Snotty

Freya's got her first proper cold, bless her. Noah's got one too. It's something I failed to think about when having two children - that they'll pass on all their lurgies to each other!

Poor Freya is so snuffly and her nose is really running. She gets really cross when I wipe it though! I've never seen such a little baby with a proper runny nose! She's found it really hard to feed as she can't breathe. Yet she's still seemed fairly satisfied after even just a short feed - she's obviously not feeling particularly hungry.

It's so horrible when you can't give them anything.

Smiles!

4 weeks today

Freya did her first smile two days ago! She did one yesterday too but has been in far too serious a mood and frowning lots as usual to do one today! It took a lot of talking in a silly voice and raspberry blowing from me but it was definitely a proper smile!

It was nice to see her happy as he's quite often cranky when she's awake! If she's just left in the chair/moses basket/gym for more than 5 minutes, anyway. She likes to be cuddled and entertained far more than laid-back Noah ever did. She's not a crier at all but she doesn't half grunt at you in her bossy little way until she gets some attention.

Also, she is really determined to lift her head. When laying on her tummy on my chest etc. she can lift it almost upright for a fair few seconds. She's just so nosey - has to know exactly what's going on and be involved in it all! It's the same reason she gets cranky when left alone when awake I think!

Just need to catch it on camera now!

Weight update

Birth weight: 6lb 13oz
Day 5: 6lb 9oz
Day 11: 7lb 2oz
Day 17: 7lb 9.5oz
Today (Day 25): 8lb 3oz

Oh, and remind me not to ever gloat again about how good Freya is at night. She was hideous last night! I didn't get to bed until gone twelve last night after fiddling about online and getting stuff done. When I came to bed Freya was wide awake and cooing in her basket so I thought I'd have a quick chat - she was so close to smiling! Anyway once I'd started talking to her I wasn't allowed to leave. She cried, fed, burped, puked, pood, fell asleep, cried, fed, burped, puked, pood, fell asleep again and again until half three!! I was wondering what to do by that point as she'd polished off both my boobs and still wasn't settling but luckily she did one really big screech, which made her do a rather rude and loud noise at the other end and then she was fine! Needless to say I've been reeeeeaally tired today! Hope she's back to her usual self tonight! And I've certainly learnt not to chat to her in the night!

Week 3

My little frog is well and truly part of the furniture now. She certainly has attitude when she's cross about something but is easy to please once you suss out what the problem is! Some of the looks she 'gives you' when she's having a strop make me worry what we'll face in her teenage years!!

Generally, she's still very good natured. She's incredibly alert and pays particular attention to Noah's voice! She likes her bouncy chair and the odd spell on her gym but more than anything likes a cuddle! Oh, and some boob!

Her feeding's much the same as it's been since day dot. Feeds hourly for the first and last 3 hours of the day and only once or twice in between. Have got the 'doing it in public discreetly' thing almost sorted but just can't bring myself to do it in front of my Dad still - have to disappear upstairs! She has her last big feed at about 8pm (both boobs!) and by the time she's finished, has thrown up a bit and got her jammies on it's 9ish and she's nods straight off when put in her basket. I don't usually hear a peep put of her then until 5am ish. Maybe one night a week she decides she wants to feed an extra time or two.

Tonight was the first time she didn't scream blue murder while being bathed. I dreaded bathing her as she absolutely howls the place down - so much so it actually frightens Noah (who now doesn't take any notice of her crying) and gets me all stressed out. Tonight I made the water warmer and she was fine. She's just like her brother was. Make the bath water the temperature those baby thermometers say it should be and it's no good. Make it 'Too Hot' and baby is happy! I'm sure she'd soon let me know if it really was too hot for her.

She's quite a pukey little thing. There doesn't seem to be any pain when she does it so I don't think it's reflux. Just milk that gets stuck above a bubble of air while she's guzzling. The number of muslins I get through! She can get quite grouchy with wind at times too and thinks she wants more boob when all she needs is a good slap on the back!

She's just starting to try and 'talk'. You can hear proper little vocal noises in her throat now rather than just grunts and squeaks. It's really cute!

Also she's going a bit bald on top!! THe long hair at the back and on the sides is fine but the fine, short stuff on top has been slowly falling out! She's beginning to look a bit like a Grandad! I keep finding soft fuzzy hair in her coat hoods and inside her hats! What with that and the spots she has on her cheeks from laying on damp milk/old puke/sweat!! So attractive...!!

Hmm...think that's it! Going to get her weighed at clinic tomorrow. I love trying to guess what they'll be beforehand! I wonder if she's piggy enough to have hit the 8lb mark yet or if her weight gain has settled a bit and she'll only be a few oz more!

Doing fine!

The Health Visitor came this morning - she's happy with Freya's colour now and says her eyes are ok. She also weighed her again. She's now 7lb 9.5oz!!!!! That's 7.5oz in 6 days this time. A whole pound in less than two weeks! Although still spot on the 25th centile. Greedy little toad!

No more home visits now. Everything is as it should be with my Baby Girl and now we can be left to get on with being a family.

Two weeks old!

I really feel like we're settling now. It's all still very new and we're still working our way round what works and what doesn't but it feels like my gorgeous girly has always been here and it's just all feels so 'normal' now.

Freya's doing well. She's not AS laid back as Noah was (he was just frighteningly placid!) but she's still extremely easy-going.

