A New Bag of Tricks

We were blessed to welcome another beautiful, healthy little baby girl into our family on November 2nd.

Her name is Katerina.

Not that I will ever boldly attempt to say that I have things figured out as a mother, but the second time around brings about more feelings of confidence.  Kind of like teaching.  The first year, you're barely hanging on, figuring out things to do with your students sometimes hours before the come waltzing into your classroom.  The second year, brings new challenges, but you at least have a "bag of tricks" you developed that first time.

I have my bag of tricks.

Problem.

Katerina is not Jackie.

My bag of tricks was for Jackie.

Sure there are general tips that are pretty much the same for every baby.  Have the new diaper ready to put down before getting old diaper off, how to get a good latch for nursing babies, teething rings, bibs, timeline of when to take baby to doctor check ups, and so on...

However, I am quickly learning how two sisters may look very similar (despite one having GOBS more hair than the other) but be two completely different babies, and how even small differences and send that "bag of tricks" out the window.

As it just so happens, the two biggest differences between the girls is also the biggest issues parents of newborns face right off the bat.  Sleeping and eating.  Although, to be fair, that is about all a newborn does.  That an poop.  But doin' just fine there...lots of poop.

When it came to sleeping, other than being a very LOUD sleeper, we pretty much hit the sleeping baby jackpot with Jackie.  When she was a week old, we could no longer handle the grunting and squeaking that came from our little princess.  She was swaddled nice and tight and put to bed across the house in her crib.  Best. Move. Ever.  From that point on everyone in the house was getting four-hour chunks of sleep at a time.  Every single transition we have made with Jackie that involved sleep has been a breeze.  She now goes to bed (or takes a nap) in her "big girl bed" without a fight or fuss.

Katerina a sleep is a different story.  She likes to sleep, and sleeps very quietly.  She is just picky about where she sleeps.  We started off right away trying the crib.  No dice.  Tried the swing.  Nope.  The longest stretch of sleep in either of those two places is about two hours.  Kat likes to be where the action is.  She doesn't want to be off by herself.  I want her off by herself.  I want her sleeping in her crib.  I can be stubborn.  However, the other issue of eating has caused me to bend in my stubbornness and for right now, Kat sleeps soundly in her car seat on the floor of our room.  We start off the night with anywhere from 4-6 hours of sleep and from that point on, we get up about every two hours.  It is still a work in progress, while I try to update my bag of tricks to include things for miss Katerina, she will eventually sleep in her crib...

I thought Jackie was a good eater, and compared to my other mommy friends she was very typical.  The nurses at the breastfeeding clinic were impressed the first time I took her in when they discovered she was eating 2-3 ounces in about a total hour feeding.  This continued for 2-3 months before she was finally efficient enough to cut that time in half.  We struggled big time in the beginning to get just the right latch and position so she wasn't making me want to cry every time she latched on.  It was a very long process.

Now here is where my bag of tricks first came in handy.  I knew how to get Katerina to latch on correctly and the best way to hold her.  Within a couple days the soreness was gone and she was eating like a champ.  The first trip to the breastfeeding clinic to get weighed shocked everyone.  She was eating 2.5-3 ounces in half an hour!  Wow!  We have ourselves a super eater.

Having a super eater should be great, and it is because I know she's getting what she needs.  However, this has provided a new set of problems.  My milk has come in faster and in greater supply, Katerina is super-efficient.  This means she is eating too much too fast.  Causing our little one to spit up in great quantities multiple times a day.  It has been a crazy, milk-soaked week trying to figure out how long to feed her, how long to prop her up, how often to burp her, and guessing how much she is eating.  Tomorrow we are heading back to the clinic to see what advice they may have for this problem. Until it is solved, I just don't feel comfortable having her sleep across the house in the crib.  I don't want to have to change crib sheets as often as I'm having to chance Kat's clothes!  :)

I know as time goes and Katerina shows us more of her sweet little personality, I will add many new tricks to my bag.  I just hope the love that Jackie shows her little sissy stays around for a long, long time!