Halftime

8 weeks ago, tomorrow, Anna was born. 8 weeks ago our family expanded from three to four. 8 weeks from tomorrow I, sigh, return to work (why does the time have to fly by so quickly?!?).

Lessons I have learned in less than two short months...

• Two kids are more than twice the work but about four times as much fun.
  

• It is possible to love both children equally. Adoring Lily as much as I do, I never thought I'd be able to love another child as much. But what I've found is that I do love Anna as much as I love Lily...and seeing Lily being so good with the baby has made me love her even more. I suppose our hearts just grow, exponentially, with each child.
  

• Call it "new math" but 2 children + 1 mother + 1 father = 2 single parents. Without even planning for it, Noah and I immediately hit the "divide and conquer" button. He now assumes 90% of the responsibility for Lily while I assume 90% of the responsibility for Anna. Noah has definitely risen to the challenge.
  

• Not all babies are the same. Silly me. I assumed that because I was having another girl she'd end up being a mini Lily. Nothing could be further from the truth. I adore my sweet little Anna, but I'll finally admit -- out loud -- that she's a fussy baby. Definitely not colic, thank goodness, but she's fussy. Lily had a temper and could go from smile and coos to blood-curdling screams in no time flat. Anna doesn't have that streak, but she's much more particular than Lily ever was. Perhaps it's because just about anything could soothe Lily -- she was a pacifier addict; switched between the breast and bottle without batting an eye; had a lovey that she, well, loved. With Anna, on the other hand, I've had to try every brand and make of pacifier on the market...to no avail. She doesn't care for bottles, although I try her on one every day knowing that, 8 weeks from today, it's the only way she's going to be able to eat (no pressure there!!). I do see some signs that, perhaps, she is just taking her time to find her own means of comfort in the form of thumb sucking. Time will tell, I guess, especially as she gains more control over her hands. Can't say that I blame her. I was a major thumb sucker and, no, I won't admit for how long. ;) Suffice it to say, we can already tell that the girls are their own little people.
  

I continue to try to live in the moment. Enjoy this time I have, alone, with Anna. Work will come all too quickly. 8 weeks to be exact. I know that once I don't have this time with her I'll miss even her fussiness. Until then, she does reward me, quite often, with smiles that make my heart explode. This just started a few days ago....but, oh how it makes us all, especially Lily, just want to eat her up! Click below to enjoy the "halftime" show.

Special Day

Some of my best childhood memories -- from summers spent splashing in their black bottom pool to my sweet sixteen garden party at their Old Town house -- involve David and Marianne Ginsburg.  

Uncle David -- my maternal grandmother's first cousin -- and Nana, as we affectionately refer to them, invited Anna and me over to their house today for lunch.  This was Anna's formal introduction to the family patriarch.  

Lily was named in honor of my grandmother (Dorothy Lewis Polan) and Anna in honor of my grandfather (Lake Polan Jr.).  Both Grandad and Memaw were extraordinarily important to me...and, quite frankly, still are.  It gave me incredible pleasure...and great pride...to introduce Anna to Uncle David and Nana.  Since Memaw and Grandad will never hold her, it was especially important that 96 year old Uncle David got to.

  

I was amazed by her response to him.  She was more alert than I've ever seen her, more peaceful than I've ever seen her, and I've never seen so many smiles erupt on that little face of hers than I did today.  It was a very special day indeed!

Friends and Family

It's been a busy week with visits from lots of friends and family!

Anna with my very tired brother, Uncle Alfie (aka Lowell).  Full disclosure -- so this pic was taken weeks and weeks ago but somehow never got posted (Noah's sister was here visiting the baby a few weeks ago too and, I fear, we didn't take any pictures....SORRY SARA!)

It was so much fun introducing Baby Anna to our Cousin Anna who just returned from her JUNIOR (I remember when Cousin Anna was a tiny baby!!) year in college.

Cousins Gail, Anna and Lydia 

Some of our favorite Lexington, KY people -- the Lamberts -- visited us on their Washington, DC trip.  Lily couldn't have been more thrilled to see her big girl friend, Wrennie.

