The First Week

It's been a good first week with the baby home. She sleeps for 3 hour stretches twice a day, although never at a time convenient for sleep-deprived parents. I can't wait until her sleep patterns approximate ours! And she is sometimes awake for an hour or more, just staring and cooing and trying to figure out this new world. I love those times, because I get to look into those beautiful grey eyes and talk with my baby -- even if it is at one o'clock in the morning.

The only problem we've encountered with her is a tendency to "choke" while she's eating. I thought it was because my milk was flowing too quickly for her at times, but that doesn't really seem to be a consistent explanation. It is possible, instead (says the doctor) that she has reflux. It's mostly not a problem, although she does scare me because it takes about 5 seconds or so for her to start coughing and then another 5 seconds to start breathing normally again. It's a bit harrowing.

Angie is suffering from "not enough attention" syndrome, though it's not really that she's not getting enough attention so much as she's not getting our immediate and undivided attention. She's very clingy and frequently on the verge of tears, though she can't tell us why. I suspect she's just feeling a bit neglected. But she does love the baby and tells her what a "little cutie pie" she is and she calls her "chubby cheeks"...though where she got that from I don't know. She loves to look at the baby and asks incessant questions about why the baby made a particular noise or why she moved her hand a particular way.... Oh, and she corrects us everytime we call the baby Maddie -- "No, it's Madelyn," she insists.

With no work to worry about, I feel quite relaxed just dealing with the baby and loving Angie. And of course, it's great to have a husband who tells you, "Wake me up if she stays awake too long," in the middle of the night.

So far, being a parent of two is not too bad!