Grace Mae

Well today my little Gracie is a week old. Yesterday was her due date, and I was so happy that I already had her out. Can you imagine how huge she would have been if she stayed in there any longer? So Jon posted those pictures last week for me, but I wanted to post a few that my friend Heather took for me yesterday. I love the ones she took of Addie and Grace. I can already tell they are going to be great friends. I think that sisters are the best and feel like mine are my best friends, so I am so glad they have each other. Addie has been so sweet to Grace and so good with her. We have only had a few adjustment issues and meltdowns, so we are feeling good about things.Well last Sunday I was anticipating having a nice relaxing day with my little family before our world was flipped upside down by a baby, but when I woke up early (instead of sleeping in like I had planned), I realized I was bleeding and in labor. So we rushed Addie to our friends house and went to the hospital. They monitored me for a while and although my contractions weren't too strong or too close, they decided to do the c-section right then because they didn't want me to progress any further with a breech baby. So a few hours from when we got there we were all prepped for my c-section and by 9:30am she was born. They were surprised how big she was. She definitely would have been a risky breech birth because of her size. They nurses joked that she was actually being nice to me by not turning around so I didn't have to have a 9 lb 12 oz baby naturally. Although Addie was 9 lbs, so I think I could have done it. A c-section wasn't so bad, they gave me a spinal block, and the whole birth was really fast. Jon got to watch and tried to describe what was happening to me. I feel like, in contrast to Addie's birth, I was much more aware of what was going on with this one. Perhaps because I didn't have to do the whole labor part so I wasn't as exhausted when she was born. Maybe it was because it was the second baby and I was more prepared for it. Regardless, I am just grateful she is healthy and here and I felt present and her birth. I did feel a little like I cheated not having to do all the work of labor and pushing though.
I haven't decided which recovery is worse, they are both pretty bad just in different ways. I wasn't super excited to spend 3 days in the hospital, but I am grateful I was able to send Grace to the nursery and get some sleep those first few nights. We are home and Grace is a great eater and working on sleeping. She is so different from Addie. She hates being swaddled (so I just gave up on that one) and she refuses to take a pacifier (I am still trying with this one). Whenever she wants to go to sleep or get rid of hiccups or anything she wants to nurse and it is driving me crazy. Anyone have any advice for getting her to take a pacifier?