It's been twelve days since Kendall was born and became part of our family, and I have to say I was prepared for pretty much anything...except for her to be such an easy baby so far! The transition has been remarkably smooth, and she is really a dream baby.
My first goals with Kendall were to establish full and regular feeding sessions and to have her
sleeping in the crib. According to Babywise, establishing full feedings is the first step in getting into a solid routine and sleeping schedule. I'm also consistently following the 'eat, activity, sleep' routine, even though her activities are mostly just staying awake to look at faces, taking a bath, or laying on
the floor with her big sister. Following this routine has made it pretty easy to anticipate her needs.
The first week was slightly challenging regarding breastfeeding...only because I was having a hard time keeping her awake long enough to get a full feeding. I don't want to create a "snacker" which is pretty common for breastfeeding moms. I have been working hard to keep her awake, and it seems to be paying off. She eats about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours during the day, and has gone as long as 5 hours at night...but more typically will have a 4 hour stretch and another 3 hour stretch.
Starting from the time we were in the hospital, Travis and I knew that we wanted to create good sleeping habits for Kendall, and we have both made a conscience effort to make sure that she is swaddled and sleeping in a crib or pack and play, and not in our arms. We have plenty of times that we are holding her while she is awake, and of course when I am nursing her. We are also trying to put her down while she is very drowsy but slightly awake. So far it's going pretty well. She'll occasionally fuss for a few minutes, and fall asleep. Sometimes I have to pick her back up if she starts really crying, and hold her until she is drowsy again. Most of the time she calms down really quickly and easily, and I think it's somewhat because Travis and I are so much calmer than we were with Avery. She slept in the pack and play for the first 3 nights at home - in our family room, but since then she's been sleeping in the crib at night, and the pack and play for naps, and because I have a good monitor, I have been sleeping in my bed at night (I thought I might be sleeping in her room for a few weeks.) She's also a pretty sound sleeper so far, and noises from people, the TV, and Ranger barking don't seem to bother her too much. The first few weeks with a newborn can be really stressful, but I've honestly enjoyed this time more than I could imagine.
Avery is doing ok with everything...considering what a big change this is for her. She loves her new baby sister, but she misses having our full attention. My mom called her "contrary" and I would say that describes how she is right now. She is being slightly difficult when it comes to wanting to express her independence, and her ability to say "NO!" However, she loves playing with her baby doll that we got her, and she loves helping me with Kendall...such as getting me diapers and checking on her during naptime. In a few weeks she probably won't remember a time without Kendall, which is somewhat bittersweet for me. I love watching her be so sweet with her baby sister though, and I'm excited about watching their sister bond grow!
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