As expected, we're all adjusting to our "new normal" being a family of four with a newborn. Thankfully, also as I expected, it is SO much easier the second time around. There are definitely plenty of things that are harder, like logistics and juggling your time & energy between two kids, but the whole "what the heck do I do with this baby" feeling isn't there. To me, that was the hardest part of a new baby. Even though a lot of natural maternal instincts kick in, you still are just so overwhelmed the first time.
When we brought Carson home, I just remember being so overwhelmed, scared, nervous, clueless, etc. Every time he cried, I got anxious and would get so frustrated if I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I've definitely learned that sometimes there isn't anything really wrong and sometimes they are just going to cry no matter what you try. Crying doesn't bother me like it did with Carson. Of course, I don't like it and hate to see my baby upset, but I don't panic like I did with Carson. I also have a lot more things/moves to try the second time around. We've already gone through the trial and error period with Carson, so I at least have a lot of options when it comes to trying to calm a crying baby. Some work. Some don't. I've also learned that every baby is different. A lot of the things that we did with Carson don't work with Elizabeth. In general, I feel like I've been a lot more "chill" with her than I was with him. I think they sense those things too. 
Carson had really bad GERD (reflux) that was miserable for everyone. It took a while to figure out that's what it was since it was "silent" reflux. He wasn't spitting up much, but you could hear the acid coming back up in his chest. It also took trying a couple different prescription meds to finally get it under control. The first two months with him were challenging. He also ate like a horse. He wanted to nurse every 2-3 hours, each for a pretty long stretch of time. She often eats every 2-3 hours during the day too, but nurses for much shorter periods of time. 
So far, we haven't faced any GERD with Elizabeth, only really bad gas. It was pretty bad the first week or so, but seems to have gotten much better. Luckily, the OTC gas drops do seem to help a lot if I give them to her after each feeding. I also determined that if I splurge and have a Dr. Pepper, it doesn't seem to set well with her. Dang. Oh well. We are a fan of lots of flavor at our house, but I've been trying to avoid anything too spicy. We also eat LOTS of good veggies around here, again, most of which are known to cause gassiness. It seems like you are just as limited on what you can eat when you are breastfeeding as you are when you are pregnant.
So far, we seem to be pretty lucky in the sleeping department, especially at night. I've been doing some cluster feeding roughly at 6:00/8:00/10:00pm, give or take an hour each way. Again, that is a very rough schedule, and she's still dictating her feeding most of the time. I certainly don't want to jinx anything, but the last 5 days or so, she's gone a 5 hour stretch, followed by a 3-4 hour stretch. What does that mean for Mommy???....Usually only waking up once to feed in the middle of the night!! I usually am up a little earlier than normal to feed her again, but I'm usually able to lay back down for a little bit before everyone else is up. Most nights she goes back down almost instantly after she eats, so we're only up for about 15 minutes to eat and do a diaper change. This is completely the opposite of Carson!
One of the first lessons I learned with Carson is that just when you think you've got it figured out, IT CHANGES! So, I'm just going to enjoy these easy nights for now knowing it'll probably change at some point soon.
While she generally has been pretty easy, when she gets mad, she gets mad. This girl has some lungs for sure! If she's got bad gas, watch out! We went to have our follow-up hearing test and it never happened. Not only was she fighting some gas, she did NOT like the cold ear bud things on her ears. She also HATED having a hat put on her head to try to hold the ear buds in place. Girlfriend does NOT like hats!!! Of course, I have a million hats that people gave us or that I bought too. :-( The whole appointment was a failure... she screamed the whole time. We've got to go back next week.... I'm hoping this doesn't happen again.
Time still will tell, but Carson wasn't a big pacifier kid at all. After 2 months, he was done. Even before then, he really wasn't a big fan. He only would use the GumDrop pacifiers. She loves his WubbaNub giraffe (that he didn't use that much). I've tried the GumDrop and Soothies, but she clearly prefers that giraffe. I also bought another WubbaNub, and it's like she can tell a difference between the attached pacifiers. I think the giraffe is softer because it's been chewed on before. At first, she wasn't taking to it at all, but now she likes to use it to fall asleep. She uses her hands to keep it in place and is actually pretty good at getting it back in her mouth if it falls out (for a 2 week old). She'll root around and can often get it.
She's doing most all of her sleeping in her Rock & Play napper or swing. She likes sleeping in her swing even if it's not swinging. (Thank you again Jamie and Lauren for letting us borrow these things!). Like Carson, she's got to stay upright after eating for a while or else it all comes up. I've learned that the hard way a few times. When I say it all comes up, I mean it. There have been no little spit ups. They were all projectile-vomit-style. Unless she poops while I'm feeding her, all diaper changes are BEFORE I feed her now. She also seems to already have pretty good head control and can turn it from side to side while on her tummy.
Carson has been really good too. He always wants to know where his "Baby Sister" is. That's usually what he calls her. If you refer to her as just "Elizabeth", he will correct you and say that her name is "Elizabeth Jane." He likes to hold her but will quickly tell me she's too heavy and try to push her off. I will NOT leave him in the same room as her without supervision. He means well, but can be too rough without realizing it. He'll want to push her in her swing or rocker, but doesn't know how to push or rock it gently. He'll walk up and whack it. Kid doesn't know his own strength....Elizabeth's first Aggie game was against Missouri, and unfortunately, it was a loss. At least she looked cute in her Aggie outfit.
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