I'm Not Pregnant Anymore!

I am reeeaaallly enjoying my new status as "not pregnant." I don't wake up every hour having to use the bathroom. I can breathe normally (well, except for the gunk-in-my-lungs thing, but that's different.) I don't have a tiny being bouncing on my bladder making it hard to walk. I'm not constantly uncomfortable. (Okay, except for the inscision pain, but that's different too, and it goes away a little more every day.) I'll be glad when I'm not taking pain pills anymore because they make me kind of dizzy and sleepy. Today I am actually wearing my fat pants!!! This is do-able only because I don't have staples in my belly this time. This means I get to forego the highly stylish overalls that I wore for the first three weeks after Anja's birth and instead get to skip straight to regular fat jeans. I'm sooooo happy! And I'm not wearing one of Martin's long-sleeved tshirts today either--I'm wearing a white blousy shirt, so I almost look like a normal person again! Well, okay, I probably don't look good enough to leave the house... I mean, I still do look six months pregnant and am walking with a slight stoop, but STILL. I feel like I might look more normal. It helps that I've been taking a shower every day and putting on the smelly-good lotion that Martino gave me. He gave me that and a Gap giftcard as a "thanks for having my baby" present. He is a sillykins.

I woke up at 6:00 this morning with a sleeping Anja beside me. A sleeping Anja who I thought had been sleeping since Martin put her to bed at 9:00. I thought we had finally reached the celebrated first time of sleeping through the night. Unfortunately, Martin told me she'd woken up once (Still! Once is good!) around 1:30. Evidently I was so asleep that I didn't even notice.

Still, I think she's feeling like life is getting closer to normal for her. It still is too bad that I can't pick her up, but soon enough I'll be able to do that again and then things will seem really good. We think Greta is too little to take out to church this week, so Martin is planning to go tonight with Anja and then he'll drive me to St. Ann's tomorrow and just get some coffee and hang around in the car with the girls until I'm done.

"The girls." I love it!!!!! We tried not to be too obvious that we were both so badly hoping for another girl. I know I voiced my slight fear at the idea of having a little boy, but we were REALLY hopeful for another girl. I feel so lucky that we got her!

Having an infant is so much easier this time. I am not as freaked out by her, for one thing, which really helps to lessen the stress of daily life. I don't feel like every time I touch her I'll break her. Also, nursing a second baby is SO MUCH EASIER than nursing the first. That whole cracked, bleeding, hurting-so-much-you-cry-when-she-latches-on experience is one of the past, and this time nursing is actually enjoyable. Maybe it helps that it's only been a few months since I was nursing Anja, and I know it makes a difference that Greta is just an all-around better nurser, but still, it's a pleasant surprise.

I find I've forgotten some things about newborns. Like the whole spitting up thing! I'd completely forgotten how often you have to change their clothes! And how much they poo! I'd forgotten about that too. I'd forgotten how good their spit up smells. Nowadays when I get thrown up on I just smell like puke. But new baby spitup smells so nice.

Last night we all went to Target; Anja and Martin went in while Greta and I stayed in the car. Martin came out with lost of milk-free treats for me! I'm easing away from milk starting now and will see how things go with Greta. Last night she had a short time of inconsolable crying and it just sort of reminded us of the early Anja days. If going milk-free seems to help her tummy, I'm prepared to do it this time from the start! Although Greta already seems to be a happier baby... she is content to just sit and watch the world go by. Sometimes she'll be in her swing and I won't know that she's woken up. With Anja, there was never a question. She let you know any time she was awake... by screaming her little head off.

I think our Pie is home from her date with her Aunt T!