Our first two weeks with Zoey Claire

Well, we've officially survived two weeks as a family of four. I still feel like we're in survival mode, and things aren't really "settled" yet. I also haven't braved any sort of outing by myself with both kids--that thought still strikes fear in my heart. BUT, I can already tell that the second time around the baby block is way easier than the first in many ways. And it's funny how much I find myself thinking back to when E was a baby and noting all the things that are surprisingly different or exactly the same this time.

+ Z has dark hair. You guys, I'm strawberry blonde. E has blonde cherub hair. C's hair is sortof a non-color ("dishwater" would be the most accurate description). And yet, little Z has this lovely dark brown hair. It totally caught me off guard, and I love it.

+ The crazy hormonal emotions were/are just as intense as they were after E's birth, but that feeling of complete rollercoaster upheaval didn't last nearly as long. I remember, after E was born, crying for days every time C left for work in the morning. I was super nervous about losing my head this time around and being forced to contend with two kids while trying to hold myself together. But C's first day back to work was Monday, and the only person who cried that day was Z. I feel like I should make myself a sticker chart and plaster that sucker with gold stars as a reward for being less of a basketcase.

+ The baby's crying doesn't bother me nearly as much. With E, I found it SO HARD to hear her cry. It made me feel like I was going nuts. But Z's crying barely phases me at the moment. It's kindof awesome to be able to stay calm even if she's screaming hungry--makes me feel like I might actually have my life more together than I would have guessed. (I don't, but I can pretend.) Of course, this could all change here in the next couple of weeks. E was MSPI--her little body couldn't process milk and soy proteins in my breastmilk. The condition causes a kid a lot of pain, and she screamed (not cried, but screamed) constantly after the first couple of weeks, when symptoms typically show up. We're not to that time frame with Z yet, so we don't know if she's MSPI or not. I've been avoiding dairy and soy as best I can since we came home from the hospital--it takes a few weeks for your system to "clear," and it also takes a few weeks for a baby to show symptoms of an intolerance. So in the next week or two we'll start to see symptoms if she's having issues (I've still taken vitamins and given her a newborn probiotic that contain soy and some milk proteins, so if she's got severe issues those will probably set her off, even if the residual proteins from before I went DF/SF don't). If it seems like she's doing OK, we'll start testing foods and see how much she can tolerate. I'm praying that she's fine and I won't have to deal with the MSPI diet beyond these first few weeks, but we'll see how it goes. (If you have a moment, I'd really appreciate your prayers about this, too.)


+ E has been having a little trouble adjusting. She seems to like Z well enough, and she loves to be helpful in taking care of her (she always comes with us to change her diaper and likes to hold Z's pants or hand us wipes). But she has also been incredibly naughty. She's been throwing fits way more often than usual, and she's crazy stubborn and argumentative. It's not normal for her to behave that way--at least not to the degree that we're currently dealing with--so I'm guessing it's a reaction to no longer being the center of attention. How long it will last is a mystery, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she gets past it soon. Surprisingly, dealing with her issues is (so far) the hardest part of this two-kid thing.

+ Z sleeps pretty well. Of course, she's only two weeks old and hasn't hit that stage of becoming more alert just yet. (And if she's MSPI, it's possible that this could all go right out the window.) But we typically get at least one sleep stretch of 4-ish hours each night. It's a huge blessing. But I still find myself struggling to keep my eyes open by 8-ish every evening. It makes spending time together as a couple for me and C pretty difficult. I keep telling myself that it's all temporary, babies grow fast, and this will pass. Still, I miss the boy.

+ She must be held all the live-long day. She will sleep in the swing, but usually only if you knock her out while holding her first. She hates the bouncy seat (sad, because E loved it), and isn't into the baby gym, either (she's really just too young for that yet, though). I have managed to get her into my Wildbird sling a couple of times with success, which helps me at least be able to walk around and do some stuff.

+ We aren't seeing our doctor weekly like I did with E, because we now participate in a health share program instead of traditional insurance and those extra visits would be straight out of our pocket. It's totally fine because this isn't our first rodeo and Z is rocking life so far, but there's still a little nervousness in me--the weekly check-in with the Doc is a safety net that's nice to have, ya know? The next time we see him will be when she is five weeks old. (Unless, of course, some sort of problem arises before then.)

+ I am completely unaware of the season at the moment. Yesterday I left C with the girls and went to get my hair cut. As I was driving, I saw several houses with Christmas lights up, and the hair salon had glittery wreaths on the door. It felt SO weird, because I'm not in the holiday groove AT ALL. I hope the haze passes soon, because this is my favorite time of year.

Two weeks down. A lifetime to go.