Lily and Wrennie washing off after swimming at the hotel pool.

Lily and Wrennie playing panda at the Zoo

Lily and Justin P. -- VERY dirty after lots of fun!

Generations

Few people have NOT heard the story about how I met Lisa J., but I still think it's a remarkable one. Given the size of this city...and the proximity of Sibley Hospital to their Capitol Hill homes (not exactly next door)...that my mom would end up with a roommate who also happened to deliver a little girl (I'm a day and a half older, although I've got to give Lisa the "wiser" designation) and who happened to live a few blocks away (they didn't know each other beforehand) was just plain good luck.

The amazing part is that 33 years later not only are we friends but we both have little girls AND the girls happen to be in school together.

Lisa kept the tradition alive and delivered Lauren at Sibley Hospital 18 months ago. I'm the traitor having delivered at both George Washington University Hospital (Lily) and Virginia Hospital Center (Anna).

It was great fun to introduce Anna to Lisa and "Baby Lauren."

Happy Memorial Day!

Hard to believe that it's Memorial Day already, the official start to summer. Then again, since I no longer have to report to an office each day, time has taken on an entirely different meaning. Friday is no different to me than Wednesday or Sunday; a holiday weekend no different than a regular one. That being said, I certainly have enjoyed a longer than normal weekend with Lily and Noah around.

Our neighborhood pool opened on Saturday. We were there for the festivities. Noah and I decided to bail on cooking for the night (doesn't take much to convince us!), and we ate at the pool's greasy spoon of a snack bar. "Ants in her pants" Lily took a pretty bad spill from the picnic table, hitting her head what seemed like a zillion times on the way to the ground. I suppose it was all the more appropriate that I yelled out "Jesus!" when I saw her tumbling to the ground -- after all, it is a Knights of Columbus pool club. Thankfully, Lily is as hard headed as both her parents and doesn't seem any worse for the wear.

Today we headed out to a major bash, hosted by Fleishman-Hillard's vice chairman and his wife. They have an expansive home in Potomac, MD and put on quite the fete. Lily rocked out to her new favorite song on the way there -- I Like To Move It by Crazy Frog (I fear that she's gotten my sense of rhythm and not Noah's). Come to think of it, she sort of looks like a crazy frog dancing away in her car seat. Check her out!

A hot dog, ice cream and some moon bouncing later, Lily crashed hard on the way home. Anna, who slept through the entire party, woke up the minute we pulled in to the driveway (guess we're not napping today!). A clean diaper and a clean outfit later (if it doesn't come out one end it manages to come out the other...without fail!), she and Noah are now chilling on the couch catching up on TiVo.

Happy Memorial Day to you all. Hope the holiday is full of great grilling and a frosty one!

Time Flies

Ok, so it's totally cliche, but it really does seem like just yesterday that Anna was born.  I can't believe she's already 6 weeks old.  I can't believe that I only have 10 weeks of maternity leave left.  I'm trying to live in the present (not the future) and enjoy the time that I do have.

What struck me most seeing Anna next to Austin yesterday was how much she's grown (and grown up) in the last 6 weeks.  She's looking more and more like a big, fat happy baby and less and less like a newborn.  I got my first smile -- not a gassy or dreamy smile but a whole-face-ear-to-ear-grin because she recognized me.  Makes all those early morning feedings that much more worthwhile!  

I'm not sure that we can yet tell what her little personality will be like, but she seems pretty easygoing.  Feed her.  Burp her.  Change her.  She's happy.

At my 6 week post partum OB appointment, the office gave us a little gift that Anna is wearing in these pics.  Even though both my nurse and doctor almost missed the delivery, Dr. Crowther made it just in the nick of time and certainly did deliver!

First Date

People often ask me if/how things are different the second time around.  The short and easy answer to that question is, well, lots.  Far too much to itemize. However, the biggest difference is, perhaps, that the moment Lily was born our lives suddenly started orbiting around her. When Anna was born, well, our lives still revolve around Lily.

