More poop

This afternoon we had our first major poop accident with Nico. I had been napping on the sofa with Olivia for about an hour while Frank was watching Nico after getting him up from his nap. Around 4:00 I was feeding Olivia and playing with Nico when he held out his hand for me to take something. He has been handing me boogies every now and then when he has one, which is fine, not too gross. So I figured that's what he was doing, when I looked and saw he had something green on his finger. And on his hand. And on his shorts and also on his socks. And the carpet. Eesh... not a boogie for sure. Poor little guy had major poops. Everywhere.

I called for back-up. Frank and I got Nico cleaned up, all the while wondering how that much poop could come out of such a little guy and get all over the place so fast. We went through three receiving blankets, another light blanket, and about a dozen wipeys. It hadn't been in the diaper long, because we would surely have smelled it. No wonder Nico hadn't been eating all day. The new baby has been a big adjustment for him. He's so good around her, always waving, saying hi, and being gentle with her. But I think it's all finally setting in that she's here to stay, this little stranger who cries and takes up his space in Mom's arms. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help him get through it. I can imagine what he must be thinking, and he doesn't have the words to express any of it. It makes me realize how much I love him, because in a way I can feel what he's feeling.

When Frank put him to bed tonight, he felt a little warm on the forehead. We put him in some comfy pajamas, and hopefully he'll sleep well tonight. Even thought he must feel pretty gross, he still shouted "Goal!" at the tv. Now that's love.

The poop heard round the world

One day Olivia will hate me for writing this, but baby poop is one of the things I talk about so I'll apologize to her in advance... sorry Livi.

You have to hear this kid poop! Notice I didn't say you have to see her poop. The poo itself is garden variety. The noise that accompanies it, however, is comically loud. She's easing up a little. Some poops happen without any fanfare now, but most of them are announced by a sonic boom of a baby toot. My sister nicknamed her Lazerbutt. *Pyew-pyew*

Changing a girl diapey is weird to top it all off. With a boy you can wipe up, down, around and in a cris-cross if you want, and it doesn't matter. But with a baby girl you have to pay attention... front to back... don't get the poopies anywhere... very careful. I'm looking forward to the time when there's like one or two a day. Oh, and exciting news of the day is this... the cord stump finally fell off. My least favorite part of new baby anatomy. Just have to let it air out a little, and maybe tomorrow or the next day she can have her first tub bath. And I have just the cutest pink towel from Aunt Liz... hehe.

Mi bolsa

The bag has arrived. My diaper bag. Woo hoo! It's awesome. It's the best diaper bag I've ever seen. Super cute. It even came with three different straps so I can wear it as a hobo bag, a shoulder bag, or stroller bag (silly me, I almost ordered stroller clips but Petunia sent me a set... how did she know?).

Ok so today I went for a follow-up for my belly infection and everything is looking just fine. Rather than seeping out through the incision (um, yuck), the fluid chose to let my body absorb it and I am pretty happy with that. I was dreading having anything ooze out the place I worked so hard to seal up tight. I'm on antibiotics for another five days just to make sure nothing flares up again. I shouldn't have to see the doctors again until my six week check-up.

The biggest thank you ever

Today my mom went home after being here with us for two weeks. She came over around 6:30 the morning Olivia was born. I called to say I was pretty sure I was in labor, and she got dressed and headed to our house. I know my sister will vouch for me when I tell you we have an uncommonly fantastically amazing mother. For days I've been fighting back tears, or wiping tears off my cheeks, when I've thought about my mom having to go back to work tomorrow. She has been the biggest help getting us settled with Olivia, and especially taking care of Nico. It has meant the world to me to have her here, and to be able to share these special days and all the craziness and silliness that comes along with such a big event.

Thank you Mom, you really made everything so much easier and I'll always be happy we got to share such a wonderful time together. I love you!

The festivities have begun

Tonight it was just us Riveras here for dinner. Our first meal as a family. Frank made pollo seco, chicken with rice, veggies, Peruvian spices and olives. Beans, rice on the side, and radish salad. Delicious. At least I think it was delicious, I didn't get to finish my bowl of food and the whole thing is kind of a blur.

Nico spent half the meal with his finger up his nose. Olivia cried every five minutes and wouldn't sit happily in the baby swing *curses!* long enough for me to catch my breath. Frank stopped feeding Nico to pick up Olivia so I could have some dinner, Nico instantly became super jealous, and screamed and cried until Frank gave me the baby and went back to dishing out his chicken and carrots. In the end, I wound up feeding Nico some apple cake for dessert while Olivia and Frank were lying on the sofa. I cleaned the food off my son, pulled his chair away from the table, and held his hands so he could jump down onto the floor. So that takes care of how to get Nico out of the high chair when I'm here alone... now I just have to devise a plan for getting him into it without popping a stitch. Piece of cake.

Right now it's ten o'clock at night. The babies are sleeping, Frank is playing with his iPod mixer and I'm about to take a nap. I wonder what the next few weeks will be like. If this was just one dinner, where I didn't get to sit still long enough to blink, then it seems like things will be anything but boring. I've started changing Nico's diapers again in an attempt to get back into the flow a little better. He's such a good baby, and so damn cute it hurts. Tonight we turned on one of the soccer channels. A picture of the Barcelona team flashed up on the screen. Nico threw his hands in the air and, shaking his head back and forth, shouted, "Gooooal!" That's my boy!

As expected

Blogging has taken a back seat to all the baby activity. It's not that I don't want to write, or have anything to write about. It's just that the computer is way down at the end of the list of things I have on my mind. At the times when I'd normally be writing, I'm now either feeding the baby or trying to catch up on a little sleep. Frank finally got the cradle swing and the Baby Bjorn out of the attic, and hopefully they will help me manage my time better so I can pay attention to Nico and still have Olivia rocking or being held close to me but still have my hands free. I love the Bjorn. It's been a while since I used it with Nico, but I'm hoping I'll be able to feed the baby while she's in it. That would be awesome.

Mom goes home on Sunday, and Frank will be working from home next week. After that, I will be on my own and that's a little scary. Not that it can't be done. I know it's going to be fine. It's just a little overwhelming to think about. Maybe it's best not to think, but rather to just appreciate the help while I have it, then take a deep breath and jump in when the time comes.