Brian went into work this morning while Megan and Catie were still in the hospital, so I went over to the hospital to hang out with Megan on her first day alone with her little one. We are honestly like the blind leading the blind when the two of us are alone with the baby, and we are very anxious people to begin with (it is a family trait ;))...We actually called the nurse in one time to make sure Catie's face wasn't turning blue. And it turned out just to be the lighting! Without Brian around, we are a mess ;) BUT, we got MUCH better today without our Mom (Grandma) or Brian around. Megan changed her first diaper and I figured out how to get Catie to take a bottle when she would rather sleep (we tickle her cheek...and if she is really resistant we take off her hat, which wakes her up in a second and makes her a bit mad :)). We have to be super careful with her eating until she makes it over 6 lbs, so we keep having to wake her up to eat. She's now down to 5 lbs 9 oz so we have a little way to go...
They invited me to come spend the night with them tonight so I could babysit my 3 four-legged nieces, Lily, Sadie, and Abby. And I was SO excited and honored to be included in such a special day--Catie's first night home! I got to hold my darling little Catie for a long time while her parents got her room all situated, and I have decided that boppys are absolutely awesome--but I was clearly the aunt, as my left hand cradled the baby and my right hand held a glass of red wine! I guess I always thought bringing a baby home was so stressful and crazy, but it is so peaceful right now. I know in 2.5 hours, a commotion will start upstairs as the new Mommy and Daddy awake to feed little Catie... and I am 99% sure that Megan is not sleeping right now as it is. She is the HEAVIEST sleeper I have ever met, hands down, and I know this from living with her for close to 18 years! But, she has not been able to sleep for more than an hour at a time because of her hyper-awareness to Catie and Catie's erratic newborn breathing! I know I would be the same way... in fact, I am up right now wondering if there could be any risk of Catie having covered her nose with her shirt sleeve or somehow rolled into the blanket she is swaddled in--and she's not even mine!
Megan and Brian are actually asleep on two giant Papysan pillows on the floor next to Catie's crib right now because they couldn't get the monitor set up in time, the crib needs to be taken apart before it can be moved into the bedroom, AND they don't trust the sturdiness of the bassinet to hold their baby! We're all going to move the crib tomorrow unless the monitors will suffice. I know they are not getting a very good night's sleep, but I hope Megan is getting some rest-- she is beyond exhausted.
I am looking at three passed out dogs right now- Lily on the floor by my feet, Sadie on the big comfy chair and little Abby on the couch. It is so nice being around these guys because I am missing my hubby and my 4 babies like crazy. Taylor has been getting hourly updates on his niece, and he's been telling me all about my little ones at home. Apparantly he though that since Tubbs met his weight goal of 85 lbs, he was now allowed to eat the girls' food-and not his diet food, WITH the soft food we put in their food to entice them to eat. AS IF Tubbs needs anything to entice him to eat. Anyway, that explains why Tubbie has been following his daddy around the house so much! :). While I've been gone, Maggie has developed a new irrational fear of eating in the kitchen (this in addition to her fear of hanging lamps, ceiling fans, thunder, lightening, rain, the word "No", smoke, steam, beeping noses (I blame this on Taylor setting the fire alarm off with his fancy cooking creations-- like the huge flames from brandy catching on fire for his steak au poivre: )), suitcases, and Mom's camera--more to come, I'm sure ;)), Gamer has branched out from only growling at Tubbs during mealtime to growling at him anytime he comes within two inches of her (it's ok, she's all talk and even our sweet old man knows it), and she has claimed my spot in the bed... AND Pumpkin has started jumping in the bed each morning to greet Taylor and even snuck into the bed tonight while Taylor was brushing his teeth! I am a total homebody, so as much as I adore my new niece, I miss my little family every minute of every day. So it will be bittersweet when it comes time to leave her in a couple of days...so hard to leave my Catie but so exciting to see my family! I'll be back right after Christmas though, so that will make it bearable!
I'm hearing Megan's footsteps again upstairs...and there are now 3 sets of brown eyes looking at me, completely aware of the footsteps above them and wondering why they aren't sleeping in Mom and Dad's bed tonight! I'm going to go snuggle on the guest bed with them until we all fall asleep :) I love being an aunt!
2 comments:
The first few nights are the hardest, especially when they are not in the room with you. We put T into his crib immediately and the first night I stayed up all night watching him on the monitor and crying. When Warren asked what was wrong I told him, "He's all by himself. What if he's lonely?" and his response was, "he was all by himself in your tummy..he is fine." And he was...a lot better than I was. BUT, it's great having them in their own room. You get a much better nights sleep without waking to their every move...and believe me, they move and make all kinds of noises while they're sleeping. If Megan can hold out and keep Catie in her own room, their nights will be much better in the long run. Glad you are there experiencing it. It won't be long for you!!
Thanks so much for all your help. Brian, Catie and I appreciate you so much. We miss you already. You are an amazing sister and aunt. We love you lots. Hope you're relaxing with Taylor and the pups.
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