Two Weeks

First of all, thank you all so much for the encouraging comments, emails, texts and phone calls over the past few days. Your support has been, well VITAL in this time of change.

These past few weeks have been extremely humbling, difficult, and fruitful. I can't believe how gracious God is. Something really weird has been happening too. I keep hearing things like "you're so strong," "you're such an encouragement," "you have such grace" and I want to be like "What the hell are you talking about?!?!" I tend to just say "It's not me, it's Jesus" but I feel like that's such a poser answer. I know so many fake people who would say that sort of thing and I know they don't believe it. But I do! I've felt so close to God since Norah's arrival, and I know Satan always uses times like this to put doubt in my heart-even if it's by pathetically making me concerned with what other people think.

These past two weeks have made me extremely ambitious. I have plans for these little girls, big ones. I've talked about having a specific charge from God to raise Godly, beautiful women before, and in the days leading up to Norah's birth I thought "Well what if we have a boy? Will that mean the Lord didn't really send me that message?" I don't think that at all, but raising up another little girl to my chest totally reassured me that I'm meant to spend some time raising these little women, and I'm more than excited.

Norah @ 2 weeks
She sucks her thumb sometimes. However cute you think that is, multiply it times ten, and your still not even close, it's adorable!
She nurses SO well and has the milk tongue to prove it.
She scoots close to me at night if I roll away...seriously!
Her baby acne is OUTOFCONTROL...I guess my hormones are a little crazy, sorry baby girl!
Her jaundice is finally clearing up out of her eyes! It never got really bad in her skin, but her eyes were yellow/green for a long time.
She smiles SO much...it melts my heart.
When she nurses, she sounds like a goose! Lily would hum and moan, but Norah honks like a goose!

I'll have an update on how the whole family's doing soon, until then, have a wonderful week!
Mae

Transition

Today was...weird.

It seems like I'm going through another time of transition, and this one is going to be long too. Something I learned from my labor with Norah though, is that I dare not fight it.

Lily cried almost every time I nursed Norah, which lead to me putting Norah in her swing a lot [and using a pacifier...shoot me] Norah couldn't sleep for more than about 15 mins since 2 pm, and couldn't nurse for more than 5 for some reason [I FINALLY got her to sleep an hour ago by strapping her in the Moby and rocking her. I'm terrified to take her out and try to go to sleep myself though.] and I feel like I'm at a breaking point, but actually have no idea what that means.

I've had some amazing friends ask to take Lily so Norah and I can get some rest, but it's been such a hard thing to deal with. Since we don't have any family here, Lily's never been anywhere without Eamon or me. So we have to deal with, "No, I promise she'll bring you back" on top of  "No, we aren't sending you away because Norah's here" on top of  "Please don't kill my child with peanuts, here's the Epi-Pen." I just don't know what to do at this point.

I read on another mom's blog recently

"But then, I remembered some advice I had heard a long time ago about bringing a new baby home and having an older child (or children) act out.

YOU PUT THE BABY DOWN.
Yes.
You put the baby down as soon as your older kid's behavior has reached a point where you need to act, and you take care of the situation. You discipline. With the same firmness and resolve you would have if you didn't have a newborn in your arms.
Your baby will probably cry.
Oh well! 
It's really not the end of the world.

You show your older children that they can not walk all over you, and then you go pick the baby back up again and continue nursing/soothing/smooching the wee one."

and dangit, I have been, but I feel like I've been ignoring my maternal instincts to a certain extent. All of a sudden I have a baby who wants to sleep in a swing and suck on a pacifier...uh...NOT MY KID!! It feels weird, it doesn't feel like I'm being the mom I know I can be, the mom I was for Lily, the mom I WANT to be for Norah. I feel like I'm sneaking in moments with Norah between telling Lily "No", cleaning up her messes, and trying to keep her from freaking out.

I know this is probably all very temporary...but I'm very ready for it to be over...

Oh transition...

Mae

What Post-Partum Has Taught Lily

I can't believe it, but it's already been a week!
We've been on our own since Tuesday, and today Eamon is staying extra, extra late at work because they have a catering. In this short time, Lily has learned a few things about post-partum mamas.

If you thought Mama was slow before...
Lily has figured out that not only can she outrun me, but she gets a head start since I have to put down the baby, and make sure Laverne and Shirley are covered up. She's been pretty good for the most part, but sometimes...not so much.

Got a problem? Coconut it.
We have been using coconut oil on eh-vry-thing. Boobies, booties, boo-boos, the list is never ending...and I can tell our coconut oil budget is going to have to increase. Lily took it to a whole new level yesterday afternoon though when she decided Rusty needed coconut oil fur conditioner...I wasn't very thrilled about that one.

Mama gets to wear a diaper and poop in it
For a few days I was in Depends and Lily looked at me like "Ok lady, I can't wear them, but YOU can? Something's wrong here" Then she came into the bathroom with me and saw the blood. She screamed "POOP! POOP, MAMA!" I tried correcting her and let her know that it was blood, but then she freaked out because my hoo ha had turned into a giant Owie...There's just no winning with this one.

I hope you've all had an awesome week! Here's some newborn lovin from my baby girl

Mae