What day is it??? Day 3 home??
Here we are, day 3 home. Picture two very tired new parents chiseling a third tally mark in the drywall next to our bed marking the days. Just kidding, it's not that bad!
Everly is doing well. She is eating better and better each day. She sleeps (like a baby). We discovered that she does have a bewitching hour and it falls anywhere between the hours of 2 AM and 6 AM. Coincidentally these are also the hours that Katrina and I dread being awake.
To combat the dreaded fussy time in the wee hours of the morning, Katrina and I have decided to go to bed earlier and wake up for the day around Everly's bewitching hour. We also think about staying up late and getting shut-eye after the bewitching hour has ended. We'll see how things go.
We are still working on a routine but the routine might be working us. We feed and burp Everly every 3 hours, clean the pump parts, change her diaper, hold her in our arms, wipe her occasional spit-ups, and put her down for naps. If this was everything we needed to do in a day then I'd tell everyone being a new parent is easy.
It turns out that if you don't sleep, and you don't eat regular nutritious meals, and you don't drink enough water (when I already didn't drink enough water to begin with) things aren't so easy after all. Not to mention there is also always going to be laundry, dishes, and cleaning! We are exhausted.
There is a silver lining in all of this. We have the right partnership as a new mom & dad should. During the adjustment period (of becoming parents) so far we have been met with challenging times amidst the tiredness. When we struggle, we always acknowledge that it is because we are tired. Never ever do we take out the frustration in a damaging way.
We deal with the tough times and when the dust settles we talk about how we can tweak the system. Trial and error is a wonderful thing and each day is a new chance to try to improve something. If there is one thing I can say for sure it is that night time is a far more intense struggle than the day time. I know we'll get through it.
I can't post this without mentioning the Pook (our dog Freya if you're new here). She has become self-employed as Everly's personal body guard. Where the baby goes the dog goes. When the baby cries the dog is investigating. Freya sleeps by the bassinet in our room if Everly is in it. Our room is tiny and there is a narrow path by the bassinet. That's Freya's spot.
Nobody is getting to our baby without going through Freya. I can't even burp the baby without Freya going insane. She thinks when I pat Everly's back to burp her that I am giving her an old school beating and I can see it in that dog's eyes. If she could pick up the phone, she would have called CPS on me on day one. Eventually she'll settle down; or she won't.
Soon we plan on introducing family to Everly. Limiting exposure to people has been the right move for Everly and for all of us so far but it is just about time to show Everly some of the love that surrounds her on the outside of the 4 walls she knows.
Nothing else is crazy to report here on the home front. We keep chipping away and making progress at our routine building. Things are going to get easier if we keep the faith (and the consistency).
Peace & Love,
- Everly, Katrina, Freya, and Jack