Emma's First Month

Time flies when you have a newborn and a toddler! Our little Emma was a month old yesterday. After only one short month our life has fallen into a routine again thanks to our combined past experience with Lucy and wisdom from two great books on infant care: "The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg and "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp. Our schedule for the most part still revolves around what Lucy is used to, with some extra time rolled in for regular daily events like meal prep, feeding, cleaning up (food, toys, clothes, poop, pee, vomit, etc.) and preparing to go on any outing. Since my day gained extra tasks, but not extra hours, the things that have disappeared to allow me to care for a second child on earth include sleep, socializing, hobbies and even at times, eating. Thankfully, with my new perspective from experiencing life with a newborn before, I know eventually I will get all of these things back. I also realize now just how fast each phase changes in a baby's life and how much I will miss it when they are bigger. I can hardly believe it has been a month since the below pictures were taken at the hospital.

After bringing Emma home from the hospital, we had a wonderful two weeks with Will home from work with us. Honestly, it felt more like a vacation than the Spring Break Will had earlier that month, as I was miserably pregnant then and we still were trying to get ready for Emma's arrival with lots of things to check off our to-do lists. The first two weeks of Emma's life were relaxed and special. It was mainly just the four of us, learning how to be a family and spending time together. We also had some great holidays sprinkled in there - Easter and Lucy's 2nd birthday. Either way, it was nice to be able to just sit back and relax as a family. I dreaded Will's arrival back to work, but yet looked forward to starting the learning curve of balancing two children on my own.

Emma has been an easy baby so far, but the past month has definitely had a steep learning curve for me once Will went back to work. My day is spent ensuring that everyone's needs are being met in a timely fashion with as little crying as possible. Some days it seems like someone is always crying, whether it be Emma, Lucy, both of them, or even all three of us. I repeat as a mantra over and over to myself and sometimes out loud: "I am only one person. I am doing the best I can. I am only one person. I am doing the best I can."

Sometimes I feel like I am a living math story problem. You know the one where there are five people on an island, and they need to cross in a raft to the other side but only two people can ride the raft at the same time, and certain people can't be left alone with certain other people? For instance, once we are all dressed in the morning how do we get safely downstairs to start our day in as few trips as possible? I can't leave Lucy alone with Emma, I need to carry the bouncer down with two hands, and I have to grab extra diapers, outfits for both kids and our water glasses from the night before. Oh, and I can't forget the random and awkward sized toys that Lucy has decided she can't be on separate floors from. I've learned to do quick math in my head, and an average morning starts off with about three trips up and down the stairs before I can begin the next main event - breakfast.

Here Emma is below, spending time in her bouncer while her doting sister is told, "Don't lean on the bouncer - be careful - what a sweetie you are Lucy. Oh! Don't squeeze her hand too hard now. What a loving big sister you are..."

Yup, when Emma isn't being fed, changed or held, she can usually be found in her bouncer. As I write this post, she is sleeping in her bouncer next to my chair with the baby monitor next to her relaying the white noise that is currently playing upstairs for Lucy's nap. I am getting a two for one nap right now, which is priceless. Emma's easy going personality allows me to most times set her down sleepy in her bouncer, tightly swaddled and she will nod off on her own as long as there is a constant white noise playing in the background. This could be from the shower, the vacuum, or the white noise CD I purchased shortly before her birth. I wish I had known these tactics for Lucy's infancy. We also feel no guilt this time around for giving Emma a pacifier, as we know from our experience with Lucy that the benefits far outweigh the work involved in breaking the habit later.

Below is a picture of Emma's first bath. She cried for most of it, and had a look on her face like she didn't quite know what to make of bath time. Here Emma is being coached by Lucy on how to do "tummy time".It has been so cold this spring, that this is typically what Emma has to wear when we go for a walk. I put her in a snow suit, snuggle her up in a baby carrier close to my chest and then zip us both up into a maternity jacket of mine. It is like I am still pregnant with her, except she sits up higher, and I can kiss the top of her head. I love, love, love carrying her this way.Here Emma is below cuddling with her Grandma Hines.

Here Will is, talking with Emma. As a Daddy's Girl myself, it makes me smile to know that my daughters will also get to be Daddy's Girls.