One Month

Somehow, over three weeks ago, Brenna turned one month old.  How is that possible?  Ever since Addison was born I have been told "don't blink, it all goes by so fast"...dear heavens, I think I understand that now. 
Most of the past seven weeks have been a blur of holidays and interrupted sleep, visitors and interrupted sleep, nursing, preschool and interrupted sleep.  The transition to two has been much less stressful than I anticipated - sure I am tired and at times feel completely overwhelmed, but compared to the first two months of figuring out motherhood with Addie, this is a dream.

I didn't start this little blog until Addie was already two months old - basically  because I was nonfunctional.  From what I remember of the first month or so, the first time around, there were lots of tears and frustration.  Every little thing Addie did sent me running for the phone to call my mom, or to my supply of parenting books to make sure I wasn't messing her up.  I worried about nursing and sleeping and television exposure and just about everything else.

This time around?  This time I seem to be able to remember to breathe.  For heavens sake Brenna went five days without a dirty diaper and I didn't even pick up the phone to consult with our pediatrician.  On the fifth day I was rewarded with quite a load of lovliness.

Brenna's first month is blur of nursing and not cooking.  We were spoiled rotten by neighbors and friends who cooked for us and we had no qualms calling for take out.  Brenna spent the first two weeks of life sleeping in our arms pretty much around the clock - she didn't like her bassinet, her crib or the magic swing.  She liked her Mom and Dad and she liked very much to be wide awake at four in the morning.

Our neighbor commented that she was a very zen baby - she seemed to be content with just being, and while she fussed it was not an epic amount of fussing.  From the get go, Brenna nursed like a champ.  She was  an instinctual nurser, unlike Addie who was totally blase about the whole process.  I am sure having a baby who nursed with ease also made this second stab at motherhood that much less stressful.

The downside of being the second born?  The strength of Mom's memory.  I can't recall what the doctor reported on Brenna's one month stats...I know that she lost weight, from 9 lbs 6 oz at her first official doctor's appointment, to 8 lbs 15 oz at the one month check up.  Of course this threw us through a bit of a loop - did she have a touch of the stomach flu?  Was she not getting enough from nursing?  Did she have a milk sensitivity?  Even now we don't have any of those questions answered - but we started supplementing her with four ounces of formula and at her last weight check she had chunked back up.

In nine more days Brenna will be two months old...and I will try to remember to write down all her numbers when we're at the pediatrician.  For now I will congratulate myself on just getting her fed and bathed, which is better than I am doing with her sister, but that's a story for another time.