Life with two

OK Readership, sorry for the delay in updates. And sorry that this post is picture-less - I can't seem to get it to work right now... A few days ago, I could have just as easily entitled this post "Craziness", as I truly felt that to be synonymous with "Life with two". Things have calmed down a bit here. I do find plenty of vacant time slots in my days, but they are usually not to be filled with anything of note, since Boo is staying in pre-surgery and it is really quite difficult to take them both anywhere. And that has nothing to do with the amount of stuff I have to lug around - it is because CeeCee is particular about her feedings occurring on demand and while Boo is not, we must keep on top of our every-three-hour feeding schedule or else pay for it by staying up with the feeding pump all hours of the night. So we are a bit tied down, and while at times I lament this fact, it is really nice to have down time to play with my babies and read and snuggle and occasionally get something done.

Really the craziness of it all is the rigid schedule we must keep with the feedings and diaper changes. Also, since CeeCee does not breastfeed (we will save that issue for another post - check back in a few days), I am pumping. Back to life as a cow - the life I lived for a year after Boo was born. I am really lucky/glad to have a good milk supply, so I really only need to pump every 6-8 hours or so. This is a huge blessing.

We have finally learned to trust CeeCee to known when and approximately how much she needs to eat. This has been an interesting adjustment for us. Boo has never told us much of anything by way of his survival needs. He doesn't care about food, diaper changes, or even teething. So we calculate out with our dietitian and cardiologist exactly how much of what "food" (infant formula still) he needs and when and give it to him, whether he likes it or not (he doesn't), on a regular schedule. She is so easy in comparison. Her crying for food is like an alarm clock I do not need to set, and that is wonderful. That being said, I do think she is a bit more demanding of time and attention than Boo, which is fine.

CeeCee is also a major snuggle bug. I am SO glad for this! I honestly have been praying to have a snuggly baby and here she is. Boo used to be a snuggler too, but after his second heart surgery he did not want anything to do with snuggling. (That was back when he was on a medication for several months that made him sick and all he did was cry, eat a little from a bottle, and spit up a TON.) We can't hardly blame him. He will sort of snuggle every now and then - more like tolerate being held... Oh well. CeeCee fills my every snuggly need, except spousal of course. ;)

As for Boo and CeeCee's relationship - it is interesting. At first, Boo completely ignored her very existence and went about his business as usual. For the most part, he still acts that way. But, a few times he has gotten himself to a standing position against the couch while I am feeding or snuggling CeeCee, just to see what is going on. He does not get upset about her or anything she does. He just seems curious. And he is afraid of her - as in, I could (but don't) hold her at arm's length and chase him with her because he totally scoots away super fast when she is placed near to him. This aspect of their interesting relationship is beginning to fade however. Boo also loves to bounce his ball and other toys off of her bouncy seat and infant carrier, causing her to bounce as well. Neither of them seem bothered by this, but I try to keep him from doing it whenever possible. Last night they took their first bath together - that was fun. They didn't seem to care that each other was sharing the tub. The best thing about their relationship is the following: Boo claps or yells (happily, but yelling nonetheless) in time to CeeCee's crying!

For anyone who doesn't know Boo, he LOVES rhythm. He claps or kicks or hits or does any number of other things in rhythm to music, books, rhymes, and now CeeCee's crying. For instance, she cries like this: ah-WA ah-WA ah-WA, and Boo goes like this: (a)-*clap* (a)-*clap* (a)-*clap*. Not sure if that is understandable... Well it is simply hilarious. I would ordinarily almost feel my blood pressure rise after a couple of those intense CeeCee cries, but Boo keeps me sane with his happy yells and his claps. (As a side note on Boo's musical ability, he has now added pitch to his list of musical talents. He "sings" - pitch and rhythm, no syllables - "Frere Jacque", "Blue Danube" and any number of other songs from his toys. Every now and again I even do hear him sing "Ba ba ba" to these tunes. He is truly a character - delayed in every other skill but advanced in music. Must be his mother's son...)

As far as CeeCee's development and habits - I don't really have anyone to compare her to, since Boo is his own man. She was born with the ability to hold her head up for several seconds at a time, and has only gotten better. She always cries when she needs something, and her cry is pretty strong. When she cried upon being born, I thought aloud: "Wow, she is louder than Boo already!" This is true. I do not use our baby monitor, even when she is alone upstairs, because I ALWAYS hear her. CeeCee is a good little sleeper. She has already gone from waking up 3 times a night to sleeping a full eight hours last night for the first time! If she had her way (which she sometimes has had on accident!), she would sleep on her tummy on my or S's chest. She is a good little sleeper for the most part in her bassinet/pack-and-play on her back, particularly when she has a nice binky to suck on that stays in her mouth! She also gave us her first smiles a couple of days ago and has been smiling intermittently ever since! I think she is ticklish on her neck and her cheeks, so sometimes I solicit these smiles... :) At her 2 week doctor's appointment, she weighed in at 7lbs 8oz (8oz more than her birthweight). She is 25 percentile for weight and 50-75 percentile for height. Weight vs. height is 5th percentile, although that will probably change with time. "Long and lean," the doctor said.

CeeCee and Boo have both been wonderful and have not shown any signs of maladjustment to this massive overhaul of our lives (at least for S and I!). We are so super glad to have them. They are special and sweet and our days pass, though sometimes boringly, with pleasure in our associations together. As I said in the beginning, the "craziness" that I thought equivalent to "life with two" is not so anymore. It is still tougher and more time consuming than life with one, but it is a doable and fun challenge. As Dickens wrote: "It is no small thing when they who are so fresh from God love us." Isn't that the truth!