I'm afraid to even type the words that explain how perfect this child has been this week for fear that I will somehow jinx this amazing thing we have going on right now.
Emmerson is an angel baby! I kid you not. I have yet to hear her cry for more than a second or two. She is the most easy going and content baby I've ever known. And maybe that's normal for most newborns, but in that case, her big brother was certainly the exception. He cried from the minute he came out, screamed throughout our entire hospital stay, and never let up until we sort of settled into a routine around 6 months of age. Our experience with Emme has been a 180 degree difference from ours with Donovan. It's been unbelievable.
She's content to sleep most of the day and night away, but usually has a good two hour period sometime in the morning where her eyes are wide open and she likes to just look around and kick her legs. For the first few days at home, I was afraid she was going to be a lazy eater. She would only eat for about 5 minutes before falling fast asleep. It was an issue I brought up at her first doctor's appointment and they didn't seem too concerned. The next day, her third day, the laziness disappeared and now she can eat like a champ. She typically eats about every 2 hours, sometimes 3 for about 15-20 minutes. In the evenings she seems to want to cluster feed almost every hour before she finally settles in for the night.
Before she arrived, I wondered if I'd remember how to nurse. I even started to read up on it in the last few weeks of pregnancy because it all seemed so foreign to me again. But the second that little girl was placed on my chest, everything came right back to me. The nursing has had the same beginning issues as it did with Donovan. Sore! Sore! Sore! Although it's already starting to feel so much better. My milk came in quickly this time. I think it was on her 2nd day and my supply seems ample. So much so on my right side, that she nearly chokes each time she eats from that side. I hate that!
Emmerson is super tiny. She was 6 lbs 14oz at birth and 6 lbs 9oz at her 3 day old appointment, but with the way she's been eating I am pretty sure she's doing just fine now. In fact, I can tell because my arms are getting much more tired cradle holding her while she feeds.
Most of her newborn clothes are still a little big on her. I'm glad because she has so many cute newborn things to wear I would've been heart-broken if I had birthed a 10 pounder that couldn't wear any of it. Ha!
I have LOVED this first week with Emmerson. She is just the sweetest little thing and I am completely enamored with her. I can't believe I ever had a doubt in my mind if I could love another baby the way I love Donovan. The second they passed her over to me my heart was so full of love. I already can't imagine our lives without her.
Becoming a family of 4 has been a bit more challenging though. Thankfully Dustin's mom was here all last week to occupy Donovan and give him tons of attention. But today was our first day as just the 4 of us and it wasn't quite as simple. I feel like I have Emme attached to my chest more often than not, which makes it really difficult to give Donovan the attention that he'd normally expect from me. He's definitely been testing us this week and acting a bit more whiney and needy than usual. But I know it will just take time for all of us to adjust. He has had some of the cutest moments with Emmerson though. He always wants to come in our room each morning and stare at her sleeping. Yesterday he asked if he could touch her and so her rubbed her back and then held her hand. Miss Cindy at daycare texted me this week that Donovan had told all of the kids that Emmerson drinks milk out of my stomach. :) He talks about her all the time and always wants to know what she's doing. Tonight, she had a sort of scary spit up moment where she projectile spit up everywhere and I guess Donovan could sense that it freaked me out, because he kept asking, "Mommy, is Emmerson okay?" Even after I reassured him that she was fine, he asked me over and over again. So even though he's had his more difficult moments this week, all in all I am so proud of him. He's been such a trooper.
We feel so blessed to have this precious girl in our lives and I am soooo grateful for her (so far) easy going nature. I am in awe of how beautiful and perfect she is. I'm constantly reminded of how amazing our God is each time I look at her and listen to her breathing or observe her tiny little hands and feet.
Totally blessed and deliriously tired would be the best way to describe my feelings after week one. So, so grateful for our Emmerson Grace.
