Gabriella : One Month

Stats:

Weight - 7 lbs, 8 oz (10th percentile - I breed small babes!)

Height - 20 1/4 inches (25th percentile - She grew over two inches in a month!)

Head circumference - 35 3/4 inches

I know what you're all thinking and let me be the first to extinguish any false assumptions. My children DO in fact have the same father. Even though my children look nothing alike, rest assured, we don't have a baby daddies situation going on over here.

However, looking at the above picture really makes me scratch my head and wonder how Jim and I made such different looking kids!

We've dissected every feature on Eli and Gabriella, discussed this at length and have come to our own conclusion: Even though at first glance, Eli looks a lot like Jim, he actually has a lot of my attributes. For instance, the dark thick hair comes from me. Both of our noses have a curved, scooped bridge and the pronounced eyebrows and dark features are all me. Everyone still says he looks identical to Jim so we've decided Eli is just a good mixture of the both of us. Gabriella, on the other hand, pretty much got every single Weiss gene there is. I look at her and still can't believe she somehow has a part of my genetic code programmed into her DNA. She looks NOTHING like me. Light hair, big eyes and no dark features...this little lady is her daddy to a T. I'm curious and anxious to see how her looks will evolve over the next few months. Think this mommy can get a little credit in the creation of this baby girl?

I suppose this next topic could be it's own blog post by itself but why not just speak to it here? The transition from one to two kids has been pretty darn easy for Jim and I. There are definitely moments when we have our hands full but for the most part it doesn't feel like life has been shaken to its core. I still remember those first few weeks with Eli and trying to get used to our new "normal". Our schedules were affected, we couldn't easily do things we were used to and even our house had a different energy to it. But I honestly feel like we came home from the hospital with Gabriella and life continued right where it left off.

My mom has even noted how different I am this time around. She said I'm coming across very calm and nonchalant and I guess that's pretty much how I feel. I suppose there's less of the unknown when you just did this 17 months ago. I remember what it was like to wake up numerous times a night. Breastfeeding is kind of like riding a bike...once you know how to do it, you don't forget. And whenever I feel frustrated or at the end of my rope, I know that this is all going to pass. So, yeah, much easier the second time around which I hope is encouragement to all of your mamas out there expecting number 2.

That's not to say it's smooth sailing all the time though. Jim went back to work 3 weeks after Gabriella was born and I was definitely nervous about my ability to juggle two kids. With Eli I was more concerned over my mental and emotional state....could I handle a crying baby for 24 hours straight? But this time I was more concerned over the physical aspect and wondered how I'd manage to hold, cuddle and entertain two babies at once. I will say, for the most part, I've got this. But I do have my moments where I feel my blood pressure rise. For instance, when I have a screaming baby in the swing and my toddler is running away from me during a diaper change. I just want to finish the task so I can soothe Gabriella. Or when Eli needs to be fed breakfast and the little lady just won't let me put her down. Sometimes I just want to say, "Baby girl, PLEASE give mama just 5 minutes to scramble these eggs!" But those moments are few and far between and I've yet to have a major meltdown. Miraculously I've even survived Jim's first 48 hour shift, which was totally unexpected. I hadn't planned on being super mom so soon but after Jim's second day back at work, they had a shift fill in and not one to pass up 24 hours of overtime, he took it. Things actually went pretty well and I was able to keep the three of us entertained but I was really glad to see my husband walk through the door two days later. Even though both children were very well behaved, you can't help but feel on edge all the time just waiting for a temper tantrum or inconsolable crying.

But this should really be about Gabriella and what she's been up to this month, huh? Those first two weeks were almost too good to be true. She slept ALL THE TIME! It was almost too easy and one morning Jim rolled over and said to me, "Is this for real?" We honestly thought we hit the jackpot and brought home the easiest baby ever. But then week two hit and we realized Gabriella is extremely difficult to put to sleep. She's a notorious cat napper and when it's time for bed at night, we honestly can go through HOURS of her sleeping and waking every 10 minutes. As you all know, based on my most recent post, she kept me up for a solid 24 hours because she just wouldn't sleep for a long stretch of time. I love my baby girl but dang, sometimes it's really frustrating when your sleeping baby pops her eyes open and you have to start the whole process over again. The fabulous news is when she sleeps and we get her nice and comfy in her bassinet, Gabriella can snooze for hours! Last night, she slept from 10 pm until 4: 30 in the morning. It was glorious and I just hope it's a sign of what's to come.

In the grand scheme of things, Gabriella is actually a pretty easy baby. Unlike Eli, she doesn't have bouts of inconsolable crying. In fact, if you give her what she wants, she stops crying immediately. Like most newborns the hardest part is just finding the time to get things done because she wants to be held and cuddled all the time. I've used my Moby a ton more than I did with Eli but there are times when Gabriella isn't having it and constantly pushes against me. That's when I pretty much have to put her down and let her cry for a couple of minutes while I finish up dinner or feed Eli. It's a juggling act, for sure, but one I've been able to handle.

Nursing is going fabulously well. Again, a pretty big difference from my experience with Eli. By this point with him I was constantly questioning my supply and frustrated with the fact that he couldn't sit through a feeding without kicking and squirming. But Gabriella is way more docile and drinks away without a fight. At her one month well baby check-up our pediatrician was very happy with her weight gain and growth and told me to keep up the good work. I'm incredibly calm about things this time around and have only had one day where I felt as though I wasn't producing enough which was the day after she kept me up all night. I feel like I need a couple hours of sleep to recharge those boobs after a day of breastfeeding. Anyone else with me on that? Anyway, I'm thrilled with how things are going in the nursing department and just pray they continue as they are.

Just to note: Baby girl has had a busy month and been to numerous places. She's been to the zoo twice. We've gone to several parks, mostly though for Eli's sanity. She's been to a 40th birthday party and to my grandma's new apartment. And of course, Gabriella has gone with mommy on a few shopping sprees and behaved unbelievably well. Am I crazy that I already have visions of shopping with my little girl when she's older? It's going to be so much fun.

I think that pretty much sums up month one of little Gabby's life. It's odd going from those detailed filled toddler updates to one about a newborn. We love our baby girl and can't wait to see what's ahead of us :)