Wednesday, May 25, 2011

All about Anne...




I thought I'd post a quick new picture, and a post devoted just to Anne. At her one week birthday (*sob*) she's doing very well. I can tell that she's grown already! She's a very good baby. She has typical newborn sleep habits (ah, well :) ) but is just a delight. We're all still getting used to each other, but we're all very happy. She's super cute, and very lively. I can't wait to see how her little personality develops as she gets bigger. I can't wait to share my future with her. It's just wonderful.

The sleep issue is tough, but we're hanging in there. I'm handling it a lot better this time, because I knew what to expect. Currently, I'm reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, by Tracy Hogg, and I have to say, it's kind of awesome. This time, I feel so much more prepared for what is involved in parenting a newborn (a very, very tough job) and thus I knew that I know very little. :) I love the tips in this book, about reading the baby's cues. She devotes a lot of time to "nighttime parenting" and seeing it that way has really helped me. It's not just about desperately trying to get a good night's rest; it's about temporarily providing for your baby's needs during some difficult hours. I borrowed a copy from the library, but I'm contemplating getting my own, I like it so much. I'm sensing that I'm "reading" Anne better than I did Henry, and so even though I'm still struggling with the baby blues thing, I don't feel nearly so bad as I did the last time.

I have to shake off a malaise each day, it's true, but overall I feel like I'm winning the war. Last time, the dark cloud hung over my head for months and months. Having Mike home has been *wonderful*. I don't know what I'd do without him. My vocation as his wife is truly a blessing.

It's true that each baby is so much different from another. Hank really preferred our bed, and we co-slept for several months so that we could all get some sleep. He was a champion side-lying nurser. Anne, not so much. She prefers her bassinette, and gets all gassy from the side-lying position. Thus, I have to nurse her sitting up, but honestly, it isn't that bad. We have only a double bed, and I am never able to get a good night's sleep with the baby in the bed. So, even though I have to stay awake through each nighttime feeding, it's worth it for the quality of sleep I get in between wakings.

She's a pretty typical newborn night waker. From 10 pm to 6am, she wakes approximately 3 times right now. The nursing isn't bad at all, but I do hate the middle of the night diaper changes requiring a trip down the hall to the nursery complete with wail-fest during the transaction. They outgrow that soon enough, though. This time I know it to be true: This too shall pass. It's going to be ok. Our nights won't be like this forever.

Well, I hear some wailing. :) I'm off! Thank you for all of your prayers, I can really feel them working.

1 comment:

  1. Have you tried bringing a pile of diapers and wipes into the bedroom and just changing her on your bed? I remember doing that ... though I had to remember to put a thick blanket under him, because he always peed on my bed. ;)

    Oh, and a dim nightlight or light shining in from the hall helps.

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