Jocelyn seems to be getting acclimated bit by bit to being home now. Up until a couple of days ago, she had been fussier at home than in the hospital, but we changed the way we were feeding her and she seems to be much more content now. The first few nights I thought she was going to lose her voice from screaming so much when we changed her diaper or clothes, but now she's much more sedate and much easier to handle during the night. Hopefully this trend continues! (This is me knocking on wood.)
She definitely is beginning to show little personality traits, and as a result has acquired a few more nicknames. She has been known as the Peanut ever since we received the news of her impending arrival, but now has also been dubbed Maggie (after the Simpsons character, for her love of the binky and the way it moves when she's working on it) and Wilbur (for the snorting noises she sometimes makes when she's really hungry and settling in for a nice meal, like a little piggy). She's quite adorable if I and Julie do say so ourselves.
One thing that's been a little bit of a challenge is trying to figure out what she's trying to tell us when she cries. All of the baby books will tell you that a baby has different cries to ask for different things, and that you can identify what she's asking for by listening carefully to her cues. Sounds like a nice idea, but they all sound the same to Julie and I. Maybe we will become better listeners over time.
Another thing that's a little challenging is fighting the tendency to be a neurotic, overprotective father. Every little sneeze or cough around her makes me anxious, and I find myself wanting to wrap her up in a little cocoon, safely sheltered from the world around her.
At the same time, I am amazed at how strong she is already at six days old. She surprised us all in the hospital by being able to hold her own head up almost immediately after being born. When we saw the pediatrician on Friday, we told him about this and he seemed a bit skeptical, but then he put her on her belly. Not only did she hold her head up to be able to look straight ahead, but she propped herself up on her elbows and pushed herself to one side, almost rolling over. She also has fought through the swaddle blanket we wrap her up in for naps several times, working her hands free so that she can move her elbows around and put her fingers in her mouth. So, maybe I shouldn't be so neurotic, because it seems like she will be more than capable of taking care of herself.
Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm still going to worry. How could I not be overprotective of a daughter as beautiful as this?
She has an appetite like you would not believe and seems to be packing on the pounds (well, ounces anyway). In the past four days or so, she has gone from eating about 1-1.5 ounces at each sitting to about 4-5. Take my advice: buy stock in Enfamil.
