5 things that don't get easier with #2

You and I have been together for awhile now, and it seems silly for me to keep lying to you that life in the Paradis household has been sunshine and roses since Matilda arrived. Although it's only the very beginning of week 3, I'm having the sneaking suspicion that there are just some things that never get easy. . .regardless of how many babies you have.

Here is my list (perhaps prematurely) of the five things I don't think ever get easier. . .

5. changing diapers - it doesn't matter how many of them I've changed, they can still freak me out, especially in the beginning. Trying to fold the top down so it doesn't hit the belly button, tucking the extra bunches in between the legs, and just swallowing the sheer number of them that you go through in the first few weeks is still tough. I'm already looking forward to when we graduate to "number 4's".

4. newborn clothes - the last time I fumbled with tiny buttons and snaps I figured it was my naivete. Now, I realize that these newborn clothes are just foolish and aren't made for anyone to dress an infant easily. I'm not going to lie, Matilda wore nothing but a onesie with the bottom cut off for the first week of her life. Easy peesy. Wrap baby in a blanket and you're done.

3. bathing baby - they still are so slippery. Their little bums always seem to slide into the drain (when bathing in the sink, as I tend to do in the early days). They scream and cry and you always seem to find another fold you didn't wash when you're drying them. I'm also going to lump in the belly button here. Bathing it, cleaning it, protecting it, and ultimately, disposing of it are all things I could do without.

2. nursing - Cole was a good nurser. Matilda is even better. That's not the problem. The problem is that, without fail, both children would wake up screaming the second I had drank half a glass of wine and want to nurse. This lasts about 2 hours. Each time. I also am terribly forgetful and can't seem to remember to put in my nursing pads when I leave the house. . . or when company comes over. Good Lord.

1. sleep - it will never come to me again. I was foolish to think I could outwit sleep deprivation this time around. End of story.

There are some things that have gotten a tad easier, however. Maybe I'm just a bit more calloused to them out of necessity this time around. Here's another list of things that don't freak me out like they used to. . .

5. the floppy head - flop away. They'll be fine. And it doesn't pop off like I thought it might.

4. one handed-ness - I can do anything one handed. Baby is in my left arm, and my right can practically assist in brain surgery. Holding the baby in one arm while holding the toddler, kicking and screaming up to bed in the other is my most proud moment yet. And Matilda didn't even wake up!

3. shopping - we go in. . .we get out. . .fast. We make lists at home and don't dilly-dally. Dilly-dallying is now something special for mom to do ALONE when she's just about to lose her mind and needs to leave the kids with dad.

2. housework - I don't actually do any. There. Much easier.

1. crying - They are going to cry. A lot. In fact, one of them is usually crying and a short time after that one stops . .the other will start. I can remember tripping over myself, running up the stairs to get Cole when he cried. Sometimes, I let Matilda cry for a good 3-5 minutes, and it knocks her out for a solid 30 minutes of sleep time. Amen.

Till's birth announcement

expect one in the mail soon...

the super cute big brother

super cute big brother. . .

week 2 and Funworld

Matilda and I went for her second check up with Dr. M yesterday. I'm happy to report that she's gained 2 pounds since last week! Her birth weight was 8 lbs and over the course of the week, she dropped to 6.5 lbs. Dr. M was a bit concerned, and asked me to supplement with some formula.

Time for my soapbox: supplementing with formula isn't really an answer. . .especially if you can pump, which I do. But, because we love Dr. M we will afford her this one mistake and keep her. ;-) I wouldn't have given Till any formula, but we still have two large Earth's Best Organic formula from Cole's latter days. . .and it needs to be used. But she still nurses far more than she gets any formula.

Okay, I'm back.

So she gained her weight back. Excellent. Doc says she looks good all around. She's seeming to be an easier baby than Cole (or is it Bill and I that are taking it easy?) but sleeping at night is not her thing. Guess that'll be the common theme of our babies. She does sleep for hours at a time during the day, so I can see a light ahead that she'll sleep at night once her schedule changes. . .or so I hope.

And speaking of babies. . .Cole has been a real trooper. We've had a few meltdowns but mostly his aggravation is directed at Bill and I and not Tilley. He's still very sweet to her and helps whenever he's asked.

Yesterday, we thought it was important for me to spend a little one on one time with Cole outside of the house. The original plan was for me to take him to Monkey Joe's. . .but when we got there, it was closed. So we headed to Funworld. . .

