We Survived the First Two Months!!

I cannot believe how fast time is flying. Two months? Already!? It definitely does not seem like we have been home with Livia that long, and at the same time it feels like she's been here for years. It's odd the way that happens. I remember having the same feeling with Roman when he was a baby, that "already, and only" feeling. It is amazing how completely and immediately a baby can dominate your life. I think we are finally getting a handle on things around here, so I figured it was time to update this thing with a brief recap of the last couple of months with a bunch of pictures.

First, I once again have to say that we are so, so fortunate to have had so much help from our friends and family. The help started at the hospital and then continued once we got home. Peggy was kind enough (crazy enough?) to stay with us for five weeks after Livia was born, and I do not think I would have been able to manage without her. She cooked, cleaned, shopped, and kept Roman occupied and happy, while I mainly focused on feeding Livia and resting. Peggy even got up many mornings to hold Livia for hours so that Marc and I could get a little more rest. It was amazing. I was a little sad before Livia was born because I thought that I wouldn't have any time to just sit and bond and hold her, but I was totally wrong. I spent many, many days just sitting on the couch, or hanging out in bed, snuggling with Livie, and getting that time was amazing. Erica and Erin were both able to come down to help and to visit. I realized though that Erica has an affinity for babies that I simply do not have. I was on the phone with her before she came down, and she said that she hoped that Livia was as bad a sleeper as Roman was so that she could just snuggle and hold her all night. Well, that made one of us, Erica, because I just wanted her to sleep, sleep, sleep. I really was so happy that both of my sisters could come down and see Liv while she was still so small. And she is really small; I am pretty sure she was at least a pound smaller than all of Erica's kids when they were born, and she was a pound and a half smaller than Roman when he was born. It has been funny/frustrating because I didn't really have any clothes that fit her for a while. Whenever anyone bought something for her while I was pregnant, I asked her to be sure to get me something that was either 0-3 months or 3-6 months because Roman never fit into his newborn clothes. Well, that was dumb on my part because here we are, two months in, and she is just starting to fit into her 0-3 month clothing. It's just a good thing that we do not really see the seasons change much in San Diego since she has tons of warm weather clothes that she still needs to grow into. Oh! And while she was here Erica took the BEST pictures of Livia and Roman. I am pretty obsessed with them, and I am having a hard time trying to figure out which ones are being printed to be framed for the house.

Roman really could not care less about Liv when we first brought her home, and you can tell a little bit in some of the other pictures that Erica took that he wasn't too sure about her. But really, can you blame him? Grandma was here to play, and Livia just sat there and took up all of mom's time. But now he has really become a very sweet and loving big brother. He always asks to see her and says hi to her first thing in the morning; he loves to give her hugs and kisses and puts his head down next to her while she is eating; he loves to hang out with her in the crib and watch the mobile; he always makes sure that Livia is still with us/gets to come along whenever we go out together; and recently, he has started to hold her while we sit on the couch and read. He does get a bit jealous of how much time Livia gets, especially if I have to feed her, so we have seen a few more tantrums than usual. He has also become super clingy to me even if Marc is home, which is a definite switch, but I figure that he's doing pretty darn well for a 22 month old first-baby. Oh, and I just absolutely love the way he says, "Livia." It's hard to spell out, but it almost sounds like, "Lah-dia." I asked Marc to help me spell it out phonetically, but neither of us could quite put our finger on it exactly, but it is very clear that Roman is saying her name. I thought that "Livia" would be really hard for him to say, but it took him no time at all. I guess it was important enough for him to learn it quickly.

Speaking of Roman learning, in just the last couple of weeks he has become a real chatterbox. Today, as we were getting ready for Liv's doctor's appointment, he was playing with his cars and jabbering away. I have no idea what he was talking about, but he was having a great time. He also has a pretty wide and varied vocabulary, and it seems like he is learning a new word everyday. He's still only saying one word at a time, with the exceptions of "oh no," his own version of "thank you," and "one more," but I think basic sentences are on the way. And he has also learned how to play a new truck game on Marc's iPad. The game has different scenarios. In one, you pop tires with sharp objects and then tow the car away to replace the tires; in another, you sort trash and then some big garbage trucks come and you have to choose the right can for each garbage truck; and in another, you move large piles of dirt with a dump truck and a front loader, etc. This could keep Roman occupied for hours if we would let him play that long. The iPad goes to work with Marc, but once Marc gets home Roman says, "Cuck" (truck), and if he has been a good helper he gets to play, and then he's really a happy boy. We have also been playing in the "cool tub." It's not a hot tub because there is no connection for heat, but it is a perfect Roman-sized pool. And I am still trying to make sure that we get to do fun things during the week, even if it's a bit of a challenge for me. The three of us went to the aquarium last week, and we have been to the park a few times, and we all had a nice family outing last weekend playing at the science and model train museums at Balboa Park. Roman was in heaven at the model train museum, and he loved the little kid play area at the science museum. We had never been to either before, but we will definitely be going back. Oh, and at the aquarium Roman had a wonderful time playing with the boats and touching some sea stars.

Livie had her two-month check-up today, and everything went really well. She has had some issue with acid reflux, but it looks like we finally have it under control now. We have to give her what is basically baby-zantac every night, but at least now she does not spend hours choking and being super-fussy after every feeding. And it really has been in just the last few days that it has gotten significantly better even though she has been taking that medicine for many weeks. In fact, she is doing so much better that we moved her into her own room this past weekend. We weren't able to do that before because she would choke and spit up so much at night, but she slept really well in her crib last night, and she's taking better naps in there than she was taking in her bouncy seat (yes, she has been sleeping in her bouncy seat for two months), and we are hoping that this good sleep continues. She is right on track with her growth (10 lbs 8 oz and 23 inches), and it looks like she is going to be tall and lean if her measurements stay on this path, but I am not really surprised by the tall part given that we Pace girls are all pretty tall. And Livie is cooing all the time, which is so much fun. Roman wasn't much of a coo-er, but this girl has got it down, and it makes me and Marc smile every time she does it. That's right. She already knows how to work it. We are in trouble.

For the last couple of months we have just been trying to get a handle on things, and I have learned quite a few things. I have learned that I just cannot nurse her while I am alone at the park or aquarium or beach or mall with the two of them, so she gets a bottle every now and then, and that's okay. I have learned that I need to make sure that Roman is completely set up (with a snack or toys or book) before I start nursing her at home otherwise he will just absolutely melt down. I have learned that sometimes Roman just has to go play by himself so that Livia can get her time in, too. I have learned that I need an hour and fifteen minutes, at the bare minimum, to get everyone out the door when I am by myself. I have learned that Marc and I make an awesome team; the adjustment to two babies was not nearly as stressful as the adjustment to one baby, and I really do think it's because Marc and I learned to communicate so, so much better after Roman was born. I have learned that Roman has to feel that there are things in this house that he just doesn't have to share with her (Marc bought him a set of Hot Wheels that are all his, and Rome loves them). I have learned that at the same time, Roman has to understand that there are things in this house that are special and just for Livia, her lion and pacifiers for example. I have learned that if I ever meet the people who came up with the little squeezable fruit/smoothie packages, I will open-mouth kiss them because those handy snacks are truly, truly life savers when Roman decides that he needs a snack NOW! and I am trying to either feed, clothe, or clean Livia. I am sure that I have much, much more to learn, but I am happy that I am getting the hang of all of this, slowly but surely... Well, it's either that I am getting the hang of it, or I am just getting used to living in total chaos.