First Week as a Family of Four

Two kids is definitely an adjustment!

Hailey - Hailey was incredibly skeptical when we brought Miles home. She’s had a lot of change the last few weeks with moving up to the toddler room at daycare and now welcoming a brother. Friday night she had an absolute meltdown after daycare and was just inconsolable. It also didn’t help that she had a tummy bug when she was at Dan and Sheri’s while we were delivering and ended up getting an awful diaper rash to the point where she could barely even put her legs together without crying.

She got a little better with him as the week went on, she really liked to give him his pacifier until she realized she wanted his pacifier. She hasn’t taken a pacifier since she was about 6 months old or so. When we took it away from her, it was an absolute melt down.  We’ve had quite a few of the meltdowns. I think she is overwhelmed with all of the change and the people who have been in and out of the house. It’s heartbreaking 💔 

Sleeping - Trying to remember how to handle a newborn is also a challenge. I know the sleep deprivation is awful, but it’s like your body can’t comprehend it until is going through it.  The Snoo has been so helpful this week for us at night, he has been giving us 2ish hour stretches of sleep in it before he wakes up screaming for food. My mom has been amazing and takes him around 3:15am and holds him to get him to sleep just a little bit longer so we can get a little more sleep. 

The first couple days home, Joel and I took shifts holding him between feedings since he really wants to be snuggled but he has done pretty well in the Snoo now. My parents just left, so it will be interesting to see how it goes without having my mom there to take a shift.

The first night home, Hailey woke up when Miles cried during a diaper change but (knock on wood) hasn’t since. Now if only she would sleep in until 7 every morning instead of getting up around 6ish! 

Eating - Miles has taken to breastfeeding way better than Hailey did.  Since Hailey was premature, we had to do triple feedings with her (pumping, trying to feed, giving her expressed milk, supplementing with formula) and it just never worked out so we switched to formula at about 2 weeks old. Miles definitely likes to be eating a lot more often, cluster feeding a bit during the day. It’s so different to be the only one that can feed him instead of giving him a bottle of formula. I was told to it start pumping until at least 3 weeks just to establish the connection and supply. Fingers crossed it keeps going well! At his 5 day old appointment, he was back up to 7 pounds 2 ounces from the 6 pounds 15 ounces when we left the hospital when he was 3 days old - so it seems like he was gaining weight! 

We have also learned the difference between boy and girl diapers. The first time, I hear Joel yelling from Miles’ room and I go in there and there is pee alllllllll over the wall and Joel.  It was really funny until it happened to me later that day. 

Highlights of the first week -

• Miles got to meet so many family members! While it was a little overwhelming at times, it is so nice to be surrounded by so many people that love us and the we love 
• While it breaks my heart a little, Hailey is definitely a daddy’s girl. It’s pretty adorable to watch her mimic things he’s doing (like stretching!)
• Hailey has started using more words and identifying people - every time the door would open or someone would come up from downstairs, she would say Amma! Or Appa!
• Leah and Jordan bough Hailey a Cocomelon school bus that plays wheels on the bus, Hailey dances to it and it’s adorable 
• My running friend dropped off dinner for us one night and we’ve gotten little care packages for Miles from family and family friends - he’s so loved
• Toby and Lily were able to come up for the weekend and visit! 
• Dan and Sheri were able to visit for a bit when we got home from the hospital
• My mom and dad were able to stay and help out the whole week - helping with laundry, holding the baby so we could sleep or get things done or Joel could work out, helping meal prep and clean up so we have meals for the rest of the week
• We got family/newborn pictures taken before daycare yesterday - so excited to see how they turn out! Especially since Hailey was hit or miss with taking pictures

Some differences we have noticed from when Hailey was a baby:

• Since he was full term, at the hospital, they basically just gave him to us and said “Here you go!”. They told me to try feeding him every 3 hours and that was it
• Miles didn’t need blood sugar readings or triple feedings/donor milk every 2 hours like Hailey did in the hospital
• We couldn’t have visitors at the hospital, but thankfully the policy changed so Joel could come and go to get us food 
• Miles couldn’t go to the nursery at the hospital 
• We had such amazing nurses! Every single person we met with at the hospital was great this time! 
• Since I’m breastfeeding, we don’t have a million bottles and pump parts to wash all the time 
• While adjusting to having a new baby with Hailey was so hard, we laughed looking back at that now trying to juggle the newborn and toddler life. People who have both kids home every day are superheroes! I am so thankful Hailey is going to daycare still and getting structure and attention and time with her friends, because I don’t think I would be able to give her the attention she needs right now 
• Tucker and Cassie are amazing and have had Dakota since Miles has been born, watching him right now as we are trying to adjust to being a family of 4 would be so hard and he definitely wouldn’t get the attention he deserved 
• I started on Wellbutrin right away after having Miles instead of waiting until 6 weeks like I did with Hailey, trying to make sure I have a handle on my postpartum hormones and emotions right away

Here is a photo dump from the week!:

Hailey wasn’t breast-fed, but now that she has seen me feeding Miles she has a little bit of an obsession with nipples