and look – Elliot has arrived and how gorgeous he is! Enjoy all these precious ‘firsts’. Sending much love from the other side of the world :)