…it looks like Ella is smack-dab in the middle of one. She’ll be 6 weeks next Tuesday, so it stands to reason that she’s right on par. The last two nights for us have been incredibly rough. Vann has been giving her a bottle before bed and she just hasn’t been able to settle down after that feeding. After our “de-briefing” yesterday morning, we decided she might be better soothed if I do the feeding myself. No dice. She cried and cried. I tried to hold her off to the next feed and both of us ended up in tears.

She woke up from her 11 pm feeding after an hour and a half, when previously in the week she had been extending up to 4 hours. Naturally, when I heard her cry after only an hour and a half I was very discouraged. I fed her at 1:30 am and she went back to bed, sleeping until 5.

I know we aren’t the first to go through this and we won’t be the last…but I feel as though I am unraveling. I find myself forgetting to eat. I haven’t written a single thank you card. The desk in the office is piled up and I hate being so disorganized.

Today, with a clearer head (and after much reading online), I’m pretty convinced that Ella is in her 6 week growth spurt. She’s super fussy, waking earlier from naps, and is generally fretful and impatient during feedings. All of that coupled with the no-sleep thing is leaving me exhausted and feeling a bit crazy. “They” say that these things generally last 2-3 days, and it’s the baby’s way of increasing your milk supply to meet their growing demand. So, it’s a good thing, but Lord, if I’m still alive in 3 days, it will be a miracle. I’m to feed her when she’s hungry, which is ALL THE TIME.

Please pray for us as we navigate through this very trying week. Pray that I am able to find some time to sleep and that Ella starts extending her nights again. Pray that we can survive as Vann heads back to work for two days this next week.

On another note, we have received so many wonderful gifts for the girls, and I am unbelievably thankful. Please know that I fully intend on getting thank you’s done, it just might take me until Ella’s 1st birthday to do so. I continue to say it, we are incredibly blessed by our family and friends…

Very early this morning I saw this commercial by Kay Jewelers. Some observations:

A. Said newborn looks to be about 8 months old.

B. Notice that the Mommy has clean hair and seems somewhat pulled together for her child’s 2 AM feeding.

C. Daddy is incredibly alert and bright-eyed.

D. Mommy appears to have no issues with breastfeeding and isn’t constantly applying lanolin to her worked over nipples (sorry, but TRUE).

E. Mommy and Daddy apparently have no issues with communication and have only the look of love in their eyes.

F. Said newborn isn’t screaming, fussing, or generally making Mommy and Daddy pull their hair out.

G. And what’s with the gift of the Citizens watch? This Mommy would much prefer Santa bring her a live-in nanny or a willing wet nurse. Hmm…maybe I should have told Vann that as he and Charlie headed out to Christmas shop this morning…

Some Updates: My sweet friend Ms. Kim hosted a gift exchange/Christmas get-together this past week and I ended up bringing Ella with me…ultimately not the most relaxing due to some fussiness, but so fun to have her out and pass her around to all the willing arms.

It’s been a quiet weekend so far at the Bischoff house! This morning Vann took Charlie downtown to spend time with a colleague of his, and I strolled Ella over to Ms. Liz’s where I was fed a delicious breakfast and told to sit while my baby was held for me. (How much do I love my friends??)

After naps, Vann got Charlie dressed for some more daddy/daughter time and Ella and I watched “You’ve Got Mail” (one of my very favorite holiday movies) and putzed around in our pj’s (yes, I’m still in my pj’s)…I’m trying to take it a bit easier. After putting together our 45 pound stroller the other night I thought it would be a good idea to lift it…which has caused a resurgence of pain from my incision site. Don’t know what I was thinking.

I’m very proud to report that Baby E is continuing to fill out and we are finally able to start using some of Charlie’s cute hand-me-down’s!

Mom is safely back in Texas. It’s quiet around here. I’m so thankful that I have Vann for a full week this week and off and on through the holidays. I really have to brag on his ability to find the humor in everything and his willingness to power through these long nights with me.

We used the book Babywise to sleep train Charlie and she “slept through the night” (meaning 6 hours or so) at 8 weeks, which is what the book (more or less) guarantees will happen if you follow it faithfully. We’ve started it again with Ella and at almost 5 weeks I am not too optimistic at this point! After you get used to sleeping 8-10 hours a night (seriously, aside from the occasional sickness, Charlie is pretty reliable that way) it is VERY difficult going back to square one. I pray that little Miss E will follow in her sister’s footsteps and give her Mommy and Daddy a break around the same time (or earlier, if she so desires!)…Until then, the DVR is my best friend and I’m learning how to read and nurse at the same time, what talent!!

Pictures of Charlie’s day to follow…