Here's just a brief update on all of us... I know that I will one day forget how I felt directly after having Jude so I hope these little updates will help me recall all that I was feeling during this time!
Jude:
Little J continues to be a really easy baby! We've had some issues with sleep this week. Mainly, he really likes Mommy and wants to be near me at all times. During the day, he has no trouble sleeping in the bouncy chair, Moses basket, etc., but at night, he wants/needs reassurance that I'm nearby. We are currently trying to break some bad habits that we've gotten ourselves into, but for the most part, he goes about 3 hours between feeds during the night even when I'm cluster feeding. We've had a couple of 4-5 hour stretches which was really nice, but I'm okay with every 3 hours as well.
At our weekly doctor's appointment, he did great and is almost back up to his birthweight. He's been a bit of a lazy eater, but has started to figure everything out now and I have also learned how to handle him better... how to keep him awake and eating longer. Dr. K says he is doing great and I couldn't agree more!
Here in week 2, I've continued to notice little differences between him and Finley. For one thing, Jude has never really been curled in the fetal position the way Finley was. I thought I would never see her stretch out, but Jude doesn't seem to mind at all being uncurled. He also isn't nearly as addicted to the binky or the swaddle blanket as Finley was. He likes them, but seems to take them or leave them.
This week, he also started fussing when I pull up to a red light which Finley did for months. It makes me laugh. I'm just thankful he enjoys the carseat and has been easy to get out with.
Lastly, he is falling naturally into Baby Whisperer's EASY routine. He eats, stays awake, and then sleeps. He is definitely becoming more alert and his eyes are beginning to focus better. He does have a really sleepy period each day between about 4-6 p.m. and at times has been a bit fussier from 7-10 p.m. I've read this is pretty normal. I don't remember if Finley did this or not.
He is pretty much amazing. Though it's only been a couple of weeks, I already find myself wondering how I ever didn't have him here to love!
Finley:
Well, Finley has had quite the week!
First, this happened:
Which led to this:
Which led to this:
She is handling her broken wrist quite well and I couldn't be more proud of her. We have spent quite a bit of the last couple of days in doctor's offices and even the ER (thank goodness, Mary was able to watch Jude for us!) and though she wasn't always a perfect angel, she more than cooperated when she needed to and I am completely grateful.
As for how Finley is handling Jude, she continues to amaze me. I am humbled each time I see her interact with him. She is totally in love with him and is constantly checking to make sure he is okay. She continues to dislike strangers talking to him though she doesn't mind at all when someone she knows gives him attention. She threw a complete fit when a waitress looked at him last weekend and then this week, I almost couldn't get her into the X-ray room because she didn't want to leave Jude behind. I love this protective side of her. She is also really giving and shares her toys, blankets, etc. with him and almost always wants to hold him. The day before I had Jude, I was talking to my friend, Heather, about my emotional breakdown due to Finley and she said "Michelle, you are giving her a gift!" She couldn't have been more right. I truly feel like Jude is a gift for Finley as much as he is a gift for me and Devin. Though I wasn't sure she would see it that way until much later, I smile every day when I see her with him and know that he is a gift given to all of us.
Me:
I am feeling much better this week. Though I didn't feel awful last week, I can tell a big difference between last week and this week. Last week, I could tell very quickly when I overdid it or when I had gone too long without pain medicine. I also could move in a weird way and instantly know that I had just delivered a baby. This week, I haven't had any pain medicine and have felt great. I am almost completely back to "normal"!!!! And even better, my stomach seems to have lost quite a bit of pooch and I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. (As a side, I used to go to Target a lot on my lunch break when I worked and I used to see these moms in skinny jeans with their tiny itty-bitty newborns and think "MUST BE NICE!!!!" and now I'm one of those moms that I used to kind of hate. Oops!)
I'm sure I'm sleep deprived, but I don't really feel it. It'll catch up with me at some point I'm sure. We have been fortunate enough to have meals every night for the last two weeks as well as next week so it's been nice to not worry about cooking. I'm still trying to figure out how to get us all out the door on the mornings we have to be somewhere and I'm starting to get the itch to be productive again, but for the most part, I am just loving not having a schedule and just getting to spend time at home with my munchkins.
Devin:
He is certainly feeling sleep deprived. I tried to take Jude downstairs last night so that he could get some sleep, but he refused to let me. He is a great dad and a great husband. I'm so thankful to share this time with him. He's had to work late here and there these past two weeks which has been difficult, but thankfully has been able to get home earlier on the nights I've really needed him (such as when we were at the ER). Tonight we are going on a date night and I'm looking forward to getting some quality time together!
