Marlowe is nine days old.
He had his first well-baby visit with our new pediatrician today and is back to birth weight after the typical losing a few ounces after birth. He's also gained half an inch in length and head circumference.
I like our new ped. We sort of stumbled into the one we had when E was a baby, and she was kind of nuts. Then I had to transfer a year ago because of insurance, which was nice, because I didn't know how to break up with the first one. But E only saw the new one once, because he was so healthy last year. But I wanted one I felt like I could develop a relationship with. The one I chose I feel like I can really talk to and that she'll respect me. She's a bit more mainstream than I would like, but she didn't balk at all when I didn't get the Hep B vaccine today. And the receptionist staff at this ped office is hands-down the most friendly, helpful staff I have ever encountered at a medical establishment! So anyway, new ped: check.
Overall, he's doing fantabulously! Get this, he sleeps! Can you believe it!? Like for multiple hours at a time! I sometimes have to actually wake him up to nurse!! It's a good thing we had Ellis first, because I know not to take this for granted. He also nurses very well. And is just totally adorable. He usually has a long stretch of wakefulness at one point during the day. He just looks and looks at us squarely in the eye.
We finally have a name sign for him, too, so that Ellis can call him something besides "baby". Since his nickname is Peanut and because he has a little dimple on his chin, his name sign is the letter M handshape tapped on the chin as if to sign PEANUT (the side of the index finger tapping on the chin).
Ellis loves on him. Kissing him and signing ILY (i love you). He wants to hold him whenever he gets a chance. And tells me MILK every time he cries. (He'd try to help him latch on, too, if I let him. haha)
But it's not saying much when your newborn infant is sleeping better than your nearly 3yo. Poor Ellis. He takes all his stress out on his sleep. All his growth and development, all his major life changes, it all gets thrown on his sleep and becomes lack thereof. Lately, he's actually made it to nearly 5 am, maybe waking up once and falling right back to sleep when sought snuggles are snuggled. It's hard to coax him past 5, though. Too early for mamas. Too early for little boys! Especially ones who don't nap. It turns him into a maniac bouncing off the walls. It's hard to balance the sympathy I feel for him, exhausted and upheaved life, and the irritation that creeps up on me when he is just flipped out crazy. I'm trying to spend some extra time with him during Marlowe's amazing naps. It's nice to be able to sit on his floor again. To feel like I can move and do things with him. Eventually we'll find our new normal.
