Thursday, June 18, 2009

Greetings from the other side!

So now we are 4 not 3! We have our second son, henceforth Baby Boy. Baby Boy is healthy and handsome and I strongly hope to post his birth story...someday.

I am back in Newborn Land again. It is joyful and it is demanding...and it is a bit guilt ridden. Life sure has changed for Little Guy, and a drop off in my time and attention has been impossible to avoid. He copes pretty well most of the time but I feel horrible. I tell myself it won't always be this way. Newborn days don't last forever...there will someday again be more time for sleep, more time for Little Guy, more time for myself...someday. That knowledge has made for a big difference for me this time around.

Now at the 6 week mark, we are still figuring things out. If having a child is learning to juggle, having another is like throwing a several extra balls into your juggling act.

My days are lived in 3 hr cycles centered around baby feedings. We had breast feeding issues...again...but I'm hanging in there. Sometimes by just my claws. It's going much better than it did with Little Guy, but it's still a challenge.

I make sure both kids eat and keep them in clean diapers and clothes. I keep them safe and out of trouble, coax them into naps (sometimes with one of them kicking and screaming). I am getting better at getting dinner on the table most nights now, too, even if the meals aren't what you would call gourmet. I get the dishes done and the bottles with all their pieces (from formula supplementing) cleaned. Most days now I don't forget to make Hubby his pbj lunch and set the coffee to come on for him. Probably 3 out of 4 days I am able to get at least a quick shower, get dressed in street clothes, and get us all out to the park or to run an errand. It doesn't sound like much, but every single day I am unquestionably maxed out.

Having Hubby's help has been huge. I cannot imagine how I could do this if we were living apart half the week like when Little Guy was a newborn. He has risen to the challenge and picks up slack wherever he can.

I forgot how incredibly stressful it is when your baby is crying. But I also forgot how wonderful little babies smell. And how precious their little hands and feet are. I do love my Baby Boy so! And my Little Guy, too...I can't believe how big he's gotten lately. At first I thought it was just my faulty perspective after spending so much time with a little baby, but it's been confirmed by others. .

Well, I' m giving myself a gold star for being able to type this much while I nurse Baby Boy...but times up. gotta go!