Elaborating on the pics I posted

I'm sorry I didn't write anything to go with those pictures, but time is limited.  Karina is having a sleepover at her grandma's tonight so I have a few moments to update.  Basically, catching Elena awake and not crying is tough, but today was a good day.  She was awake a fair amount and didn't cry all day, plus she even let me change her diaper without screaming!  It was wonderful. 

Karina is getting used to her, and if Elena cries and we don't come fast enough she calls us.  She wants to help out, and yesterday she even asked to hold her.  Of course yesterday was a day where Elena literally didn't stop crying all day.  So that didn't really happen, but at least she did want to.  That was the first time she had asked to hold her.  She loves her, but I think she's also annoyed by her.  She doesn't have my attention like she used to, and Elena is a very demanding baby, unlike Karina (although I sure thought she was at the time; what did I know!). 

As for me, I'm doing well, getting all healed up and can drive on Monday (yay!).  The emotional part is slower, though.  I feel very sentimental and frustrated that I can't devote myself completely to both girls, especially Karina.  I miss her, and the time we had together just the two of us.  I know intellectually that it will be okay in the end, and that it will all work out, but right now, the hormones are raging and I'm pretty sensitive anyway.  I look at Elena and think of when Karina was a baby.  Plus, Elena really looks like Karina did when she was a baby.  She's changed so much in three years, but Elena looks just like she used to.  I'm even having a hard time putting some of Karina's old clothes on Elena, simply because they were Karina's, and that's where the memory is.  Some of the clothes are fine, but some, I just think, oh, Karina wore that!  I know it probably seems silly to other people.  I guess it's just part of the adjustment period.  Elena needs more footy sleeper things though, because I had all these newborn ones that supposedly fit up to 10 pounds or 12 pounds or so, but they don't fit her.  She's outgrown them all already, and she only has a few 0-3 things, which is really weird.  I think a lot of stuff got stained and had to be gotten rid of (see, before Elena was born, I was able to go through Karina's old clothes and actually discard some things that were too worn or stained to be reused.  So what the heck, I can throw stuff away, but I can't put it on my baby?  Weird.)

Well anyway, that's how things are going right now.  Elena is having a fussy night again.  They aren't every single night anymore but she still cries an awful lot.  I'm really sure that part of it is gas, but the rest of it, I don't know.  I'll be glad to get back to the pediatrician on Monday and ask him about it.  We had to put Karina on Nutramigen (a formula that is more broken down and easily digestible--I hated that stuff and I won't go into details but diaper changes on that formula weren't pretty--we eventually ended up on Gentlease, and that seemed to work perfectly for Karina), and I am wondering what he will tell us, if we have to switch formulas or if she's just fussy.  She swallows air like crazy when she's eating, too, which Karina never did.  I just replaced all my bottles so I don't want to try different ones unless I have to.  That would be royally crappy.  We are using Playtex Vent Aire Advanced, which are supposed to eliminate a lot of the air, and they worked great for Karina.  In fact, they worked so well you could hardly get her to burp.  Elena, good grief, if you don't burp her like every five seconds she starts crying.  Poor thing.  And it takes work to get her to burp, too!  This girl is going to give us a run for our money, that is one thing for sure.

She is very sweet though, despite the crying, and I'm excited to see how she'll grow and change.  It's hard to believe she's already almost 2 weeks old. 

Okay, about the pictures:  The first one is the one I took where I realized how much she looked like Karina as a baby.  I don't need to post a picture of baby Karina, because it would look just like that one.

The fifth one, with Karina, you have to look at Elena's toes.  See the pinky action?  Karina did the same thing when she was a baby.  We don't know where they get that from.  Neither of the girls' feet or hands look anything like either of ours.

The rest of them, I think she just looks cute, and in one she's even kind of smiling (which she does do!).