2 Months--So Slow, So Fast

Apparently, bad things aren’t the only thing that pours when it rains. I guess my blogging follows in the same vein. We just have a lot to blog about right now! Briella is officially 2 months old today and I can’t believe how weird that is. In so many ways, I can’t imagine life without her and it feels like I’ve had her for so long. But, on the flipside, I can’t believe she is already 2 months and starting to sleep through the night! Where has my tiny baby gone? We took her to the doctor yesterday and here are her stats:

Weight: 9.96 lbs (28th percentile, up from 10%)
Height: 22 in. (37th percentile, down from 38%)
Head Size: 14.25 in (2nd percentile, down from 13%)

So, my kids just have small heads that grow really slowly. The doctor wasn’t too worried about her drop in this yet—she did grow in inches from last time—but he said if she doesn’t at least keep this rate of growth by next time, he may be a little worried because her head is so small. Also, because her head is so tiny, she is starting to look chubby in the body in comparison. It is kind of funny.

She had a big growth spurt this week, hence the 45 minute intruder and wanting to eat every two hours during the day, and has completely grown out of newborn clothes. She is still SO sweet. She only cries when she is tired or poopy (which is literally every hour if not sooner). I asked the doctor if it was normal for a baby to poop this much since Braxton was on the other extreme (once every 5-6 days) and he said it is for breast-fed babies whose mother’s milk are really full of sugar. So, I guess my diet of frozen green grapes isn’t helping the problem—seriously, I’m addicted to them.

She is starting to smile and coo—a lot. She even smiled at the doctor while he looked in her ears, very strange since most babies hate that. When she got her shots, she let out an initial squawk but then threw her bottom lip out in a pout for the nurse like she was saying, ‘Why did you do that?’, but no more crying.

She has beautiful, soft skin and bright blue eyes. I am so obsessed and in love with this little girl. I don’t know if it is because I don’t have baby blues like I did with Braxton, if she is that much better of a baby, or if it is just a better transition because I was already a mom, but I am loving this baby time a million times more than I did last time. I find myself wanting to wake her up to see her eyes and her smile. When both the kids take naps at the same time, I take a short nap myself and then find myself pacing, waiting for her to wake up and wanting to go watch her sleep.

When it Rains, It Pours

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it seems like everything falls apart at the same time? Life decided that we had things too good and decided to throw us a couple curveballs this week. The following things happened in our home in 36 hours:

• Braxton peed in his bed.
• While washing his sheets, the washing machine breaks. Really breaks. The repairman said it will take 2-3 weeks to get special order parts. If it wasn’t under warranty, he told us that he wouldn’t fix it and we’d have to get a new one.
• Sewage backs up into Braxton’s tub.
• Briella decides she is done taking naps for a while—the 45 minute intruder has hit. Hard.
• Braxton decides he doesn’t want to take naps again without a fight.
• Our car battery dies at our family pictures and we had to ask strangers for a jump.
• Braxton pulls the O button off my computer. Not sure if it is fixable, but at least it still works or this post would be without the Os.
• Visiting the Laundromat for the first time with 5 full, black garbage bags of clothes. Kind of scary at night and I felt like I needed a shower after I was done.

On the upside, Briella is now a big girl sleeping 6-8 hours straight in the night and is now in her own room. I think we got some good family pictures for our wall and Christmas card. And our family managed to escape the Orem County flu outbreak that pretty much got our whole neighborhood.

Goodbye Merry Maids, Hello Housework

As some of you know, I was limited in the housework I could do while I was pregnant.  So, we hired Merry Maids to come every two weeks to clean our house from top to bottom.  I have to say it was SO nice to not have to clean bathrooms for a few months.  For some unfathomable reason, Brian thinks that now I’ve recovered from my C-section that I need to get back to cleaning the house.  So, goodbye dear Alondra and all the other sweet women from Merry Maids!  I will miss you!

Briella's Newborn Pictures

We had Suzee Anderson take Briella's newborn pictures when she was three weeks old.  We just got them back.  Here are our favs!

On My Own

It was so wonderful to have Brian, my mom, and mother-in-law here to help for the first three weeks after having Briella. But, I have recovered so much more quickly this time and have been on my own for the last few weeks. Two kids are definitely harder than one for sure, but it hasn’t been the sleepless, emotional nightmare I was expecting. Maybe it is because I seriously have the best baby ever, or it could also be because Braxton is so helpful and kind and not that difficult at all. It’s probably a little of both, combined with the fact that I almost feel normal again.

To update on me, I have already lost all 22 pounds of Briella’s baby weight plus 5 more of Braxton’s baby weight I never got off. I am already going pretty much full-on with my treadmill workouts and am just waiting for the clear from my doctor next week before I start doing crunches and high impact stuff again. I have already taken my kids on several outings by myself (grocery store, etc.), which I didn’t do with Braxton until he was 8 months! I am actually taking showers everyday and take them on stroller walks and play outside as well, which gets me out of the house so I don’t feel so tied down. Nursing is still going well, although I am still really sore and have to occasionally supplement with formula because she needs more than I have in me. Hopefully, we can keep it up for another month or two.

Braxton is doing SO well. Once we got him sleeping in his bed again, he has become the well-behaved little boy I remember having. He loves to hold Briella and is constantly kissing her and bringing me diapers and blankets, but he is very gentle and never tries to smother her. He loves when I can give him one-on-one attention with stories and he loves to sing. His favorite song is Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam. He has finally adjusted to nursery and comes home to tell me how much fun he had there. He is showing some serious athletic ability. He can really smack the golf ball and hardly ever misses anymore. We are going to get him some real clubs for Christmas and Brian will start taking him out next summer. He likes to watch golf on TV and yells ‘ALMOST’ when they miss a putt and cheers when they make one. He also loves anything with a ball—basketball, football, baseball, soccer. We definitely need to get this kid into sports as soon as we can!

Briella is 5 weeks old and such an angel. She sleeps so well and we are down to only two feedings at night. She is a pretty good napper, especially since I don’t tell Braxton to be quiet and she has learned to sleep through the noise. She has definitely gotten bigger and heavier in the last week or so and I can’t wait to take her back to the doctor to check her stats. She has a little bit of baby acne so her face is red and rashy. She LOVES taking baths, so I give her one every day. And finally, like Braxton, she is not a fan of the binky. I continue to force one on her during crying phases, but as soon as she calms down, she spits it out.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks!

Oh, I also had my 28th birthday. Brian was in Denver and my mother-in-law was here. Both Brian and my mom sent me edible arrangements. I thought they tasted as good as they looked!

Brian took Braxton miniature golfing for a father/son outing. He liked to watch the ball come out the secret shortcuts and he was extremely upset on the last hole when it took his ball!

Briella, my sleeping ballerina

My bumble bee is 1 month old!