Ivy's 1-Week Stats
Weight: 8.3 lbs
Height: 21"
Head: 14"
Ivy's 2-Week Stats
Weight: 8.5lbs
Height: 21.3"
Head: 14.5"
Ivy's 1-Month Stats
Weight: 9lbs 14oz
Height: 22 1/2"
Head: 14.8"
Ivy's Growing Like a "Weed"
Anyone else notice the 1lb 9oz growth in a 2-week span? Yea...so did I. Dr. said they expect babies to gain 1/2 lb a week at that age - she gained 1lb 9oz in 2 weeks. Yikes! In that 2nd week leading up to her 2-week check-up she was insatiable! She was constantly nursing, there were times where I only had enough time to shove some lunch in my mouth and go to the bathroom before she'd be crying to eat again. What happened to the "she'll eat every 2hrs"? No, this was more like every 20min. If I had a nanny to take care of the other 2, a maid to clean up after us and a chef to make all of our meals, this would not have been a problem. But alas, it's just me (with Tim here half the time) so there were some traumatic times of having to let Ivy scream for a couple minutes so I could put lunch out for Addison and Eden or getting a sore back with twisting and turning all sorts of crazy ways so I could clean, tend to the girls, etc while cradling Ivy in the other arm.
So once I saw the weight gain, I breathed a sigh of relief that those crazy days were a growth spurt. Those moments still occur several times a day, but it's not constant as it was that week. So we'll enjoy it for now and brace ourselves for the next growth spurt!
Ivy is Not a Minion!
Overall, Ivy is a very good and content baby. She wakes 3x a night to eat for about 10min. She doesn't scream or anything, perhaps credit to me being a light sleeper, I wake as soon as I hear her squirming.
She does like to be held often though and we haven't had much success entertaining her in the swings or bouncy chair. We put her down in the rock n' sleeper the most often cuz it is the easiest place to put her once she is asleep. But she usually doesn't last long in there once she is awake.
Generally her cries are short lived. She either needs to be burped or change and most often her cries are to be fed. Especially at night, she wants to cluster feed so while I'm getting ready for bed, Tim is just stuck rocking a crying baby. At that time of the night there is nothing he can do to soothe her. Addison and Eden were both like that at night so I'm definitely used to "Nighttime is Mommy time" as part of my routine. And once I go back to work, I will cherish that time with Ivy to just sit down and relax with her. Of course if it were up to me, I'd feel the need to bustle around and do housework, etc. so it's nice that I am "forced" to slow down and cuddle with my little girl.
At Home With Three Girls
We were thrown directly into the fire upon the arrival of Ivy. Not only were we now crossing over into the world of being outnumbered by our children (which we were warned for months is a whole new ball game from other parents of 3+ children), but Addison AND Eden were both sick with the worst colds they have ever had (including Addison's first ear infection). Our normally quiet, happy and relatively tantrum-free Eden turned into a crying/screaming beast!
So I actually had the easier time being the one recovering in the hospital, leaving Tim at home to tend to our 2 sick girls. I think I got more sleep with a newborn in the hospital (which isn't much) than he did at home!
Even the day I came home from the hospital was hectic as Tim had an interview for a holiday/temp job to do and several errands. I said (hopefully) that it would only get easier from there. With 2 sick kids, a recovering mommy and a newborn, that entire week was a blur. There was a moment one night where Eden couldn't sleep, so Tim was holding her on the couch as coughed and screamed while I was holding a screaming Ivy - we both looked at each other with looks of "uh-oh, what have we done?" That was probably the most overwhelmed I felt as a parent, but I also have more trust and faith in us that we know what we're doing than with Addison. Of course I was overwhelmed as a new mother, but I could focus only on her. But as a new mother I also second-guessed myself more and worried that I wasn't doing the things I thought I'd be doing or the way I'd be doing it when I read all the parenting books and articles while pregnant. Now, we know what works for us as parents and what has worked for our children so far. More importantly, we know what our children have survived to know that certain shortcomings and not being a picture perfect parent will not harm our girls (at least not in the long run!)
The End is Near
I return to work in just over 2 weeks (Jan 6th). There are many routines to figure out and schedules to establish before then. What is best for us as parents is that I know exactly what Tim will be going through at home with 3 girls when I return to work. I am fortunate to have a good work-life balance at my company so I hope I can have a modified work-from-home and office schedule to be here for feedings as much as I can. It will be an adjustment for sure, but Ivy is already getting herself onto some type of schedule so I can have a consistent wake up time in the morning, and Tim will be able to plan the bottle feedings throughout the day accordingly.
I will be so sad to return to work, but I am so thankful that we have been able to make it work for Tim to stay at home, so I know my girls are in the best care possible while I'm missing them at work!
