2 weeks!

Today Linnea has officially been on the outside for two whole weeks. She’s not quite back to birth weight (though our midwife said that’s not uncommon for big babies, especially given the iv fluids I had once we got to the hospital- baby had water weight too!) but she’s grown an inch in length already! People keep asking if it doesn’t just feel like she’s been with us forever, and in some ways it does but at the same time I keep thinking “two weeks already?!?!”

Linnea is basically perfect. She had difficulty with her latch for the first day or so- nothing terrible, just couldn’t seem to get any of the areola in her mouth so was nursing just the nipple- but with a little practice and perseverance we corrected that and she’s a champion nurser. She’s snuggly, she doesn’t fuss much and when she does it’s usually easy to address (so far), and if I swaddle her at night she even sleeps. Like, sleep sleeps. Like 6 hours at a time, might wake up to nurse. Last night she woke up 3 times between 11 pm and 8 am and that was a lot compared to over the weekend. Plus she’s cute. 

Her current loves  (besides nursing) are the black and white side of the firefly toy, the plankton night light Grandma made, and laying naked on the changing table while kicking and burbling at whichever mama is changing her.  

Darwin is great with her, and wants to cuddle or hold her frequently. I have twice caught big sister trying to pick Linnea up out of her swing or bouncy chair, and have had to remind Darwin that she can hold hands or give kisses but if she wants to hold the baby she needs a mama’s help. In the morning, her first words are frequently “Where’s baby sister?” (though just as often they’re “I want nurses”). The other evening she got mad when Rachel was holding the baby, but rather than the jealous “I want up!” that I was expecting, her next words were “I want to hold the baby!” So while I’m sure sibling rivalry will rear its head eventually, it’s not here yet. 

Although I spent the better part of a day last week crying because I missed Darwin, things on that front are improving as well. We are able to do more and more together, sometimes because I am increasingly able to handle two kids together or sometimes just because I have help from either Rachel or our postpartum doula  (side note- POSTPARTUM DOULAS ARE THE BEST THING EVER). But I’m getting better at holding both kiddos in my lap at once, so story time is now also cuddle time. I love it, Darwin seems to enjoy it, and Linnea puts up with it until she’s ready to nurse. 

So yay! We’ve made it through two weeks of being a family of four! And now, if you’ll excuse me, there is funfetti dinosaur cake calling my name (courtesy of our dear friends at Pot and Lid.) 

But…. one more for the road.