Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Week two: not as horrific.

Week two with Penelope has gone a bit easier. This week Matt went back to work and that has been the hardest adjustment so far. The really great thing was that Matt did all of the night time feedings and shenanigans when he was home so I could get some rest. Which is just so incredibly great and believe me when I say I don't take that for granted at all. I fully know I'm beyond lucky with him. So with Monday being his first day back at work, I got up with Penelope. All six times. Needless to say, I was in rough shape Monday morning.

Which meant taking the kids to school in my night gown, with sweatpants under it, and a hoodie covering the fact I wasn't wearing a bra and a hair tie stuck in my hair from the bun I fell asleep in. Jackson was pretty concerned I was going to walk them into school like that but I didn't. The plan was to get home, feed Penelope again and hope to god she'd fall asleep in her swing.

Except that didn't happen. She ate like a champ and fell asleep in my arms. Which meant I was going to try to detangle my hair and put makeup on with one hand. I managed but it certainly wasn't easy.

So after that, I felt a bit more human, so I managed to get dressed and start some laundry, while holding her. I tried to put her in my baby carrier but her head still feels too floppy for comfort so I gave that up. Maybe in a few weeks that'll be more handy.

The kids continue to love on her. They both want to hold her a whole lot but with the floppy head, it makes me nervous.
Jackson really likes kissing on his sister. He's convinced we aren't giving her enough kisses so he's taken it upon himself to pick up our slack. 
He also told me he's sure glad my stomach has gone down so he can cuddle on my lap with me again. And it's so strange because we haven't really gotten to do that in a few months and it's amazing how much bigger he feels. It only reminds me time flies by. The other thing? He has big boy hands. I remember when Olivia's hands somehow switched from chubby toddler hands to being the hands of a big kid. It's kind of a startling thing, really, when you realize that.
And of course, when Matt is home he spends his time in this position. He's gone back to working 60-80 hours a week so the poor guy is exhausted. He does a LOT for our family so I can stay home with Penelope.

Penelope and I have had a couple of outings just her and I as well. No poop explosions and no mommy freakouts or crying fits. It feels really strange to do things on my own and I'll be honest, I feel so out of practice it's awful. People keep asking me if this is my first and when I say no, that I actually have two others, I get the, "what the hell is her problem" look in a sometimes polite way. But seriously, I really do feel out of practice. So I'm pushing myself to get out more and do things on my own.

This photo is actually from today- a few minutes after she projectile vomited her formula into my face. That was fun.
Aw... this was yesterday. She really is a super mellow baby, hardly ever fusses. We spend lots of time with her cradled in my arms and she just looks up at me, totally content. This was kind of a cute moment and then she started loading her diaper, completely breaking out agreement of no poops when daddy's gone. Let us just say this kid enjoys pooping. A lot. 

Stumpy is insanely jealous that she gets burped frequently. I think he thinks she's getting her butt slapped, a favorite of his, so he will always hop onto my lap and try to get some slapping action. He kind of gives up eventually and settles on trying to lay on her and share my lap. 
I spend a lot of time in my chair on the couch so you're going to see a lot of pictures with the same background. I switched it up here and sat on a different cushion to make it look like I get to be in other areas of my house more often. Which is a total lie. 

I also have gotten a lot of compliments on looking really great despite pushing a 9 pound human out of my vagina two weeks ago. I don't have a secret, just that every single day I do my hair and my makeup and get dressed in something other than yoga pants or sweatpants. Not that I'm a vain person by any means, but those are things my mom told me to do when I had my first child because it will make me feel far more ready to tackle the day. And it's true, and of course my mother was right. I may not leave the house other than kid drop off at school, but knowing I'm ready to go if I wanted to leave is kind of huge. I really do feel like if nothing else, I've showed the day who the boss really is. 

So that's what week two has been like. I can't even tell you how in love with Penelope I am. Seriously, she is just the sweetest little thing. She may have been a stinker my entire pregnancy and assaulted me at every chance, and she maybe doesn't sleep worth anything at night or on her back, but by god- she's perfect. She really is maybe my easiest baby? Which is hard to say because Jackson was incredibly easy and I thought I really couldn't perfect a baby but dammit, I think I just might have. I'm kind of excited to be with her all summer and watch her little personality develop. More to come. 

1 comment:

Tina said...

Both of you look beautiful and content! The kids obviously love her too...best wishes,