Life with Liza.

How can this baby only be 3.5 weeks old?

It seems like she has been a member of our family for years.

She seamlessly slipped into our little life and routine

without even a bump in the road.

Seriously.

A 2nd child is truly a blessing.

Taylor and I have confidence in our parenting skills and we were already accustomed to a short little someone dictating our days.

So what is one more little person thrown into the mix?

Life has marched on in a wonderful way!

Liza is a perfect baby.

Let's hope I'm not about to jinx our relationship with this child.

I put her to bed immediately after Henry goes to sleep, usually around 7:30. For the past several nights, she lays down without a peep as long as her swaddle is tight and her white noise machine is turned on. She wakes up to nurse and for a diaper change between 1-3 and then wakes again between 5-6. Her next wake up is usually around 7:30 and we are up for the day. I am fully aware that nighttime patterns can permanently change on any given day but I am loving the long stretch of sleep.

How can I feel so well rested with a newborn and toddler?

Crazy.

She is a happy little nurser, just like her big brother was. Our breastfeeding relationship was easy from day 1 and for that I am thankful!

Liza does not like a wet diaper or a dirty diaper to touch her precious little bum. I love our cloth diapers even more now that we have two little ones. It honestly blows my mind the amount of money people must spend on disposable diapers. We would be broke as a joke between these two little poopers.

Liza is still spending most of her day in the Maya Wrap ring sling but I am starting to lay her down on the sheepskin when she is awake and happy. Breakfast is even more enjoyable with her little face staring at us from the table.

Everywhere we go, comments abound about her hair. Apparently, everyone's brother/sister/son/daughter/cousin/niece/nephew was born with quite a bit of dark hair too. Nice knowing she is in good company! I am loving her hair as I firmly believe good hair is an important quality in life. It is quite a bit thinner than it was at birth but she still has a head full.

Please add her hair to your nightly prayer list.

We need it to stay thick and full and not recess into the little old man fringe.

Some things are important.

Enough bragging....

We did have one afternoon and evening consisting of nothing but screaming for about 6 hours. At first, I was worried her arm or leg was broken but by the end of the night, I worried only about myself and my sanity. I officially give parents of colicky babies applause for their patience. The screaming seriously put me over the edge. We have no idea why she had a horrible afternoon but she slept like her normal self that night and thankfully, she was perfectly content the next day.

Back to bragging...

I gave Liza a pacifier for the first time a few nights ago. She looooved it. She sucked and sucked for about 45 minutes with her eyes rolling back into her head in sheer bliss. At this point, I am leaving the paci in her crib and giving it to her when she is fussy during her nap or if she doesn't want to go right back to sleep at night. Our arrangement is working well. I am her paci during most of her day and that is the way I like it!

A major goal of mine is to have both babies on the same nap schedule as soon as possible. Henry naps 3-3.5 hours each afternoon and it is my daily saving grace. As soon as he is down, I wrap Liza in the swaddle blanket, sing my little sleepy song and put her down in the crib. Of course, as a newborn she is sleeping on and off all day long but this arrangement is working well at the moment and I get a few hours of total peace and quiet during the middle of the day.

All in all, she is doing everything a tiny baby is supposed to do:

Eat? Check.

Sleep? Check.

Poop? Check.

Look cute while doing it? Check.

I'm pretty sure she is one of the two best babies I've ever known.