Goings On Around Here

I've been spending a lot of time with this little guy. Mostly it's great. He's still a really layed back, easy going baby. He's a good eater, a good burper, and mostly a good sleeper. We've had one or two nights that weren't so good, but on average I'd say we're pretty lucky. I haven't even been spit up on yet. 

He's started to lose that squishy newborn look. And he's starting to have longer awake stretches during the day. And me, I'm feeling pretty good. I think my stitches are almost done being a bother. I have a waist. Not a pre-pregnancy waist, but still a waist, which is better than just the large block-of-a-mid-section I came home from the hospital with. I fit into my fat jeans.

I did get a clogged milk duct, super painful. Every time Oliver latched on it felt like what I imagine having your chest stapled to the wall with a staple gun must feel like. But I am over the worst part of that now. My energy and motivation are coming back. I even cooked dinner every night this week, except the night we went over to Aaron's mom's for dinner to spend time with Kelly and Esther while they were here over Kelly's Spring Break.

I haven't been brave enough to try taking all four kids anywhere by myself yet. Lincoln woke up on Monday with pink-eye, so any plans I envisioned of going out in public kind of got thwarted. But luckily the weather this week has been beautiful, and every afternoon we've gotten to go on a walk. Mine and Aaron's parents went in together to get us a new stroller (I'll get a picture of it soon) and I have been very happy to put it to use. And a couple of the days, I let the kids spend their afternoons out in the back yard.

 It hasn't all been peaches and cream. It's definitely an adjustment trying to juggle four kids. Especially because a couple of my kids have intensity levels the blow me through the roof sometimes. We've been VERY curious about breastfeeding this go around, and I have tried to patiently, and honestly answer the never-ending questions truthfully and to the best of my ability, but I refuse to be a hands-on learning exhibit, and I get cranky when I am repeatedly bombarded by curious children while nursing or pumping. And no, I don't care if you're absolutely fascinated with the mechanical workings of the breast pump, you absolutely may not examine it while it is in use. End of story! I'm glad I have smart and curious children, but holy moly, the next one that tries to see what's going on under the nursing cover is going to get knocked into the middle of next week.

And schedules/routines are always hard to adjust. Oliver always wants to eat when it's everyone else's lunch time. Mommy can't get up and get a glass of water or a snack for someone as quickly as they think she should, Oliver is still pretty new to be around germs so we don't have as many friends over to play or go anywhere else to play like we used to, etc. School is hit or miss, morning routine is hit or miss, bedtime routine is hit or miss...our whole lives at the moment just don't have a whole lot of predictability, and I think that's a little bit rough on the kids. It makes them cranky, which in turn makes me cranky. And all of us are fairly intense in our crankiness.

Aaron called during one particularly rough lunch time last week, to see how I was doing. Apparently, he could tell that I was a bit frazzled, because a few minutes later he sent me a text with this picture in it:

And true to his word, when he got home, we did plant a cherry tree in the yard. :) That made me happy. I really enjoy working in our yard and planning out all the things I want to do with it. Having lots of nice trees is one of my goals. In ten years when they're all big enough, they'll make a really nice shady place to spend summer afternoons.

But amid the chaos and craziness, I get a few moments here and there like these:

My beautiful girl proudly holding her baby brother in the rocking chair, so Mommy can pick up a few things around the room.

And my almost four-year-old sneaking out of quiet time because he wants to show me the best train track he's ever built, and give me a kiss and a hug.

I didn't take any pictures of Linc, but I'm sure he and I had a happy moment somewhere in there this week.

I love moments like these, because they keep me going. They are what make not getting enough sleep worth it. So I think I'll keep truckin'. The routine will come. Things will get back on schedule. Oliver will get more predictable.

All in all, life is pretty good.