That's why I was so happy to be able to sneak away today to our friends Christi and Ken's house for a triple play date -- Noah and Ken went biking, Christi and I got to gab about babies and Anna (6 weeks yesterday) got to have her first play date with Baby Austin Young (11 days).  Yes, this was all about Anna and Austin.  Even at 6 weeks she's not shy with the men; darling Anna loved snuggling up to her new little buddy!

Mealtime at the Zoo

As smart as Lily is (yes, I am biased...but others have said it too!), she seems to have amnesia most days and cannot remember (a) what she did at school (b) with whom she did it and (c) what she ate for lunch and/or snack (usually tells me that she just didn't eat).

So imagine my shock when earlier tonight, for the first time EVER, she started rattling off today's menu.

"Mommy, do you know what I ate for lunch? Cheese, salad with dressing, ice cold leche and something that starts with "pah"...can you guess?"

"Pasta?" I responded.

"That's right, Mommy! You're so smart in your brain!"

Lordy she cracks me up. She also told me tonight that she and Nettie (my mom) were going to "party it up" (and I do quote -- can't make this stuff up) tomorrow night. Because, of course, you know, they're party girls.

Clearly her sense of humor comes from Noah; wish I could take credit, but her wit far exceeds mine...even at three. And her sense of adventure comes from my mom...skipped over me and went straight to her.

Leaps and Bounds

Transformations in our house are nothing short of amazing these days.

 Sweet Anna, who is still fighting off her first cold, weighed in at a WHOPPING 10 pounds 14 ounces at 5 weeks 1 day (for those of you who are counting, she's essentially gained 4 pounds in 5 weeks -- and every one of my arm muscles feels the weight gain intensely!) and has almost lost her newborn-sounding cry.  As quickly as Lily grew at this age, I think that Anna is even outpacing her big sister.  

Having now spent 5 weeks gazing at Anna morning, noon, and night, I think that she and Lily may share some characteristics (same nose, similar mouths) but I've come to think that Anna looks nothing like Lily did as a newborn.

And Lily, who we always joke is 3 going on 16, has now convinced me that she's really 3 going on 30.  Noah and I have been taking the most amazing parenting workshop for the last 2 weeks (2 more to go and then, hopefully, we won't totally screw our kids up!).  First week was about "I" statements vs. "you" statements and displaying empathy (marriage counseling 101).  Second week was about alternatives to "no" and choices.  

Lily, who must be taking the course behind our backs, is now using all the new techniques ON US!  From "I'm feeling sad and frustrated today, Mommy and Daddy, so I don't think I should go to school" to "Mommy, do you want to put your shoes on in here or over there," Lily's got our new strategy pegged.  Once again, she's one step ahead of us!

Firsts

The last week has seen a number of firsts for us.  The only "bummer" has been Anna's first cold; I'll spare you that one (although please empathize with me as I've slept sitting up for the last 3 nights because it's the only position that allows her to breathe...sort of).

Anna and I had our first PACE meeting yesterday, a mom's support group (this one for second time moms).  I loved getting to meet other moms with babies the same age as Anna...hear their stories...and brainstorm with them about survival techniques (because, at this stage, I'm convinced that it is all about survival).

Anna took her first trip to the zoo last Friday night when we went for the annual Guppy Gala. Lily got to experience her first dinosaur (and her 100th face paint).

The girls took their first bath together.  Yes, I do believe that Anna was as scared as she looks in the photo.  Let's just say that Lily LOVES to splash in the tub.  Anna got her first pimples; hopefully they'll be the last.

And Lily and Anna went to their first Fancy Nancy (GREAT book for all those who have never heard of Fancy Nancy) party at a local toy store.  Lily was vvvveeeerrrryyyy fancy; oh la la!!

Just goes to show how different things are the second time around.  I'm not sure that we had really ventured beyond the pediatrician's office and the lactation consultant at this point with Lily....Anna is already the belle of the ball!