Time flies

It's already been three weeks since Carolina was born. Three weeks. I know time doesn't stand still, but somehow it feels more like three days. She's still so new. But as I look again and again at her face and her tiny legs and arms, I realize they are starting to fill out. Those wrinkles are beginning to fade and her little thighs are looking downright meaty. Mmmmm...all the more edible. Some things haven't changed though. She is such a sweet girl. For the most part, she sleeps and eats and has minimal fussy time. Of course, it would be nice to have the perfect formula worked out by which I know exactly how long it will take to feed and change her and get her back to sleep at night. But most of the time she eats for a good 20-25 min. on one boob, burps, changes pants, then eats a little more, then burps, then gets hiccups and swaddled til she rocks asleep and gets rid of the hiccups. It's just about like that every time. Sometimes there is another diaper change when she decides to soil a perfectly clean diaper minutes after I've changed her. But that's a newborn for you. What I've really decided this time around is that it's not nearly as difficult and demanding to feed and take care of a baby as it is a toddler. Both make demands on your time, but somehow the toddler also preys upon your emotional state in a way that a baby cannot. How many times did I fix food that Elisa wouldn't touch or have to deal with a tantrum as we're trying to leave the house? With Carolina, it's just making sure that she's not starving and we're off which feels so much simpler. Not that there aren't other issues, but it just feels easier than I remembered. With a newborn it's more about endurance I suppose. The sleep isn't great and it varies so much from night to night. But maybe three years of motherhood has conditioned me for this second race. It's still a long, steady slog, but I'm mentally hanging in there. Getting out to the park and enjoying a few gorgeous days has made me so appreciative of the life we have. Seeing my parents off tonight also makes me realize that the newest arrival has been greeted and now we are dealing with those first goodbyes. Never easy. But here we are. Three weeks down and marching ever forward...