Day #2...
When Eisley was a baby, I was very sensitive to her crying. In fact, I am still quite sensitive to little kids crying. (Like when I'm at Target at 8:00 and I see these kids being dragged out by their parents when clearly they should be at home in bed, like my kid is!) When Soren arrived, he actually cried very little in the hospital (unlike his sister). It wasn't until the gassiness/air bubble epidemic and diaper rash developed that his waking hours became the opposite...that is, mostly crying, trying to work through these issues. This time around, though, I am dealing with the crying much better. Granted, I hate it. I hate that part of the issue (the rash) could have been prevented. And I hate that there is little we can do about his immature digestive system, though we are trying all we can.
On the other hand, Soren's crying was extremely upsetting to Eisley at first, causing her to cry as well. Now she seems to be much more used to it, which is a good thing I guess (not having to console 2 children at once).
Today presented an interesting new phenomenon, however. Two kids taking their turns crying for a couple of hours. I thought I would take Eisley for a walk in our new double stroller, but by the time we got outside it was noon. And even though our weather has been cooler here, today, at noon, it was over 80F, which was just too hot for me. Plus, it really was lunch time, so I needed to keep us on a somewhat regular schedule (even though we had a very late breakfast). Eisley, however, thinks that every time she gets to go for a walk it means that she gets to go to the playground. So, when we arrived back home after our short walk, she was outraged. Soren was sleeping soundly. And he continued to do so while Eisley cried hysterically. At first she remained in the stroller right next to Soren. When she started to sound freaked out, I went back to get her and physically forced her out. (Have I mentioned how much heavier she seems now??) I brought her to her room, thinking she'd go for her dolly and pacifier, but she would not be distracted from her goal of going to the playground. When I did momentarily calm her down, she and I talked for a few moments, but she kept reacting very poorly. She kind of shout/growls out her "NO!" and tenses her whole body. This seems to be unacceptable behavior, so I try to correct it each time. But this time she was continuing to do it, so I had to put her in time out. I think this is the 3rd time she's ever gone, and I'm not sure how much it helped. But I guess it's more the principle of the matter.
Somehow, I convinced her that she was indeed hungry and she seemed to calm down to the idea of eating. So, I prepared her food and got her started eating. I then began to prepare my food, only to hear a little boy waking up. I then stopped preparing my food and attended to his needs...changing his diaper--a few times. Trying to feed him. But he just couldn't be placated. His poor tummy was just not happy, so he was rather fussy and, well, crying. I also needed to get Eisley down for her nap. So, while Soren was crying and fussing, I prepared Eisley's milk, got her changed, newly diapered and ready for bed. I then proceeded to attempt to read to her while holding a very fussy/crying baby, which wasn't exactly all that calming, if you can imagine. I also sang to Eisley over Soren's fussing and prayed with her. Even though she was still trying to get a proper story out of me, I had to just tell her good night and leave. It then took me another 30 minutes or so to calm Soren down, which I finally succeeded in doing when he fell asleep. Oh sweet mercy.
And to my surprise, Eisley actually fell asleep. I totally did not expect that to happen. But at that point I did not follow the adage of sleeping when baby sleeps because, in my book, food is actually slightly more important. I made some lunch and sat down to relax and eat in peace. It was a nice little reprieve, albeit unexpected. Perhaps I will make it through all of this with more than a slim margin of survival. :-) I may actually get into a groove...although it will probably be a groove that changes regularly, as one can never predict the sleeping patterns of my kids (though I still have hopes for Soren's sleep!).
Here's hoping that tomorrow is met with less tears. And on a positive note, I should mention that I actually got up, dressed and put make up on (to look a little less tired) all before getting Eisley out of bed. Not counting on that happening every day, but it gives me hope!
On the other hand, Soren's crying was extremely upsetting to Eisley at first, causing her to cry as well. Now she seems to be much more used to it, which is a good thing I guess (not having to console 2 children at once).
Today presented an interesting new phenomenon, however. Two kids taking their turns crying for a couple of hours. I thought I would take Eisley for a walk in our new double stroller, but by the time we got outside it was noon. And even though our weather has been cooler here, today, at noon, it was over 80F, which was just too hot for me. Plus, it really was lunch time, so I needed to keep us on a somewhat regular schedule (even though we had a very late breakfast). Eisley, however, thinks that every time she gets to go for a walk it means that she gets to go to the playground. So, when we arrived back home after our short walk, she was outraged. Soren was sleeping soundly. And he continued to do so while Eisley cried hysterically. At first she remained in the stroller right next to Soren. When she started to sound freaked out, I went back to get her and physically forced her out. (Have I mentioned how much heavier she seems now??) I brought her to her room, thinking she'd go for her dolly and pacifier, but she would not be distracted from her goal of going to the playground. When I did momentarily calm her down, she and I talked for a few moments, but she kept reacting very poorly. She kind of shout/growls out her "NO!" and tenses her whole body. This seems to be unacceptable behavior, so I try to correct it each time. But this time she was continuing to do it, so I had to put her in time out. I think this is the 3rd time she's ever gone, and I'm not sure how much it helped. But I guess it's more the principle of the matter.
Somehow, I convinced her that she was indeed hungry and she seemed to calm down to the idea of eating. So, I prepared her food and got her started eating. I then began to prepare my food, only to hear a little boy waking up. I then stopped preparing my food and attended to his needs...changing his diaper--a few times. Trying to feed him. But he just couldn't be placated. His poor tummy was just not happy, so he was rather fussy and, well, crying. I also needed to get Eisley down for her nap. So, while Soren was crying and fussing, I prepared Eisley's milk, got her changed, newly diapered and ready for bed. I then proceeded to attempt to read to her while holding a very fussy/crying baby, which wasn't exactly all that calming, if you can imagine. I also sang to Eisley over Soren's fussing and prayed with her. Even though she was still trying to get a proper story out of me, I had to just tell her good night and leave. It then took me another 30 minutes or so to calm Soren down, which I finally succeeded in doing when he fell asleep. Oh sweet mercy.
And to my surprise, Eisley actually fell asleep. I totally did not expect that to happen. But at that point I did not follow the adage of sleeping when baby sleeps because, in my book, food is actually slightly more important. I made some lunch and sat down to relax and eat in peace. It was a nice little reprieve, albeit unexpected. Perhaps I will make it through all of this with more than a slim margin of survival. :-) I may actually get into a groove...although it will probably be a groove that changes regularly, as one can never predict the sleeping patterns of my kids (though I still have hopes for Soren's sleep!).
Here's hoping that tomorrow is met with less tears. And on a positive note, I should mention that I actually got up, dressed and put make up on (to look a little less tired) all before getting Eisley out of bed. Not counting on that happening every day, but it gives me hope!
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