And this.
Seriously. She's adorable.
I've been kind of desperate to find some kind of creative outlet since Charlotte was born but haven't had the time. Obviously. Anyway, as I was getting out some of the girls' summer clothes I found a few sleeveless dresses that were cute, but we're trying to get away from sleeveless things since Emily is getting older. I decided to make them into skirts! Who doesn't love skirts in the summer?! Anyway, here they are. It was the perfect project because each skirt took 20-30 minutes to convert.
Nathalie has taken the adjustment pretty well. She isn't too jealous of Charlotte. Our biggest problem with her is that she's two. And into everything. Everything. If I have ONE item in the entire house that she shouldn't touch and it's hidden under 15 things beyond her reach she will find it and destroy it or something with it. I am not kidding.
She's also learning how to throw a good tantrum. Screaming, "too tight" syndrome, flopping down on her bottom, hitting, pinching and running away from me are regular behaviors in our household. Luckily since this is the second time around I don't get irritated. Also I realize that it's just a stage and it doesn't bother me anymore. Between tantrums she's very loving and happy and we thoroughly enjoy her. She also loves Charlotte and gives her a lot of kisses.
Surprisingly Emily has had the harder transition with Charlotte. She's been acting out a lot more (pinching, defiance, screaming, hurting her sister and disobeying). Like always traditional discipline methods don't work and we're struggling on how to get the message across. We're working really hard to show positive attention to counteract all the negative attention she's seeking.
She's also very jealous of Charlotte. By that, I mean she's jealous when anyone but her is holding Charlotte because she wants to be the one to hold her. She ignores me when I tell her to not pick Charlotte up, walk/stand with her, etc. She wants to be Charlotte's primary caregiver and gets frustrated even at me for not allowing her. She's also been very clingy and needy for me and has started calling me "Mama" and being less independent. It's like having a teenager.
Nathalie at about a month old.
Emily at a month old, with her eyes open.
Emily at a month, sleeping. I wanted you to see her nose. All three girls have the same nose.
Hair makes such a difference!
Charlotte is a good sleeper at night (mainly because she sleeps with me and nurses constantly. And by constantly, I mean constantly.) She needs quiet to sleep during the day though, which is hard to come by in our household. We're trying to find a spot that keeps her apart from her sisters and is quiet. We haven't found one yet. Matt and I are rethinking the whole "let's make it work in our two-bedroom" idea now! She is a huge cuddler and loves to cuddle while she's sleeping. I love it too.
Charlotte is my best nurser. It took a good two weeks to get our first pain-free latch, but once she figured it out we've had almost smooth sailing. I got mastitis after 2 1/2 weeks, just like I did with Nathalie, but caught it quickly and was able to recover quickly too. Charlotte loves to nurse. She refuses to take a pacifier. She typically gets fussy around 7:30 or 8 every night (yeah, I know. Great timing). And wants to nurse almost continually until she falls asleep between 9:30 and 10:30. It definitely makes the girls' bedtime a little bit harder and Charlotte typically is left to cry a little while we get jammies and brush teeth!
She is an average baby. She loves to be moving and isn't one of those babies that will happily lay on a blanket for a long time while they are awake. She wants to be held constantly and you have to move, rock, jiggle, swing or whatever. She definitely does not like dirty diapers and is very fussy if she has one. She is also really gassy and even though I've tried cutting out different things in my diet, it doesn't seem to make a difference to her. We have to bicycle her legs and help her along in that department a couple of times a day, as well as burp her really well.
She is starting to give us smiles! She definitely loves it when you talk to her. She is not a huge fan of Emily.....mainly because Emily won't leave her alone. Too bad for Em, since Emily adores her. Charlotte is starting to coo too, mostly when Matt or I hold her. She really loves being on her tummy, sleeping or not. She's starting to chunk out too, which I love. While I miss the predictability and ease of my life before her, it's hard to imagine us without her now.
My mom left on Saturday and Matt (who didn't have to work over the weekend) went to work tonight. It's official -- I have to function again.
Easter dresses from Oldemor.
Four-wheeling with Dad.
One of the few moments she fell asleep without nursing.
Like attracts like.
Beautiful.
Daddy's little girl.
Big sister gift was a kite. Best gift idea ever.
A little cuddle time.