Two Week Update ~ Mallory

I'll likely say this every week, but if time could just slow down that would be super great!  I mean two weeks doesn't seem like much but at the same time it feels like Mallory has always been with us.

So she's still doing some quick nursing sessions which is annoying when it's 2 am and I want her to nurse for long enough that she'll sleep a few hours and not 3 minutes which means she will be up in an hour ready to go again.  I know her stomach is tiny so she needs to eat more and I really do cherish those middle of the night snuggles when it's just us, but it's tiring.

Still I know it won't be like this forever (or hope not anyway) so for now it's just how it is going to be.  

She had her two week checkup today and she was at 7 lbs 15 oz.  At birth she was 7 lbs 2 oz so her pediatrician was happy that she was well over her birth weight.  She was up just a little in the height department and is still rocking that 90% head.  

She's still sleeping a lot - which is expected - but her alert periods are lasting a lot longer.  Last night was a rough night here (mostly due to Eleanor's lack of desire to sleep)  and my mom came over this morning on her break so I could lay down for a little bit and Mallory was up the whole time (so like an hour).

She had her first bath at home (had one in the hospital) this week and after the initial what is going on she chilled right out and fell asleep.  Rob actually did the bath and he said she didn't like the fresh warm water and preferred the water that she was sitting in to be poured on her.

She had a fussy day or two this week and I don't know if it was a growth spurt since she did eat a lot the next day or something I ate (and I did have more soda with caffeine that day so maybe?) but is back to her 'normal' self today.

Her hair is looking lighter I think and her color has approved and looks good. 

My weight is starting to move a little but I'm not worried about it.  My stomach is still super flabby and I'm a little self conscious of that.  But recovery wise I'm still doing good.  I'm feeling good but still trying to take it easy.  

Eleanor is still in love with Mallory which was something I was worried about.   I do feel like Mallory is going to wind up with a cold soon because Eleanor get's in her face and kisses her a lot. 

Reset Button Please

There are days I wouldn't mind doing over, my high school graduation, my wedding day, the day I found out I was pregnant and despite the fact that Eleanor's birth didn't go the way I had hoped I'd redo that day if it

 meant lots of those sweet brand new baby snuggles. 

Yesterday was not one of those days (although I did put Wednesday socks on her today so maybe 

subconsciously....?)

Eleanor woke up about 1:30 am. I nursed her and she went back to bed. At 4 am I 
was woken by a strong storm. That thunder was so loud it was shaking the windows. It lasted until about 5 - or at least the worst of it. I could not sleep. I wasn't scared (although tornadoes

 frighten me); it was just that loud.I finally drifted off to the sound of distant thunder only to be woken again 

by Eleanor. I fed her, got her back to sleep and round 2 of the storms came through. So by this point it's  

pushing 6 am. I think I finally fell asleep only to have Rob came in a little after 7 (sleeping in the other room), to get clothes and I said goodbye, gave him a kiss and 

was out before he even got in the shower. 

Eleanor woke at 8.  It was still storming.  It down poured and I was checking the radar because I needed to go get a gift for my moms birthday tomorrow. I thought I'd be good. She took her usually short morning nap and I tried to eat while she played on the living room floor but she was crawling all over me trying to get my

 salad so I shared (and so that begins) and then we left. 

We got to the first store-quick stop and when we left it was sprinkling, got to Target and rushed through.  At checkout the sky was very dark  (it was about 1:30). It was starting to rain a little heavier when we ran to

 the car.

Now my car key fob doesn't work which means I have to manual unlock the car.  Not a big deal except my car alarm goes off when I do this. every. single. time.  The only way to stop it is to start the car. So I do that with Eleanor on my lap and get back out of the car and into the back seat to buckle her into her seat.  And 

by the time I'm done it is a downpour and I have to get out to get back into the front seat.  I'm soaked.

I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of me and my wipers are blasting. Thankfully Eleanor wasn't scared and just watched it.   We get home and it's starting to slow down and I was however also thankful for the

 garage.

She of course fell asleep just before getting home.  I figured I'd get her out, nurse her and she would fall back asleep.  But that didn't happen.  I tried rocking with her, walking/pacing/swaying with her.  I tried letting her cry it out and still wide awake.  At this point she's slept maybe 45 minutes since waking.

The rain has stopped so I put her in the stroller because that usually works.  I reclined it so she would be

 more likely to sleep but still nothing. 

