The many faces of Hannah

Content

Hungry

Pensive

Sleepy

Sister, sister

Ok, maybe just a few words... I think this last one should probably be captioned: "Help!"

Things that delighted me this weekend

Pop Pop watching Sesame Street with his two best girls

Andrew's first attempt at Mickey Mouse pancakes

A swaddled baby Hannah napping in my bed

Andrew and his dad taking Lucy on a boat ride so I could rest and catch up on e-mail and paying bills

 A beautiful bouquet of summer roses picked out by my husband and delivered by a beaming toddler 

 Pop Pop supervising Lucy's afternoon play session while we cooked a delicious steak dinner

Hannah's still eating almost every 3 hours on the dot (including at night), which means I'm pretty much in a constant state of exhaustion.  Combine this with the release of some serious post-pregnancy hormones and the picture is not always pretty in our house right now.  So... I'm trying to revert back to the idea of the gratitude journal I kept in college and make it a point to recognize all the small things that I'm thankful for, no matter how mundane.  Today, I'm grateful that I finally got to talk to my mom on the phone and that the laundry got put away.  It's the little things...

Better late than never

Dear Pop Pop,
You are developing quite the devoted entourage of young ladies around here.  :)  Thank you for all that you do to always shower love and support on our growing family.  We truly appreciate everything you do for us!  Here's hoping this new year of your life brings you abundant health, joy, love, and success.  Your girls are looking forward to seeing you again very soon.  Happy, happy (belated) birthday!!!

Snuggling with newborn Hannah in the hospital

Reading Shel Silverstein with Lucy before bedtime

Bathing beauty

Some scenes from Hannah's first bath, a few days after we came home from the hospital ~

The obligatory blood curdling screams,

followed by some tender emotions from Lucy as she watched her baby sister cry.

"Shhh! It's okay, baby" is a new favorite phrase at our house.

A post-bath snuggle with grandma makes everything better!

Many thanks to Honey for all of her help as we came home from the hospital and made the rocky transition towards becoming a family of four.

E.S.P.

Hannah had her 1-week (okay, 9 days) check-up last Thursday, and one thing is exceedingly clear -- the girl loves to eat!  We weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs., 12 oz., which mean she gained back to her birth weight and then some.  I for one am not at all surprised by this development since it seems like all I've done for the last two weeks is nurse this child.  It can be so exhausting at times, but the reward is a healthy and happy newborn baby!  Our doctor said she is performing her E.S.P. (eat, sleep, poop) role perfectly.

So far Hannah is an absolute joy to be around -- she appears content to go with the flow (not even the dog barking or big sister yelling at the top of her lungs phases this little one) and is sleeping well.  She slept for 5 hours straight last night!  We're working on incorporating more sunshine and walks into our days as I recover, but that 100+ degree heat index is brutal.

Even though trying to juggle a newborn's constant needs with a toddler's demands for attention is pretty challenging, everything seems a bit easier this time around.  I guess it's because we are more relaxed and able to trust our instincts instead of being so nervous -- for example, I no longer think my baby is going to end up in therapy if I let her cry for a minute so I can go to the bathroom.  :)

Here are some of my favorite parts of Hannah to stare at and touch endlessly -- the ridiculously soft, super blonde (!) baby fuzz behind her ears and her long little legs and toes.  What a cutie pie!

Sibling rivalry

All Andrew and I could keep saying about little sister in the delivery room was, "She looks just like Lucy!".  The resemblance is truly uncanny.  Take a look... 

                                         

Lucy ~ 8 lbs., 4 oz., 20 in.

Hannah ~ 8 lbs., 10 oz., 21.5 in.

Lucy ~ 6/22/08

Hannah ~ 6/29/10

But, I'm starting to notice slight differences between my two girls now.  At birth, Lucy's head was bigger while Hannah's cheeks are as round as a chipmunk's.  Lucy's hair was light brown, while Hannah's peach fuzz is almost blonde.  Lucy was always a little chunk, while Hannah is long and has lean arms and legs that go on for days (even though she weighs more). 

Either way, I can't seem to help myself from kissing either one of their sweet baby heads endlessly.  One thing is for sure ~ that Powers gene sure runs strong!

Hannah and her sister

 Welcome to the family, baby "Hadda"! Big sister is completely captivated by you and loves you already.