what to expect

Dad, my uncle Tom and aunt Pam
Lots of family!
Three generations! New baby and a newly engaged couple! How fun!
Dad holding a sleepy Coranelle. She's all cuddled up in his arms!


Coranelle is now 3 weeks old! Crazy! She is clearly growing. I put on one of her newborn onesies today and it was already getting pretty snug. How amazing.
She is doing well, but getting more fussy and cries more often. Ryan and I thought that we would not use a pacifier. We didn't want it to affect the breast feeding or for her to rely on it. But, yesterday, she cried (unless she was eating) from 11am until about 8pm. That much crying is SO taxing and so hard. She was clean, fed, rocked, swaddled, and I had tried putting her in the swing, and the vibrating papasan(sp?). I felt like a human pacifier, as eating seemed to be the only thing that calmed her. Ryan didn't go to the gym, like he typically does, because I was just worn out and in tears. After we had tried to walk her to calm her, she was still fussy. I think Ryan realized what it felt like all day and went and found the pacifier. And it worked! She took it and it calmed her. I guess she just really likes to suck! So, I think that it will be a lifesaver. Not that we will use it all the time. I will change her, rock her, feed her, swaddle her, etc. first, and then use that if nothing else works. Today has been a much better day and I am enjoying Coranelle and motherhood so much more. You just don't know how you are going to parent or what decisions you will make until you have your own little child with her own little personality. I kept telling people before we had Coranelle that I just had no idea what to expect. And it was so true! You cannot make decisions before you have a baby or judge those of others- ever. Ahh, the things I am learning as a new mom. It seems like a high learning curve, but I am enjoying it.
Heido came and walked with me today. Coranelle was super fussy, until we stopped and changed her in a grassy field and found she was wet and dirty. After that, she was great. Typically, she has a reason to be upset. I just have to figure out what that reason is! After our walk, Heido stayed with me and held Coranelle so that I could get ready for the day, weed my garden and pick some lettuce and snap peas. Yes, I have a whole bunch of snap peas now! And tons of lettuce, so I picked a bunch and made a huge salad for our fun get together tonight. Amanda is home from Haiti and we are all getting together to see her! I am excited.
This past weekend, we bought a TV. Ryan and I have always had a 19 inch TV with rabbit ears. Funny, I know. So, for our anniversary, we got a new tv! A flat screen, 37 inches! I feel so grown up! It makes a huge difference. Now, people can come over to our house and watch movies and the office and we won't have to haul Coranelle to other people's places all the time.
We also went to my Grandpa Lew's wake. I got to see all of the Mullens and Millers and everyone got to meet Coranelle. She did pretty well and got passed around to be admired by all the relatives. Interesting that new life came into the world so soon after another passed on. Too bad that Grandpa couldn't meet his great granddaughter. But, it was fun to see my dad, Christina and Kyle. Dad got to hold Coranelle and it was really fun to see him holding our daughter with a big grin on his face. Please be praying for him, as he continues to deal with his cancer and figures out what the next steps are for treatment. I don't want to say much more than that, but my mom, Stefan, Rachael, me, Ryan, Kyle and Christina are all very worried and upset about this and extra thoughts and prayers never hurt. Thanks!
I hope you are all having a great week. Thanks for reading.