life with emilia: two weeks in.
I can’t even believe this little peanut has been with us for over two weeks now!
And I still can’t believe that it’s a girl. I think I am still in shock every day that we had a girl. Crazy crazy! Max and I call her little peanuts or little munchkin because she is still just SO tiny. I want to eat her up. I don’t know how my heart can expand so much!
So let’s see. How are things?
She is a dream. She sleeps SO MUCH. I guess I was just super concerned with having a newborn at home when Max was born and didn’t realize how much he slept – or it was just such a huge adjustment that I was flipped over it and missed him sleeping this much. But Eddie and I both swear that Max NEVER slept this much.
Since she has been such a sleepy little bug, I feel like I barely have anything to update about her! She is just pure perfection. I snuggle her as much as I can during the day and Max has been wonderful about it. I have managed to perfect the snuggling of her on my chest and Max under one arm. When she sleeps, he and I still get to play together a lot. Actually, more than we have normally since I’m just relaxed and not up working. He constantly wants to hold her and show her his toys which is just too cute.
Nursing is going so well again which I’m thankful for. I was afraid maybe I just got lucky with Max and that is came easily to us. But it’s going so well again and gosh I love it so much. I still can’t believe how much I love it, how calming it is (for both of us) and the amazing skin on skin bond. It makes me tear up!
The one adjustment with nursing has been that (as a nurse pointed out in the hospital!) I was used to nursing an older baby – like more used to nursing Max last year, who could hold up his head, have more control, etc. I was being lazy with holding her (that sounds weird but you might know what I mean) and that resulted in some major pain with her latching, but once I was more cognizant of how she had to be positioned and what not, we worked it out. Right now, she is eating every two to three hours, but occasionally gives me a longer stretch at night. She is so cuddly that I can hardly take it.
And yes, I am still sleeping so much more now at night than I did with Max. I mean I want to stay up and watch her the entire night. I don’t want to take my eyes off her. I don’t even want to set her down because… the cuddles! And I actually love when she wakes up because I want to hold her and snuggle her and never let her go! It’s like the little bit of time that we have for just the two of us. GAH.
Not that this isn’t an adjustment. Oh holy crap, it is such a huge huge huge adjustment, the whole going from one kid to two kids thing. It is super HARD. The first week and into the beginning of the second week, I thought I was losing my mind. I said to Eddie last week that it was the first time I ever wished that he worked from home or was home with me all day. Normally we’d never be able to stand that but I wanted to beg him to stay home every single day at first.
These hormones have been WILD since having her. The emotional highs and lows have been so much more intense than when I was pregnant, but I do remember them being this way after I had Max. One thing that I feel was different here is that almost immediately after the birth, I started feeling the hormones and the baby blues. With Max, it wasn’t until about two weeks later that I really felt them. I researched it a little (um and by that I mean I googled it like a psycho) and learned that maybe it came on so quickly because of how her birth went! Who knows.
For me, the baby blues don’t (or at least, they didn’t with Max and haven’t yet here) manifest in sad or depressive feelings – but more so of a holy-crap-I’m-so-overwhelmed feeling. Like I would want people to come over, then I’d immediately get overwhelmed and want them to leave. Or I’d think I could do a few things, then instantly get overwhelmed and have to quit. The first six or seven days I was just like OMG.
HOW ON EARTH CAN I DO THIS.
HOW DO PEOPLE HAVE TWO KIDS AND SURVIVE?
OMG, HOW DO PEOPLE HAVE MORE THAN TWO KIDS?!
I AM NEVER GOING TO SURVIVE THIS!
MY HOUSE WILL NEVER BE CLEAN AGAIN!
HOW THE HELL WILL I EVER GET A TODDLER TO NAP IN THIS SITUATION OMG OMG OMG.
I AM LIVING INSIDE A TORNADO NAMED MAX WITH CARS ALL OVER THE HOUSE.
And all sorts of feelings like that. I mean it was hilarious and terrifying and hard and like WHAT THE HECK. At the same time, I still felt physically rough, like my hips had been separated or something at this birth. I would just keep thinking HOW DID MY MOM DO THIS (and she had three of us) and I think I asked her that about 56 times. And she would kind of laugh and be like JESS IT HAS BEEN THREE DAYS! RELAX.
During that week, I thought I would never feel normal again. It was crazy. So crazy. And funny to think that I was so dramatically nuts in thinking I’d never feel human again.
And then. Last week, on Wednesday, it was like I woke up and magically turned a corner. I have no idea how or why. My body felt physically better and I felt emotionally and mentally so much better, and nothing had really changed so all I can attribute it to is those hormones slowly decreasing or something. I have felt so, so good ever since, even though right now I’ve had very little sleep in the last 48 hours – and I feel like a person. A HUMAN!
