^^^Jack getting in his morning snuggles with Baby Alice
I'm gonna be honest, I had no idea yesterday was Monday. Jared got off from work early like he always does on Monday so that probably should have tipped me off, but nope. I'm still living in a newborn daze I suppose. That said, I am loving the current baby stage! Alice has a bit of a lingering cough from being sick last week, but otherwise she is back to her normal self. On average she's waking up twice a night. Sometimes more, but frequently only once, so absolutely no complaints. When I can I try to remember to wait 2 or 3 minutes before going to get her during the night. Often she's not hungry or even awake and she stops crying and goes back to sleep quickly. I wish I had known that tip with baby Jack. I honestly think we made his sleep worse by attending to every cry immediately. Most of the time he was genuinely still asleep and I was disrupting a perfectly good sleep cycle. So if you're about to have your first baby, stick that tip in your back pocket. (I do this if a nap seems extra short too. She usually goes back to sleep by the 2 minute mark if she's only been napping less than an hour.) I think I first read this concept a year or so ago in the book "Bringing up Bebe." In France everyone does this and the author calls it "Le Pause." I've also heard this tip recommended by sleep consultants.
I'm also happy to report that we haven't needed to use the front pack or exercise ball for probably over a week now. Little miss is perfectly content in a bouncer or swing until she starts getting tired for her next nap. It's amazing. It's life changing. Pediatricians can tell you that fussiness tends to peak around 6-8 weeks and then improves by around 12 weeks. I wasn't sure I believed this because with baby #1 fussiness peaked from around 6 days until around 2 years, but every baby really is different. Here we are at week 11 and I'll be darned--Baby Alice chilled in her carseat without fussing through the ENTIRE 2-hour block of church on Sunday. I was and still am shocked to my core. I fed her at the beginning, then she chilled and napped and occasionally needed a pacifier replaced, but wow. Jared and I kept staring at each other with huge eyes like, "Is this a normal baby? Do we have ourselves a normal baby??" We've seen so many other babies just chilling in their carseats over the years but figured it wasn't in the cards for us. She still has her moments (and still hates car rides), but as long as we catch her hungry and tired waves before they crash she's generally very calm these days.
^^I thought this graph was a scam when I found it two months ago. So happy it's not.
https://diethood.com/red-beans-and-rice/
^^ Alice graduated from her swaddle and now sleeps in a Magic Merlin sleep sack. I'm enjoying her Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man era that will be gone all too soon. I see so much of me AND Jared in her depending on the picture. Makes me so happy.
Jack "rejoying" a Christmas package from Grandma Haines. Don't know if I've mentioned this but he'll often add an "r" to verbs beginning with an "e." I never correct him because I know it will end all too soon. Enjoy = Rejoy. Explode = Resplode. Escape = Rescape. Explain = Resplain. He also says "ka-do list" instead of "to do" list. It's my favorite.
Some other good quotes from Jack this week:
"I'm just snuggling wif my 3 little angels--Bunny, Foxy, and Alice."
"Jupiter is my favorite. It's a gassy planet."
And when his teacher asked if his new car smelled good inside: "Ya, it smells like cookies!"
Speaking of new car, we got our Palisade on Monday! Feels like an eternity ago, and yet here are the only two anticlimactic pictures I have for you. Rejoy:
And this interior picture that I almost didn't share but then was like, I have to share, because #relatable and it makes me lol. You're welcome:
^^This must have been taken without my knowledge at the end of a long day when Jared requested an evening drive that I knew would be filled with baby screams. And then I'm sure he sent this pic to his parents, as a husband does, as the chosen "new car" picture. Thx babe. We love the car though! The only downside is that now that our car is open to our trunk the grocery pickup guy makes smalltalk while he's loading our groceries. Otherwise I love it. The heated seats and steering wheel are life. Android Auto is a big upgrade. The space is amazing. It drives so smoothly and I feel so much safer on the road, which was our top priority. It's been a good week! Lots to be thankful for!
