5 weeks

nothing special this week in the king household, just still attempting to get into a routine with our sweet little 5 week old.  after settling in more to the new house i think we are starting to get things figured out and the kids seem to be adjusting well.  since matt (unfortunately) isn't usually home for the dinner/bathtime/bedtime routine i've gotten quite accustomed to attempting this on my own.  i won't say it's a great routine just yet, but it's better every day (or night, i guess).
sammy has been incredibly patient with me as i struggle to feed noah, feed her, and get both of them bathed and in bed sometime between 7 and 8 pm.  i never seem to have enough hands, or time, but slowly i think we are figuring out a system that at least works.  for the time being, i feed noah while i bathe sammy in the kitchen sink.  the bath and noah's dinner are usually done around the same time at which point i get noah down from the high chair and he plays while i nurse sammy.  when she's done, i lay her down for the night (in our room, we haven't moved her upstairs yet), then help noah pick up his toys before we head upstairs to start his bedtime routine. if all goes well, sammy is in bed by 7:15 or 7:30, and noah is in bed by 7:45 pm.
sweet sammy has been doing great at night, usually nursing around 7 pm before bed, then not waking again until sometime between 11 pm - 2 am, depending on the night.  if she keeps this up for several more days, i'll probably be able to start pumping which is great news.  now, i don't like pumping, but it does mean a little more freedom for me and a little more bonding time for sammy and matt.  it's a win-win-win :)
also, in relation to sammy's eating habits, i'm happy to report that i no longer (at least for the time being -- don't want to jinx it!) think she has reflux.  after we got settled into the new house sammy has been much better all around: eating better, sleeping better, spitting up less, and getting the hiccups less frequently.  unlike her big brother, we have gotten to the point where i can feed her, burp her, and lay her down for a nap.  and if she does fuss a little, i can pat her back or bottom and she falls right to sleep.  for our poor little noah, that was never the case :(  so we are *very* happy that it doesn't look like we will be fighting that fight this time around.

meeting great-grandma and great-grandpa barak

in other "firsts" news, sammy got to meet her maternal great-grandparents this week.  my mother's parents came to town for a day to see our new house, meet samantha, and spend some time with my parents before my mom & dad went on vacation.  needless to say, sam was a big hit and got lots of love from them.  also, sammy got to take her first real bath this week -- as in not just a sponge bath.  while i could have done this much sooner, i had been holding off until matt was home so he could witness this little milestone (and help with the camera).  it wasn't a big hit with our little one, but part of that was probably because she was hungry, and i can't imagine the sink was that comfy for her.  hopefully she'll enjoy it more as she gets used to it.

during the bath :(

when she's angry that heat rash looks really awful! 

after the bath, "why did you do that to me?!"

ready to eat!

clean, but not happy, baby