The Big Four

Well it's been almost 4 weeks for this family of 4. We are still adjusting to life with a newborn and a toddler but all in all, it's gone better than I thought it would. Luke has been SO much more accepting of his little sister and has been trying to "help" mommy & daddy with certain responsibilities involving her. He likes to help push her in the swing, pat her back for burps, turn her light on in her room if we're going in there, hold her bottle when she has one... it's pretty cute and although it's not much, this has been pretty exciting for us to see. Now if I can just get him to not help me put her down for naps... somehow that never gets done quietly! :) He does cry sometimes when she cries.. not so fun for us, especially for mommy and especially when we're in the car. I try not to ask him to do something quietly because it seems to encourage him to make more noise. I might revisit this in a couple of weeks or even momths. We'll see. I think some of this is related to his not feeling well. Sadly, Luke got sick the first week we were home from the hospital and again this past week. It seemed to be just a 24 hour of something but he had a very high fever with the chills both times. So strange (and heartbreaking) but we're just praying that was the last of it. And we're grateful that nothing passed on to little Makenna.

And speaking of "little"... we may not be calling her that for too much longer! She's definitely getting a bit "chunky" ... it's quite adorable! She's finally fitting her newborn size clothing and I'm sure will soon move up a size. She's eating and sleeping well for the most part although it's been quite tough to keep her awake for her feedings and I think that's been affecting her sleeping during the night. And she's also been keeping us up with her grunting. We did not experience this with Luke but from what the doctor said, as well as some of my other mommy friends, this is normal. Boy is it loud. But Jeff & I both agree that if that's our challenge with her, we'll take it! She doesn't really cry and once she gets out what she's grunting about, it's peaceful again. But it does take a while and we're not quite sure why it tends to happen in the middle of the night... what about 4:00 in the afternoon? Please? :) I'll have to video it one of these nights for you to give you an idea.

We had forgotten how quickly these little ones change! Makenna has been smiling for the past week now and she is holding her head up as well. She's definitely strong like Luke was. She enjoys her baths ... when she gets them... :) Funny how baby #1 gets a bath every night and #2 is lucky to have one in a week's time! She still smells good though so we're not too worried about it. :) Like her older brother, she does not like her carseat, but unlike Luke, she will fall asleep in it. We'll see how long that lasts. Not much more to report .. she's leading a pretty repetitive life consisting of eating, sleeping, pooping and smiling so far. Oh and grunting too. :)

Life for us as husband and wife has once again been dramatically changed. It's definitely an adjustment going from one to two kiddos and so we are learning new routines and trying to give Luke the love and attention he needs and deserves while we continue to get to know Makenna and learn how to parent her. I've been lucky that they've napped at the same time most days (so far) but some days, Makenna just wants to sleep on me and some days, Luke only naps for an hour. Most days, I'm lucky to get a shower in before our day starts or get out the door at all. And this dishes stay dirty longer than I would like and the laundry sits for days before getting washed and then a few more days before it's folded but we're still working on finding that balance of what works best for us. I mean, it's only been four weeks, right? :)

Here's the latest picture of Makenna taken by one of my most thoughtful, talented friends, Steph. For not being a "professional" photographer, she sure takes some awesome photos. And in addition to that talent, we are excited that she is creating Makenna's birth announcement. Stay tuned for that! :)