Introducing Miss Marilla Jane Matthews

At 6:01am on July 4th, Miss Marilla Jane Matthews made her splashy entrance into this world.  Quite literally actually.  We did a home birth and it was amazing.  There was not a hint of trouble in mom or baby in the leadup nor during the event itself.  Labour was 5 hours, as opposed to 20 for Quinn, and this seemed to have kept everybody's demeanor rosy from the outset.

So far 'Rilla' seems to be a good sleeper.  Hopefully that lasts, especially given the difficulty sleep has been with Quinn.  Early in pregnancy with Rilla we bought a cheap single mattress and I (predominantly) started sleeping in Quinn's room to handle his frequent awakenings.  This seemed to revolutionize the lives of all involved and so we have stuck with it to this day.  I'm not exactly sure what the exit strategy is, but I keep telling myself that almost nobody grows to university age with their parents still sleeping on their floor :)

Rilla has well and truly shocked mommy and daddy back into the diapers game.  Day 2 she surprised mommy with two change-table poops in addition to the original.  Day 3 daddy was ambushed with no less than 5 change-table blasts.  At least Quinn got a big giggle out of it.  And hey, I suppose it further confirms that all systems are 'go' for our new baby girl.

Bec's milk has come in already and feeding is going well.  It's amazing what a difference it makes the second time around.  Experience now tames things that once seemed so earth-shattering. Plus you trust your instincts a lot more and it keeps the overanalysis to a minimum.  Name selection seems emblematic of the difference in approach between our two kids, taking months of spreadsheeting and book reading first time, and a 5-minute conversation second time.  I'm sure Rilla will have her own challenges in store for us, but so far so good. 

Quinn is adjusting really well and being an excellent big brother.  He is helpful and careful and respectful, gentle, wants to be the first to make her laugh and smile.  He sings to her.  Omigod 'Old MacDonald Had A Farm' and 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' have never has as cute a rendition as Quinn's loving rendition.

On Day 2, as I took Rilla for an hour in the morning so Bec could get some sleep, I realized it was her first trip beyond the confines of mommy and daddy's bedroom since she was born.  We toured the house and she sensed the changing setting somehow.  Different sounds and smells likely, light too.  Though I understand newborns' eyes aren't fully functional yet, her eyes were clearly responding to her environment.  The manual stairmaster eventually got her to sleep (Bec's milk wasn't in yet) as we practiced counting to 14 about 75 times.

Tomorrow may be her grand entrance into the outside world.  Quinn's friend Phoenix turns 5 tomorrow and there is a party at a nearby park.  However, there is a heat warning still in effect in Ottawa, and Bec's still recovering so we'll just have to see where young Marilla Jane makes her next splash.