surviving week 2

Week 2!  Mathilda is 14 days old, and we have slept for 14 hours! Just kidding, more like 17.
What did we learn this past week? Infants are inconsistent. Parenting one is not a science experiment! What works to calm her on Monday won't work Tuesday and will only upset her Wednesday.  What helps to prolong/shorten a feeding on Tuesday will backfire on Thursday. And, most importantly, what "trick" we think we mix up to get her to sleep for either a) longer stretches; or at the very least, b) immediately after a nighttime feeding without fussing DOES NOT WORK.  Such hubris we have assuming we have figured something out that parents for thousands of years have not! She is in charge. She decides.  Our baby is The Decider.  That has been really hard! I'm used to patterns, experimental controls, results! So, I'm trying to roll as she rolls. Hey- awake at 4 am? cool, Ive got some back episodes of The Daily Show on DVR we could watch. And man! Our couch is comfy when she will ONLY sleep in the swing downstairs (of course, that was Thursday, by Friday she hated the swing).

More importantly, Mathilda has been discovering her huge world everyday and getting to witness that is worth every missed shower or episode of REM sleep.  She has more alert moments, has started to grab more with her hands, and is starting to visually track objects in front of her.  She loves being held close, really doesn't like being on her back (darn SIDS sleeping recs- I can't wait til she can sleep in her little fetal-bean pose, she loves being on her tummy!)  She is so strong, she will push away when you hold her and keep her head up, looking you in the face (which induces fast and complete heart melting, I warn you!).  She has also started to smile.  I know it's not socially appropriate smiling, but oh my gosh when she gives that little grin, we can't help but laugh!  She smiles out of one side of her mouth (Katie Holmes-Dawson's Creek style) or sometimes a big toothless grin.  We can't do anything to bring it on, and its often while she's sleeping- but oh is it the highlight of the day! I cannot wait til she smiles because of something we do.  Her smile is going to be powerful for her I can tell!  A few photos documenting our week 2 adventures.

First day out in the stroller. It was about 60 degrees and overcast, but so wonderful to get out of the house. First walk was only around 2 blocks due to my recovery still in progress, but it felt glorious!

all we need is a latte and a dog and we are the urbansuburban poster!

Tilly watched her first Jeopardy episode and was feeding her dad the answers

wearing the onesie I got for Reg when he made it on the show. Future Jeopardy! Champion it reads.

my aunt and uncle were in town over the weekend and we got to catch up- they took this family photo of us

experimenting with the Moby wrap.  She loves being in there, but Im not so great at tying it yet.  I'll keep practicing because wearing her like this will come in handy when Reg goes back to work next week (sigh) and I'm on my own with her all day (oh gosh....).  Yes, I know, I'm wearing a babushka! it was a no-shower day.  This photo makes me the vision of granola parent, I realize.  Don't let it fool you- pretty sure I had Peanut M&Ms for lunch that day (at least they have protein!).

Now we start week 3, and the first week of girl time in our house.  I stayed up with Tilly last night so Reggie could get some uninterrupted sleep the night before his first day back at work.  9am and so far she and I are surviving. Oscar not so much, he is apparently more stressed about Reg being gone all day than we are- I awoke to cat throw-up in multiple piles downstairs. ah well...