Let's Play a Game

I've managed to catch Lilah in a couple of similar poses as I had of Elise about her age. Can you tell which is Elise and which is Lilah?

Baby Love

I just love cuddling this little baby girl! So sweet! And I love my expressive big girl, too! Lilah will be seven weeks tomorrow. Biggest seven week accomplishment - growing! I can hardly believe how big Lilah has gotten. I think she is weighing about 11 and half pounds. The other big change is she is moving her bedtime earlier. She went to bed around 8:40 last night. When she was born, she was going to bed more like 11 p.m. She is smiley and talkative - she especially likes smiling for her daddy.

This is our life

Last night I had the chance to go out with the "girls" - the girls being my mom friends from our weekly playgroup. Of course, Lilah was along plus the three other children busy growing in their mommies still.... We had fun conversation, laughing at realizing we relate more to college kids' parents than the kids anymore and disapproving of the dresses the high school girls were wearing for their homecoming dance. At one point the conversation turned to blogging, which leads me hear. I am resolving to blog more about life's moments that make me laugh and cry and all the emotions in between. I want to remember those and be able to share them with my girls when they're older.

So, Elise. She is definitely a terrible two. She whines, she disobeys, and she runs and hides pretty much anytime I want to get her dressed. She tests Wes' and my patience daily. Despite that, she is full of personality. Life will never be boring with Elise. Whether she is running through the house riding her broomstick, wearing a witch hat, and singing the wicked witch song from Wizard of Oz, or sitting on the toilet reading ESPN magazine (learned from her father, no doubt), Elise makes us laugh.

Yesterday we ventured to the Fall Festival Parade. My childhood insecurities came out as I worried the older kids would get all the candy and she wouldn't get any. I realized my timid personality as a child may have led to no candy, but Elise, she's gonna go for the candy. She isn't shy - she asserts herself! We walked away with plenty.

Can't believe she's six weeks!

The time continues to go very fast. Since Lilah is going to be our last baby, I haven't been in such a hurry for her to get older the way I was with Elise. I can hardly believe how big Lilah seems in my arms. She's definitely gaining weight and adding some rolls to her frame. He sleep continues to improve - she's had a couple of five+ hour stretches. usually she goes down between 9 and 10 p.m. and is up in the 2 a.m. hour and the 5 a.m. hour.

The big change right now is I am going to start putting in some hours next week. I'm only going to be putting in 12 hours and won't have a set schedule, so it shouldn't be too difficult, I don't think. I'll do that for the next five or six weeks, then I'll be back 25 hours starting November 1. This is absolutely the hardest part for me. Overall, I don't mind working part-time; it is just the initial adjustment that is so hard.

5 Weeks

I had such a fun day with my girls today. We spent the morning at the library getting a huge load of books, cds, and movies, and then went to the IMU to have lunch with Papa T. Elise was a great listener and was simply pleasant to be around, which isn't always the case these days. Lilah slept like a little angel in her carseat most of the trip and was happy when she awoke. We came home, read a few stories from our new books, and then both girls went down for a nap. It is nice to start enjoying more moments in life than just living them. (I have had a lot of joy since Lilah's arrival, but it is a lot of work!)

Lilah is doing really well. She is stretching out her sleeping a bit at night - she has gone a few four hour stretches, and the last couple of nights has only been up twice (around 1 or 2 and then again around 4 or 5).

Enjoy a few new pictures!

4 Weeks

Four weeks post baby and life is good. Challenging, but good.

Lilah has had a couple developments this week. First, she has learned to coo and say ahh. Oh how I love those sweet baby noises. Much more pleasant than her regular grunt. Also she smiles. I know it seems early, but she really seems to smile in response to people. It was even confirmed by an unbiased, non-family member. Haven't caught it on camera yet, but I'll keep working on it. The other change we noticed this week is that she is balding - right on the top of her head.  I suspect she'll be like Elise - bald for a long time and then a blond.

Elise is doing really well this week. She's been a good listener for me and has seemed happy. The big challenge with her is that she is the most dependent child ever. She literally will not play by herself. She's never been good at playing independently - I think it has gotten a bit worse with Lilah's arrival - she doesn't want me spending time alone with Lilah. Elise would rather sit beside me and watch me nurse than go play. It can be a little taxing - playing "Wizard of Oz" with her can get a little old after a couple hours. Hopefully as more time passes and she continues to feel more secure about her place in the family, she'll give me just a little bit of space.

Wes and I continue to adjust as well. It is a lot of work right now - we often think, will we ever be able to relax again?! The interrupted sleep seems to be catching up with me. Around 6 p.m. every night, I start feeling a little cranky. Lilah is still up two to three times a night - she usually goes 3 hours, then 2 hours, then 1 hour. I'm ready for a four hour stretch, or at least for her to do several three hour stretches.

IU football kicked off yesterday. Lilah attended her first tailgate party, but sadly she didn't make any pictures. She was sleeping away in her car seat.  Elise went with Wes to the first half of the actual game. The picture of all the ladies are friends from church.