That Is One Yellow Baby

It's been a week so I figure it's time to update. For the most part, things are good. We are slowly settling into our life as a family of five. The girls like to come home from school and kiss Parker on her little noggin every day. Suzanne is getting around a little better. I'm back at work but still able to be home by 3 or so for when Maryn and Avery get off the bus. All in all, things are okay. The only real cloud on our horizon is that Parker is still (STILL) jaundiced and isn't gaining a lot of weight. She was born at 6 lbs. 9 oz. and then took the usual post-birth drop to 5 lbs. 12 oz. She's stayed there since and it's expected that babies get back to their birth weight by the time they're two weeks old. That's day after tomorrow. We' really rather not have to supplement her food with formula if we don't have to - but if we must, we will.

Anyway, other than doing her impression of a buttercup, Parker is awesome. She's peaceful and likes to look around a lot. She's already lifting her delicate, little head up to look at things and she coos and talks quite a bit. As babies go, she's a cool one for sure.

Maryn and Avery are adjusting pretty well. They like Parker but I think there's some underlying tension over who is getting most of the attention in the house. Despite our best efforts, neither of our girls have developed into really good helpers around the house. They'll do things they like to do - Avery likes to help bake, for instance - but little stuff, small stuff ("Hey, could you go put your socks in the dirty clothes basket" or "Will you go grab my phone off the kitchen table and bring it here?") makes them act like they're being stabbed through the heart and then asked to run a marathon. This has gotten worse since Parker came along. It's as though they feel they shouldn't be asked to do anything, even if it's to clean up a mess they just barely made right in front of my eyes.

It's frustrating but just part of the adjustment, I guess.

Suzannne is still tender and still sleep deprived. She's madly in love with Parker though and that's pretty fun to watch. (She's not madly in love with me, however. Apparently, my snoring does not help when she's trying to get back to sleep at four a.m. after nursing the baby. I am a deep, deep, loud sleeper. Sorry, Suze.)

Anyway, it's fall here. The nights are getting chilly and the days are becoming increasingly nice. A few trees have even started to change. It's still hot some afternoons but it doesn't last. Our garden is on its way out - the cucumbers have long since died and the tomatoes are going the way of all the earth. It's a nice time right now and I really like it. I love the fall.

When I get a little more time, I intend to post about the fate of the mix tape in today's all digital world. Be on the lookout.