Going from 1 to 2 & Everything Else...

I'll admit, my oldest was an easy baby and things went smoothly with her, we had no issues adding her into the mix.  When pregnant with Avalynn I had no worries that I'd be able to easily adjust from having one child to two children.  Oh - how I was mistaken.   I feel like only in the past few days we're finally getting into a groove and I'm not feeling like a chicken with my head cut-off.

Things I've learned adding Avalynn into the mix:

- Breastfeeding takes a lot of time and practice.  With the oldest we formula fed, afterwards I wished I'd have tried bf'ing, so I was determined to try and commit to it 100%.  I've heard the first couple weeks are the hardest, and had a couple meltdowns when things weren't going well, but I kept trying and pumping, when we were having difficulties, so I wouldn't lose my supply, I'm happy to say we now are doing great in this dept.

- I now understand why mom's have days where they can't find the time to shower.  I've had many a days where my first moment isn't until 4 in the afternoon.  I never understood this before, but now I do.  Breastfeeding is more time consuming, and sometimes leaves little time in between feedings, to bathe & dress both girls, clean up the house, laundry, cook meals etc.

- You think you can nap some during the day, especially in the beginning when it's long nights with several feedings.  But with a 3 1/2 year old, who doesn't nap daily anymore - THINK AGAIN!  All I can say is power naps & tag teaming with the Hubs, one of us naps while the other is awake...

- It takes an hour or so to actually get out of the house.  I try to feed her right before we leave, esp if running errands, have yet to breastfeed publicly, previously I had a back-up supply, but we've used all of that.

- We've learned to have more patience with my oldest, it's a big adjustment for her and us.  Our families have been great with not showering all of their attention just to Avalynn and making sure that Emma is a priority too.  One thing I've been told is that if the baby and oldest need you, don't always go to the baby first, as they have no clue, but your older child does.  It's hard to do this, but with the help of the Hubs, I think we're managing this well.


Things I'm proud of
- Didn't give up and have 1 month down for breastfeeding.
- Been cloth diapering Avalynn since she was 6 days old when her umbilical cord fell off.
- Avalynn is now only getting up once a night to eat.
- Lost all of my pregnancy weight plus 8 lbs.


Some new pics:

Family Valentine's Day Photo

Emma listening to her music player.

The girls relaxing on the couch.

Sleepy smiles from Avalynn.