He grabbed two balls from a hoop shot game and wouldn't put them down! They went on every ride we did. . .then, he spent most of his time there kicking the ball and chasing after it. We could have done that at home!

He rode this train about 400 times in a row. . .

Overall, our 2nd week is going well. It certainly isn't easy. . .and there have been a few times when both kids are crying incessantly that I have thought maybe this wasn't a great idea. . .but we just breathe and remember this is only week 2. I don't think I felt human until about the 4th month with Cole. And really. . .now that I'm thinking back to those first few months with Cole. . .why was it so tough to take a shower? Seriously? ;-)

a snowday and a tub terd

Just as we were starting to see the grass under the dirty, slushy mess of snow and ice. . .another 6 inches piles on top!

Bill and Cole went out for a bit to play today. I think this might have been Cole's first snow-suit-required outing. He wouldn't keep his mittens on, so it ended quickly. . .but he had a blast.

Then, of course. . .it's time for hot cocoa. . .

Bill's been home and I'm thankful. I don't think our "transition to four" would be going as smoothly as it is without him. He's constantly on Cole patrol; making sure he's getting good attention and good play time. I'm pretty tied up with Tilley. She's nursing every 5 minutes, so she's attached to me most of the day. There's been a few times when Cole doesn't understand why I'm holding her so much, and has tried to take her from me. Besides that. . .he's usually trying to rub her head and kiss her. . .I'm considering ourselves very lucky to have such a great kid.

I encountered our first "tub terd" last night. It only took 23.5 months for it to happen, too. I put an extra amount of Burts Bees Bubblebath in the tub last night for Cole. . .which added to the trouble.

Cole was playing on his belly as he tends to do lately in the tub (pretending to swim) and all of a sudden I see him playing with something under the bubbles. . .you know where this is going, don't you?

He's got about 500 tub toys so I don't think anything of it. . . until it comes up from the bubbles a bit and I think "where did he get a candy bar?" And it hits me. . .oh. . .&*#%.

I'm trying to scoop it out and Cole thinks it's a game and it's breaking all over the place and on his toys and on him and on me. And then there's the part where I have to drain the bath but somehow keep him and his nasty toys inside and refill the tub. All the while trying to clean feces out of the occupied tub. . . I've probably gone too far with the description so I'll stop here.

But you understand, right?

And I hear Tilley crying and Cole's crying. . .and I start crying. Because come on. . .I just had a baby and a tub terd and the new Folgers commercials are just enough to get me going.

I cleaned everything up, put Cole to bed and found Tilley with a big old hot mess in her pants, too. Pile it on, kids. . .pile it on.

I'll try to get some pictures up of her soon. Every time I think of it, she's sleeping. . .and although I would love for you to see her. . .I'm just not willing to risk disturbing the small amounts of quiet I get. . .not just yet. ;-)

Welcome Matilda!

And. . . she's here.

Matilda Cecile Paradis was born at 8:40 a.m. on January 12th. She is 8 pounds and 21 inches. A far beefier baby than the 6.2 pounder Cole was. Matilda was a name both Bill and I liked and Cecile is Bill's grandmother. It was important for us to "name" her after someone in the family in that way. Her godparents are my sister, Tracy and her husband, Marc.

Labor was fast and furious. . .and took about 10 hours from start (where I was sitting on the couch eating potato chips and thinking. . ."hmmm, I feel weird. . .") to finish (where I was cussing out my husband, the nurses, the doctor and even the baby herself.) I'm pretty sure I was even biting Bill's hand there for a minute. . .although my memory of the event is already tainted.

Three days in what I'll call the Ritz Maternity Center. . .and we're home. The new maternity wing at the hospital was beautiful and huge. . .far too much than any one family would need. A full, pull out couch for the dads. . .microwave, fridge, full-sized Jacuzzi tubs. . .room service. . .I could have stayed forever. Bill had to come home to stay with Cole each night. . .so the nights were long (that's when Matilda wanted to be up nursing), but overall I had no complaints.

As for Cole, we are pleasantly surprised at how our first day went. He's such a sweet kid; kissing the baby's feet, head and running over to her every time she cries. He did show us some frustration a few times yesterday. . .getting angry that I was holding her all the time, and wanting to be cuddled, too. He even started to fake cry so I would pick him up and rock him, too. All to be expected. . .

Bill's home for awhile and making everything so much easier. He's been giving Cole all kinds of attention. . .dealing with the shopping and laundry and other junk that needs to be done. I've even been able to shower each day! Imagine that. . .

This afternoon we take Till to the doctor's for the first time. When I have a chance to update, I will. Until then, here are some gory first pictures of the new one. . .she looks so much like Cole. Of course, I think all newborns look sort of like Winston Churchill anyway, so you never can tell.

fyi: great organic fruit smoothie treat

For my mom friends:

We've discovered a new treat over here and Cole can't get enough! I like the Ella's Organic Kitchen Smoothie Fruit treats because they are all natural, organic, and have no added sugars. Cole likes them because they come in cute little pouches that make him giggle when he squeezes into his mouth.

And so far. . .they are very "car" friendly. . .meaning I don't have to worry about him choking or spilling while on the go. I found them at Babies R Us and they are a bit pricey. . but I'm a queen of couponing and was able to pick up a ton.

And no. . .I don't work for Ella's Kitchen. ;-) I just like to share a good thing when I find one.

gentlemen, start your engines!

A few nights ago, just around midnight, Bill and I were just about ready to head up for the night when he takes Cole's blocks out and starts playing. He decided to make Cole a race track with all of his Disney Cars characters as a surprise for the morning.

What gets into that head of his, I don't know. . .but it was very nice. . .and it was like another Christmas morning when Cole woke up and saw the masterpiece.

I took a few pictures for you. . .Bill called them "artsy art school photos" that don't really catch Cole's reaction at all. I suppose I agree. But you can judge for yourself:

Still no baby. I've tried working, too. I worked three days this week hoping that the movement would get things rolling. No such luck. It did, however, provide me with pretty good sympathy tips. . .so that was at least profitable. I've eaten the spicy food, drank the tea, did squats, thought about washing the kitchen floors on my hands and knees. . .but decided against that pretty quick. This baby is just going to come when she's good and ready. Hopefully that's tomorrow. ;-)

I also need to stop my compulsive "must have" shopping for baby. Today was the last purchase. I'm putting that in writing so it's official. I picked up an Ergo Baby Carrier (like the 3 different baby carriers I already own wouldn't be sufficient). . .complete with an organic infant insert, and a Bebe Au Lait nursing cover.

I probably spent 85% of Cole's first year nursing him in my bedroom or in some other section of seclusion and refuse to do it again with #2. So. . as a warning to you all. . .the nursing cover is on the way and there will be public nursing. Well, public with covers. You know what I mean. ;-)

I was chatting with one of Bill's cousins the other day and we were discussing the accommodations at the maternity ward. Is it bad that I'm actually looking forward to three days with nurses taking care of me and food service? Should I not be considering this is a tiny vacation. . .even if it includes a few stitches? A private room with pull out couch. . .tv with cable. . .a practical mini-bar (assuming we stock it appropriately). . . She warned me that the hospital staff offered her an early release. . .and she firmly (and politely) turned them down. There's no way I am leaving early. . .kicking and screaming, maybe.

take that, Hollister.

No. . .there's no baby yet.

Bill and I had a rather. . .comical. . .parenting situation last night that he asked I share with you. So while I'm in that hour and a half of my morning that I'm not laying down. . .I thought I would update.

So we're at the mall. A strange thing in itself, because rarely are the three of us home together and even then, we don't really want to go out. But we decided to brave the cold and get out of the house for awhile last night. And the majority of us were feeling well, so we did.

While cruising the mall, I gave Cole a bit of mini vanilla wafers to snack on. He, of course, tries to stuff 3 in his mouth at once and starts to gag. He managed to do his own finger sweep, got the cookies, but the gagging made him throw up just a tiny bit.

No big deal. I have wipes. I have disinfecting wipes, too. And I have the wipes that are baby-safe Purell sort of wipes. So we're set. We wipe, and continue on. In fact, I thought for a second not even to tell Bill what happened (he was in a store at the time) but I do. . .we give Cole that "what are we going to do with this kid" look, and keep walking.

Here's where I screw up:

I give Cole the bag of vanilla wafers again. And he continues snacking. And is pretty happy, I might add. Until he tries to do the same thing and stuff too many in his mouth. The gagging starts. We stop walking so I can bend down and check that he's not choking. He keeps gagging.

He spits out a big lump of chewed up cookies (still so gross) and I think we're done. He keeps gagging. He coughs, and in my hand he deposits a good amount of throw up. Awesome. I look at Bill and he shakes his head and goes for the wipes. . .

