Our First Two Weeks With Brooke

Here's our beautiful little baby Brooke at two weeks old:

The first few weeks of a newborn's life are so crazy, it's all kind of a blur when I look back on them. So I better write down some things that I never want to forget about Brooke's first two weeks on earth. Here goes. . .

*Just like all my babies have been, Brooke is incredibly cuddly and would be happy to be held ALL the time. She usually gets pretty mad and fusses whenever we put her down. She's been sleeping a lot during the day, and of course it's harder to settle her down at night. It makes it hard to get much sleep and can be really frustrating, but I try to remember that this time won't last very long and I should enjoy it. There's just nothing in the world more snuggly than a newborn baby!

*It's so amazing to watch newborns sleep. I love the little smiles and laughs they do in their sleep. Just so adorable!

*She definitely did not enjoy her first sponge bath. She's had quite a few baths since that one, and so far she always cries during her baths. It's pretty traumatic for her. But one thing about babies with lots of hair. . . you have to bathe them more frequently to keep their hair soft and smelling nice.

*This has been a really good recovery! I've been pretty sore around my hips and lower back, but it's absolutely nothing compared to recoveries I had in the past. I went shopping just a few days after coming home from the hospital (after realizing we had pretty much zero winter clothes in the newborn size and everything was too big for her. I needed some stuff for this baby to wear!), and actually cleaned out and organized the garage within the first week of being home. I probably over-did it a little bit, but I love being able to bounce back so quickly!

*This is now baby number THREE who doesn't like to eat. What is it with my babies and not eating??? She typically does wake up regularly to eat (unlike Natalie who had to be woken up and force-fed as a newborn!), but it's still difficult to get her to eat much at a time. She'll usually take about an hour to eat a 2 or 3-ounce bottle. Feeding her is just a long process.

*I'm so glad she has a pretty quiet cry, just like Kirsten had. Natalie is by far our loudest child, and we knew that from day one. Brooke gets the most upset when we change her diapers or her outfits. She hates to be changed!

*It's so cute when she's awake and looking around at all the new things in her world. The awake times aren't very frequent or very long yet, but they're getting a little longer!

*Brooke's favorite place to fall asleep is in someone's arms, while being rocked. Her second favorite place to fall asleep is in the carseat. Swaddling her seems to work well, just like it did with the other two. Right now we try to get her to fall asleep and then actually stay asleep when we put her in the bassinet by our bed. If she sleeps for a 3-hour block of time at any point during the night, that's a good night for her.

*My mom and grandma stayed at our house to help out for about a week and a half after Brooke was born. They were very appreciated! They entertained the other two kids, cooked us dinners, did the dishes and helped with the laundry, and of course gave the new baby lots of love and cuddle time. We were so fortunate to have so much help!

*Brooke sometimes makes the funniest little squeaky noises while she's sleeping or eating. I just love the sleeping baby face!

*At her 2 week doctor's check-up, Brooke weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces. So she's still 4 ounces below her birth weight, and the doctor wants to see her again in another two weeks. Hopefully she gains enough weight by then! She just needs to eat!

*She's my first baby who's not in the 90'th percentile for length. Brooke is in the 50's. Finally, an average-height kid like me and Stephen! :)

*I can't really tell what her eye color will be yet, but her eyes seem darker than Kirsten and Natalie's were. She might turn out to be our first brown-eyed girl!

*Kirsten still isn't too sure about her, and most of the time seems pretty indifferent to her. Sometimes she's sweet and wants to hold her, but not too often. She's always been the reluctant big sister. Being three years old and in an independent, willful streak also doesn't help.

*Natalie, on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, loves the new baby to death! She's constantly all over her, right up in her face, saying "Eyes!" and poking Brooke's eyes. Sometimes I really think Brooke's going to get mauled by Natalie. She doesn't quite understand the meaning of "gentle!" yet. We can't leave Brooke in her bouncy seat unless someone is sitting right next to it, or Natalie thinks it's hilarious to go bounce Brooke really hard. I hope we don't have a baby launched across the room one of these days. I have to keep a constant watch on Natalie when she's around Brooke, that's for sure!

*Despite the extreme vigilance, it's just the cutest thing EVER to see how much Natalie loves and is enthralled by her new baby sister. She loves to climb right up in the chair with us when we're feeding her or rocking her, and she helps pat the baby while she says, "Pat, pat." She puts stuffed animals and blankies into the crib when Brooke is sleeping. She also loves to give her hugs and kisses. It's just so sweet!!!

I hope the extreme sister love continues!

Taking care of a newborn is exhausting, crazy, and incredibly time-consuming as well as wonderful, amazing, and completely worth it. We love baby Brooke so much!