My first post...

Well, here goes my attempt to document what's going on in our household. I'm almost hesitant to even attempt this because I know I'm really bad about following through and keeping up with journals, etc.

As most of you know, we just recently became a family of four. Our sweet baby girl, Emerson Brooke, entered the world on June 30, 2008 and life will never be the same. She is the sweetest thing. She is turning out to be a much different baby from her brother, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that she will be a much different toddler. She is a bit needy right now, and Cooper was always very content. She likes to see me and she likes to be held. I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that she was held for the first month of her life, as our house was full of loving family. I'm happy to hold her too. This will likely be our last, so I'm trying to savor every moment. Today was a good day though, she actually self soothed herself back to sleep in her crib. I was very proud, as this usually doesn't end up well. She usually will only nap in her crib for a short while. She sleeps really well at night though. I can't complain about that, as she really only got up once or twice from the very beginning. We manage to sleep from about 10:30pm to around 5am on most nights. Seems like she's been having a growth spurt the past few days, as she has demanded more food more often. She has also grown to love the swing in the past few days. I actually turned the cradle portion around to swing from front to back, and she definitely likes that much better. Thank goodness for that. I've tried all of her little stations lately, and she didn't seem to like anything for long. She just loves the warmth of a body.

Cooper seems to be adjusting pretty well to the new addition. Of course it's a change, as he has always received 100% of our attention. We're working on that now, and we want to make sure he still knows that he is still such a special part of our lives. While my mom and brother were visiting, we tried to take him with us alone. That seems to help. It's hard to do that now that all of our family is gone. It's quite difficult being somewhere with no immediate family. We are adjusting though. He is still quite active, everyone says he's just being a 3 year old boy. I hope they are right. We need a break soon. We have had some really great days this week. He is working on his listening skills. He really seems to love being a big brother, as long as it means he doesn't have to do anything to help. He things getting me a diaper or wipe is "hard work". He just seems so big to me now. He still doesn't weigh much, but that's only because he runs off every calorie he takes into his little body. Bless him! I sure do love that little boy!!

Brooks is adjusting well to being a father of two. His little girl has him wrapped around her little finger already. He really just loves to look at her. It's so hard for both of us to believe we finally have a little girl. I longed for this for so long. After all of the fertility issues, it's just hard to believe we were blessed with one of each, who could ask for anything better? We have both made a conscious effort to be very gentle and kind to each other. There is just so much love in this house, there is no reason to forget about that. We are trying to help and support each other. I know I really try extra hard during the day to keep our house clean. He is such a great cook, and I do appreciate that. He also takes over on the weekends, when I know he would rather get his sleep. I do respect his work schedule during the week, and don't ask him to get up to feed Emme or get bottles. It's definitely a partnership, and I love him to death for that.

As for me, things are going pretty well. I do feel a bit exhausted most of the time, but I think that's just an adjustment. I love my sleep. I'm learning to deal with less sleep again. It's not as shocking as it was the first time. As a matter of fact, everything just seems to be easier this time. I always wondered if I would remember what to do, and everyone was right, you just remember. I did have a more complicated and painful recovery from the c-section this time. I was much more sore this time, but they say each time is different. I have also suffered from severe headaches since the day Emme was born. They are quite painful and much like migraines. I've always been a migraine sufferer, but they seemed to subside when I got pregnant with Cooper. I didn't have any trouble during this pregnancy, but they are back with a vengeance now. I'm hoping someone can do something to give me some relief, because it's really hard to function these days. I know I wouldn't be able to make it if Cooper wasn't going to daycare. I have an appointment with my endocrinologist in the new few weeks, and I'm hoping she can help when she starts me back on my meds for the PCOS. I have a feeling it's just hormones.

As I sit here typing, I think this might be very therapeutic. I could possibly keep this up if time permits. I'll just have to make time, right? Well, I should end now, it's time to get sweet Emme ready for bed. Until tomorrow......Goodnight!