Baby Baby

We are slowly settling into routine with two kiddos. The hardest part we are finding is that Brian and I were so used to "tag-team" type parenting with Ellie which allowed one of us to have a break or rest or get extra sleep, etc. Now, there are no breaks since each of us usually has a kid in our arms to attend to. Maggie is at the stage now where all she wants to do is be held most of the day. I remember this time with Ellie and I'm so glad I held her as much as I did since these days it's hard to hold her in your arms more than a minute or so before she's ready to be down and doing her thing. While this time will be over before I can blink, I must say that in the midst of it all it is a bit tiresome. I've become reacquainted with doing things again with one hand and am again using my collection of baby carriers to allow myself some free hands.


Ellie is doing great and has eagerly accepted the role of big sister. She LOVES baby Maggie and wants to kiss her and hold her all the time. When I pick her up at school now and have Maggie with me, she runs over to us, totally ignoring me, and sticks her face straight into Maggie's car seat to give her a kiss and tell her hello. She is quick to find a paci when Maggie cries and tries to force it into her mouth while telling her "don't cry Maggie!"

One of the funniest things that Ellie is doing during this adjustment is that she asks to do many things that baby Maggie is doing. It's classic, but still fun to see! I've been giving Maggie sponge baths on a towel in the bathroom and one Saturday Ellie was there to watch and after I was finished, she wanted me to take off her clothes and give her a bath too. She had to lay on the towel and I had to use the bowl and washcloth just like I did for Maggie. Tonight we gave Maggie her first ever bathtub bath and I asked Ellie to help. I knew Ellie would want to get in the big tub too so I filled it up along with Maggie's tub. Ellie helped Mommy and kept telling Maggie "good job" for not crying. Once I handed Maggie over to Daddy, Ellie laid down in Maggie's tub and insisted that I give her a bath just like Maggie! Adorable! Other then that, she often takes one of Maggie's paci's and pops it in her mouth-note this is the child who almost never used a paci in the first place-she looks so funny with it in her mouth! Another thing Ellie has asked to do a few times is to breastfeed. I was prepared for this as really she only weaned 3-4 months ago herself. So the last two times she has asked, she has laid across my lap on the boppy pillow and I've let her try to nurse. The funny thing is that she really doesn't remember how to nurse anymore but she tries anyway. Apparently, she no longer cares for the taste of mommy milk and has emphatically shared that "booby milk is yucky!"

All in all we are sleepy but very happy and blessed by our two girls. Enjoy this last picture-it's cute even if we look a little rough around the edges!