Learning as we go

The midwife stopped by today for the two week visit. Fiona has gained a little over a pound in about two weeks. She's 9 lbs 15 oz; she weighed 8 lbs 10 oz at birth. Fiona is growing so fast that we're in a race against time for her to wear all the newborn and some of the 0 to 3 month size clothes before she outgrows them. The newborn-size diaper covers still fit her better than the small-size covers but only because she has chicken wings for legs.

We're learning her preferences and quirks as we go along here. This time around, though, it doesn't seem nearly as stressful. For instance, I've figured out that she doesn't want to nurse until she has had a good poop. Sorry if that's too much information but that's the reality around here ...eat, sleep, poop ... it's her job. Last night, again, I had to wake her up to nurse. She wasn't really interested and fell back asleep until around 6 a.m. Then she pooped and was ready to eat again. I don't know how long this will last ... she basically sleeps from 11 p.m. to 3 or 4 a.m. and would probably sleep longer if I didn't wake her. (Yes, I know ... I have been lucky so far. I actually feel more rested than most new moms.) Fiona likes to be swaddled to sleep, but only on the lower half. She likes her hands free and can fight her way out of a swaddle pretty quickly. Also, Fiona doesn't cry (yet) just for the hell of it. We've learned her "I have soiled myself, please change me right now" cry. It's a loud, sharp and short cry. If we don't respond right away, she lets off another short cry. If she's hungry, it's a longer, more persistent cry accompanied by furious head bobbing and tongue thrusting. Easy enough. Then there's the general fuss which means "Please pick me up. I'm tired of the scenery down here."

Of course, what we learned with Danny is that all of these things are temporary. Next week, it could all change.