Sisters

It's impossible not to compare Baby Lily to Baby Evie. Every comparison comes with a grain of salt since LB was hormone deficient at this age. But, there's still so many things that are different about them that have nothing to do with their health. I've had to throw out my parenting ideas from the get go. My friend was right, One size does not fit all when it comes to parenting!
Where LB needed to nurse to sleep, and lots of walking and patting and singing - Evie just screams until you put her down and leave her be and she goes to sleep on her own. She's kind of sleeping training us and I can only hope it'll last! This could also be the difference between first time and second time parenting. We're more quickly to put her down and let her work things out on her own. I can't imagine letting LB CIO at 6 weeks old (sidenote, I only let her CIO as a last resort - after trying everything. She just gets so overtired that she needs quiet and a break from our frustration!)
And let me tell you how dumb I feel not realizing she was getting overtired! I guess when LB was this age we didn't do a whole lot so she just slept all the time and I didn't think anything of it. Evie is in and out of the carseat and running errands and being moved all kinds of places, no wonder she gets tired (even when she sleeps while we're out!) Poor kid was screaming at us just to put her down in one spot to nap. So while I can't stay at home and let her sleep all day with all of LB's activities and the normal craziness of a 4 year old, I try my best to give her a really good nap when I can especially in the afternoon. And as soon she starts fussing, I take care of the necessary items - food, diaper, burping - and put her down and walk out. And it's been working! (For now!)
The fussing! LB was such a soft crier. Evelyn...not so much. I would liken her to a banshee. She's my very vocal child. She goes from smiling and cooing to hysterically screaming in two seconds flat.
Even their looks are totally different. LB looked more like Dennis than me and Evie looks more like me than him. But don't expect many comparison pictures until after 4 months. It just doesn't seem fair to put them side by side when LB was so tiny and sickly looking and Evie looks so healthy. It doesn't make me sad, it just is what it is.
Now that Evie is here, and we're settling into some kind of living - It's really made me realize how grown up and independent LB can be. And how healthy and strong she is now. I do go back and look at baby pictures of LB and I am surprised, shocked, elated, and thankful for how far she has come. Having a healthy baby has just made me realize how lucky we were that Lily is as healthy and strong as she is today. It's been an eye opener on so many levels and I know I just feel really blessed these days, even with all the diapers, spit up, screaming, and sleep deprivation. It is all worth it.