. . .But Cole stands up (as much as you can in a stroller) and starts to seriously throw up all over his coat, and pants, and shoes and my arms and the floor at the mall. He tries to reach out for me and Bill and we both stand back and let him finish.

It's then that we briefly look around the mall to see if we're making a scene. We are making a scene. People are walking by with terrible looks of disgust. . .one even holding their nose. Bill and I look at where we are. . .we're smack dab in the middle of the mall, in the entrance of Hollister. I look at the poor teen aged girl folding shirts in the store. . .she's horrified. People try to go into the store. . .and they turn away.

Bill and I start laughing hysterically. The music is pumping and I can smell the fake cologne they spray at the door mixing with the smell of my toddler's seemingly large amount of puke and I laugh harder. And Cole starts laughing. And now the three of us are helpless. . .

So I figure it's best to let him finish, right? I mean. . .everything in a 1.5 foot radius was covered. . it made no sense to haul him half way across the building to the restroom. Plus, I didn't pack extra clothes. Bill catches a few glances with people who see us laughing. . .and laugh themselves as they walk past.

When it was all said and done, Cole left the mall wearing just a tee shirt and socks. . .and Bill did take some wipes and make an attempt at the floor. And as Bill and I continued to laugh with each other about what just happened. . .a very happy (and apparently relieved) Cole looked at us and laughed, too.

Even with the smell of lingering puke mixed with the car heaters on high. . .we laughed all the way home.

I suppose the moral is not to give Cole anything like that to eat on his own. . .or maybe it's to bring a change of clothes. . .or maybe yet it's not to think you're safe from your child's fluids even if the baby bag is full of wipes. But it'll be awhile until we venture out to the mall again, I'm sure.

Come on in, 2010

Happy New Year.

Bill and I have been getting ready for the new baby. Well, Bill mostly. I'm having a tough time staying awake long enough to spend any quality amount of time with Cole during our day. On days that I have bundles of energy. . .I unload the dishwasher. ;-)

I'm finding it especially helpful to not be in the dark this time around. I know what happens when you get home with a new baby. It's not pretty. I'm well aware that my tiredness and sleep deprivation (such a cruel side-effect of late pregnancy, I might add) will not end soon. And, as my almost 2 year old reminds me often. . .reaching a certain age does not mean they sleep through the night.

I painted my toes last night. I can't remember the last time that happened. I can, though. . .remember a time where I would take an extra long lunch break every Friday afternoon to go have a mani/pedi. Every Friday. And every other Friday I'd schedule a facial and not go back to work at all. I've caught myself looking down at my toes a few times today and smiling. Sigh. Times have changed.

Made me realize that this time around, (and just in time for a New Year's resolution. . .) that it's important to make the time to do things for me. . .and for us. Having Cole is the most wonderful thing that has happened to Bill and I and to us together. . .and baby 2 will add more. . .but it's equally so important to nourish a bit of what kept us going before babies. Even if it's just having 20 minutes to paint toes.

And. . .5 minutes before baby 2 is due to arrive is probably not the best time to go scheduling date nights or pedicures. . .but at least the sentiment is there. Cole and new baby girl will be better off for it, too. It's so easy to get caught in the daily grind that weeks go by and I realize that I haven't asked Bill how his day was. . .in days.

As we watched the ball drop on New Year's Eve. . .Bill and I looked at each other and said "we're doing a good job." And it's true. The last year sure wasn't easy. . .and 2010 probably won't be much easier. . .but it's all that had to be said to reaffirm that we're in this together and happy to be doing it.

Now. . .enough of that stuff. The "Take Care of Ourselves" resolution is in writing so I can't back down. The family news of the week is that we are still sick. Fortunately, it seems to be head colds which I'll take any day over what I'm hearing other family members have drudged up during holiday get togethers. I do so hate it when Cole wakes up crying because his nose is raw and throat hurts and nothing will help. . .par for the course I suppose.

And finally. . .doc says we'll meet baby #2 anytime. . .or in the next 3 weeks. So helpful. A gaggle of Bill's aunts circled me during Christmas and gave me some. . .um. . .colorful ways they got their labors going. Since this is a family blog I won't repeat. . .but they are a fun bunch of gals. And at the very least, I had a good laugh and it brought on a fake contraction. So maybe they were onto something. . .

I took a few pictures of an unhappy Cole this afternoon after his nap. Notice his Curious George pajamas (we've only been in PJs for days now) and the red circles around his eyes and nose. Poor thing. A banana shake and a movie always makes him feel better, though.