CC at seven weeks

Another week down! I feel like I don't have a lot to say about this past week but that is probably a good sign, since there isn't much new to report. I had to read back over Truman's seven week post and compare my two kids to remember that yes, Truman did hate his car seat and he was grunty and starting to smile but still a little helpless baby. That momnesia is no joke for me--thank goodness for my blog or I wouldn't remember any details of the newborn days!

Guess whose acne is gone!? It lasted exactly 10 days starting at 5 weeks and then magically vanished. This is when it was starting to clear up and her Kate G. hairdo was out of control!
IMG_2245 IMG_2268

Well, let's see--Cecelia is still sleeping about the same at night. Usually she will go down for good around 8:45 and will last about 4-5 hours until her next feeding. After that, she usually goes about 2-3 hours before waking and she is still in our room in the co-sleeper. I'm starting to get the courage to start her off in the nursery and then I'd bring her in with us after her first wake up, but I'm not *quite* there yet. Some days I feel really exhausted but most of the time I'm fine, because waking up just twice a night is pretty manageable. I'm still hoping she extends out her longest stretch to 6 hours sometime soon but even those random 5-ers are pretty nice.

I've noticed that she cat naps for about 30-45 minutes at a time throughout the day but then she almost always takes at least one solid 2-3 hour nap, too. It's almost always in the swing or my arms, but whatever---it still counts! She likes the car seat a lot more lately and will usually snooze in the car while we are out and about, and I've started taking her on runs in the BOB which always cause a nap, too. But of course as soon as we stop she is wide-eyed and alert.

Speaking of being alert, she is REALLY starting to notice her surroundings now. Her favorite buddies are the little elephants hanging above her pack and play. She will stare and smile at those buggers every time I lay her down to change her diaper.

IMG_2220IMG_2266

She loves to find windows in the house, obsessed with the light, and also seems to like my picture frames on the wall---maybe something about the contrasting shapes? The biggest change I've seen this week is that she will smile socially a lot more consistently than she ever did before. If she has taken a nice nap and had a good meal, watch out because sister knows how to put on a grinning show. And of course, it makes me melt and snap 839 pictures at a time. She still won't smile a ton for other people besides me but that is probably because I'm with her 90% of the time. I'm trying to share the smiling wealth but the mood has to strike her just right.

My little love bugs. Can't handle it.
IMG_2283

Twins? Seriously.
IMG_2302







IMG_2303
And speaking of moods and preferences, it's starting to break my heart to see that she cries when other people hold her. I guess it's not every single time, but it sure feels like when Nate or my in-laws or friends hold Cece she lets them know within a minute or two that mommy is her fave. I am really not flattered and mostly feel embarrassed when I have to take her back from whoever wanted to hold her in the first place. I guess this is a normal thing for babies but again, I don't really remember Truman being a fuss-butt about others holding him. I especially hate that Nate can't bond with Cecelia like I'm doing because he basically only sees her in the evenings (which are not her finest time) or when he's trying to give her a bottle (which is the same as starting World War 3 in our house). Sigh. It's definitely harder for husbands to bond with newborn babies, right? I actually do remember that feeling last time.
IMG_2287
Big brother might have given her a gift or two here. She's thrilled.
IMG_2293
Bottles are still causing me major stress as little lady still won't take a drop. I'm so sick of analyzing and trying new things and worrying about it that I don't even feel like going into it on the blog anymore. But I think I'm going to take Cecelia to Lori's for a bit one of these days and let Lori try her turn at this before I return to work. Praying it somehow works because although I know we still have 5 weeks before d-day, I can just picture that first day being an emotional disaster for everyone involved. Even more than what would be normal for a first day back to work. Sigh. Thank you for all of your suggestions last week though! I've tried almost every single one at this point and now I am resigned to the fact that Cece is going to have to take a bottle outside of this house first, because it is NOT working inside her domain.

Back to some more positive points on my baby girl, because there are so many more happy things than stressful ones.

Cloth diapering is going well! The extra laundry from a second child in cloth is pretty substantial but not horrible. I'm back to doing cloth dipe laundry every-other-day again, which isn't too bad since I'm doing regular laundry at LEAST that often, too. And man, her cloth diapered butt plus her brother's? Adorable.


cloth diaper stash in the pack and play:
Untitled

Discovering anatomy...
IMG_2318

A Bum Genius ad:)
Untitled

Smile!
Untitled

IMG_2329

We've been to the pool quite a bit this summer and although the water is way too cold for her to actually like it (and she is in the shade 99% of the time anyway), I just had to break out the one swimming suit I have for her. And OMG. I die.
IMG_2343
IMG_2346

Untitled

And this post isn't about Truman but how cute is he with his two buddies, Henry and Charlotte? Summer time is officially the best time in the entire universe. I love it so much.
Untitled

Miss thing is still eating like a champ (as long as it's from my real nipple and not a fake one, heaven forbid!!) and is just so content when she is awake now, it's amazing. She will still have an occasional fussy evening here and there but I've found tricks that usually work most of the time (swaddle, walk, music, nursery setting, or outside). She will usually eat every 1.5-2.5 hours during the day based on when she naps and I'm definitely not trying to force any type of schedule for eating or napping. I want to start the eat-play-sleep routine soon----along with doing a few naps in her crib, and starting her off there at night. But man, it's just so easy to hold baby girl while she snoozes and I know these itty bitty days are so fleeting that I just want to soak it up while I can. Schedules and routines will come soon enough and she won't want to cuddle with mama anymore. Just look at this face and tell me you wouldn't want to hold her all day long:)
Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

She still has about 1-2 major spit ups per week but I find they aren't terrifying me as much as they did before. It still sucks to change her clothes, my clothes, and anything else around her but she really does seem content and is growing so I guess that's just a normal baby thing. Between her giant barfs, refusal of the bottle, and refusal of the paci I find myself shocked at how different my two kids seem to be. I think it's true when people generalize girls to be more picky and dramatic than boys--at least in our case!

That's my girl at 7 weeks: mostly happy, very smiley, loves her mommy most of all, hates bottles and pacis with a passion, sleeping about 4-5 hours at the longest stretch, and has to be on the move.

And now for my 'I told you she smiles!' photo shoot:)

IMG_2354

IMG_2367

Untitled

But don't worry, that smile can vanish in a second and little diva comes back to play.
IMG_2375
Love this little girl more than anything. Even on the hard days, she is such an incredible blessing. Now if she would just take a bottle and prove to others that she is a social butterfly I'd be even happier. Until that next 'thing' comes along that we have to conquer. Everything is a phase, right?

19 comments:

  1. What a sweetheart! She totally looks like you in that first picture! And then the photos with she and Truman. Whoa - talk about look alikes!

    I will be hoping she takes a bottle soon!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Julia,

    Love the updates :). They're such a nice break from my legal brief-writing! Anyway, Erin did not take a bottle until 5.5 months, which is when I went back to work. What finally ended up happening was that my mom would give her a bit of breast milk in a medicine dropper (which she was used to taking because she was on reflux meds), and then transition from the dropper to a bottle (Dr. Brown's). Erin would realize that there was milk to be had based on the dropper, and then she'd start sucking to get more, so my mom would put the bottle in her mouth. I know exactly how you feel, but try not to worry too much (easier said than done, I know) -- she will eventually figure it out. Little girls are definitely stubborn -- at least mine was (and still is :)).

    Kate

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are going through the exact same thing with the mommy love. P comes home in the evenings and between her being fussy for boob and bed, she cries when he tries to get time with her and it breaks my heart. A small piece of my heart is warmed by the fact that as a first time mom, I am able to stop the meltdown, but I wish she would at least share the love with him.

    We basically have the same nap schedule, the minis and the long, and I try to get her in the crib some days, but usually she just looks around the whole time and then is crankier later. Like you said the cuddle time is fleeting. I'm soaking up every drop!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Everything is a phase indeed! She is SUCH a doll and OMG I love all her outfits so much.

    Hold that little lady as much and as long as you can - this second time around made me realize even more how FAST that time goes! Little Ben will not just snuggle mom all day anymore. ;) I savor those nighttime snuggles like nobody's business!

    And love the pic of T and Henry and Charlotte, of course. :) Such big kids we have!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. P.S. I just looked at Truman's 7-week post and laughed out loud at what a round little chunker he was!!!!

    And that 3-hour-nap he took was only a precursor to his amazing naps to come, huh? As I said to Erin K earlier today, screw you lady. ;) Just teasing!!!!! But seriously, what a little man - so fun to look back on!

    Agree that the momnesia is no joke - there's just no way to remember all that stuff!! So glad for blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I agree with Molly, Truman and CC look so much alike! I'm loving the Kate Gosselin hair in the first picture.

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh man, the momnesia is real! I can't remember jack from when Brady was this small! I need to look back!

    SHe's a cutie!

    ReplyDelete
  8. OMG I also just looked at Truman's 7 week post and he was such a little FATTY!!! I love it. They do totally look so alike, yet so different. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her outfits, especially the little rainbow one :) Love the pic of Truman and Cece together, both looking - if only I could get Annie to do that - she always just stares at Luke :)

    And yes. Those girls and their dramatic tendencies. Seriously. Annie would totally shun most people holding her. I remember MANY gatherings (especially with my in-laws) where she would just THROW. A. FIT. the ENTIRE time and we're both be in tears on the way home. It sucked. Now she just relishes all the attention and saves her meltdowns for us at home - it's beautiful ;)

    Good luck with the bottle - I hope getting out of the house does the trick!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I mostly lurk but I have to comment re: your bottle woes!

