Today, as my mother leaves to return first to the states and then to Japan, my heart is sad. In her almost month long visit, my mom helped with cooking, cleaning, taking care of Katie, and taking care of me. Her companionship, though, is what I will miss most. Living overseas, away from family, at times wears on my heart. And as I begin this new venture with two little girls, I feel the longing for both proximity and closeness to family more keenly. I am grateful to my dad for loaning mom to me during this time. Having her here, especially watching her with Katie, has been really precious. And I think Katie is going to really feel the loss once she understands that grandma is gone.
Today also marks Emily's 10th day. She is thus far a very sweet, snuggly baby who sleeps and eats a lot, although she does have alert times in the morning, early evening, and recently in the middle of the night. Yesterday, we visited the pediatrician for the first time, and he was surprised to find that she had not lost weight in her first week, but rather had gained (She is now 9 lbs!). And she also had grown 3 cms. So she is doing exactly what she needs to be doing!
Katie continues to have a lot of interest in Emily. Each morning, after getting up, her first words are "Baby, baby Ema!". She loves to come in and get up on our bed so that she can look down into Emily's pack and play bed and sing song "Oh, baby." It is very sweet. She also loves to help bring me diapers ans wipes when I am changing Emily's diaper or to pick out an outfit for Emily to wear. On days when Emily has a sponge bath, Katie watches intently and gets distressed when Emily starts crying.
It has not all been smooth sailing though. Katie is struggling with my not being able to pick her up, take her to the park, or rough house with her. That mixed with feelings of insecurity about her place in our family and some "I'm almost two" independence have made for some challenging days. But all of this is normal, so we're trying to take it one day at a time and reassure Katie that she is a loved, valuable part of our family and a great big sister.
Today also marks Emily's 10th day. She is thus far a very sweet, snuggly baby who sleeps and eats a lot, although she does have alert times in the morning, early evening, and recently in the middle of the night. Yesterday, we visited the pediatrician for the first time, and he was surprised to find that she had not lost weight in her first week, but rather had gained (She is now 9 lbs!). And she also had grown 3 cms. So she is doing exactly what she needs to be doing!
Katie continues to have a lot of interest in Emily. Each morning, after getting up, her first words are "Baby, baby Ema!". She loves to come in and get up on our bed so that she can look down into Emily's pack and play bed and sing song "Oh, baby." It is very sweet. She also loves to help bring me diapers ans wipes when I am changing Emily's diaper or to pick out an outfit for Emily to wear. On days when Emily has a sponge bath, Katie watches intently and gets distressed when Emily starts crying.
It has not all been smooth sailing though. Katie is struggling with my not being able to pick her up, take her to the park, or rough house with her. That mixed with feelings of insecurity about her place in our family and some "I'm almost two" independence have made for some challenging days. But all of this is normal, so we're trying to take it one day at a time and reassure Katie that she is a loved, valuable part of our family and a great big sister.
4 comments:
Soooooo cute! I was dying for new pictures... what a treat! Emily is definately more like Sarah and Katie is soooo big with the cutest pigtails in the world! I cant wait to see more!
Hi Sarita! I LOVED reading your new post! You are such a loving mom!!! PLEASE do not hesitate to call me if you need ANYTHING!!!! I can always hop on the bus - after school. Love you!
She's beautiful! Good to hear all is going well. I'd love to hear the labor details!
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