Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Thoughts

Olivia is the best little sleeper.

This morning I took the boys to story time at the library (a puppet show!) and a nearby splash park, all while Olivia was sleeping peacefully in her stroller/car seat. She slept through the talking puppets, the 30ish kids screaming in delight, Adam having a breakdown because Matthew got to pet the puppet dog, but he didn't. She slept through the 3 trips to the potty the boys took while we were out. She slept through the (extreme) heat at the splash park. She didn't wake up until we were almost home.
Story time today
Story time last week.
While she may not always be this oblivious to noise, but she is night and day from the twins and this age and it made me think...if she were my first baby, I would have had a more gentle transition into parenthood. (More gentle than the twin tornadoes that slept 30 minutes to 1 hour at a time, not always at the same time, and cried while they were awake unless they were nursing.) But I wouldn't have developed the same empathy for other moms of difficult kids or moms of multiples. I wouldn't have grown in the same ways. And of course I wouldn't have two of the loves of my life, Adam and Matthew.

They challenge me every single day, but they are sweet down to their very core.

Like this morning, I hit my head on the couch (being clumsy). Alan just made fun of me, but Matthew was immediately concerned, and kissed my forehead. ("Got hurt on the couch, Mommy?" Then Adam (who had been in the tub), jumped out, ran to the freezer and brought me a cold pack, which he applied to my forehead himself, saying, "Feel better, Mommy?"

Or today when Adam was having a breakdown about missing out on petting the puppet dog, he couldn't seem to calm himself down. Finally he said, "Mommy, need hug!" and melted into my arms.

Or when they say, "My slept good" after naptime or in the morning and then crawl into my arms :)

I have read that the sweetest kids can often be the most difficult babies. I feel this is true with Adam and Matthew.

Olivia... my easy baby. She is my sweet heart, and I am convinced she will stay sweet. I am so thankful to have a cuddly newborn. I cherish every single moment with her. So far there has only been one moment I really felt exasperated with her, and that was she stayed up until 2am (really my fault because I let her sleep all day without any awake times.) She seems to grow every time she wakes up from her naps, and I just want her to slow. down. ! I am so glad we decided to have just one more. I am soaking up my precious moments with my singleton little girl. 

Sabbath dress. 6 1/2 weeks.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Fun to Watch...

Photo: One of our sunflowers has grown taller than the house :-0
Matthew in blue, Adam in red. That sunflower is taller than our roof!

The boys are going to turn 3 next month, and are starting to talk more and more. I can really see their little brains working on figuring out their world. It's fun to watch them grow :)

I've been writing down some of the cute/smart things they say:

****

Adam: (about Olivia) Came out of Mommy's tummy!
Me: Yes, she came out of mommy's tummy!
Matthew: Like me!

(So smart!)

****
(We lock the boys' room from the outside at night, so they can't get into things while we are asleep. One morning they broke out, and I found their clock on the ground of their room with it's hands missing. Their daddy asked them about this.)
Alan: Why did you break your clock?
Adam: Need key for the door!

****

(This was as I was strapping the kids in their car seats, after we shopped at Whole Foods. The boys rode around in a shopping cart made for kids, equipped with steering wheels for them to "steer" the cart. They liked it.)

Matthew: My happy
Me: Awww **hug**

Adam: My sad
Me: Oh no. **hug**
Adam: My happy again.

:)

****

(Adam had locked the door of the bathroom)
Matthew: (Completely on his belly, trying to look under the door) Poopy, Adam?
Adam: (Says something unintelligible)
Matthew: (Sounding excited) Lots of poopy??

****

Alan likes to call Olivia, "Olivier" (pronounced Oliv-E-A)
Alan: Hi Olivier!
Matthew: (very forceful) NO! We-ya!!

****

Matthew: (Running around the house, obviously proud of himself/) I made a yucky!!!
Me: You did??
Matthew: Yep!! Come see!!!

****

Adam and Matthew both spontaneously say, "She's so cute!!" when they see Olivia. I love it!!
Olivia at 6 weeks old.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Olivia's First Month


First two weeks:

Sleeping Habits: 

You sleep almost constantly... you are like a dream baby! I am constantly checking on you to make sure you are breathing. You are such an easy baby. I wake you up every 3 hours during the day to eat, and you nurse like a champ. You are eating every 3-4 hours at night. You do cluster feed some, which is good because you are making my milk come in like crazy! 
Here is a good pictures of one your cloth diapers!
I did let you nap on your tummy while I was watching you, but you slept on your back at night. You sleep in a bassinet in our room, on Mommy's side of the bed.

Breastfeeding/Weight Gain:
Adam (batman) and Matthew (superman) pushing you to your first doctor's appointment
I am exclusively breastfeeding you. You were born at 6 lbs 7 ounces. At 2 days old you dropped to 5 pounds 13 ounces, and the doctor's office wanted me to supplement with formula. I was going to be nice and just accept the formula samples, but I knew I wasn't going to supplement you yet. I wanted to give my milk a chance to come in. So I said... "Okay... I probably won't." Your mommy usually doesn't talk back like that :) But my milk did come in later that day, and at your weight check the next day, you had gained an ounce! By two weeks old you were 7 lbs 8.5 ounces, which means you had gained over 2 ounces a day since my milk came in! I can see you getting chunkier every day!
I was pretty sore the first two weeks, but lanolin was my best friend! I am also loving the "My Breast Friend" nursing pillow when I want to be mostly hands free. But I also use a boppy or just hold you.
Coming home from the hospital
The one time you didn't nurse well was right after we brought you home. We were able to go home after 24 hours, which was wonderful! However, right before we left they did your Newborn Screen (a big prick to your heel), and you didn't want to nurse after that, or when we got home (it had been 4 hours since you last nursed by that time). I was starting to get nervous... why had we insisted on going home so early?? We could have easily stayed another day. I gave you to your Granny Bee to hold for a little while (she had been watching your brothers), and then tried again.. and you did fine. You haven't had an issue since.

Temperment:
You are so laid back and easy going! I love that you like to cuddle with mommy, and even when you are awake, you mostly just look around quietly. I can't wait to get to know you even more!
10 days old
10 days old
10 days old

Twin Brothers:

Your big brothers Adam and Matthew LOVE you! They ask to hold you all the time, and always say you're "so cute!" They love to kiss you head (I tell them "gently!") and look at your tiny hands and feet. 
11 days old
Matthew holding you

Everyone doing "tummy time"
2 weeks old. So calm with your crazy brothers wrestling with dad in the background.

Weeks 3-4

You are starting to wake up more and become more aware. At 3 weeks old you started to hold up your head and look around. At 4 weeks your awake periods were becoming longer and longer.

You still nurse great! You sleep well in your bassinet. Your most awake time is in the evenings after your brothers are asleep from about 7pm-11pm. Then you sleep in until about noon before another good awake time (of course you still nurse every 3 hours or so).

3 nights ago you stayed up until midnight, 2 nights ago you stayed up until 1am, and last night you stayed up until 2am. So you are a little confused about your days and nights. Mommy is trying to wake up in the mornings, so you will hopefully go to sleep a little earlier than this :)

We have cloth diapered since we brought you home from the hospital. I am actually having a lot of fun with it, I feel like I am doing something good for the environment and saving us money. It does mean Mommy has changed all of your diapers except a few that Daddy changed in the hospital, but that's okay. There is plenty for Daddy to do besides change diapers :)


Some places you have been (already!)

Zoo
Chuck E Cheese
The movies (Monsters University) - you didn't like this.. too loud. We spend most of the time out of the theater!
Costco (When you were two days old, but you stayed in your covered stroller :P)
Kroger (Mommy's first solo grocery trip with all 3 kiddos)
The splash park (3 times!)
Church

Other Thoughts:

The transition from 2 to 3 has been so easy compared to the shock of going from 0 to 2. You are such an easy baby AND there is only one of you. Also we are already set up for kids, and we had a much better idea of what to expect this time. I have loved the one on one snuggles we get to share, and carrying you around the house in the Moby Wrap, without a second baby looking at me in betrayal. :P

When you start waking up more I will have more of an idea of what life with 3 will really be like!

You are already 5 weeks old as of today. You have changed so much! As I write this you are sleeping in your Moby Wrap on my chest :) We love you so much!



2 1/2 weeks old. Watching Sabbath services on the webcast
3 weeks old. Just look at your cheeks! This is during your awake time in the evening :)
3 weeks old
IMG_20130705_105027.jpg
1 month old!
IMG_20130705_140242.jpg
1 month old! (At Chuck E Cheese being held by Grandma)