Month One
Your first month at home went quickly and slowly all at once. I have so many recollections of peaceful, quiet days, just the four of us settling in as a bigger family one day at a time. Thanks to six weeks of leave for your dad this time around, and the flexibility to work from home during the crazy times anyway, it was wonderful to have another (adult) set of hands and to help tag team keeping both Crew occupied and you happy.
Crew never missed a beat…and considering his world had been rocked for several weeks BEFORE your arrival, I was amazed how he took your arrival in stride. The time at home these days meant that while there was literally nowhere else to go or anything else to do, there wasn’t much else BESIDES bonding for you two to do.
It was wonderful to bring you home to our HOME, in sharp contrast to when we brought Crew home to a tiny apartment, mid-move. In these early days I’d leisurely set up little photoshoots and try on sweet outfits, capturing far more than your share of newborn photos 😉
My overwhelming memory during these early days is lots of delicious food prepared by your dad, lots of board games with Crew, and lots of newborn snuggles with our girl.
You were a much better newborn sleeper than your brother was 😉 From the first night on, you’d give me 3.5-4.5 hour chunks of sleep. I could actually time a 10pm feeding, put you down, and only get up once mid-night before being up for the day around 6 or 7 the next morning. Maybe it’s having realistic expectations the second time around, but I told everyone that ALL mamas should get to start with a second baby ha!
Month Two
There’s no way around saying it sister, you have been EXTRA this month! I’m happy to say you seem easier than just a couple weeks ago already, but all in all this month you have put us through our paces, wanting to be held every. waking. moment.
Babies know what they’re doing though, and you’ve kept us going with your growing range of coos, giant eyes-closed squinty smiles, and rolls everywhere we just want to munch on all day long.
You love snuggling, being naked, talking to the ceiling fans, and you are spending more and more time (read: a few minutes versus seconds) on your own here and there. You still sleep about 4.5 hour stretches at night (teasing us with one 6 hour stretch but never since!) and always on your side. You are finding your hands and love to suck on them but most of the time refuse a pacifier – and you are a HARD pass on the bottle right now but still don’t manage to miss a meal – 12.8 pounds, and 23.5 inches at your two month checkup!
You are venturing out more and more into this weird world (including a first Target run) and you’ve met a handful of real new faces this month, including your GRANDPARENTS!
Month Three
Independence Day has been the GOAL to get to these past weeks but you are a different girl the past several days! Multiple doctor visits and no one declared you colicky, but screaming every time you’re set down isn’t normal either, so whatever it was about that newborn phase, we are very grateful it’s in the rear view mirror. Hellllloooo to the next stage of your babyhood and full steam ahead celebrating your first Fourth of July!
Three months is nothing short of magical. You are a completely different baby than this time a month ago and I like to think you are your true self now going forward — happy, smiley, and ready to party! You love ceiling fans, “if you’re happy and you know it”, your toes, and your big bro. You are finding new ranges to your voice every day and have graced us with many nights with 7/8 hour stretches of sleep. With the help of a Hail Mary in which we sent you to school with Crew two days a week, you finally take bottles (hallelujah!) and with all this stay-home time, you seem to be loving the change of scenery and faces.
While you technically arrived just minutes before Easter, you celebrated your first holiday on the 4th, and had your first pedicure. The very best part of this new happy baby is seeing your relationship with Crew blossom — he’s been waiting so patiently to get snuggles and smiley time with you and it’s paying off in spades. We love love love you oh so much Greer girl!
