Adjusting

We've been a family of five now for two weeks, and we are all adjusting to our new roles.  From the first moment he saw her in the hospital, Ethan has been in love with Baby Lydia.  His love is so exuberant that there always has to be an adult nearby, but we love watching his affection for his sister.  Caleb was less excited about Lydia during the first hospital visit.  Surprisingly, it was Caleb more than Ethan that had a hard time with me being away in the hospital.  He really missed me being around, and was struggling with some resentment about several other things.  It wasn't until we'd been home for a couple of days that we really got to see Caleb's love for and fascination with his new baby sister blossom.  Now, he spends even more time with her than Ethan does.  She'll be laying in her bassinet and Caleb will hop in bed next to me and stare and stare at her sleeping.  Ethan talks her ear off, bouncing into her face and out of it just as quickly, but Caleb stays still beside her for long periods of time.  Sometimes, he'll come up and "count" for her when she is awake and alert: he just lays there, looking into her eyes and counting into the hundreds to his rapt little audience. Thanks to his steady presence, Caleb was blessed with Lydia's first social smile yesterday.  She was in my arms and he came up to us with a huge smile. She took a minute to bring his face into focus and then broke out into a huge newborn grin.

Lydia is doing great.  She was jaundiced, just as the boys were, for her first week.  We ended up deciding to treat her jaundice with a portable bili-light during her first few days at home.  She slept on the bili-light for five days, and her numbers fell the first day but then stayed about the same for the next few days.  The pediatrician decided to take her off the phototherapy treatment when she was a week old.  She has continued to gain better color every day this past week, so it looks like the jaundice has resolved itself.  She is a good nurser and eats every two hours during the day and every 3-4 at night.  Her nights have been going pretty consistently like this: sleep from 8:00 to around midnight, feed for 10 minutes, sleep until around 3:30 am, feed for 10 minutes, sleep to around 5:30 or 6:00 am.  There have been two nights that she's been up more than that, but this is the pattern.  As far as temperament, she is still so sleepy during the day that it's hard to tell for sure.  She seems to be awake for no more than 2 or 3 cumulative hours a day.  Neither of the boys were sleepy newborns: Caleb was alert and happy & Ethan was awake and unhappy from the start, so we aren't quite sure what to do with this sleepy girl.  When she is awake, she is very content to look around and take everything in.  She fusses a tiny little bit when she is tired of being awake, but somebody always jumps right in and rocks or nurses her to sleep, so she never gets really upset.  I know she is only two-weeks-old and she could still develop into more of a wailer, but so far she is as sweet as can be :)

Marcus and I are adjusting as well.  Marcus had the foresight to put in for two weeks of paternity leave, since we didn't have any family members who were able to come and help with the kids while I recovered from the delivery.  It has been a lifesaver to have him at home, especially that first week.  I really don't know what I would have done if he'd had to go back to work right after I was discharged from the hospital.  He saved the day by doing 100% of everything the boys needed until I got back on my feet.  The first week, all I was able to do with them was invite them to sit in bed with me and read books or cuddle.  As I got more of my strength back, I've been able to do much more with and for them.  (Though Ethan is still frustrated that, even though the baby has "popped out" and my tummy isn't big anymore, I still can't pick him up and carry him.)  Now at two weeks postpartum, I feel about 90% normal, and I am ready for my new job as a mom of three, which starts first thing Monday morning :)