The past week and a half has been a blur. As with Maddi, the first two weeks have sometimes seemed like an eternity, what with the messed-up sleeping schedules and the hours of baby care, but it’s been a totally different experience. Rather than being shellshocked, we’re amazed how easy life with this new baby has been. I suppose it helps that James feeds for 20 minutes every two to four hours instead of for two hours at a time with 30-minute breaks in between, and that he doesn’t have hours-long stretches of inconsolable screaming, but it also helps that it’s our second time around with a brand-new baby and we’ve got things a little more figured out — except for that peeing thing. I have been “christened” far too many times already.
James has been gaining weight steadily, leaving the hospital at 5 lbs 8 oz and gaining nearly an ounce a day to achieve a weight of 5 lbs 10 oz by his one-week appointment last Tuesday. Today at his pediatrician appointment, we discovered little James has gained two ounces a day since the public health nurse weighed him in at 5 lbs 11.5 oz on Thursday, and he now weighs in at a staggering 6 lbs 6 oz — 10 oz. more than he weighed at birth. He’s doing so well that the pediatrician has decided that James is ready for regular office visits instead of hospital visits in the pediatric wing, and that James can make little outings to places where he won’t be in close contact with germy people.
Our mellow little man has adjusted well to life around the house as well as life outside the womb. He loves to be held and will sleep for hours in Mom’s arms, but he doesn’t mind lying around and watching the world from the Pack ‘N’ Play, either. He sleeps for much of the day, waking to eat, poop and cast the occasional glance at his surroundings. Maddi has adjusted nicely as well — she still thinks of James as a wonderful toy that Mommy and Daddy brought home especially for her. She often stops what she’s doing so she can run over and give James a kiss or try to entertain him by thrusting her sippy cups and favorite toys at his head (don’t worry, he’s well protected from these latter eager overtures!). When James is sleeping in his room and the monitor picks up one of his coos or grunts, Maddi is the first to yell “Baby!” and head toward his room to retrieve him.
This weekend, James began sleeping more at night and spending more time alert during the day. We backslid a bit last night, when he was up until 6 a.m. cluster feeding, but he also spent all day yesterday and today eating, so I suspect he’s gearing up for another massive growth spurt. At this point, Chris and I are beginning to think it’s a good thing James came out when he did — otherwise I might be giving birth to a 10-pounder!
As exhausting as it is taking care of a wee barracuda by night and an energetic toddler by day, I am blissfully happy being a mom to two. Between James’ snuggly laid-back sweetness and Maddi’s enthusiastic affections, I have ample baby-love available to me whenever I want it (although sometimes all I really want is sweet, elusive slumber!). Luckily, since there’s very little jealousy at this point, our days are very peaceful and while the nights are sometimes busy, I’m at least getting a few hours here and there, which is more than I can say for the first time around!
Call me crazy, but even with little sleep, two in diapers, and having just come off a scary, complicated pregnancy two weeks ago, I still feel like I could fill the house with newborns and not get enough of the baby sweetness! Of course we’re still planning to wait a good while before putting another bun in the oven, but the trepidation I felt after the placental abruption has been replaced with joy and the (premature and slightly delusional?) anticipation of our next little bundle.
It feels like James has been with us forever, and it’s hard to believe that if I was still pregnant, he’d be only 37 weeks along — just barely term — today. Good things may come to those who wait, but for having jumped the gun, I think we got a pretty good thing anyway! You can’t ask for much more than a happy, healthy baby who sleeps for two or three hours at a stretch!
And for those of you who have been pestering us for pictures, here’s one of me and the two babies on James’ two-week birthday: