Thoughts on Two

On being a mom of two:
1. Two is hard.
2. My first week as a mom of two was hard.
3. I fret because newborns sleep so much.
4. I should just let her sleep. She sleeps so much better at night when I don't poke and prod her to keep her awake.
5. Poop (or the lack thereof) is an indicator of how much sleep we will get.
6. Ben loves his sister, but he REALLY hates not being the center of attention anymore. Plus he's adjusting to having a noisy baby in his room at night, which makes him a little cranky come mid-afternoon.
7. My house is messy! Not that it wasn't already, but two has compounded the fact.
8. Having the baby blues really sucks. My new mantra is relax and stay busy. I'm honestly doing so much better this week.
9. I've felt an incessant need to get out of my house at all costs. I need to get over it and rest before I'm chasing a toddler around my house.
10. We have really great friends and family who are always more than willing to help out.

On Shelby:
1. She's the cutest little baby girl ever. I know there's a lack of pictures, I promise I will get to that eventually!
2. I feel guilty she sleeps all the time, like I should be doing more for her or interacting with her more. I know in a couple of weeks it will be entirely different.
3. She is the calmest baby ever. She only cries when she's hungry or cold, or when she randomly sleep cries, or when she's constipated (hence the pooping issue).
4. She has Ben's little turned up nose and small dark blue eyes. We're really curious what color they will eventually become. Her skin is still perfectly pink and her hair is growing fast and still a dark brown.
5. She never cries when she's poopy. Ben usually discovers it first and tells me. I think he may be developing my insanely sensitive sense of smell.
6. She has huge hands and long skinny feet.
7. She sleeps on her back with her head turned to the right and arms straight up over her head. This is EXACTLY how Ben slept when he was a baby.
8. She loves her pacifier. I am so grateful for this. Especially since he didn't make a peep at her heel prick test today!
9. She's going to be extremely ticklish. Anytime we rub our fingers across her tummy or back she arches up immediately. Same when you tickle her feet!
10. She is a great eater. 3oz every 3 hours on the dot (sometimes ever 4-5 at night).

On Ben:
1. Ben thinks Shelby is soooo cute.
2. When I feed her he has to plaster himself next to me and tell me how much he loves me. Over and over. And over.
3. Chocolate milk, fruit snacks and Phineas and Ferb are a good cure-all for his mid-afternoon crankiness.
4. I'm working on trying to get him to nap again.
5. He's going to his first gun show with John on Saturday. :)
6. We cut his hair about a week ago. I love his hair longer, but he looks pretty darn preppy cool with it short. As long as I keep it fixed he doesn't look like a rug rat.
7. All of his pants have holes in the knees so he looks like a rug rat most of the time anyway.
8. He's curled up on the couch right now with his Ralphie (his stuffed dog). I know if I got in the car and went anywhere he would immediately fall asleep.
9. He's obsessed with his Mater socks the Easter Bunny brought him. They are already pilled and ratty-looking because he wears them all the time!

10. He's become increasingly affectionate and sensitive, especially when he knows I'm upset. It's really sweet.

I'm really hoping to do a proper newborn session with Shelby later this week if I can get myself to a park or somewhere more sufficient than my poorly-lit house! I know the next few months are going to be a crazy adventure!