Finally at 4:45 I decided we need to take a drive as a last ditch resort.  But first I need to blow out the 

candle in the bathroom.  I blow a little to hard and somehow manage to get hot wax in my hair and the 

corner of my eye - but how it missed my actually eye I have no clue. I was okay luckily.

So we get into the car and 1/2 mile later little miss is out.  I drive around for another 15 minutes then sit in the car for 30 before bringing her in.  It's getting to the point where I'm worried she'll be up super late at this 

point so while I bring her in the carseat sleeping, and I don't make any more noise than normal, I'm also not 

quiet.

While I'm sitting in the garage Rob calls and says he is working late. Yippee!!

So he finally gets home, eats (dinner was at least done in the crockpot) and I go hide in my room with a 

margarita for half an hour.  Then I give her a bath with lots of bubbles thinking she might like that.  When she tried to eat her bubble covered bath toys I realized that wasn't such a great idea.

But after that I nursed her and she went to bed pretty well.

I stayed up for a little but getting a few things done, and about the time I'm getting to head to bed, she wakes back up.  I look at Rob but he is so tired he can't keep his eyes open (his words'; frankly I wanted to smack him...just kidding...and make him get her- that is true.  I'm tired too.)

Oh and she got tooth number two yesterday so add to it teething pain and 

crankiness

So by the time I finally get into bed its 11:30 and my day is over.

Eleanor decided to pull another wide awake in the middle of the night last night, but other than being 

exhausted the day has been better.  
11:30 to bed

My sweet Eleanor~ 4 months today!

Eleanor has learned how to really laugh this month.  The deep belly laughs that make me love her all the more- as if that was possible. (Check it out here).

Oh and when she talks she is loud.  Like really loud.  I wish I had a video of that.

She's started to play with toys now.  She has a few favorites (I'll write about those in the 4 month favorite post; gotta get started on that) and it's cute to see her shake them and smile.

Bath time is a favorite here.  Now that we took the mesh sling out she can kick more and she likes that although  I think it still startles her.  I actually gave her a bath today and just put a tiny amount (less than an inch; wasn't even to her ears) in the tub and laid her on her back.  It was the first time I've done that, and I stood in there with her, but it worked and I'll do it again.

Sleep is still basically whatever and whenever she wants.  Now that I'm working in the afternoons she usually sleeps on and off in the car.  I've been trying to put her down a little bit earlier so that she sleeps longer, but that hasn't happened yet.  She has put herself to sleep a few times though.  At night she sleeps okay, she usually goes to sleep around 8:30/9 pm and is up anywhere from 6 am -8 am.  She still is taking her little 20-30 minute cat naps 4-5 times a day which is frustrating at times because I am exhausted and want to nap too!

She's still sleeping in the rock n play next to my bed.  I call it my bed because Rob has slept in there two, maybe three times since she was born. I know eventually she's going to need to be in her crib, but I dread that day.

We are still breastfeeding.    Each week that passes that we still going I feel a little victorious!



 On rare occasions she gets a bottle, but only a few times a month probably.  I don't mind normally because I'm still afraid of clogged ducts and that sort of thing. Ideally I'd like to get to a year and then see where things go.


I'm not at all ready for another baby.  I know some people on my birth month bard having baby fever and some even trying, but I'm not there.  Before she was born I would have said around her first birthday that I wanted to start trying for a sibling, but I think that I won't be ready.  I want to wait at least a year to give myself the best chance for a vaginal birth, and honestly I can't imagine being able to give two children equal attention.  I'm sure every parent of more than one child thinks that, and really I know that it's okay at that stage to not give them equal attention.



It's just that 90% of the parenting duties fall on me and it's overwhelming enough with one never getting 'me' time so I just don't want to do it and feel that way with two children.

At the same time I don't want to wait a long time and have such a big age gap and I don't know how long it will take to get pregnant again.  It took 6 months and 2 losses to get Eleanor.

She's started the teething process (as evidenced by that finger always in her mouth and the massive amounts of drool).  No teeth, although last night I had a dream that she got one.

I'm doing pretty good physically.  I still have a flabby stomach (and I'm thinking that will always be like that) but it has shrunk a lot and I'm close to my pre-pregnancy weight.  The shape not so much though.   Occasionally I'll have some pains at the incision site, but nothing that lasts to long.

So basically it's crazy to think we're already 1/3 of the way to a year!  I love that little sweet pea so much!