Family, Family, Family

It is hard to believe that it has been FOUR weeks since we were preparing to go to the hospital to induce little Isaac into this world. 

This has been the week we have adjusted to being on our own for the first time – family has left and Daniel has returned to his crazy work schedule.

 

We loved having people here and everyone getting to meet our newest addition, but it has been nice to focus on settling into our normal routines again. 

Jack loved the non-stop attention – first his Nana (Daniel's mom) was here for several days. 

Then his Aunt Amy and Aunt Emily came and did lots of fun stuff with him. 

His Grammy (my mom) was here for a full two weeks – cooking, cleaning and taking lots of trips to the park across the street. 

In between we had great aunts and uncles and Great Grandmothers drop into visit. 

Finally, everything culminated with a house full (16 people to be exact) to celebrate Isaac's birth and Mothers' Day. 

My Nana came from Canada, my sister and her kids from Florida, my parents were here for Arkansas, and my brother and one of my aunts and her family were here from Nashville.

As my sister said on her Facebook album: "Think Dan in Real Life or Home Alone & that is what our family get togethers are like."

In other words, it was a bit crazy, but awesome. Family took care of cooking and cleaning. My uncle even did me a solid and cleaned my microwave and the outside of my stove. I will never turn down free cleaning :)

Since there is a newborn in the house, I didn't get a ton of sleep (even though Isaac really only wakes a couple of times a night). By the end of the weekend, we were all ready to take a full day of rest. 

This week we have been adjusting to life as usual. Every day Jack wants to know what we are going to do (he has had lots of people to do stuff with over the last month!). 

Isaac may have developed a slight case of lap colic (the boy did get held/passed around my tons of people last weekend). Also, he seems to love noise – as soon as everyone left he seemed to not nap quite as well.

This week I have been working at getting him back into his sleep routine (sans the crazy noise levels). Thankfully he seems to be a baby that will sleep anywhere.

Looking back, Jack went through some similar patterns – we visited family for Thanksgiving two weeks after his birth and he had a bit of trouble adjusting back to life as usual. 

I am so grateful to have two easy going boys. I am also grateful for all of our family jumping in to help us and to come meet and love on our boys. We feel incredibly blessed.

This week I managed to get back into my laundry routine and picking up the house (with Jack's help). Next week I hope to incorporate grocery shopping (our house is currently empty of food) and cooking back into my schedule. 

And for the days I can't get it done, well, The Pizza Place is only a phone call away...

Flying Solo, Part 2

It's interesting to look back and see how I handled becoming a new parent when Jack was born. Some things are the same with a second child, and some things are different. We are only 3 weeks in and I have to confess that it's been easier than I thought it would be.

The Same
1) With both Jack and Isaac, Daniel was able to take 3 weeks off at the time of their birth. I think in both cases this has helped tremendously with the transition of our growing family.

2) In terms of the baby part, Isaac is much the same as Jack was... he spends most of the day eating, sleeping and pooping. It sometimes feels like a never-ending cycle.

3) At three weeks in, Jack became more fussy, wanting to be held more. Isaac has followed a similar pattern. I initially thought it was because we just had a big weekend where he was held a lot, but looking back it seems like he is just following in his big brother's footsteps.

Different
1) In terms of different, the most obvious thing is that I am also juggling a 3 year old. Thankfully Jack is a good helper and I feel comfortable leaving him and Isaac alone in the same room (like when I need to swap out laundry). Jack is also a great helper – he will retrieve things for me and helps me with cleaning up, doing the laundry and getting his own snacks.

2) When I became a first-time mom, it seems like it was months before I took a shower with any kind of regularity. I was surprised that I was able to get Isaac down for a nap and Jack simultaneously occupied while I hopped in the shower before eating a late lunch. Also this time around I don't have the phantom baby crying in my head every time I get in the shower. 

3) It seems like our amount of laundry has increased ten-fold with the arrival of Isaac. I don't remember this much laundry before. It feels like we have been doing it non-stop since we came home from the hospital. We have already started using cloth diapers and that certainly isn't helping with the laundry situation.

4) I have yet to start cooking – family and friends have been amazing with providing meals and cooking and cleaning while they visit. We didn't have that with Jack (though I also didn't have a c-section, so there was less need), but it has been great this time around. We also had the luxury of a friends dropping in to visit this afternoon. Jack was thrilled with the impromptu play date and Isaac just slept.

5) We definitely experienced the witching hour today. Right before Daniel got home, Isaac was crying and Jack fell and hurt himself (and was also crying). It was the first time I had to pick between the two boys. I let Isaac cry and picked Jack up to make sure his arm wasn't badly hurt. I'm hoping I didn't hurt myself from lifting him, but the mom instinct kicked in and I felt like it was more important to make sure Jack was ok.

