Anna is 2 months already and this summer is flying by.  I spent the beginning of the summer pregnant and wishing away every day and now I’m spending the end of the summer wishing each day wouldn’t end. Babies grow way too fast so I just want to soak in every day I have with my baby girl.  I am enjoying having a baby again so much.  Anna is a doll and I just love watching her little smiles and facial expressions. 

 Anna is growing by the day.  At her 1-month doctor appointment, she was 10 lbs 1 oz and 22 in long.  I’m sure she will be even bigger at her appointment this month.  She’s very strong.  She can hold her head up and tries to push off her legs whenever you hold her up.  She’s also rolling over from her tummy to her back.  So far she’s just like her brother in that way.  She’s doing okay with sleeping.  She usually goes down between 9 and 10 and she wakes up between 1 and 2 to eat.  Then back to bed until 4 or 5.  It’s very manageable compared to my sleep experience with Jack.  I’m kind of following her lead with a schedule.  I have a hard time sticking to a schedule because everyday changes depending on the day.  I still follow some sort of routine every day, but I am very flexible.

 I’m pretty proud of myself that I have gone 2 full months of exclusively breastfeeding.  With Jack, I supplement fed him, but this time around, I haven’t felt the need to give Anna any formula.  I started pumping now too.  I pump every morning when I wake up.  She doesn’t eat very much at night, so I’m pretty uncomfortable in the morning.  I usually get the most milk out at that time too.  I can pump between 6-8oz when I first wake up, then I usually give her a bottle for her first feeding in the morning.  After my morning pump, I try to pump again in the afternoon.  I’ve been freezing all the milk that I don’t use.  Even though I’m home with Anna, I like having the freedom to give her a bottle when I need to.  I can leave her with Kevin if I want to run up to the store,  or I can have a glass of wine in the evening without worrying.  I’m trying to keep an extra stockpile of milk for later too.  I’m not sure how long I’m going to exclusively breastfeed.  I might want to start introducing formula when she gets a little older, so it would be nice if I had some extra breastmilk on hand, so that she can still have my milk along with the formula.

Things have been pretty busy lately with 2 kids.  Jack has multiplied into 10 children, so he keeps me extremely busy.  He always wants my attention.  I try to give it to him, but it’s hard when I just want to simply have an adult conversation with my husband and he’s saying “Mommy Mommy Mommy, I need to say something!”.  Other than that, Jack is a great big brother.  He loves his little sister.  He talks to her and reads books to her at night.  One day we were driving and Anna was crying.  I heard Jack say, “Don’t cry Anna, I can’t give you a kiss right now because I’m in my car seat, but as soon as we get home I will give you a kiss.”  It was so sweet.  Moments like that make all the crazy days of parenting worth it.

 I’m feeling more and more like a normal person again.  I had my postpartum 6 weeks check up a couple weeks ago and I realized that I need to get my butt in gear.  Now that I’m pretty much healed, it’s time to start getting in shape.  I didn’t work out at all during my pregnancy.  I just couldn’t find the motivation.  Now that the baby is out, I’m feeling ready to get moving again.  I started a work out routine that I can stick to.  I do about 20-30 minutes a day, depending on how long my children allow me to work out.  As the weather cools off, I plan on getting outside for more walks too.  I don’t always love working out and it’s something that I usually have to force, but right now I’m trying to just stick to exercises that I enjoy and I’m taking it slow.  It will take time, but I will get there.

 As for my emotions during this postpartum time, I’ve felt great.  No postpartum depression for me.  After Jack was born I definitely got that sadness that new mothers go through.  This time around is so different.  I’m so happy and so content.  Knowing that this is my last child and that my family is complete has just given me this calmness.  After I had Jack I was always wondering when I was going to have another baby.  Would I have another baby?  Would I get pregnant easily?  I started thinking about all these things right after he was born, so they were always in the back of my head.  I just never felt content.  Now there are no more questions.  This is it and I’m so happy with what I have.  I love having my little girl and boy.  I couldn’t ask for more!