10 on Tuesday...Week 2 of Being a Family

1. I never imagined that something so little and so dainty and so fragile could fart so loud and poop so viciously that you can feel the rumble sitting a foot away on the couch and hear it 30 feet away in the kitchen...yep, she'll hate me one day when she's older and I share this story.
2. Breastfeeding is definitely a great experience when it's done the right way and after "healing." I went back to BFing today after realizing that pumping wasn't a long term solution.
3. Baby wearing...yep, we enjoyed doing housework with B in the sling today and hopefully this will be a way of both Erik and I having 2 hands free to get work done.
4. B survived her first shopping trip today...she kept asking me with her puppy pleading eyes for some new bibs and of course, grandma and I couldn't resist and bought a few for her.
5. Even though we have 10 pacifiers floating around the house, when there is a screaming baby, there's not one to be found except in Crosby's mouth (and yes, I took it out of her mouth and washed it off with soap and water before giving it to B).
6. Then, 10 minutes later, you count 5 pacifiers sitting around in the living room (pack n play, end table, coffee table-2 of them, ottoman). They are bright green/aqua Soothies...they're not that hard to miss...the shrill must distract the eye from processing what it sees.
7. B has 3 different level of cries: this sad, pathetic whimper that's like "please give me a paci or milk or fill in some blank." The pathetic whimpers then escalate into the crying that's like "I want it now...you're not listening to me so I have to be louder than my whimpy sniffles." Then, there's the run-around-and-find-whatever-screaming-child-wants-to-stop-the-ear-piercing-shrill screams. Oh dear...this child will turn beet red and you know it's coming because you have the crying then there's the silence for 5 seconds while she takes 3 deep breaths then, wham, the screaming shrill is let out of that tiny little being. Usually for us, this occurs during a diaper change when screaming infant wants to eat but refuses (see #8) to eat b/c she has 1 drop of pee in her diaper.
8. Yes, our child will refuse to touch a nipple until her diaper is changed if there is 1 single, solitary drop of pee. However, given her avid gastrocolic reflex (pretty much, upon the first drops of milk getting into the stomach that the reflex signals her colon to empty so that it can make room for the new meal), she will poop, usually in bursts of 3, thigh rumbling, Boppy rumbling, heard across the room poops. When she poops, she relaxes her whole body and this look of peace comes across her face like she just solved the world's problems. Then, she continues eating...sometimes for 30 minutes with poop in her pants. Yet, pee, one drop sends her in a tizzy.
9. Since nursing has taken a turn for the positive, I've been feeling the best today that I've felt since she came home. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I am so so so so happy! Erik loves being a daddy and I just love being a mommy. Crosby loves the opportunity for extra calories (see #10). Life is great for us right now. We couldn't be happier and more blessed to have such a healthy daughter and wonderful life at home.
10. Crosby loves to sniff B and lick her toes (and maybe some milk drippings off her face or fingers). She just lays on the couch with B and won't move if B is even touching her...it's so precious and I just hope that B and Crosby have that loving, playful relationship with each other.

10 on Tuesday, the end is near!

For obvious reasons, this one will mostly be about pregnancy and B's arrival!
1. We cannot wait for Brooklyn's arrival...ugh! It could be any moment and while we're so excited and anxious, we are literally scared to death. To think that we'll be caring for this totally, 100% dependent being on our own without an instruction manual can be a little overwhelming.
2. I'm going to miss playing with those little feet and pushing back or rubbing her little butt. She pretty much was sideways most of the past month with her feet on the left and her butt on the right. Fortunately, I have a tall torso so I never really felt rib jabs but I loved every minute of the rolls in my belly.
3. On the other hand, I have hated the heartburn...it's been so much worse the past month to the point where I haven't even wanted to eat just to avoid the ramifications.
4. Hiccoughs: yes, I hate seeing it spelled hiccups and I wish Webster and crew would just change the spelling of the word to appease the 240 million or so Americans who spell it phonetically instead of "hiccoughs." But, why I mention hiccoughs is that I wonder if she'll have them on the outside as often as she does on the inside? It took me a while to realize that's what they were. They were just these rhythmic motions that I felt just about everywhere and then the last 10 weeks or so (since I knew she's been head down since then), I've always felt them in the same spot and figured they were hiccoughs.
5. Fall: my favorite time of the year! It's so beautiful outside. I love, love, love looking at our house and all the fall leaves and colors! It's truly God's paintbrush!
6. October: I can't wait to share our birthday month together! Will she be a Libra or a Scorpio? Erik and I both think 10/22 will be her arrival day!
7. At my appointment today, I've changed to 60/1-2cm/0. Not a significant change from last week but enough that Dr. S is amenable to my request for induction on Friday. We're still so torn about what to do. I don't want to feel as though I'm playing God selecting when she's to be born or rushing something that's meant to occur on its own but at the same time, I would hate to miss a week of maternity leave b/c she decided not to make her arrival. I know induction would put me at an increased risk of C-section but I only hope that we do not regret whatever decision we make.
8. Last minute: talk about last minute...tomorrow we'll do the last of our maternity pictures b/c I should have an early enough day to do them in the afternoon before I need a nap! We have done 2 sessions so far...one at home a few weeks ago and one the other Sunday out at the Lake. Don't worry...we'll post pictures soon!
9. Naps: seriously, I think every adult needs to take naps. This past month, I've felt utter exhaustion by the time the afternoon rolls around so I need at least 30-60 minutes just to reenergize. Maybe it's the going to the bathroom 5 times per night that's disrupting REM sleep...I guess this is just preparation for the future!
10. The end of the suspense is near.......we just pray that everything goes well in the next few days and that we'll be holding our daughter in our arms soon!