It's been 4 weeks since the birth of my second son, Ben.

He is a beautiful baby. He is a hungry baby. He is a I want play and look at faces baby. He is also pretty good about getting up several times at night for long feedings.

I've had to adjust my way of thinking. At first I was nothing but annoyed by the fact that Ben would wake up every two hours to feed. His feeding sessions would last anywhere between what seemed like 15 minutes to 15 hours! I guess it's because it was the middle of the night that it felt longer. But there were many nights I'd look at the clock and see that he'd been eating his 4 oz bottle for the past hour.

Then there were nights he was so gassy and fussy that he slept no more than 40 minutes at a time. Poor kid. But he's a champion burper (thanks to his dad) and pooper (also thanks to his dad). He has had no problem gaining weight or growing. He's very strong too. He's already lifting his head and moving from side to side.

There were times I thought I was going to lose my mind during the middle of the night. There were times I shed a few tears as well...blame it on hormones or the fact that I'd totally forgotten that it must have been like this with Jack as well.

Maybe I didn't mind as much with Jack just cause he was one baby and our first, so I think my nerves and my OCD kicked in to block out the reality of being sleep deprived and unshowered for days on end and not having eaten.

Also with Jack, I didn't pump breast milk, so I had plenty of coffee to sustain me through the hours. Not so with Ben. But I keep thinking about the benefits Ben will have received from breast milk. I am hoping Ben will not get ear infections like Jack. I am hoping he will be able to stave off the common cold when he is at daycare.

My sister-in-law, Samantha is here to help me for a month which is totally appreciated! She has already helped tons by cleaning the many bottles Ben goes through. I am afraid I will have been spoiled rotten by the time she leaves. Sigh.

However I find that there are still many things that keep me busy during the day...laundry, what to do about lunch, dinner, snacks, did I pump on schedule? Have I showered? Should I make more seaweed soup? Yes, I think I shall. In fact, that is what I'm going to do now. I love that stuff and it's supposed to be good for milk production. Oh, that's another thing I need to find out, what foods will cause the least amount of gas for Ben in breast milk. Sigh. So many things to do!