Thursday, April 16, 2009

Two weeks old and two weeks into life with two kids

I posted the first week that I seemed to be more calm this time around well, I'm not sure what it is about the two week mark but it seems that the newborn bliss starts to wear off, the family leaves, the sleep deprivation sets in, routines are broken, pain medication bottles are empty, your maternity clothes are now too big but your regular clothes are still too small and all of a sudden your patience starts wearing very thin. You love this new little person more than words can describe but you find yourself crying multiple times throughout the day for no apparent reason! You start to feel a little bit out of control after the first couple of weeks.

Everyone told us that going from one to two children is a lot harder transition than going from zero to one. They were right and we tried to prepare ourselves for that reality but I don't think you can actually prepare for it. With the first baby you don't know what to expect so you both just try to survive each day and learn from your mistakes. With the second you know what to expect and that's almost more stressful!

Josh and I have to stop several times and takes deep breaths and tell ourselves that we can do this and it will get better! We are a team and we just have to develop a new routine and schedule and remember that this is an adjustment for all five of us (including Riley!) We just have a hard time fitting everything we need to do into the twenty four hours we have in a day. The time goes by so fast! Josh spends most of his time taking care of Jonah's needs while I take care of Meredith right now and we tackle the other stuff together as much as we can!

On the happy side of life, Meredith is still a really great baby. She is such a blessing and we are so thankful for our healthy baby girl! She loves to cuddle and I think she would be perfectly content sleeping in our arms 24/7. She is demanding but we kind of knew she would be. She does like to eat A LOT which takes up most of my time and is one of the main reasons I'm so behind on the blog and my ever growing to do list which includes finishing thank you cards, birth announcements, scheduling a family photo session, and planning Josh's upcoming birthday!

So far Jonah has not shown any signs of jealousy towards Meredith. The first thing he wants to do in the morning when he wakes up is see her and give her kisses. The three of us lay in bed together for awhile after Josh leaves to go to work and those moments are priceless. When she cries he tells me she's hungry or goes and gets her pacifier for her. He likes helping me change her diapers. He takes his role as a protective big brother very seriously. When I take him to school in the mornings I leave her at the front desk with the staff while I walk him to his class room and he tells them not to let anyone touch her. I feel really sorry for her boyfriends! He's eased right into being a big brother but he's also hit the "why" and the "I'll do it by myself" phase of his life and sometimes that presents some challenges. I'm learning to pick my battles. The other morning he wore Christmas socks that light up with his outfit to school and another morning he wore brown leather shoes with athletic pants. Normally his outfits coordinate from head to toe but I can't even coordinate my own outfits in the morning these days!





My two week check up with my favorite OB/GYN, Dr. McIntire. Meredith and Meredith together again! And for those wondering I didn't name Meredith after my doctor. I just love the name and it just happened to also be my doctor's name.


My wonderful nurse Lori!

5 comments:

lauren_kitts said...

you'll get to do whatever you want for a night just like cinderella very soon!!! I promise!!! call me!

Sarah said...

It does get easier...I promise! It took me about 4 weeks to get into more of a "groove" and to where we could all 3 get out of the house at a reasonable time!

Jenna said...

hang in there!!! It goes get much easier, especially when she'll start sleeping through the night.

Genna said...

I can also confirm that it will get better. And the non-matching outfits, well, those are some of my favorite memories now. Don't be too hard on yourself because you are just doing what is normal. Hang in there and try to enjoy as much of it as you can.

OHmommy said...

just wait until she sleeps throughout the night.... it will be better. she is SO sweet.

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