A little credit.

As I wrote earlier this week, the past 15 days have been difficult.  Adjusting to life with a newborn again, as well as continue to deal with a 20 month old has been challenging and it has forced me to simplify once again.  That being said, I really don't feel that through it all, I have given Addy enough credit for the wonderful baby she is.  Let me count the ways...

1. She will fall asleep in my arms.  This is not something I plan on making a habit of, but at this stage of the game, it sure does come in handy.  Colin was extremely hard to put to sleep, and therefore you just had to hope and pray that he did on his own or else he simply went without sleep (something he did not handle well).  A soother and a warm body are all Addy seems to need and for that, I appreciate how easy it is to take her places and keep her happy and well rested.  At night, she has been sleeping in 5 hour stretches, however, will only do so on my chest.  For that reason, we have been spending a lot of nights on the couch together.  I will take the long stretches for now, and we will simply work out the details later.

2. She takes a bottle like a pro.  A few days ago, I decided to try to give her a bottle with formula to simply see how she would react.  She had absolutely zero issues with it, drank the entire thing, and  went back to nursing for her next feeding without skipping a beat.  This could not make me happier.  For one, I now know that I can leave for the odd feeding here and there and anyone could satisfy her needs.  For two, I always like to know that my babies will drink formula.  I am comforted by the fact that if something ever happened to me,  I needed surgery or was really, really sick, they would not go hungry.  

3. In some ways, Addy is actually easier than Colin.  My parents took Colin on Friday for a day and her and I bee-bopped around town getting errands done.  In total, we were out of the house for 6 hours and all I needed was diapers, my nursing cover and an extra sleeper.  There is no way that I would be able to get that many things done in one day with Colin.  For one, he very much still requires his afternoon nap, and for two, he does not so much tolerate that much car and stroller time.  Like any little boy, he wants to play, explore and run rather than sit and wait - something that errands and groceries require.  Addy slept pretty much the entire time we were out, except for when she ate and I enjoyed crossing many nagging errands off my list.

4. Addy is happy.  Anyone that spent any time with Colin in the first 3 months of his life will remember that for the most part, he just wasn't very happy.  He would eat and cry on steady rotation for most of the day.  I remember being extremely frustrated as I felt that my only real job at the time was to make him happy and I clearly was not doing a very good job.  Addy on the other hand, is a fairly happy, content little girl.  She has some gas issues, as Colin did as well, however is dealing with them better every day. 

5. Addy makes me dream.  It wasn't until a couple of days ago that I fully absorbed the fact that we have ourselves a daughter and what that actually means.  There is something so special about the relationship that daughters have with their mothers.  Yes, I am sure there will be rocky days (ie. teenage years), however the adult relationship that I have with my Mom, makes me so excited for that same time with Addy.  Should she choose to get married one day, I will get to be the mother of the bride.  Should she have her own children, I will get to experience that with her.  These dreams are all ones that I hope to watch her through one day, and I feel immensely blessed to even have the chance.

So as difficult, exhausting, and trying as the past 15 days have been, I can't imagine how much more challenging they would have been had we not been gifted with as wonderful a baby as we have.  Addy is everything I could have hoped for, and is the perfect addition to this family. 

Thank you, baby girl!