One vs. Two

I think we knew that our infant experience was going to be dramatically different this time around. But I think we were still surprised at where the differences popped up. Really we knew that having one infant was going to be easier, we have visions of being able to pop her into the moby and continue about our regularly scheduled lives and daily activities.

The biggest shock is the constitution of one full-term baby vs. two preemie babies. I tell you it's night a day. I guess I would have anticipated this, but really it has just been so shocking. She came out with a strongest developed sense of reflexes with some chub on her arms and legs, and a desire to suck. The girl has got a strong latch to say the least.

Now today Miss. F is 9 pounds - I think it took R almost 5 months to get to that point!

The challenges with a full-term bambino- while I would never wish the NICU experience on any parent, coming out of there our babies came home with a schedule. We knew when to expect hunger, and could plan on significant sleep between these feeding periods. This time around - it feels like little Miss is in the driver's seat. Working to establish a strong milk supply, and co-sleeping means we are not getting solid periods of sleep. I know this would happen with an infant either way, it still feels a little foreign to us.

While this little lady has captured our hearts and technically we are considered veterans in this category it does feel like we are in un-chartered territory.