Adjusting to Two Under Two

I meant to do a post about our adjustment to life with two boys under two about a month ago, but I’m barely on my computer anymore, so here are my thoug hts on our adjustment.

I honestly just hate the first two weeks postpartum. Thankfully it is a bit of a blur. and seems like a long time ago now. The first two weeks my mom was here every day while Jake was at work. She has been such a blessing to us. It was nice for Graham to have someone to entertain him while I focused on Isaac and getting breastfeeding down. The third week my mom came for half the day; we weaned ourselves off her. 🙂

A lot of people asked me about Graham’s adjustment. It was rough the first few weeks because I was so busy with nursing Isaac and couldn’t physically pick him up, There was a lot of crying for momma and tears on my end that I couldn’t do what I used to for him like put him to bed. The first few weeks Graham also would wake up in the middle of the night crying for momma. Jake really stepped up and took to caring for Graham when he was home and they have really bonded which is so sweet to see. Once I could physically do things for Graham it got better and he has adjusted to having Jake do more things for him. Graham has never really had any anger towards Isaac and seems to really love his little brother. He likes to give him kisses and play on his play mat with him. Some days are better than others, and I’m thankful we live in a small place because it’s easier to keep track of him. Reading books, coloring, and play dough are a few things that he likes to do while Isaac is feeding. It’s generally easier to have something specific for him to do while I nurse Isaac rather than just letting him roam free.

Another question I have had asked is how breastfeeding is going. So far it’s going well. The first four weeks I felt like all I did was nurse Isaac (he would cluster feed in the evening), but things seem to be settling to more of a routine. Once I got past the initial learning curve of breastfeeding, the hardest parts have been entertaining Graham during the day while I feel like I’m on the couch nursing most of the day (it felt like especially in the beginning), not being able to help as much in the evening with things like dinner clean up and Graham bedtime because I’m nursing Isaac, and making sure that I’m eating and drinking enough to keep up my supply. Jake has done such a good job of just doing what needs to be done for dinner etc. (side note: we had meals a few times a week provided by church families for the first four weeks which was the second biggest blessing (my mother has been the first)). I really think my success in breastfeeding this time around is due to the help I got in the beginning from the birth center. Also, Isaac is a different baby than Graham; I think he’s more patient.

Having a baby in the spring rather than fall has been better because we can get outside almost every day…the fresh air helps us all.

 

Isaac Two Month Update…

Our littlest boy is two months old! It honestly feels good to get to this point.

Stats: (the last time he was measured was at 6 weeks)

Height: 24.2 inches (99%)

Weight: 13.1 lbs (90%)

Diapers: size 1

Clothes: size 3-6 month for shirts/onesies and 3 month for pants (skinny waste)

Eat

Breastfeeding is going well. He eats about every 2 hours during the day and the night varies. I have another baby who spits up often, so by the end of the day I smell like puke. I recently started pumping before bed, and gave him his first bottle a few weeks.

Play

Isaac likes to play on his play mat and wiggle. He is beginning to grab the rings; whether intentional or not. Graham likes to play on it to and Isaac is seldom alone while playing. 🙂 At about six weeks Isaac began to flash a few smiles which is my favorite.

Sleep

He takes about four naps a day and does well taking them in his crib. With Graham running around I’m the most comfortable having him sleep there rather than in his swing or something. For one of his morning naps I sometimes wear him in the moby wrap, but he has to be tired otherwise he doesn’t like the moby.

The first two weeks he slept on my chest then we transitioned to the pack n play and he has done well sleeping at night. He does really well going back down after a feeding as long as I don’t have to change his diaper.  We began at about six weeks to work on a night-time routine for bedtime because he was getting overstimulated and fussy the later he was up. The routine is diaper change, jammies, swaddle, sound machine on, feed, then hold till he’s asleep/drowsy. He’s still getting the hang of bedtime because sometimes it takes awhile for him to fall asleep. He wakes one to two times during he night after going down around 6:30pm and we’re usually up for the day about 7 a.m. when Jake leaves for work.

We love having two little boys!