The key is just getting us up and doing things and living life, but not pushing it. I remember not being worried about cleaning the house at ALL when Max was born, but I didn’t have a toddler tornado blowing through. This time around, I’m definitely more stressed over the state of our home (hello toys EVERYWHERE) but know that again, this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment of snuggling with little ones and I don’t want to waste it on worrying about a clean house.
I managed to get the three of us out of the house on Friday and go to the mall, even though it took me over three hours to get us out – ha! Such a cliché but so true and we had such a good time, although I probably wouldn’t have survived without my cousin and mom and aunt. I mean, I never would have. I’d need, like, three more hands.
It’s just so hard to believe how FAST this time is flying again. It’s like when I had Max and felt time passing so quickly and just wanted it to slow down so badly. I’m living these days and already missing them when they are over. I know it sounds insane but I can even feel how much I will miss these days in the future.
Crazy right?
Ahhh but it’s the best feeling.
14 Comments on “life with emilia: two weeks in.”
Gosh she looks like Max! Especially in the second to last photo.
They actually BOTH look so much like Eddie!!!
Emilia’s hair even has a bit of a strawberry-blond look….
I LOVE these updates!! She is so precious! That last photo… oh my gosh.
Your two babies have(had) possibly the best expressions ever. Maybe you and Eddie are doing something to cause the reactions but I remember some of Max’s photos and they were priceless. It seems little sis is taking right after him. I have to saw I m looking forward to seeing all the little outfits…again…I remember how cute Max looked in every picture you posted.
Thanks so much for sharing your joy with all of us. I love these updates.
Beautiful little girl… Precious.. Look so much like Max.
Can’t wait to see all if the updates.
And can’t wait till baby number 3.. Wait did I actually say that?
Hey mama, it gets easier. Getting ready and out the door gets easier, just managing 2 kids gets easier…hang in there. She’s so sweet!
Awh she’s adorable and I don’t have any kids but I kinda understand that HOW CAN PEOPLE do this feeling. LOL and she’s looks like Max and Edie. And I want to be a postpartum doula where after someone has a baby you basically take care of all that stuff while they rest you know. Glad to know you’re feeling better. And she has a beautiful smile! Take care!
Yes the hormones are NUTS!!!! 7 months post partum, 2 months post nursing, and I am still REELING!!!
She is just beautiful. Soak it all up so quick. And let Max help whenever he wants, It’ll help develop such a bond with the 2 of them. My 3 yo, Isabel, LOVES her baby sister and it’s just the most precious thing you’ve ever seen. Melts my heart! Lots of love!!!
Your baby is so adorable! That 1st picture, with the bow? Priceless! You sound like you’re just trying to wrap your head around things so it’s good that she sleeps so much and you’re adjusting. Thanks so much for sharing!
She is so precious! I know I’m late to the congratulations party. It gets better, my kids are eighteen months apart. I totally understand the lazy but painful newborn nursing when you’re used to a toddler but now my newborn is a toddler. Haha. The mess didn’t really get better for me but my anxiety about it did. Anyway, congratulations on your beautiful family! Love following you guys!
What a blessing sweet Emilia is! My baby just turned 7 months old yesterday – it goes by in a blink. Sending your family lots of love!
So so so cute! You got this mama!
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My 2 kiddos are 11 days away from being exactly 2 yrs apart. (They JUST turned 2 & 4)
Boy first, girl second. Such a sweet bond that they have!
There are crazy days for sure – but we are so blessed that they get along so well!
I agree with the after-birth pain being worse. And second baby sleeping waaaay more (at least until 4months!) but I have to say – one of the days I dreaded that ended up being the best – because they are both Dec. birthdays – it was winter, I was going stir crazy – I decided that Chick-Fil-A would be good bc there’s an inside playground and – chicken! So I bundled the 1wk old and 2yr old into the car — started on the 20min drive and realized they were both asleep halfway there…
1) do I turn around and go home
2) do I go and wake them up?
3) do I get Starbucks drive-thru and peruse Pintrest until they wake up?
Better believe it was #3! A WHOLE HOUR of hot coffee and nothing but quiet! I woke our son up and we played for a while (baby girl was still sound asleep) and then we got drive-thru on the way out! (I knew I couldn’t juggle a toddler, a infant carseat AND a tray of nuggets but I felt bad using their playspace and not purchasing anything)
It was a WIN day that made me feel like I could handle it – if only in small doses lol!