    First, Cecilia is SUCH A DOLL.

    Second, I too was the mom of a baby who refused bottles. I remember at our 8 week check up telling our pediatrician about this problem, and she was convinced that it would be no problem at all to have her on the bottle by 13 weeks when I went back to work.

    Her suggestion, however, was a little extreme, but it has apparently worked for many moms. Basically, it involves a bottle standoff. Baby gets no boob until she drinks from a bottle. Even it that means she goes hours without milk. My pedi ASSURED me that she would not starve to death, and would likely only skip 2-3 feedings before giving in. Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to do it, but I just wanted to let you know that that is an option, that has apparently worked for many.

    Here is what we DID do that finally worked. First, we managed to finally get her to take a paci - a latex orthodontic one - one night when she was super sleepy, at around 9 weeks. We kept reinforcing it over and over again - if it fell out, we popped it right back in so she'd get plenty of time feeling something "non-boob" in her mouth.

    After a few days of paci success, we ordered the Playtex drop-ins with a latex orthodontic nipple (only found them on Amazon). We woke baby up from her long evening nap so she was sleepy and my husband quickly offered her the new bottle. AND SHE TOOK IT. With no crying! And finished the whole thing! From that day forward we made sure she had one bottle a day at the same time, and once I went back to work, she took her 3-4 bottles very well. We did use freshly pumped milk, and dipped the nipple in it before offering it - I don't know if that made any difference, but we stuck with it.

    Anyway - way too long of a comment, but just know you are not alone and you will find what works. Even if it means you end up with a 17 month old who still loves her paci and won't drink milk unless its from a bottle :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. She's SO cute Julia! Glad everything's going well!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That baby swimming suit is too much. Just adorable. Iveveen contemplating starting to try to get Henry on a better schedule, trying the eat/play/sleep, but it's just too easy to snuggle him all day. Your post made me remember it's okay to snuggle while I can.

    ReplyDelete
  12. She is SO SWEET! And Truman looks so incredibly big now - I can't believe it!

    Leighton still naps in my arms. I've been trying to work on it, but... I love it so much.

    I didn't read the comments from last week on taking a bottle, but L started a Bottle Strike this past month. The only thing that will work when I am home is letting her nurse and then shoving the nipple in her mouth after she's been going a few minutes. My mom has also had success when E and I are not in the house. Hopefully she gets the hang of it soon so that you can let go of the stress!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Her Kate G hairdo is AWESOME!!! I have no advice for the bottle/ paci situation, but I'm sending positive thoughts your way she will take them soon!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I can't get enough of her!

    did the T man have a ton of hair like her? My Henry has hardly any hair and I think if I ever have a girl she will also be bald and bow-less for years and years.

    ReplyDelete
  15. hey julia, i've been reading forever but i'm not sure i've ever commented (for shame!). when my little guy faught the bottle, my peditrician promised that when faced with hunger and no other options, he'd take the bottle and suggested not worrying about it. first time i left him with my mom for an long period i was sure i had just handed her a nuclear bomb. he took the bottle. no drama. just like that. who knows if little CC will do the same but i thought it might be helpful to hear a success story. i know mommyhood sometimes feels like all doom and gloom :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love this all :)

    PS- I think I may totally have my mom rip off CeCe's chevron baby quilt for our #2, if that's okay? Actually, we may be ripping off your chevron quilt, your Roman shades, AND your quinoa salad...my mom kinda loves reading your blog, ha! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. She's starting to really resemble Truman. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. She's so cute! First, we had the same issue with refusing a bottle before she went to daycare. I came home early the first day because she was refusing to eat for them (and had refused prior for me and the husband). That night we went out and got the playtex drop ins (why, didn't we do this before as they're so much cheaper than the expensive bottles we have tons of that she refuses to take?). anyway, she took those no problem. she still prefers to nurse, but i no longer freak out about leaving her. at least you have a good daycare situation that you feel good about. i had the opposite and felt like i was leaving my starving baby in the arms of strangers.

    quick question about cloth diapering. are you still using wool for nights with truman? we use prefolds and flip covers during the day and disposables at night but i've been trying to figure out an easy, cloth night time solution. (she's 7 months and would wet right through the prefolds even double stuffed at night). also, while a fluffy bum is fine, it has to be able to fit under some pjs.

    love your little ones!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hang in there lady. My lil diva went through the same phase. The only bottle she took was the adiri. I ordered them from overstock. Also, I had to be not around when she first took it. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog. Sorry that commenting through Blogger can be a royal pain. I'm glad you are commenting despite that, and please email me if you are having issues.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...