...And it keeps getting better

Things are so, so good.

Rory's little head is improving quickly. She's still a little slanted to the left, but you can't see it as much in her face anymore, and the ridge has gone down considerably. I think we're going to have breast feeding down by the time Ryan is back to work in the office again (i.e.- a week and a half). And I'm feeling well-rested and capable enough to have banished my sweet man to the bedroom for a nap.

The crying has gone down considerably. She was born Friday, nursed well and was fine till Sunday afternoon (strangely, right after Court and Tam left... hmmm.... :p ). Then the crying and screaming started. She'd been fussy before, but this was a whole new level. It continued all through Monday (when my milk came in, and we started syringe feeding). Monday was the worst day of crying ever. I started tracking her eating, sleeping, diapers, and crying with ana pp for my droid at this point. I wish I'd had it 24 hours sooner so I knew what the crying on Monday was, but Tuesday she cried for over 5 hours all day. And we thought it was awesome, that it was so much better. Yesterday she cried for an hour and a half all day. Today I haven't bothered tracking, because she only cries when she's being cruelly tortured--like when her diaper is changed.

Her sleeping is pretty awesome. During the day she probably sleeps two hours and is up for about two hours. The last two nights she's done six hour stints of sleeping, which has made it so much easier for Ryan and I to get rested.

We're finally on to normal baby things! Like a blocked tear duct that's making her eye a little goopy and puffy and trying to wait out her pooing so we only have to change one diaper.

Today she got a sponge bath, with was quite the production. First we turned up the heat in the house and shut the bathroom door with the hair dryer running so it would get toasty. And it did. Tiny (as I call her) does not like to be cold. Then we sponged her off and dried her, and she let us know it wasn't warm enough to keep her from fussing. But now her peach fuzz is sticking straight out from the washing, and she smells like lavender.

So, things are good. She's making leaps and bounds on the breast feeding, latching for longer and more often with every practice. Getting less frustrated, too. We got an electronic breast pump off Craigslist, and that has made life significantly easier. While I'm looking forward to breast feeding her exclusively, I think Ryan is enjoying that he gets to feed her, too.

Speaking of Ryan, my marriage has pleasantly surprised me. My own tendencies to get snarky and less than nice when I'm stressed had me worried before the baby was born. I was unsure of how we would handle the new baby stress as a couple (and if I would be a raging jerk and push him away). But there has been absolutely no friction between us, not a snit to be found. We're filling each other's blanks when our brains stop working (which is frequently), and there's been a surprising amount of laughter and a real focus staying connected in small ways. And I love watching this man be a daddy. I knew he was patient and sweet before, but seeing him handle all this stress so well, and be so proud of her when she latches for a few seconds. I love seeing this part of him that I could never have brought out on my own. It's amazing.

For your amusement--my house yesterday (much tidier today. No, really). Notice the hair dryer on the floor, once used to settle down the baby (with the noise, non parents. We didn't try to bake her). The diaper bag with the wet bag drying out, the moby wrap (behind my left shoulder), and the bottle on the table. Gracie is usually right next to me, but she moved up when she thought Ryan was getting her a treat. Maggie has been strangely visible and craving affection. Poe was probably off losing her mind somewhere when this photo was taken, seeing as she is insane.