This Crazy Love

Brothers doing tummy time

It's hard to believe it's been a month and half since my last post.  The weeks are steam-rolling by in this whirlwind of babies, work, and more babies.  A lot has happened in that time, and since my life seems to be currently measured by how old Ezra is in weeks.....

Ezra's life, Week 5:
 - Andrew's parents came to visit and see the new grandbaby!  We had a great 10 days with them here, and Isaiah definitely loved getting some extra loving and attention!
 - Ezra started taking 45 minutes naps.  Gone are the days of me having to wake him up for every feeding.  Isaiah started this around 6-7 weeks old ( and didn't stop until 6 months old), so I must say, I was disappointed to have it begin earlier.  It did then, and still does, stress me out, but it is what it is.
 - This week I also started a grain-free diet in an effort to help Ezra's digestive system.  I take the boys to a chiropractor (usually every other week, but every week for the first couple months after they are born), and when we went that week she noticed alot of things regarding his digestion that were giving him trouble...I think it was the beginning of silent reflux.  Anyway, after one week of me not eating grains (GOOD-BYE wheat, oatmeal, rice, and pretty much all other kinds of deliciousness...), she noticed a huge improvement in him.          
      So, I am now finishing up week #4 of this, although I have added back in small amounts of oats and rice, and very small bits of wheat products here and there.  Still, it's been a MONTH since I had a piece of bread....a grilled cheese or PB&J sandwich pretty much always sound amazing these days.  However, if it's helping Ezra, I am game.  When he's around 3 months old I will start to add it back in more and see if he does ok with it...the older he gets, the more his digestive systems matures, so there is still hope for me (us).
    Not surprisingly, it is also helping me tick off those baby weight pounds....I mean, when a girl has to bypass the cake, cookies, cinnamon rolls, pastas, and delicious breads surrounding this holiday season, how can you not lose weight?!  Anyway, for that I am most appreciative.

Hmm, yep, that was all week 5!

Week 6-8 were all about smiles and tears!  Ezra is full of smiles almost anytime someone smiles at him.  Of course, he is particularly fond of me. :)  I have loved seeing his big toothless grins come out more and more readily, and during this time he also started to coo and giggle frequently.  I don't think there are any sounds more beautiful to my ears then the first giggles of my children.

The tears, oh, the tears.  Weeks 6-8 were challenging in that Ezra started having alot of trouble feeding 1-3x a day.  It would take be between 20-50 minutes to get him to even start nursing, though he was clearly hungry, and usually during that time he was crying hysterically.  This is hard enough to deal with on its own, but it was very challenging trying to take care of Isaiah at the same time - an active toddler wanting attention, and a screaming infant needing attention.  It definitely reduced me to tears of my own a few times.

Week 8-9 (last week) seemed to be a breakthrough.  Ezra's fussy times were worst when he was overtired from short naps and once he got worked up it was hard to get him actually calm, plus I think there was some trapped gas that would contribute to all that.  Anyway, I have been working harder to help extend his naps, and nursing him still swaddled, straight from sleep.  It seems to be working, as it has been pretty much a whole week without any trouble nursing.

Perhaps another contributing factor is his sleeping/eating schedule. I had been doing a late night feeding with the hopes that his longest stretch of sleep at night would be from that feeding onward, but it didn't seem to be helping him.  I stopped that last week, and since then he has been sleeping from his bedtime (7/7:30pm) between 8-10 hrs, with a feed and then back to bed until 7:45/8am.  It has been wonderful....we get more sleep, he gets more sleep, and he seems to be much happier eating less often at night.

I am enjoying discovering Ezra's personality, likes, and dislikes.  It seemed so difficult to do that with Isaiah because everything about babies in general was so new.  This time around, it has been so much easier to problem-solve, try different things, and be able to apply past experiences to the situation at hand.  For that, parenting a second child has been much easier!

Ezra, 9 weeks

Weeks 8 & 9 have also been all about love.   The more I get to know this new member of our family the more I can't imagine life without him.  My love for him seems to be growing each day, and there are some days where I can barely stand to take my eyes off him. He is so precious, so sweet, and such a beautiful little individual.  What a blessing he is!

Isaiah modeling his new outfit for a Christmas banquet

And then there is my eldest.  Oh, Isaiah.  The last month has been hard for him.  He is realizing more and more he no longer has my undivided attention--that it is shared with another.  He's also gotten two of his two year molars (ouch!), had some viruses, had a growth spurt, and jumped another month closer to being TWO (think 'terrible two's).... He is testing us more and more, wanting independence one moment and then desperate for help in the next.  Deliberately being disobedient one moment, and then offering big hugs and kisses in the next.  There are sweet moments of laughter and giggles, snuggles and cute little words, now inter-mixed with whining, some screaming tantrums, and rebellion.  I like the sweet moments the most. :)   It's a whole new phase of parenting that I don't feel like I quite know how to handle yet.

The sweet moments - Isaiah coming in to give Mommy a face mashing kiss!

With the highs and lows that come with each day, as we tuck them into bed each night I am always amazed at how blessed we are to have two precious boys.

I am crazy in love with them!

Today: Isaiah 23 1/2 months, Ezra, 10 weeks