Second Verse, Not the Same as the First
I know that every child is different. And I was prepared for this baby to be just like Kayla or not at all like her. But I am a bit shocked at how different my two children are, already! In some ways, I thought all babies were similar. However, after having Isaac I can assure you that all babies are not similar! I hate to compare too much... I don't want to imply that one of my kids is better/worse than the other. It is just shocking to me how different they are. Kayla ate non-stop during the day and was waking us every 2-3 hours at night. Isaac goes through long stretches of the day in-between feedings, he cluster feeds like crazy in the evenings and then sleeps for large chunks of the night. I don't remember when Kayla started having a fussy time in the evenings; maybe it's too early for Isaac to have his time. But he is more or less content most of the time. He rarely cries; even when he has gas or when he is really hungry, he really only fusses a little bit. We always say that it is a treat for us to see his eyes - he is still sleeping most of the time! Kayla was a wide-eye baby and spent large chunks of time during the day in the quiet-alert stage. I think maybe because Isaac came early that he is still spending so much time sleeping... but we are enjoying this newborn stage a lot!
It is so fun watching Kayla develop into the role of a big sister. She seems to honestly love Isaac. She is very protective of him. She likes to make sure he is happy and content. She'll bring a stuffed animal over to him and lay it next to him in the swing. If I am busy (like making her lunch) and he is fussy, she'll put a blanket around his waist and make him snug as a bug and gently pat him and say, "It's ok, Isaac". She'll try to find a way to calm him down. She also loves to hold him (and doesn't like it when we try to help her! Once he is in her arms she wants us to leave her alone!). We are still working on the "gentle" part of things... she loves to hug and kiss him, but that hug is a little rough and she sticks her face to his lips so he can kiss her back (which makes me a little nervous!). But it's so cute that she does that! I expected her to do well, but she is doing even better than I'd hoped. Of course she is acting up a little bit... she doesn't like that I don't have and can't give her the kind of attention that she's used to. It was really helpful to have my mom out here for the first 3 weeks.... then Kayla had someone able to focus on her, and make the transition so much easier.
It is really different this time around. There are many times I say to myself that I wish Isaac could be my first child all over again. I hate that I'm not able to spend all day snuggling with him, caring for him, picking him up the second he asks for it, etc. I am just unable to give him the kind of attention I was able to give Kayla because she was my first. I've actually cried over this many times, and I'm sure more tears will be shed on it in the future.
I'm also finding things much easier this time around. My recovery from childbirth has been much faster. With Kayla, I was overwhelmed by everything. It seemed impossible for me to do anything (go to the bathroom, make myself lunch, anything really) and I assumed I would struggle with those things again. When I'm just with Isaac, things are EASY! I wonder why I struggled with that the first time around! I guess that's the confidence and knowledge of this being my second time around. I'm still learning how to manage with two alone (I've only had them for 4 days, thanks to all the help and support of my mom and mom-in-law). But the adjustment is going really well.
I said this in a post before Isaac was born, but having a sibling is new territory for me. Being an only child, I just didn't know what to expect. And I love seeing the sibling relationship form between my two kids. I've seen Isaac smile at Kayla when she’s entertaining him and she gets so excited, and I know this is just the beginning. I just love watching them together and can't wait for what the future holds for all of us!