2 weeks and counting

Last Thursday William had his 2 week check-up. (You'll have to forgive me for being a little behind in my posts.) I just have to mention that I really, really like our pediatrician here. He doted over William and kept saying how cute he is, which what parent wouldn't love? He is very laid back which meshes well with my personality, but he also very clearly knows his stuff and provides clear, confident answers to our questions - perfect. Anyway, he said that by 2 weeks, the hope is that babies would be back to their birth weight. It looks like William is going to continue to surpass expectations weighing in at 9 lbs. 7 oz. (5 oz. more than his birth weight). Oddly enough, this only put him at the 69th percentile for weight. His head circumference was 36 cm which is apparently the 26th percentile which is also odd since I would definitely say his head is not on the small side. On top of this, he lost 1 inch in height (21.5 in - 77%) which is partly due to the pointed head at birth and partly due to human error in measuring squirmy babies. So, basically the result is that William got shorter and fatter after 2 weeks. :) He did say that his tone looks perfect, and we have no reason to be concerned with his blood sugar level at this point which is a relief.

I did joke when he was born that we got a one-month old instead of a newborn, and it really feels that way sometimes. William has been able to hold his head up for brief periods of time almost from day one. He already rolls onto his side, and I have found him rotated 45 degrees in his crib/bassinet. He is spending more time awake which unfortunately is not very happy time for him, but I remember Lily being the same way, and I'm sure that sometime in the not-so-distant future his time awake will eventually be more pleasant. He also smiles a lot, mostly in his sleep, but sometimes when he is awake which is just precious.

As for Lily, she loves, loves, loves her brother. I have not heard her say one thing about him or do one thing to him that wasn't driven purely by her desire to shower him with affection. The problem is that she wants to hug, kiss, squeeze, pat, and hold him ALL THE TIME. She also loves to sing to him, right in his face of course. Poor William naturally gets a bit overwhelmed by all the attention from Lily. It really is hard as a parent because I don't want to spend the entire day saying "No" to Lily and redirecting her away from William (which you could very easily do), but I want allow him some space at the same time. It is a delicate balance that we work on nearly every waking hour.

As for sleeping, we really are doing pretty good for 2 1/2 weeks into it. William typically goes 2 1/2 - 4 hours between feedings. At night, he has been great about eating and going right back to sleep as long as he is swaddled. I really don't even like putting that out there for fear of jinxing it, but hopefully he will continue on this pattern. Carl and I have been splitting the night into two shifts which has just been awesome. This has meant (for the most part) that we each get a minimum 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. You can't ask for much more than that at this stage of the game.

In other Lily-related news, the buzz around the house right now is all about her 4th birthday. Her birthday party is on Saturday, and we are all really excited about it. She is such an awesome little girl, and I look forward to a day of just celebrating her. Tonight she told us that crickets have the jumps like humans get the hiccups. Priceless. Also, one of her good friends at school told her last week that he was not her friend anymore (as is very common among preschoolers). My favorite part was her reaction. She was telling my mom about the situation and said that she was going to figure out why he said that. She went on to tell my mom that she is "a very good thinker" and that she was going to figure it out. I love it! She was not in the least bit upset by the statement but rather saw it as a puzzle to solve. It also kind of implied that something must be wrong with him which I find amusing. But that is just classic Lily.

As for Carl & me...Carl is on his research rotation which rocks because there is less stress and much better hours. (The timing of this rotation was, of course, planned well in advance.) I have recovered from pregnancy so much faster this time around. I was up and walking faster in the hospital and have continued to get out and about more since I've been home. This is partially out of necessity with a preschooler to take to and from school, but I really do feel great and am almost back to normal. Part of me actually misses being pregnant (sick and twisted, I know).

And that is where we stand after 2 1/2 weeks as a family of four.