Six hours straight

Well, I'm up at 3am and so excited to have slept 6 hours straight. Quinn went to sleep just before 9pm and just woke up a few minutes ago. She nursed and is back to sleep. I, however, am up. I came into the living room to finally finish the calendar I've been working on when I realized what time it was. Yeah! Six hours straight is so exciting. Ooh, I have to go check if the bags under my eyes have faded at all. Perhaps I need a few more nights of this. Oh well, it's a start.

During the day, Quinny is such an easy going little girl at 10 weeks old. For the past week, our days are going something like this. After hearing Sean wake up for work at 6:30 am, Quinny wakes up to nurse. We stay cuddled in bed until Sean leaves at about 7:15 or until I hear Emerson yelling, "Mommy come look!" At which point, depending on how quiet he's been, I hop out of bed. Quinn usually sleeps for another twenty minutes or so. Em and I hang out, watch Sesame Street and check emails during that time. Then Quinn makes a quick appearance...long enough to take a bath and nurse a bit more. With all that soft hair that just begs to be touched, Quinn's hair gets pretty greasy and requires a bath about every other day. So, after her bath, Quinn is usually ready to sleep again. The last few days, she's gone back to sleep from 7:45 to about 10am. During these times, I start to get a little cocky and think I've got it all figured out. I shower, get Em ready and we eat breakfast. Usually once I'm on a mission to leave the house by a certain time I start to get a little short with Em. For he and I both, I have to breathe slowly and remind myself, "It's just....it's not the end of the world." Sometimes it helps, other times Em and I are butting heads. The more I push, the more he pulls.

So, my feelings of cockiness subside around this time. I calm down and we end up leaving the house without tears usually. I try to get out and do something physical, as much for Emerson as for myself. The weather is pretty amazing here, so I feel guilty if we don't get out. We either go for a hike up the hill behind our house, take a walk on the beach with Em riding his Skuut, or we go down to the Cloisters and walk a little trail. Lately we've been meeting one of my oldest friend's, Christine, at the Bob Jones trail and walking/riding it with all 5 kids! During this time, Quinn is usually out for nap number two. We've been seeing Ga Ga a few times a week and getting out with her too.

When more cocky feelings arise, I have to remind myself that it's much less me than it is Quinn's sweet disposition. Although I do think putting her to bed frequently, right when she starts to get sleepy, has helped a lot. I can remember when Emerson was Quinn's age, he screamed and fussed a lot and not until he was much older, did I realize that he was sleepy. So, knowing this, I put Quinn down no more than 1 1/2 hours after she's been awake. She usually starts to get sleepy after just forty-five minutes. If I do this, she goes down easily all day long.

Around noon, Emerson starts showing signs of needing sleep himself. So, we eat lunch, read a book (usually with Quinn nursing or reading with us) and hit the hay. Lately, both E and Q nap from about 12:30 to about 2:30. I feel absolutely domesticated during this time. I spend it cleaning the house and planning dinner. It sounds mundane, but I enjoy it. Cooking dinner has become something I no longer dread. I'm just so thankful that I get to stay home this time. I was counting the days left around this time when Em was a baby. And now I get to be home with them and enjoy them both. I try to remember this often.

Quinn has been waking up before Em lately. It's nice to have time with just the two of us. We "talk" and she coos and giggles. Lately, when I look down while she's nursing, she's smiling up at me. She has the cutest little sunshine eyes when she smiles. I feel so thankful to have a healthy (at her 2 mo. visit she was in the 100% for height and weight), sweet and calm baby girl. Every time I'm with just her, I think, "I need to do this more often."

About that time, Emerson wakes up from his nap. We usually snuggle in bed and read a bit before attempting to run an errand or head to Karate at 3:15. Quinn usually nursed through Karate, even through Em running back to give her one last head squeeze before he starts. "Gentle," I say ad nauseam. We get back to the house around 4:30 or 5pm and get dinner ready.

Sean usually walks in the door at 5:3o to the sound of "Daddy's home! Let's wrestle!" Em and Sean usually spend the next hour, interrupted by dinner, on the floor playing, screaming (Em a bit more than Sean) and wrestling. Em often reminds me, "I can squeeze daddy. I can be rough with daddy, not mommy." I reply, "And not rough with Quinn either, right?" During the wrestling hour and dinner time, Quinn's usually pooped, but I think she wants to be a part of everything. She fusses and cries a bit during this time...the only time all day that she seems discontent. I wear her in the sling, which is becoming a little uncomfortable as she approaches 15 pounds. She either sits up in it and watches or sacks out.

Then we have dinner, do dishes and get Em and Quinn ready for bed. We usually get Em in bed by about 7pm and read, tell stories, talk and say what we're thankful for. After about 5 months of Sean and I saying what we're thankful for Em is now chiming in. "I'm thankful for you mommy and daddy and you Quinny, Quinn, Quinn" he adds in his highest pitch. I can't think of a better way to end the day.

If all goes well, Sean and I have some time together without kids. It's nice to have a little adult time after a day of pretending to be "Ducky" from The Land Before Time.

Quinny sleeps beside us in the co-sleeper or with us in bed. She loves to snuggle and somehow inches her way to nurse from wherever she is. A few nights ago, I woke to her head butting my back.

Overall, I'd say we're all adjusting well to our family of four. Of course there are challenges, but these too shall pass.