One Week and One Day!

Ugh!  I just finished writing a gigantic post about how hard it's been to adjust to a new baby, and how we have no routine anymore and all is chaos.  Then I put Margot to bed, at the same time and in the same way I've put her to bed since we've been home: in her jammies, nurse her, change her, swaddle her, nurse her some more, lay her down in her crib.  I was rocking with her while she nursed and I thought, "Wow.  Everything I just wrote is completely not true!  THIS is a routine.  And it's worked so far.  It might not work tonight, but it's worked so far, and I should erase that post and start a new one."  So here you go.  Much less complaining, lots of baby pictures.  Hooray!

Margot is one day old here.  I think she already loves her big sister!

Sylvia thinks Margot is the greatest and most wonderful being on the planet. Here's proof. Sylvia is very attached to two toy trains - Thomas and Percy. She carries them all over the house, they go with her where ever she goes, and one day last week we left them at Grammy's and OH, THE DRAMA! Well, the first morning Margot was home, she was snoozing in the bassinet in the living room. Sylvia came out of her room and saw her, then ran to the bassinet and tossed Percy in at Margot's feet. "Here ya go, Margot!" she sang, and walked over to the breakfast table, where Sylvain and I sat with jaws on the floor. It was awesome.

Aww, look at me sleeping.  You thought is was me, didn't you?  Because this kid looks way more like me than the other one does.

I highly recommend marrying a teacher and having your babies at the beginning of the summer.  We have six entire weeks home together as a family of four.  There's no rush to get things organized or scheduled.  My only job is to feed this baby and get some sleep.  Sylvain takes care of everything else.  I'm in charge of Margot and he's in charge of Sylvia, but we make sure to spend plenty of time with "the other one" during the day.  Sometimes we feel like a tag team, handing each other kids and switching from two year old talk to newborn talk at the drop of a hat, but it works for now and that's all that matters.

This job would be four hundred times harder without our family around.  Mom kept Sylvia during our time in the hospital and I couldn't be more grateful.  Lots of family have come by to visit, bringing gifts or food or just a couple of open arms to hold a baby and play with a toddler.  And we get to sit back and watch, and take a little break.  I'm convinced that having Sylvain home and having just the right amount of visitors has helped ward off the "baby blues." 

Margot sleeps like a champ (knock on wood, you never know what each night will bring)!  She can go for three to four hours between feedings at night, and she always goes right back to sleep after a feeding (except for her first night in the hospital and her second night home - those were all-nighters where we partied together like rock stars)!  Once again, the sleeplessness doesn't worry me one bit, because I know that while I'm up all night, Sylvain and Sylvia are sleeping soundly and I don't have to worry about her in the morning.  No matter how rough my night may be, she gets to spend the day with her Daddy, so I don't have to feel bad about sneaking in an extra nap while Margot is napping, which she does all day long.  I think she was awake for almost 45 minutes this afternoon - a new record!

Someday I'll have a picture of her with her eyes open, I promise!

Sometimes Sylvia gets a little whiney and needs Mama's attention.  She's been in time-out a few more times than usual.  But I wonder if that's just because she's a growing two year old?  I think she's starting to understand that the baby needs me and she has to wait sometimes.  She loves to feel like she's helping and I'm starting to find good things for her to do while I nurse.  I can tell that this time of adjustment is helping her to build good character.  I know it's all part of being a sibling and it's good for her.  I get very weepy when I see them together and watch the tiny seeds of a relationship being planted.  Sylvia loves Margot so MUCH.  And I love holding them both in my lap and thinking to myself, "These are my girls!  Both of them.  With me today, gone tomorrow."  I try to soak up their smallness as often and as long as I possibly can.