the last five weeks have been eye-opening. i've learned a lot, grown a lot, slept a lot, and stunk a lot. being a mommy of two is different than being a mommy of one. but i love the experience, i love falling more and more in love with each of my girls every day, and i love that i've had half this summer to focus on just that ... well, sort of.
i'll start with how this summer has gone. it's been a huge blessing staying with my parents in their basement. for one thing, i often times have built in babysitters-- free babysitters. another, zenna gets to run around and play outside, visit animals, and develop a love for nature. it's been wonderful staying with a nurse during the pregnancy recovery process (and i literally get more infections after having a baby than anyone i've ever heard of!) ... and benefiting from being well-taken care of myself. so, the summer started off busy. drake works full-time and usually gets home around 7 pm. we had started really going out and searching for houses and it was hard scheduling this around drake's work schedule. sometimes, i'd go preview the houses first, then take drake to my favorites on his lunch break the next day. when we finally found a house that we agreed on, we began the process of financing the home. things only got busier. almost every day, i'd get a new phone call or email requesting more information, signatures, payments to insurances, or trips into town. after five weeks, we finally closed on the home!
in the middle of all this, isla was born! we were adjusting to being a new family of four, i was recovering, and we were trying to stay on top of everything! always in the back of my mind was my new classroom and plans i needed to be making. this was always a little stressful too. i needed to gather a lot of paperwork and fork out a lot more money to get my utah teaching license transferred to an idaho license- and more paperwork and money to work through a loan forgiveness program.
so, although i did have the summer "off", i can't remember the last time i was this busy! plus, my patience and ability to control my emotions was being challenged dealing with zenna and isla. there have been complete breakdowns, and i don't usually reach that point. but, i think it was healthy and i learned from them, and moved on. see? growth!
in the first five weeks, we've fallen in love with isla.
she has got to weigh 12 lbs by now. she has a healthy double chin, ever-growing stomach bulge, and fattening cheeks.
she eats, and eats, and eats, and eats! that is the only way to sooth her- and this time, we've managed to stay 100% nursing!
everyone comments on her hair. she has a lot, and it is usually sticking straight up.
i don't often put headbands or bows in it because i find something quite charming in the way it is just a crazy head of hair that looks so strange on such a tiny body!
she usually looks like she just got electrocuted.
she is also known for her scowl. although her temperament is not grumpy, her face is usually displaying unhappiness. her eyebrows are distinctive and furrow deeply. and her mouth with fabulous, luscious lips hangs open in a frown or discontented expression.
but.... she truly is an easy-going, calm baby!
she cries when she wants to eat, and if she's having trouble getting her digestive system worked out, but that's really all.
she seems to be a mama's girl already. she will calm down a lot faster in mommy's arms than anyone else's. i love it.
her eyes are lighter every day, and we're convinced she might be my blue-eyed-girl.
she prefers to sleep in the carseat where she's a little propped up, and i will always try to put her back in the crib or seat after eating in the night. zenna still spends the majority of nights in our bed, and things get a little dangerous.
speaking of the nighttime, isla is similar to zenna in the fact that she just wakes up twice to eat, then immediately goes back to sleep. so i get plenty of sleep too!
she loves to be in the bath. i like to get in with them because it's easier, less painful, and slightly relaxing for me too. she enjoys very warm water and coos or sometimes smiles in the water.
she has been lifting her head like a champ since we brought her home, and loves to pick her head up to look around.
she prefers to face out, rather than in, but does like to snuggle close on her belly.
zenna hasn't shown any signs of jealousy- only affection. she gives kisses continuously all day long, brings binkies when she's crying, and wants to help with diaper changes. zenna is truly a helpful big sister and i think she loves playing with a real baby.
life has turned into a beautiful journey!
already learning profanity ...
okay, now a lot of people say she looks like drake and the may's. which, she does. but after this next picture, you have to give my genes some credit too!!
and finally, i saved the best for last. i found some time to take my girls to carrie yost, a family friend and our forever photographer, to get a quick shoot of the girls. i couldn't be more happy with the results! what a fun shoot, and beautiful girls i have!
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