Second time around

It is amazing how much life can change in the blink of an eye. We now have two children. And how true it is, what everyone says - you can and do have equal amounts of love and devotion for both; just as much for the second as for the first. At the same time, you can feel tremendous amounts of guilt for not having as much time to devote to either. Maddy has been a wonderful big sister, so loving and caring and concerned about her baby sister Caitlin. At the same time I can see and feel her emotions as she at time struggles to understand her new role and place in our family. It is amazing how grown up your first child suddenly seems when a new baby arrives and how much it dawns on you that time is just flying by. I make sure to tell her every day how much I love her and how important she is. I am also blessed to have 3 full months off from work and hope I can savor every moment I have with Caitlin while she is so little. She has been a great baby so far and we are seeing her personality and little quirks come out little by little each day. She's had a good sleeping pattern going so far where she's been feeding around 9 PM and then not waking until 1-2 AM and then around 5 AM. Last night she went until 2 AM and then didn't wake until 7 AM! We really aren't sleep deprived (yet) and hope this can continue! Maddy has been her usual self when it comes to sleep - good naps (except at school, where it can be hit or miss with her naps), and 12 hours at night. Her busy days make her tired at night and she lets us know that she is tired and wants to go to bed - we are lucky to have such a good sleeper and hope Caitlin can follow in her footsteps. Today I might venture to IKEA to get a table and chair set for Maddy that she can draw at, or eat, or just sit and play. I've been meaning to get down there but it is 45 minutes away - hopefully Caitlin will snooze in the car seat on the drive. Oh, and I learned today that she loves to chill out to the band Pressure Cooker (a local reggae band)- she was fussing a bit so I played her some tunes by this band and she just mellowed right out.

I want to thank Greg for being such an amazing husband and father. He is juggling helping out with Caitlin, spending one on one time with Maddy, working, making dinners, keeping the house in order - the list goes on and on. If only everyone could be so lucky and blessed. I also want to thank my mom for being here for 2 full weeks both before and after Caitlin was born. It was a big relief to have her here knowing that if I went into labor and needed someone to watch Maddy she would be right here (thank you also to Grammy Mullen for being "on call" until my mom arrived - hopefully you didn't have too many sleepless nights!) Maddy loved spending time with Grandma and it was wonderful knowing she was in good hands during my hospital stay. Also, I learned she is quite the handy-woman when it comes to small projects around the house and greatly appreciate all of her help while she was here - we miss her (and Grandpa) and hope to get up to VT soon to visit. Thank you also to everyone for their wonderful gifts for both Caitlin and Maddy - thank you notes are coming soon!

On to the pictures: