4 weeks (1 month old)

So Marin just turned 1 month old! Time is flying by. People say that your second & consecutive children grow up much more quickly than your first, and for now, I have to say it's true.

When Jonas was born, so much attention was on him, and we were uber-concerned about everything. I remember waking up at night to any noise he made. (Of course my monitor was cranked up to maximum. I could have heard a pin drop).  Marin is a considerably more quiet sleeper, which I'm thankful for, and I feel more in tune with her rhythm. Granted, she is not colicky & does allow me to get some sleep occasionally. ;)

Actually, the end of week three, into week four, she has been getting a stretch of sleep between 4.5 hours from about 11am-3:30am.  This is glorious, as it means I can also enjoy this period of rest. She then goes back to sleep around 4:15/4:30am and wakes again around 6:30am.  Sometimes this routine deviates by an hour or so, but that doesn't change how amazing it is! The key is that I get in bed when she goes down to sleep. Otherwise, I miss out on the fantastic slumber opportunity. Unfortunately, I am such a night owl - and it's difficult to go to sleep when she starts the routine at 10:00pm. I have the hardest time waking up in the morning though, and with Jonas up at 7:30am every morning - the day must go on (even if I'd like for it to wait a while first!).

We went to Tulsa this weekend, leaving Clint at home to give him some time to catch up on the 4 papers and take home test he had to turn in this week,  and visited my Nana,  my Dad, Grandmary & Aunt Charla. We were also able to celebrate Dad's birthday with him, which was a nice treat. Jonas, Marin & I shared a room, and Sarah came down a little behind us & occupied the other room - to make a very full house. We were able to visit with Becky & her family as well, and finally meet her littlest one, Adeline. She was born 3 days after Marin, so we're both looking forward to keeping up with them & comparing notes! So far Adeline is leaner than Marin - but they are about the same length. Marin is gaining weight and is WAY ahead of Adeline so far. ;) Adeline has brown hair, but it's lighter than Marin's. They both have blue eyes for now, and of course they are both gorgeous.

Sharing a room with both of my little ones was not easy. Convincing Jonas that he needed to go to sleep was a battle every night & his normal bedtime of 8pm slipped further and further each night to around 11pm - when the battle final subsided. Ugh. He was so defiant - and really pushed me - talking back while I was feeding Marin and could do nothing about it. A few times I felt very defeated by the situation, but I know it's a stage. (Hope!) I am trying to come up with ways to discipline him while I am feeding Marin - so that the consequences are not delayed, and don't lose effect. I'm thinking of a traveling sticker reward chart (maybe on a notepad). We'll see. He was so sweet the majority of the time, but when he knew I could do nothing about it - he definitely took advantage of the situation.

Speaking of feeding, Marin is getting SO BIG. Last week she fit perfectly into her NB outfits, with a little room to spare. She was swimming so much in the 0-3month outfits, that I set them aside for later use. I honestly thought it would be MUCH later. Then, yesterday, while doing laundry, I put her into one of her 0-3month outfits & holy moly! it fit!!??!!  I'm still kind of in shock. There is a little room in the arms/feet,but for the most part - she is filling it out. Today I put her in her in one of her few NB outfits & her legs are too long for it. I still managed to sqeeze her into it for a few pictures, but it will be one of the last times she wears it. Crazy that the NB clothing only lasted us 4 weeks. Wow! It was necessary, but how quickly things change!

Her gassy period is dying down, although last night was rough. I've been avoiding milk & milk products. I will eat dairy, but I'm trying to manage it more. Yesterday I ate 2 granola bars over the course of the day & I think the oats may have caused the gas for her. I can't think of what else may have caused it, but she was in a lot of pain. I'll try to avoid those for a while, and stick with my Luna bars to see if that changes anything.

I am producing a lot of milk. Now that Marin is skipping one feeding during the evening to sleep for 4.5 hours, I feed her, then pump (usually I'm still engorged). After feeding her and pumping, I usually have 10-12oz to freeze. I do this, then return to bed for about an hour or two before her next feeding, and I have plenty for her when she is ready to eat again.

Things that are really helping my nursing experience this time around so far are: Lily Padz silicone shields and my nursing cover. I can take it with me anywhere and nurse in public - totally concealed. One of the best purchases ever. Of course, my Boppy is ALWAYS on the list of must-haves, and my Medela Pump-in-style pump. I also really love using the Lansinoh freezer bags for my pumped milk. They are convenient and take up less room than any other milk storage system. Love it! Breast feeding is NOT easy, but it IS worth it, at least it is for us!