Her feeding has changed a bit. She goes longer at night now (only waking once during the 10-12 straight hours sleep she has). Because of this she has a bit of a top-up session when she wakes and just before she goes to bed and feeds a bit more often and for longer during the day. Totally bearable though as she sleeps so well at night!

She only lost 4oz in the first 5 days, going down to 6lb 9oz and when the HV weighed her on Monday she'd gone all the way up to 7lb 2oz! 9oz in 6 days! The Health Visitor is coming again next Monday to weigh her as she still quite jaundiced and wants to make sure it's not affecting her.

Her eyes have already turned a muddy brown colour. What with that and her dark head of hair, I think she's going to be the complete opposite of Noah in looks.

She's had her Guthrie test and her newborn hearing screening test (passed with flying colours) and we've registered her birth.

One of her eyes is still a bit gunky - will take her to the Doctor next week when Daddy is off if it doesn't clear up over the weekend.

She loves the hoover! She was having a snuffle and grunt and strop this morning but I've been trying to make a point of not running to her as she often settles if left to get over it! If she ends up crying properly you know she needs feeding/winding/changing etc. Anyway....she was moody this morning but as soon as I turned the hoover on she stopped grumbling and paid lots of attention to where the noise was coming from before drifting off to sleep. I remember Noah being the same. Nice to know something settles her..not that I'm going to have the hoover on every time she grumbles!!

I also have to confess that I'm a terrible Mummy and will put her on her tummy to sleep at times during the day. Only during the day so I can keep an eye on her but she rests better that way as I'm sure she feels more secure like being held against my chest.

She's now awake a bit more during the day and I feel I should be talking to her and stimulating her in some way...it must be very boring being a baby! This is what I've found quite hard. I feel a bit torn trying to share my time between her and Noah! When she slept a bit more I had time to be with Noah and keep on top of the housework etc. Now sometimes I feel I'm not giving Noah as much attention as I'd like (or as much as he's used to but that's something he'll have to learn to adapt to). I also feel like Freya's not getting as much quality time as Noah had as a baby but she doesn't know this so it's only me feeling bad!

Anyway, we're all happy and getting on well. Already I can't remember what it was like before Freya arrived. It's amazing how quickly the second one slots in - even more so than the first as you have a vague idea of what you're doing!

Settling in as a family of four!

Or family of three as it feels like as Simon doesn't start his time off until next weekend so I've kind of been thrown in at the deep end! He was off on Friday and Saturday when Freya was born but I didn't come home from hospital until the Saturday afternoon so didn't really get to see much of him!

It's not been so bad though. Been a great way to get yourself into some sort of vague 'routine' that goes something like: I get the next days clothes for myself and the kids all laid out the night before etc. and as soon as I hear Noah is awake in the morning will go and put some toast in and then go and get him up and dressed and started on his toast so he's busy while I feed/dress Freya etc. He then has his cereal while I get myself ready! When they're both fed and clean and happy then I squeeze my breakfast in!

Doesn't always work like that though! On Wednesday Noah woke up at the same time Freya wanted feeding. I went into him and his face, hands, pyjamas and bedding were covered in blood! I think he'd just had a good pick of his nose - he wasn't crying - but it totally messed up my system!!! I had to bath him and strip his bed-clothes and get them in the machine while poor Freya was screaming for boob! Talk about throwing a spanner in the works!

It's been a fairly laid-back week though. Freya is a very good baby. She feeds 2-3hourly during the day and at night she'll usually go 6 hours and then 4 (feeding at roughly 10pm, 4am, 8am etc.). It's completely bearable and I'm getting a good amount of sleep which helps no end. She's a very good breast-feeder although has her moments when she messes about and won't suck properly, popping on and off the breast. If my boobs are really full and the milk flows on it's own she'll just lay under the nipple poking her tongue out to lap it up! Might have to start expressing the first bit off! Last night was a nightmare. I was really tired and she wouldn't suck properly but was crying cos she was hungry and I ended up crying and telling her she could starve!! Simon was telling me off and telling me to give her the other boob and I'm sat sobbing on the toilet! She definitely prefers one boob to the other but I'm not going to let her have her way! She was much better this morning though and is back to feeding nicely.

She has been fairly jaundiced for the last week and it's only now starting to fade but she's bright and alert, doing lots of wees and poos (we had a projectile poo across the bed and all over me during the night last night when I was changing her!). Her eyes are a bit gunky but cooled boiled water seems to be keeping it from getting horrible.

Have only seen a Midwife 4 times since coming home. Obviously a bit more laid back second time round. Seeing one for the last time tomorrow. I'm all healed and comfortable and the bleeding has practically stopped. I'm a bit weepy, especially in the evenings when I'm tired and starting to think about Simon leaving me again in the morning but not worryingly so.

Noah has been an absolute star! He's been such a good boy. Maybe gets stressed out a little easier when he gets a bit wound up or tired and a bit more cuddly but he's definitely happy. He helps me bath and change Freya and runs to her when she cries. He's forever stroking, kissing and talking to her in a high-pitched baby voice! He'll put his muslin and teddies in her moses basket and is desperate to share his food with her - she's already tasted toast and cheese! His sleep pattern and behaviour don't seem to have been affected at all so far. I'm really proud of my little man (who suddenly seems enormous!).

I'm loving being a Mummy to two although I am tired and can't wait for Simon to have some time off with us. I feel sorry for him as he's missing out on these amazing early days but at least by the time he's off I'll know what works and what doesn't and we'll be able to enjoy our time together without getting too stressed hopefully!