Sunday, March 13, 2011

Millie's New World - Three Weeks Old

Dear Millie Bean,
Three weeks in... and Mommy still hasn't lost her mind. 

Well, maybe just the once that required your Daddy coming home early from Poker Night after I had repeatedly told him to go... that I'd be FINE.  But, I've been sick and you just WOULDN'T  go to sleep. 

Okay, fine... maybe that happened twice.  Anyway, I don't know how it's possible that I forgot just how much the first few weeks of having a newborn sucked sleep-wise, but I apparently did.

The good news? You are one chill baby.  The only time you ever cry is when you're hungry or have a gas bubble or need to blow out your diaper.  I'm really hoping that you don't start the phase that your older sister went through where you cry from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day for a month.  That really sucked and caused Daddy and I psychological problems for a while!

Right now, you're battling a head cold.  Which.. yes, I gave you.  Sorry about that.  Even sorrier that the way we have to manage your cold is to suction out your nose.  However, you don't seem to hate it as much as Hazel did.  See?  CHILL.  We also have to have you sleeping in the bouncy chair to help with drainage.  I took you to the doctor last week for your two-week well-child checkup and the doc checked to make sure you didn't have RSV or strep.  For the strep test, they had to draw veinous blood.  Yea... that was NOT fun. Luckily though, everything came back negative and you were diagnosed with the common rhinovirus.  Blah.  During the checkup, the doc heard a slight heart murmur, which had not been there while you were still in uetero and right after you were born.  We are taking you back to the doctor next week to make sure it's not getting louder/stronger.  I hope it's nothing too serious... I don't have a bad feeling about it like I did with everything with your older sister.  I guess that I've actually grown up in terms of motherhood and don't freak out about everything.  For the love... Hazel fell off the porch head first yesterday and my head didn't explode!!!

You still sleep a lot... but the most you've been able to put together at night is about 4 hours.  I can't wait until we hit the 6 hour mark.  You're sleeping in our room with us... next to me in the Pack-N-Play with the bouncer in it.  Daddy has taken to sleeping downstairs so that he can get some good rest at night so he can deal with your older sister in the mornings.  That seems to be working well... but it really stinks for me as I miss him.


We've started to take you outside in the Bjorn or stroller... which is heaven for a mother on maternity leave who has been stuck in the house for a few weeks.  You don't seem to mind too much... usually just fall asleep.  Although during a walk along the river this weekend, you got a little cold and threw as big of a fit as you've ever had.  Once we got you back in the car where it was warm, you calmed right down and fell asleep.

Speaking of sleep.. you do seem to take after your sister in that any and all naps shall be taken either on Mommy or Daddy, in the bouncy chair or maybe (sometimes) in the swing. You're not as big of a fan of the swing as your sister... but I think that will change.  Hopefully.

You are such a little bean.  Your newborn clothes completely swamp you... and we've just barely graduated you from premie and newborn diapers to Stage 1 diapers.  And we only did that because you had two blowouts in the newborn diapers yesterday.  Honestly, I don't have many newborn clothes for you since your sister was pretty much in 3 month clothes the day she was born. 

We're still having issues with nursing with you.  You have a problem staying latched on so I am still having to use the nipple shield.  Which helps with the nipple soreness but is such a pain in the butt to get situated in the middle of the night. 

Speaking of the middle of the night... wanna know how you roll these days?  Sleep, wake, feed, blowout your diaper, feed again, get the hiccups FOREVER and possibly feed again before you finally go back to sleep.  You might possibly be the worlds slowest feeder, baby girl.  I don't know if you're just really hungry, or you get exhausted from feeding as you're not efficient yet... but you feed forever and then you fall asleep.... and then 30 minutes later you want to feed again.  Tonight, for example, I started feeding you at 7 p.m..  And finally cut you off at 8:20 when I realized that yes... you had, in fact, been feeding for almost 90 minutes.  I'm sorry... but by 3 weeks, you should be getting a leetle bit better at this feeding thing.

I think I'm already having supply issues... either that or you just cannot be kept satisfied.  Which is why we have to supplement you with formula.  Which I hate, but it's the only thing we can do to keep you full.  And help you gain some much needed weight. 

Your sister is finally warming up to you and insists on holding you every morning when she sees you.  We don't let her yet... but we do let her snuzzle you.  And this weekend when we took our first drive as a family of four, she reached down from her car seat and held your hand the entire way. It was so sweet.  I can't wait for the two of you to be able to play together. I hope you become best of friends that will always be there for each other. 

But, for now... I'll enjoy the fact that you're not fighting over toys and you much prefer to nap instead of pulling out all of the pots and pans while I'm cooking.  I couldn't handle two of you doing it at the same time. 

Love,
Mama

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