maz mama

I realize that I never have a moment to write anymore. Isn't that what a blog is for, anyway? To write? I have a free second now because - gasp! - Jack is currently not attached to ~~my boob~~ me. He is in his swing sleeping! Daddy is trying to put Cade down for a nap (and is failing miserably, as I still hear Cade talking to himself from his room (and, 15 minutes later, still talking to himself...)).

So let me try to catch everyone up as best I can.

Jack. Sweet baby Jack. I totally had his personality summed up before he was born. He was going to be another wild child just like his brother with a lot of energy. I summed him up purely by his (much) activity in the womb. Needless to say, I was drastically wrong. I have discovered that whatever our babies temperaments are in the womb, they are the opposite outside. Cade was calm. He constantly freaked me out with his lack of movement. Now, he is super active - has been since the day he was born. Jack was crazy in the womb, never stopping. Now he's as calm as can be.

Jack likes one thing: to be attached to his mother. Jack despises one thing: to be in his carseat for any extended period of time (extended period of time = more than one minute). We dread any car rides because we know screaming will ensue. ("WHY ISN'T ANYONE HOLDING ME??? LIFE ISN'T FAAAAIR!")

It made me laugh today because as I attempted to get out of bed this morning to go potty (I snuck out quietly, might I add), I was two feet away from our bedroom door and then... SCREAMING (he was out cold when I crawled out of bed). A pathetic, "I can't believe you left me here, I'm not loved!" cry. I went about my business (what's a mother to do?!), came back to bed and stood over him saying, "Jack, Jaaaaack..." He was so upset that he didn't even realize I had come back in. He was still in the high of his misery party. Needless to say, I crawled in next to him and scooped him up. The screaming abruptly stopped and he looked at me in shock, as if to say, "SHE CAME BACK FOR ME!" Seriously, the minute I scooped him up, it was like the whole thing never happened. He started nursing and went right back to sleep.

Jack just wants to be cuddled all of the time and have someone close to him. As long as those requirements are met, he is an amazingly sweet natured boy. Very calm and studious. And, my, how HAPPY he is! What a happy baby. Always smiling and "talking" in his baby language.

On to my next subject: nursing!

I attempted to nurse Cade, but didn't exclusively nurse him. I breastfed him a couple of times a day until he was three months or so, but that was the extent of it. I thought something was wrong in the beginning because he wanted to nurse all. of. the. time! ("My milk supply is low! He's starving!") Oh, how innocent I was. If only I knew how NORMAL that is.

This time around, I was beyond adamant to nurse this baby. Breastmilk is best milk for baby - and I'd be darned if I was going to let another one of my kids have formula.

The first two and a half weeks was like a vampire baby clamped onto my boob. OUCH. But I kept going. I kept telling myself that it would pass. I knew his latch was right. And sure enough, it did pass. (Thank you, God!)

He also lost an entire pound at almost a week old because my milk took longer than average to completely come in. Again, I was so disappointed after all of my hard work. But, my milk finally came in and he gained all of the weight back and then some.

The one thing that I was not prepared for regarding nursing is how time consuming it is. Everyone told me the first 6-8 weeks are the hardest. I literally have been attached to Jack pretty much non-stop since his birth. It has definitely gotten better little by little, and he is now going for longer stretches in between nursing sessions. But man, when I say that I felt (and kind of do still feel) captive to my house and Jack was/is holding me hostage - such an understatement! But gosh, it is so worth it. I love our relationship and that closeness that only nursing can bring. I truly wish that I had stuck it out with Cade. I believe it would have made a world of difference (especially with his reflux).

So now that you've learned more than you'd ever care to know about that... :)

Everything is going well. We are adjusting. We still find ourselves searching for time to do little tasks - the house is mostly a mess every day. The dishes pile up, the carpets need vacuumed. I have been trying to keep up with laundry, because I know that once that gets out of control... yikes. With two small kids and two of us, that is something that I can't let go. (I am trying to take my mother's advice - tackle at least one load a day. Good advice!) It's made me feel a little bit less out of control.

Anyway - sometimes my thoughts are so scattered that it's hard to keep focused. Cade constantly needs attention as he is a very energetic little boy (thanks to an awesome husband for keeping up), and obviously, newborns are no small feat at all.

But we are trying to take it all in stride and occasionally we get in a, "Hi husband, hi wife. How are you doing?" And then the madness ensues again.

And, I have to say - isn't this worth it?