Mallory ~14 weeks~

This is going to be a short update.  Also she would not stop moving so I couldn't get a good weekly picture (also I meant to crop it but oh well)

Breastfeeding:  

Nothing new really this week.  No clogged ducts or full feelings.  

Sleep:

She's going a 6 hour stretch and then a 2-3 hour at night.

Naps are a fail.  She doesn't want to nap but occasionally will take a decent afternoon nap.

Misc:

Super drooly this week.  Super chatty.

I thought we were past the evening fussiness but we had a few rough evenings and even some fussy days.  

We left her to go to a wedding reception on Saturday with my mother in law.  I was away four hours, and it was the longest I'd been away yet.  She didn't take a bottle, but did okay otherwise (My parents watched Eleanor so I felt better about her being just by herself in case she was cranky)

Mallory Update ~13 Weeks~

Breastfeeding:

I had a few moments of feeling super uncomfortable.  There were a few times where she didn't want to nurse at all, even though I thought she had to be hungry.  There were a few other times she just confort nursed for forever.  Or so it felt

Sleep

She's pretty consistent about her first stretch being around 6 hours.  There was one night where she woke up screaming after just a few hours but I suspect gas.

Misc. 

She's been having some issues with gas lately.  Sometimes it wakes her up from a solid sleep and others she's already awake, but she goes 0-60 with the most heartbreaking cry.

She's also having some farts that are sooo stinky. 

She's been 'talking' a lot this week.

Mallory 3 Months

Sweet Mal gal is 3 months and 2 days (I'm a little late, lol!) aka 1/4 of the way to a year.  I did get the picture taken in time, just didn't get the post all the way done. 

She's smiling a lot and likes to 'talk.'  It's really really cute when she does it to her stuffed animals or a picture of Eleanor on the wall.. 

She's starting to outgrow her 3 month pajamas and pants.  Onesies are generally okay.

Some of the one size cloth diapers fit so I've been trying to work them in more,  otherwise I have been using the size 1-2 from Sam's club. 

Using my super accurate method of weighing her put her at 12.6 lbs.  (She was just in a clean diaper so I think it's pretty close)

I bought a used bumbo floor seat last week, and although she's sat in it for a minute or two (with us sitting right there) she's not totally ready for it, but I would think in the next few weeks she will be better with the head control. 

She's sleeping pretty well at night.  One 6 hour stretch and then a 2-3 hour one.  Naps are a little tougher and a little less consistent but usually 3-4 a day. 

12 week update ~Mallory~

Sleep

She's usually sleeping close to a 6 hour stretch her first stretch on the night.  Then it might be another 3 hours before she's waking up again.  It still takes her a while to settle down at night, although lately she's 'usually' asleep between 9:30/10.  That's better than the 11/11:30 it was before.

Breastfeeding. 

Going pretty well although she's definitely shortened her feed times, and they were already short.  I'm not feeling uncomfortable though so I don't worry about it. She has had a couple times where she's been latched on for a good 30 minutes but as far as actively sucking that only lasted a maybe ten minutes.  

I nursed her in the backyard yesterday.  Eleanor didn't want to come in and she was hungry so I did what I had to do.  We do have three neighbors but one side has some bushes on it, and while not a huge yard, and someone probably could see what I was doing they would have to be at the fence to even really see any breast so I didn't care to much.  I know some people are gung ho about nursing uncovered in public.  I don't care if someone does it.  Doesn't phase me.  BUT I'm not super comfortable nursing uncovered.  I have a larger chest and find it harder to not show breast, and I don't like covers because it's harder to latch her and she bats at it anyway.  So while I have nursed uncovered (at baby wearing group, and obviously breastfeeding group), it's not something I like to do.  So yesterday was a first. 

Misc.

I don't know if I mentioned it last week, but she loves sucking on her hands.  It drives me nuts because I hate that sound, but it's her comfort thing.  It could be a hunger thing at times, but sometimes it's just comfort.  She won't take a pacifier so if that helps her I'll go with it.

She poops like once a week; not that I'm worried because Eleanor was the same way.  

She's been super smiley this week and I love it. Like melt my heart love it.

She had a few rough days when I was gone to church (Rob was sick so I kept her home with him) and when I went to the store.  She hates bottles and it stresses me out.  Today is our anniversary and we are going out and I'm nervous about it. 

Finding Balance

I've been struggling a bit since Mallory was born in finding balance as a mom of two. 

The only one on one time I get with her (Mallory) is when I take her to the store with me and then she spends that time in a carseat.  When she was a few weeks old Rob took Eleanor to chuckee cheese for a few hours.  Mallory and I stayed home and relaxed.  That's been it.  I wish someone would take Eleanor for a few hours or a day so I could have some of that good cuddle time with Mallory that I got to have when Eleanor was born.

But at the same time I really miss that (one on one) time with Eleanor.  I was laying with her before nap last week just thinking how much I missed those special moments.  I've tried to take her with me on quick trips to the store or to play outside with her, but I'm limited by how far I can go and how long I can be gone because Mallory doesn't take bottles well.  We took a walk together and she said "This is fun" and it broke my heart a little because it was and we don't get those moments much.

I'm not resentful of Mallory, and that was a fear of mine, but there are some feelings of struggling with how she cut into my Eleanor time.  Rob still gets lots of Eleanor time since I'm doing almost all the Mallory care and I get jealous when I hear her giggling with him and playing while I'm trying to soothe a fussing baby.

I know it's just a phase and Eleanor isn't feeling abandoned, but it still breaks my heart when she says "I love you mommy" because I just want to hold her for days and keep her my little girl.

I've mentioned this struggle before but there is a struggle in figuring out how to balance my time.  I want to feel like I was productive (in terms of chores and housework etc...), but I also want my daughters to feel like they were the priority.  And they should be.  I mean housework can wait except when I mentally go over the list of things to do it stresses me out.

My identity as a wife and a mom makes up a big part of who I am and I want to do it right. So it's going to take time to figure that out but I'm going to rock it!

Mallory Update ~11 Weeks~

Breastfeeding

She hasn't really wanted to nurse much this week.  She's not acting like she's hungry.  Just hasn't wanted to.

Sleep

Usually one to two wakeups between 11 pm - 7 am at night so pretty good.  Naptime I'm trying to get her to nap in her crib for her morning nap but it isn't usually successful. 

Misc

She has a little cold that came on yesterday. The stuffy nose and congestion makes me sad although she's handling it well.

She got to finally meet her great grandparents (on Rob's side) yesterday so that was exciting!

We had a few rough nights where it was constant fussing until 11 pm and while most nights she doesn't go to bed until then she slowly is getting better.