Overall things are going well. I didn't eat lunch until 2:30 and I am embracing the fact that a hot cup of coffee will be a figment of my imagination for about a year.

Jack at 3 weeks old

A look back: Flying Solo with Jack

Gratitude

My heart was full of gratitude on Mothers' Day weekend.

Last Mothers' Day feels like a lifetime ago – a nightmare that doesn't feel fully real today. I had miscarried the Sunday before this special day and I felt empty. Last year Daniel gave me space to grieve. We spent a quiet day together as a family of three, taking a bike ride and trying to feel a sense of normal.

This year is so different. I was surrounded by family, I had a three-week old in my arms, and my life felt like it is overflowing. 

I am so grateful for family. For our newest child. That good things can happen even after something bad. I am thankful for friends. For all who prayed and cared for us during this difficult pregnancy and recovery. I feel gratitude to all of the women in my life who have showed me the many ways to love and mother. 

I know that this life holds many more hills and valleys that must be traveled and we will muddle through each step, but this year is a mountaintop compared to the desert that we walked through this time last year.

Team Green

Have you ever heard of Team Green? I hadn't. Basically it's a term that has been coined to describe people that choose to wait until birth to find out the gender of their child.

For Daniel and I, choosing to wait to find out Isaac's gender just kind of happened. It started when I was sent to the high-risk OB appointment at 12 weeks. While we anxiously waited to learn what was going on with our baby, the high-risk OB casually asked if we wanted to find out the sex of our baby. 

I was caught off guard by the question, surprised that we could find out the gender so early. At the time I made the split second decision to wait. Truthfully, I was still trying to grasp the fact that our baby was OK and that I wasn't going to miscarry. I think that with all of the anxiety of this pregnancy I just wanted something to look forward to, and a surprise gender seemed to fulfill that need. Thankfully Daniel agreed.

At our 19 week ultrasound, we once again agreed that we would wait to find out the gender until birth. We did ask the ultrasound tech to give us the gender ultrasound in a sealed envelope in case we changed our minds (which we didn't). Daniel put the envelope in his backpack and never opened it. Ironically we still haven't looked at that sealed ultrasound to confirm whether the gender was correct!

Over Christmas many of our family weighed in on the gender. Friends also gave us their opinions. The guesses leaned heavily towards girl. During the entire pregnancy I never did have a strong feeling one way or the other – though Jack was certain he was getting a brother.

The reactions we got from people really varied when they found out we were waiting. Everyone I knew (that had waited to find out gender) would tell us that it was one of the best surprises they ever had. Other people told us that they could never wait to find out, that there was too much to plan. The funniest reactions came from complete strangers – like the different check-out girls at various grocery stores that were appalled that I was choosing to wait. I mean, why would you wait when you could be out shopping for your little one? Why wait when there is technology to tell you the sex as early as 12 weeks?

Anyways, we stuck to our guns and continued to wait. This became more difficult when I had pre-term labor at 30 weeks. Following my hospital stay I had weekly ultrasounds and every time Daniel and I would remind the ultrasound tech that we didn't know the sex, then we would turn our heads away from the screen. Every week for 10 weeks, we looked away from the ultrasound. We were seriously committed to being Team Green.

When we went to the hospital for an induction, my nurse asked what I was having. When I said that we didn't know, she excitedly said that it would be a special treat for us and that the delivery team is always excited to be a part of the surprise. It's funny how things don't always go as you expect...

When I was rushed to the OR for an emergency C-section, only 3 hours after starting my induction, no one was thinking about the gender. They were focused on getting our baby out and cauterizing the bleeding in my womb. 

Daniel watched as our baby was lifted out of me and quietly said, "It's a boy." There was no fan fare, no excitement. I could barely keep my eyes open. Team Green revealed that we were actually Team Blue and all I could think about was how thirsty I was.

I had waited 9 months for this surprise. I had told countless people that I didn't care if we had a boy or girl, as long as our baby was healthy. And when all was said and done, I really didn't care. I was thrilled that 9 months of anxiety and fear; of weekly appointments to make sure our baby was doing well, had culminated in a healthy baby. Sure a small part of me was a little sad that I wouldn't have a mini-me running around, but I am thrilled that Jack got the brother that he had been so sure he was getting. I look forward to raising our boys. And overall, the fact that our newest little boy and I are both home and healthy is something to be celebrated – even if we didn't celebrate in the hospital the way I had envisioned that we would.