Mason is now 2 weeks old! It feels like so long ago already that I had him even though 2 weeks isn't really a long time! I can already see some changes in him. I don't know how much he weighs now but most of his newborn clothing isn't fitting too well. He seems to be between sizes. Newborn stuff is a little snug while some 0-3 month options are still a little big.
So how are things going? Well....looking at it logically they are going good! He is doing all the things babies do...eating, sleeping. pooping! He has been a good sleeper most of the time. There have been many nights that he has slept a good chunk of time and I've actually had to wake him up to eat. It's also been nice that Brad has been home for the past two weeks so I haven't had to do it all alone just yet. If Mason decides not to go back to sleep after nursing at night, Brad will often take him until he does. Brad has been the one dropping running the big kids all around and doing chores around the house. Many people have already brought us meals so we never really worry about dinner. This kids really do love their baby brother but I think they are still figuring it all out. I don't think they really knew just how little a baby actually does even though we talked about it and read about it in our books! We have been brave enough to venture out as a family a couple of times and it's gone as well as it could. I have been out with just Mason a a few times and some were better than others. Over all, I really can't complain because everything is pretty normal.
That being said, the truth is that even though everything is normal...I'm still exhausted and overwhelmed! Normal for a newborn is still pretty tiring! I am remembering how little time I have for myself and now my other children. Mason does sleep really well most nights but really well for a newborn still means he's waking up to eat regularly causing me to lose sleep. During the day it's constant feedings and desiring to be held all the time. After spending an hour trying to nurse him (because he is so sleepy) he will fall asleep in my arms. After holding him for another 45 minutes to an hour while he sleeps I attempt to lay him down. Five minutes after that he is screaming his head off and sometimes wanting to nurse again! I know that I should just relax and enjoy this time. He won't be little forever and I already feel like he's growing too fast but I'm only human. I have two other kids who need my attention and to be honest I crave just a little time in the day for myself. When I finally do get that time I'm too exhausted to enjoy it or feel like I should be sleeping to catch up on my rest. I don't want to spend all my time sleeping though. I miss having down time.
Next week Brad is back to work and I'm very nervous about that. The idea of being up and ready every morning and responsible for making sure the kids get to school is overwhelming. I will no longer be able to rely on Brad to help me in the night and since he has two jobs there will be some days when he leaves the house at 6:30 or 7 and doesn't return home until 9 that night. The business of life is returning in full and I'm not sure what to expect. We had such a great start to the school year and I wasn't sure about that so I'm hoping that things will go better than I expect as we return to our normal life once again!
The kids are still adjusting. Caleb seems to have the most trouble. He is desperate for attention but I feel like I'm always telling him to wait or not right now because I'm dealing with the baby. He is being much more defiant and having more meltdowns during the day. He's acting more helpless with tasks that I know he knows how to do. Micah is gone most of the day and still adjusting to school. He is still often tired in the evenings and sometimes when he comes home he just wants to sit and color or draw instead of play. This also upsets Caleb because he waits all day to play with Micah and is not interested in sitting and coloring. I feel like since Micah is the one gone all day he is getting even less attention. I feel like since he's in school now there is so much less time for him to play and be a kid. I feel like with these common core standards school is very demanding even for Kindergarten and I feel this pressure as a parent that even though I send him to school to learn, I should still be doing a good amount of home schooling every evening just to make sure he'll meet all the standards by the end of the year.
So there you have it. Overwhelmed and pulled in many directions...but really I think that's all normal! So just pray with us as we continue our transition as a family of 5 with a newborn, a Kindergartner, and a daddy who works 2 jobs! For those that have gone before me, I welcome any tips, tricks or shortcuts that helped you along the way! And of course, I am very grateful for the help my husband has been able to give these past 2 weeks and all the wonderful people cooking us dinner! If anything, we are all well fed! :)
So how are things going? Well....looking at it logically they are going good! He is doing all the things babies do...eating, sleeping. pooping! He has been a good sleeper most of the time. There have been many nights that he has slept a good chunk of time and I've actually had to wake him up to eat. It's also been nice that Brad has been home for the past two weeks so I haven't had to do it all alone just yet. If Mason decides not to go back to sleep after nursing at night, Brad will often take him until he does. Brad has been the one dropping running the big kids all around and doing chores around the house. Many people have already brought us meals so we never really worry about dinner. This kids really do love their baby brother but I think they are still figuring it all out. I don't think they really knew just how little a baby actually does even though we talked about it and read about it in our books! We have been brave enough to venture out as a family a couple of times and it's gone as well as it could. I have been out with just Mason a a few times and some were better than others. Over all, I really can't complain because everything is pretty normal.
That being said, the truth is that even though everything is normal...I'm still exhausted and overwhelmed! Normal for a newborn is still pretty tiring! I am remembering how little time I have for myself and now my other children. Mason does sleep really well most nights but really well for a newborn still means he's waking up to eat regularly causing me to lose sleep. During the day it's constant feedings and desiring to be held all the time. After spending an hour trying to nurse him (because he is so sleepy) he will fall asleep in my arms. After holding him for another 45 minutes to an hour while he sleeps I attempt to lay him down. Five minutes after that he is screaming his head off and sometimes wanting to nurse again! I know that I should just relax and enjoy this time. He won't be little forever and I already feel like he's growing too fast but I'm only human. I have two other kids who need my attention and to be honest I crave just a little time in the day for myself. When I finally do get that time I'm too exhausted to enjoy it or feel like I should be sleeping to catch up on my rest. I don't want to spend all my time sleeping though. I miss having down time.
Next week Brad is back to work and I'm very nervous about that. The idea of being up and ready every morning and responsible for making sure the kids get to school is overwhelming. I will no longer be able to rely on Brad to help me in the night and since he has two jobs there will be some days when he leaves the house at 6:30 or 7 and doesn't return home until 9 that night. The business of life is returning in full and I'm not sure what to expect. We had such a great start to the school year and I wasn't sure about that so I'm hoping that things will go better than I expect as we return to our normal life once again!
The kids are still adjusting. Caleb seems to have the most trouble. He is desperate for attention but I feel like I'm always telling him to wait or not right now because I'm dealing with the baby. He is being much more defiant and having more meltdowns during the day. He's acting more helpless with tasks that I know he knows how to do. Micah is gone most of the day and still adjusting to school. He is still often tired in the evenings and sometimes when he comes home he just wants to sit and color or draw instead of play. This also upsets Caleb because he waits all day to play with Micah and is not interested in sitting and coloring. I feel like since Micah is the one gone all day he is getting even less attention. I feel like since he's in school now there is so much less time for him to play and be a kid. I feel like with these common core standards school is very demanding even for Kindergarten and I feel this pressure as a parent that even though I send him to school to learn, I should still be doing a good amount of home schooling every evening just to make sure he'll meet all the standards by the end of the year.
So there you have it. Overwhelmed and pulled in many directions...but really I think that's all normal! So just pray with us as we continue our transition as a family of 5 with a newborn, a Kindergartner, and a daddy who works 2 jobs! For those that have gone before me, I welcome any tips, tricks or shortcuts that helped you along the way! And of course, I am very grateful for the help my husband has been able to give these past 2 weeks and all the wonderful people cooking us dinner! If anything, we are all well fed! :)
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