Adjustment period

 We have now been home for several days, and it has certainly been a period of adjustment!  I think the transition has honestly been hardest on Frankie.  The first few nights we were home, he woke up crying when he heard baby Lily cry.  Thankfully, we have figured out a better way to manage her crying so that he cannot hear it as much, and he has not woken up the last couple of nights.  One night he was having a really hard time going to sleep, and I went upstairs to comfort him. He practically begged me to lie up there with him and not go back downstairs, and I could not refuse.  I layed with him for about 15 minutes, and then I got up to go downstairs.  He ran to the gate and cried "Mommy come back!" and I broke down and cried.  I hate how hard all of this change is on him, and, as much as I appreciate all of the help from Nana and my family, I think it may help him when they leave so that he can get back to life as normal as possible.

At first, Lily was a very sleepy, easy, non-fussy baby.  On Thursday we went to her first doctor's appointment, and the doctor was concerned with how much weight she had lost since her birth weight (6 lbs 12 ounces vs 7 lbs 8 ounces).  I am breastfeeding her, and I also was a little concerned because she was hard to wake for feedings and sometimes seemed disinterested in eating.  However, she has a great latch and has been very easy to feed, so I thought she must be satisfied.  The doctor asked us to come back on Friday for a weight check to make sure that her weight was beginning to go up, and I swear Lily knew she was being tested and she completely changed her eating style that night, insisting on nursing practically non-stop from 4:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.  I finally broke down and gave her a small bottle of formula, because I simply did not have any milk left to give her!  She has been similarly insatiable since.  I told myself that I would not be too hard on myself with the breastfeeding, so I have been supplementing with formula whenever I think we absolutely need it, but I am still trying to always breastfeed as much as possible first so that I can build up my milk supply.  We went back to the doctor on Friday, and Lily had gained 4.5 ounces in one day!  The doctor (and I) were very pleased with this development--the non-stop nursing session worked. 

My Dad and brother came up on Friday to meet Liliana and help out.  My family has been a great help during the day, but at night, Mommy seems to be the only one who can calm Liliana down and get her to sleep.  This makes for a lot of (practically) sleepless nights for Mommy, but I know that this is temporary and I am remembering that it is amazing how little sleep I actually need to function. 

Even though she screams when she is hungry, Liliana is the sweetest little baby girl.  She is beautiful, very alert, and very strong.  She already holds her head up like she is much older.  I cannot wait to watch her grow up...and until she starts sleeping through the night :)

Here are a few pics from this week: