How we are adjusting.

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks since little James joined our family. He is sure sweet and cute.

 James is growing and growing. He wants to nurse NON STOP. I swear I don't remember Cora being this hungry all the time. At first I was worried that he wasn't getting enough, but he is totally content. And between his 2 pediatrician appointments (5 days apart) he gained 12 ounces. So he's obviously growing. His head is too big for newborn size clothes so he's swimming in his 0-3 month clothes. He loves to sleep, but at night he only wants to sleep when held. He's starting to be a little more alert, which is so adorable. And last night we heard him sleep laughing,which I can't wait to hear for real.

 Cora seems to be adjusting ok. She loves James, at least. Her frustration and anger seems to be taken out on me, which is frustrating but ok. Right now it's a lot of shows, playing games on Grandma's Kindle when she was here (as shown above), and me learning that if she isn't hurting anything that I don't need to say "no" all the time. I'm trying to be better about letting go of control.

 Chilling by the pool at 3 days old.

(I got ready just for this picture on 4th of July... he hides the belly well.)

 I am so tired. Thanks to not needing any stitches or anything my physical recovery has been awesome. I feel like I could run a 5k right now. But, the hard part is knowing that I'm still less than 2 weeks out from giving birth so I need to rest. I have some big plans for when I get cleared to exercise, running wise.

When Cora was born, I was SO anxious. I cried every time I fell asleep because I was so sure she was going to get hurt or die. I would tear apart our bed in my sleep thinking she was being smothered by the blankets. Luckily, I haven't done either of those once this time! Your babies are not going to automatically die if they aren't sleeping in their beds right away, and knowing that we have had one kid survive the newborn and infant stage has made us both more confident as parents.

I feel so thin and svelte this time. I was SO big in the belly region that now I feel like I should weigh 100 pounds. So it's good to see these pictures and remember that I'm not 100 pounds, but I'm not fat. I'm just recovering from having a baby and need to give myself time!

(Plus, look at how cute Cora is!)

The hardest parts have been the sheer exhaustion, feeling like I'm not balanced, and having my family far away. I'm trying my best to give both the kids the attention they need. James' attention needs are pretty easy, but Cora's are harder. It's also hard to know that unless we go out to Ecuador my parents won't get to meet James until he turns TWO (the day before their mission is up). Luckily, Brandon has FMLA time off that he can take any time between March and James' first birthday. So we are going to try to go out in April or May for a little bit.

Brandon has been the MVP this whole time. Two emotional girls and a newborn makes for a tiring house. He has been taking care of Cora in the morning while getting ready for work, while I'm trying my best to get out of bed. Then he comes home and plays with Cora while James and I sleep on the couch. (Noticing a trend here?) In turn, I avoid waking him up at night. When Cora was born I had no problem having him wake up. But this time we need a parent to be awake for Cora and Brandon needs to be an effective PA at work. So we've come up with this arrangement. Cora gets her play time with Dad, and I get a break.

We have been so blessed by nice people in our ward. It's so appreciated! Dinners on dinners, and tons of offers to watch Cora. Which we may take later on, but right now the best thing is to keep her with me. She'll freak out if she leaves.

Overall, the transition has been ok. We're just trying to be patient with each other and ourselves, and we know the exhausted stage WILL end!