Getting to Know Chloe

Chloe is three weeks old tomorrow. We have spent that time getting to know our newest little sweet pea. We thought she was adopting an evening fussy time just as Elliot did as a newborn, but we were happy to be wrong about that. For the past week she has been in bed for the night by 8-9pm. She wakes 2-3 more times in the night to eat but is usually quick to go back to sleep. Overall, she gets very cranky (fussing, crying, jerking her arms and legs) when she gets overtired, so we try to avoid that altogether by giving her lots of opportunities for naps--usually 4-5 a day. She doesn't just fall asleep when plopped in the swing like Elliot did. She is a little bit higher maintenance (being a girl and all) and likes to be held, cuddled, rocked, sometimes patted or given the binkie. Any of the above can usually work to get her to dreamland, and if all else fails the boob does the trick, but I use that as a last resort.

Also unlike Elliot as a baby, Chloe cries when she is unhappy. (People don't believe us when we tell them that Elliot didn't cry, but he really almost never did. He would fuss sometimes but that was it. We still can't explain it.) Chloe usually lets out only a wail or two when she is unhappy; they are loud and get our attention. The bad news is sometimes when she does this it makes sensitive little Elliot get teary-eyed and out comes the bottom lip. He still isn't quite sure what to think of Chloe, but he does know her name and we think he knows now that she is staying. He doesn't seem to mind her and likes her toys very much.

A few other little things to document about Chloe this week... Her cord stump finally fell off just last night. She is developing that baby acne on the sides of her face which if I remember is gone in another month or so. She is an efficient eater, usually 15-20 minutes is all it takes. She just started taking the bottle a few days ago, although it's sometimes a little work to get her to suckle it. I try to pump and give her one every evening, and she usually drinks about 2.5 ounces. She tracks things with her eyes and responds to our voices. I swear she smiles when we get in her face, but all the books say it's too early for smiles. I'm not sure I believe them. I believe her eyes are going to stay blue but Drew thinks they may turn brown. She definitely has dark brown hair and my skin tone. Her nose and lips seem similar to Elliot's as a newborn. I hope she chunks up the way Elliot did... we love those rolls of baby fat!

Meanwhile Elliot is happy to just be, whether it's looking at his books or playing with his toys. He is teething again which makes everything a little more difficult for him. He's working on his right side eye tooth; his gum is red and swollen and we can see the white spot. He loves pudding berry trifle and will devour cups of it in a sitting if we let him. He gives kisses, fives, high-fives and now loves to dance and jump. He also loves to chase and be chased around the house. He runs through the hose outside. He also loves to be naked so we give him some naked time everyday. Sometimes this coincides with running through the hose which amuses our neighbors. No real words yet but we are sure he could talk if he had to. We ask him things like, "Please close the door" or "Where is your milk?" and he responds immediately. He obviously knows what we are saying. Stacey comes over once or twice a week to take him to Gymboree, playdates or the Austin Children's Museum. Drew and I were just talking the other night about how we wish we could freeze him at this age for a while (sans teething) because he is so adorable and so much fun.

I am adjusting to being a mom of two. There have been plenty of times when two kids are crying at once and I have to choose. That is tough on my heart. Overall though it's not been too difficult to juggle the two of them. I've managed to have them both down for naps in the afternoon at the same time most of the past week, so that gives me time to do some chores, take a nap, or update the blog!