Brooklyn's First Week & 10 Year Anniversary

Hard to believe Brooklyn is already one week old yesterday. I already feel guilty over not taking more pictures of her. Everyone warned me this would happen with #2.

Things are going pretty well so far. Her weight when we left the hospital was 9 lbs. 10oz. and at the 4-day postpartum follow-up she was already back on the upswing at 9 lbs. 12oz. (Losing up to 10% of their birthweight in the 1st week is considered normal.) So needless to say, she's a good eater! Nursing has not been as easy as I thought, though. If I am lazy about getting her latch good, it is so painful! And the engorgement is worse than I remember, too. She wants to nurse about every 2 1/2 hours, so it's a round-the-clock milk factory here! She spits up just like Hayden so the burp cloth is going to be a permanent wardrobe necessity for months to come. But I love all the cuddling and bonding we have been getting. She is so warm and snuggly. I could stare at her all day. The little squeaks and coos she makes melt my heart. It's hard for me to share her with anyone else who wants to hold her, or put her down.


My mom and step-dad arrived on Thursday to meet their new granddaughter. My mom and sister have been cleaning my whole house and it has been an incredible blessing. Not just the vacuuming and wiping down the counters clean, but the deep-down, scrubbing on hands-and-knees kind of cleaning my home has never seen before! My mom is cleaning the grime off our blinds and windowsills even! While they've been cleaning, Phil and my step-dad have been organizing and cleaning up the garage. A project we've had on our list for over a year!

Hayden has had a bit of a rough time adjusting. But not in the way I expected. I thought he'd be jealous and get upset when I hold Brooklyn. In fact, it is the exact opposite. If Brooklyn even starts to whimper or make any noise at all, Hayden says in a concerned tone, "Hold her" and he won't stop saying it until he is practically in tears, despite our reassurance that she is ok. If she starts to cry, Hayden starts to cry, too. It doesn't help that ever since Wednesday, he has been running a fever (101!) and today has a scratchy voice. He was sobbing last night around 3am and crying so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He finally calmed down enough to go back to sleep around 4am, after much cuddles, consoling, and signing from exhausted Mommy and Daddy. This is so unlike Hayden and we are trying to be very sensitive to him during this transition. He can't really express in words what he is feeling, and it's hard to know if it's the new baby or him feeling sick that is causing the anxiety, whining, and tears. I hope this phase doesn't last.

Today is also our 10-year wedding anniversary. On August 14, 1999, when I was just a few weeks shy of 19 years old, Phil and I said "I do".





Ten years later, we have an amazing 2-year old son, a brand new baby girl, live comfortably in our own suburban home in the beautiful NW, have fulfilling steady careers, good friends, and close family. What more could we have hoped for? But I have to admit, it's not exactly how we imagined celebrating the Big 10 Years. We had always talked about going to the Bahamas, especially since our honeymoon was at the not-so-tropical Cannon Beach. Now I think a romantic trip to the Bahamas is still a few years away, if ever. Instead, we're going to enjoy a nice, but quick dinner at Sip, a wine bar/restaurant about a half mile from our house, while my parents babysit. In a few months, we are going to have a nicer, longer celebration dinner at Canlis (I got gift certificates as payment for some design work I did for them), but I'm not ready to leave Brooklyn long enough to enjoy that multi-course dining experience yet.

And sorry, Phil, it's not going to be anything like our honeymoon night tonight! I'll make it up to you in a couple months. ;)

Although, as my friend MaryBeth pointed out, popping out a daughter is a pretty good anniversary present!