The Week in Review

It's been a great, frustrating, tiring, week here at Chez Bubela. We're slowly adjusting and finding the rhythm of our new family dynamics. In some ways, it's easier with a second child, in other ways, ever so much more difficult.

We've been up and down this week. E's first peds appointment was good, but they're concerned about lack of weight gain, so we're doing more weigh-ins (it's like the Biggest Loser only in reverse). We're back to what feels like forced feeding. It's really not because she needs help taking all her calories to be stronger, but it's hard sometimes when she's tired and she has 1/2 a bottle left to go. The other downs are that it will take her a while to breast feed, so my relationship with George unabaited; the last is that we have to have a more sophisticated hearing test in a week or two because she had an abnormal result from the newborn screen. We think she can hear, just not well. Hopefully, the test will confirm this and we'll have options.

The ups have been that E's a really lovely addition to our family. She's just as strong willed as M and definitely has her own agenda. She's been working really hard on increasing her feedings and we continue to see signs of her personality emerge as she spends more time with us.

M is adjusting to her sister. There is a small element of frustration that we can't jump to her whims, but we tell M that it won't be forever and try to include her as much as possible. We've started to let her hold E by herself, which she loves to do. She's also been playing make-believe NICU with her dollies, which hopefully is a way to process all that's happened to us in the last couple weeks.

T & I are tired and working to find the appropriate parent/food/sleep/bathe balance. We do okay all things considering. One of the things I've noticed this time is that I know I'm not a delicate little flower despite having given birth. I remember after having M thinking that there was no way that I could do the housework and gave up totally on feeding anyone other than M (many thank heavens to T for keeping us fed). This time, I know that Mother Nature meant for women to be mobile after birth and have acted accordingly.

I have much more to write about and often write blog posts in my head before sleep. I'll try to get to the computer more frequently now that we're home. Right now, however, I have appointments to schedule for Little Peeps and we're waiting to hear about how the open heart surgery is going for my beautiful, wonderful 36 year old sister. Although it's a routine procedure to correct a heart murmur and she's healthy, still, it's open heart surgery and I'd be a liar if I said I haven't been worried. Rock star that she is, though, she's been there for us the last couple weeks. Hopefully, we can return the favor soon during her recovery. In the meanwhile, good wishes, prayers, etc. are appreciated. [Edited: Surgery went well and K in ICU recovering!]