Compare and Contrast

I know your not supposed to compare kids.  But here's the skinny on the differences I've noticed between my two boys.

The baby screams when he's hungry, screams when he's being changed, screams when he's being dressed...but totally quiet and content when he's not.

He is also an eating machine.  I don't ever remember the tot eating as much as this baby does.  He eats every hour, if he can get away with it.  And he is constantly rooting, opening his mouth, sticking his tongue out.  He's on the hunt for anything he can possibly get in his stomach.  The lactation nurse suggested this might be gas, however.  This would explain the red-faced grunting.

He sleeps through anything.  With a toddler brother and his friends at the house, constantly screaming and yelling and banging their toys on everything, this baby has slept for hours on end through the noise.  It amazes us, since the tot used to wake up to me turning on my cel phone.

He sleeps without screaming for two hours before bedtime.  The tot used to scream his head off for at least two hours, sometimes more.  It drove my husband and I insane for at least two months.  There was no rhyme or reason to these fits...he just didn't like going to bed.  And when he woke up the next day, he was the happiest baby on the block.  It was Jekyll and Hyde baby with the tot.  With this baby, it's quiet, relaxing evenings.  He simply drifts off to sleep on most nights, unless there's an evil gas bubble lurking.

Other than that, they're both very cute, very boy, and both are keeping me running around like a maniac.  Partners in crime.  I'm doomed.

Potty Training the Tot

at 18 months, the kid went poop in the potty the other day, and I must say, I've never been this excited about poop before.

Here's the deal.  After his bath, he walked over to the potty and sat, which is not unusual since the husband has been trying to get him to sit every time they change his diaper.

When he was sitting, he said, "Poop.  Pooooop!"  Also, not a big shocker, since my husband has read him books about potty time and poop every time they've stepped foot in the bathroom.

When the boy stood up, my husband noticed something on his butt.  He thought, "Oh, crap, he has poo on his ass."

But when he looked at the potty, THERE IT WAS.  Yes, my son pooped in the potty.  All can rejoice the poop.

Breast Feeding the Second Time Around

NOT easy the second time around.  Everyone who told me it was...LIES, ALL LIES.  Or maybe it's me and my boobs.  With my first son, it was painful, but gradually so.  This time, it was excruciating right off the bat.  I was instructed to pump in lieu of feeding because of the incredible discomfort.  My first pump was an ounce of bright red blood.  Gross, to say the least.

I had blisters, abrasions, scabbed-over nipples...the first two weeks were brutal.  I decided not to mess around and go to my favorite lactation nurse again.  She took one look at the baby's mouth and suggested getting his frenulum snipped, just like his brother did.

Once we had the procedure done, (which was far more harrowing for me than for the baby) he seemed to latch on better, but still chomped me like he was in the Donner party.  My milk had come in full-force and was making him cough and gag from the let-down.  I was instructed by the nurse to pump six times a day, which made me tear up in anticipation of how much work it was going to be to get this baby some breast milk.

By "work" I mean pumping for 10 to 20 to 30 minutes, six times a day.  That's in addition to washing and sterilizing everything over and over again to avoid the dreaded MASTITIS.  Yes, I said MASTITIS.  And whenever I say it, or anyone else says it, I shiver with dread.  It's the breast feeding mom's equivalent of saying VOLDEMORT in Harry Potter books.

But here's the thing...pumping helps drain your milk, which helps prevent plugged ducts, which is a big reason women GET mastitis.  For that reason, and for the nourishment of my newborn, I will endlessly pump my poor, National Geographic looking boobs until I get this breast feeding down.

Losing the Pregnancy Weight...Again.

I was 172 before the birth.  12 days later and I'm at 147.  Today (4/10)  I weighed in at 145.  The all-you-can-stuff-in-your-face-before-passing-out breast feeding diet has begun!

There's a Newborn in the House

There's a newborn in the house, and he's waking up at 1, 3, and 5 a.m.  Sometimes he lets us sleep a good 4 hours uninterrupted, but then we had the tot to give us a wake-up call at 5:59 a.m.  Thoughtful boy.

Speaking of the tot, he's been acting a little off lately, which we have been mostly categorizing in the "TANTRUM" files.  It's been a daily thing, these annoying breakdowns, which I'm sure will pass eventually.  And if they don't, I'm moving to Finland.  They're pretty unbearable when you're nipples are sore and raw and you're post-partum hormones are making you want to punch and hug simultaneously.

I started noticing the strange change in his behavior about a week after we brought his brother home from Labor and Delivery.  At first, there was no change at all.  He seemed to be fine, just hanging out and doing his normal thing.  We both figured he was just waiting it out, seeing when this baby was going home to HIS mommy and daddy.

When the baby stayed, the tot started getting squealy.  He started crying at any given moment for what seemed like no reason at all.  He also started getting more tenacious, stubborn, and would hold his ground until it came to a showdown between parent and tot.  Tot usually loses, but I must admit to giving in on occasion.  What can I say?  I felt bad for the little man, dealing with this littler man invading his space.

The tot also started lying on the baby's pillows, saying, "Sleep...sleeeeep!"  He's also been trying to crawl into the baby's bassinet while saying the baby's name, which at first I thought was adorable.  Now, I think he may be trying to eat the baby.

But mostly, it's just the screaming fits of inconsolable crying that gets me down.  I know he's going through a change.  I also know he's 18  months.  People always complain about the "Terrible Twos."  But really, it's the terrible 1 1/2s you need to be concerned about.  Two is easy.  They can talk and communicate fairly well.  They understand consequence and reward in a somewhat cognitive way.  You can reason with a two year old, if you have the patience for it.

However, 1 1/2?  Not so much.  Add a newborn brother to the mix and you get an explosive combination of confused jealousy and uninhibited resentment.  Fun for all!