Almost one month in

Figured I'd take the time to do an update while I had the time to do an update. :) On Tuesday we will have been a family of four for exactly one month. Its odd really, because most of the time its hard to remember life without our littlest member...yet when I stop and think about it being really a full month - well gosh, she just doesn't seem that old to me yet.

I'm afraid saying this (or at least putting it in writing) will jinx me but screw it I'm doing it anyway. Megan is a great night sleeper so far if you get past the fact she won't use her crib. ;) The girl refuses to sleep flat on her back. Instead, at least for now, she sleeps in her car seat next to my bed at night - we're working up the courage to transition her to her own space. ha! But sleep, now that is a good story. She likes to give us one decent stretch of sleep each night. It's typically a nice 4 hour block either between getting settled into seat or from meal to meal. Last night though, she ate at 8:30 and drifted off as she did so. I climbed in bed at 10 fully expecting to be woken up within the hour or two if I was lucky. Instead I got to sleep until 2am. That was a good 5 hour sleeping block for Megan. She settled back in about 45 minutes later and then woke at 6 for her breakfast. I do think the fact that her brother prevents long napping stretches throughout the day has helped in this quest. She gets in one or two 2.5 to 3 hour naps during the day. The rest of time she cat naps because Logan is busy hugging her or turning on some kind of musical something or other on her swing or her bouncy seat. . .or he's just being his typical nosey two year old self.

When awake, her favorite position to be in is sitting up. Not that she can, of course, but she's determined to fake it. If she's fussy and not hungry, you're best bet is to sit her on your lap leaning against you so that she appears to be sitting or to sit her facing you supporting her under her armpits. Either way will settle her down & allow her to be nosy. She turns her head from side to side when seated or just let her big eyes get as wide as can be as they move from object to object. I discovered today that the little imp is actually attempting to pull herself up to a seated position. I had my hand under her head with her upper body lifted to a slight angle. She kept pulling her head up from my hand hard enough to pull her shoulders along just a wee bit. She'd grunt and groan as she did it and make this face of pure determination. I keep telling her that she needs to wait several months before she can actually do such a thing, but she's in denial. ;) She also does that neat trick where she locks her knees tight on occasion as you attempt to mock sit her. Apparently she likes to pretend she can stand too.

She gets her head around well - still floppy necked and not quite ready to hold her head high on her own all the time, but she can lift her head fairly high and keep it there for a spell when she feels like it. She loves to be up on a shoulder, belly against you, as she lifts her head from you and turns it from side to side. She's not a total tummy-time hater to date and seems to almost like that she can get her head up on her own when she's on the floor like that. She'll last about 15 minutes on her stomach before she starts yelling to be picked up or at least turned over. When she's on her belly she'll wiggle worm her way from one part of the blanket up several inches toward the other. She does this by pulling her legs in tight to her and then thrusting them out straight. I'm sure the whole involuntary limb movement helps her, but hey, it seems to make her happy because when she's inching herself along she lasts much longer on the floor. When she's on a shoulder she wiggles herself all around. The girl can fidget. She tosses her head back if she's tired of being in that position - forcing you to adjust her. She squirms from shoulder to crook of elbow...I swear sighing as she gets herself snuggled in to her new position. She's also starting to make that cute little "ahhh" sound when her folks talk to her. She stares at you as you speak and responds with soft little noises - something she even seems to wait her turn to do.

The neatest thing though is to watch her respond to Logan. The moment she hears his voice she does what she can to move her gaze to him. Of course sometimes she does this with her eyes so wide open you can see the white part above the iris. We're thinking this is her way of saying either "Oh YAY! Its that cool kid that likes to sing me songs!" or more likely "Holy crap! He's back!! Someone quick, pick me up and save me from the ensuing squishing hug or the slobbery wet kiss or poking tickle he's about to give me!"

Speaking of her irises - so far she's a blue-eyed babe. The color has moved from that dark deep newborn blue to a lighter more true blue eye color. Still plenty of time to change, but since I'm a green-eyed girl with one green-eyed parent and one blue-eyed parent and Bruce has blue eyes, I'd not be surprised to see Megan's baby blues stick around just like Logan's have. She also has the same exact shade of strawberry-blonde that Logan and I have. There features are not identical, but close enough when we look back at Logan's baby pictures that there is no doubt they are siblings.

She's growing like a weed. She added a pound from her hospital discharge weight by her 2 week Ped visit. Looking at her now she looks bigger than she had at that visit just a week and half ago. the little knit cap they had on her head in the hospital is now too small for her and she's officially out of newborn size diapers and comfortably into size 1s. We don't get to the Ped until a 2 month visit (the 2 week covering our 1 month span) so I have no idea what the gal weighs today. Poor thing has just come through her first head cold care of Daddy's work. All 4 of us had it but luckily Megan seems to have the most mild case. She still seems to have an occasional stuffed nostril from it, but she does not need her little nose to be shot up with saline and then suctioned out prior to each feeding as she had. That stage lasted only two days thankfully.

And big brother, well he's doing well. He has his moments where he struggles with sharing the spotlight. In those times he acts out with more tantrums or attempting to chuck objects around the room, hitting himself or lashing out at others. Of course, in addition to the normal "2" temper control issues and the whole "new sibling" thing, Logan is getting his 2-year molars in. He already has two of them and I'm sure, based on the river of drool and the fact that he gets his cup straw as far back on the right side as he can and then chews - that the next two are working their way in. Oh, and he's trying to give up his naps - so all combined it creates the occasional monster boy.

More often than not though, he's being his usual good humored, wonderfully helpful and loving self. In fact, the other part of this "sibling" struggle has been an even MORE affectionate than normal boy. I mean really, Logan has always been a cuddly Mama's boy, but lately he spends a whole lot of time running into me to wrap his arms round my legs and asking for hugs and kisses. In the last two days he's told me that I'm either his "very best friend" or said something along the lines of "Oh Mommy, I just love you so very much." We dedicate a nice chunk of time one day a week that is just us - we go to Gymboree together on Wednesday morning and from there we do lunch. I think, since Grandma is ok with keeping Megan even longer than the 2 hours it took us to do all this this week, we'll add in a short walk or something each week too. last week we took an afternoon of just us while my mom took Megan with her on some visits for church. As we hiked a trail at a local park Logan stopped and asked me to pick him up for a hug. As I did he said very sincerely something along the lines of "Thanks Mommy. I having a very nice time." It both broke my heart and made it mushy all at once - broke it because it really hit home how much he missed having his adults all to himself. Aww, well, long run he's better off and at least his only comments in regards to Megan about all this are limited to demands that we put her down in her crib so we can focus on him. ;)