12 weeks in! 12 weeks of learning how to be a mum of two girls. Mostly, it’s been so good. I’m thoroughly enjoying having two gorgeous girls to keep me on my toes. Like I said in my last post, it is easier than I imagined it would be but that is probably down to Isla being an ‘easier’ baby.
I’m still breastfeeding, which I’m loving! I don’t have to think about prepping/cleaning bottles which is just another thing to do. Plus, leaving the house is a lot easier too. As long as I have nappies, wipes and a muslin, we know we’ll be okay!
The only problem we’re finding at the moment is that Isla won’t take a bottle now. I think we’ve perhaps left it too long to start introducing one properly and now it’s become a bit of a battle. We’ve decided that Josh is going to give her her morning feed, when he can. Rather than trying on an evening when I’m out and she’s tired and it’s just that time of the day where she wants her mum. Any tips please feel free to share but I will update on progress in a month or two – depending on when I get chance to write another post!
Although at first we didn’t get any jealousy from Mali, we have, over the last few weeks, had to intervene when she has slapped Isla. It tends to happen when I’m holding her and someone else is talking to us, so I think it is an attention thing. We’re trying now not to give it much acknowledgment, just tell her it’s wrong and then get up and walk away because we have realised that the more attention she gets from it, the more it riles her up to do it again. I’m hoping this ‘phase’ will go and quickly as it came about but let’s see…
After writing the above at 12 weeks postpartum, I then didn’t get chance to finish writing this post. So here we are at 15 weeks postpartum. A lot has actually seemed to change since writing the above. Mali did actually stop hitting Isla for a while and has only just done it once lately. The walking away did work! We are now in cold and flu season. Both babes have had snotty noses. Isla is waking frequently as she’s been struggling to breathe through her nose, so I am feeling exhausted lately. I’m looking forward to it shifting and only waking once or twice a night again instead of every 2 hours. However, I am not looking forward to that 4 month regression. I don’t actually remember it much with Mali as she was a crap sleeper anyway but everyone seems to say it is the worst regression… so we’ll see how we survive that one! The winding/burping has got a lot easier already. We can get a good burp out of her straight after a feed and lie her down without any fuss. She is becoming a proper little person, the way she looks at you and smiles, the way her face lights up when she sees Mali, the way she always lifts her right arm up to touch my face when I’m holding her. She’s so different in looks to Mali. So much fairer skinned, lighter eyes, shorter I think?! I can’t believe she’s mine actually! If I’d have had her in hospital I’d almost be sure I’d be given the wrong baby but there was definitely no chance of that after having her at home!
With Christmas fast approaching I’m really looking forward to making the house super cosy. This will be Mali’s first Christmas where she will understand a bit more of what’s happening and can open presents and get excited about it. I had hoped to get the tree up this weekend but with us doing a bit of work in the kitchen it just hasn’t been tidy enough, so I’ll get it up this week one day when M is at playgroup. Then she’ll have a huge shock when she gets home! I can’t wait to see her face, she really does pull some of the best faces.
The pictures taken and used in this post are from a lovely little yomp up to Orrest Head. It’s a short walk, taking only around half an hour or so to reach the view point – going at toddler speed. There are also these lovely wooden carvings of the characters from the Gruffalo which Mali loved! We then stopped off and had lunch at Homeground in Windermere. A perfect snowy Friday for our 11 year anniversary!