Welcome to the world, Adeline Charlene Layden

Talk about a long overdue post. I'm not entirely sure why, but it was so difficult to sit down and write a blog post during my maternity leave. Now that I've been back to work for two weeks (boo) and am sitting in front of a computer for most of my waking hours, I am hoping to update more frequently.  Now, on to the good stuff.

Adeline ("Addie") joined our little family at 9:11 p.m. on April 18th. Her delivery was much less dramatic than Reid's (minus the seven minute long contraction that resulted in an oxygen mask and a shot to the thigh), and my postpartum recovery felt easier in many ways. I believe knowing what to expect helped in that respect. Plus, I am so busy with two children that there is very little time to reflect on physical, mental, or emotional discomforts. I had a really nice and mostly relaxing maternity leave with my little girl, and it was (and is) so hard to return to work. Thankfully, I have been able to go to her school during lunch to feed her, which has helped ease my separation anxiety a bit. I never thought I would look forward to waking up and feeding her in the middle of the night (still happening - usually between 4-430am), but I really do. You were right, Jenn.

Adeline is such a sweet baby. With the exception of digestive issues (the gas! the reflux!) that resulted in lengthy periods of crying in her first month or so of life, she is mostly content and very easy going in the midst of the (mostly toddler-centered) chaos that surrounds her.  She is often content to sit in her rocker or lay on the floor with toys, she loves taking a bath, and she tolerates the car seat very well. She will even let me carry her around in the ergo, something her brother was not as open to when he was a baby. Like Reid, Adeline can get riled up when she is hungry, but she rarely cries otherwise. If she does cry when not hungry, it usually means that she is over-tired, and she stops crying and starts sleeping in a short amount of time. Also, she has the best smiles- her eyes and whole face light up when she smiles. In her efforts to procure a spot as "daddy's girl," she likes to save her biggest and brightest smiles for Andy, and she lights up at the sound of his voice.  She also loves tracking Finn and Reid when they are nearby, and she will contentedly look at pictures in books when we read them to her.  Developmentally, she seems right on track, whatever that means. She has demonstrated great head and neck control since we brought her home from the hospital, started rolling from back to tummy (still working on the other way) a few weeks ago, and babbles and shrieks with delight. I have also been fortunate enough to hear her giggle a few times - oh, how I love that sound. We are so fortunate.