Today reaffirmed all my reasons for blogging.
I couldn't remember the details of Haley's first few weeks at home. How breastfeeding was going. How sleeping was going. When I put her in her own room. All those types of things. Back then, I blogged several times a week. Often, the emotions were raw and the excitement and frustrations were uncensored. I spent some good time looking back at those few weeks. Somewhat cringing, but I have to remember--I was doing the best I could at that time. Period.
But re-reading what I wrote helped me remember all my mistakes and wins during those weeks. So now I can better take on the weeks ahead.
Owen is now 10 days old. We are honeymooning it up right now. He is eating and sleeping like a champ. I honestly have zero complaints and couldn't have asked for a better behaved baby. In fact, it is unsettling almost. Too good to be true almost. Like, I am sitting around waiting for shit to hit the fan any moment. Because newborns can't be this easy.
He is nursing every 3 hours-ish with two 4 hour stints overnight. He is still sleeping most of the day, but is starting to have a few times during the day where he is up for an hour or two max. When he is awake, he is so content. You can just live him on his play mat and he looks around without a peep.
I am super freaked that he is catching a cold. Haley brought Ian and I a cold that we have been fighting (the sore throat and cough variety) and now I hear Owen coughing a few times. But with the three of us who have had the confirmed cold, the coughing has never gotten out of hand so I am hoping and praying that it is nothing major. I know how colds can spiral out of control quickly for newborns. He has another weight check this Friday, so I am thankful to get the doctors eyes on him without having to make a special trip that screams overly neurotic mom (like my children's files are already labeled with that).
And now for Haley. Big sister is now half way through the year to three. 2-and-a-half-years-old. It happens fast people. Way fast. She is a struggle. She is pushing her boundaries constantly, like almost all three-year-olds do. She is a bit defiant. Not potty trained. And fighting naps. I find myself being stern with her much more than I would like. And sometimes I am questioning if I need to lighten up some. I don't want to excuse behaviors because of all the changes and then those become habits--but I also don't want to over do it. So I am battling with myself constantly. That was a lot of negativity pointed at my little girl, so I say that but I also want to say....she is smart. Very smart. And I know all parents think that about their kids, but I truly think Haley has an intellectual edge that you wouldn't expect. She is strong willed, which is difficult to parent, but totally admirable. I hope she keeps that about her. I can tell she is a leader. She is high energy, which totally doesn't shock me. Ian and I are both hyper people.
Yesterday, I watched her play with my bff's kids and it was such a rush of emotions. She is so grown up in so many ways. The kids play great together and she had a blast. She slept in the car all the way home from Missouri. And through that experience I realized, as kids grow up, the joy you experience from your children comes from more and more of a distance. From birth until about 1 or 2, you are their everything. And the joys come with every milestone--and as a mommy, I was RIGHT there in the middle of it. The more she grows, the more I have to step back and admire the milestones from the sidelines. No longer in the middle of it. It is bitter sweet really. Marathon cuddling is traded in for hugs when I can get them and pecks on the cheek when I ask for them. Slowly, my toddler is morphing into a preschooler. And when I sit with that for a moment, I realize just how fleeting these moments are.
I couldn't remember the details of Haley's first few weeks at home. How breastfeeding was going. How sleeping was going. When I put her in her own room. All those types of things. Back then, I blogged several times a week. Often, the emotions were raw and the excitement and frustrations were uncensored. I spent some good time looking back at those few weeks. Somewhat cringing, but I have to remember--I was doing the best I could at that time. Period.
But re-reading what I wrote helped me remember all my mistakes and wins during those weeks. So now I can better take on the weeks ahead.
Owen is now 10 days old. We are honeymooning it up right now. He is eating and sleeping like a champ. I honestly have zero complaints and couldn't have asked for a better behaved baby. In fact, it is unsettling almost. Too good to be true almost. Like, I am sitting around waiting for shit to hit the fan any moment. Because newborns can't be this easy.
He is nursing every 3 hours-ish with two 4 hour stints overnight. He is still sleeping most of the day, but is starting to have a few times during the day where he is up for an hour or two max. When he is awake, he is so content. You can just live him on his play mat and he looks around without a peep.
I am super freaked that he is catching a cold. Haley brought Ian and I a cold that we have been fighting (the sore throat and cough variety) and now I hear Owen coughing a few times. But with the three of us who have had the confirmed cold, the coughing has never gotten out of hand so I am hoping and praying that it is nothing major. I know how colds can spiral out of control quickly for newborns. He has another weight check this Friday, so I am thankful to get the doctors eyes on him without having to make a special trip that screams overly neurotic mom (like my children's files are already labeled with that).
And now for Haley. Big sister is now half way through the year to three. 2-and-a-half-years-old. It happens fast people. Way fast. She is a struggle. She is pushing her boundaries constantly, like almost all three-year-olds do. She is a bit defiant. Not potty trained. And fighting naps. I find myself being stern with her much more than I would like. And sometimes I am questioning if I need to lighten up some. I don't want to excuse behaviors because of all the changes and then those become habits--but I also don't want to over do it. So I am battling with myself constantly. That was a lot of negativity pointed at my little girl, so I say that but I also want to say....she is smart. Very smart. And I know all parents think that about their kids, but I truly think Haley has an intellectual edge that you wouldn't expect. She is strong willed, which is difficult to parent, but totally admirable. I hope she keeps that about her. I can tell she is a leader. She is high energy, which totally doesn't shock me. Ian and I are both hyper people.
Yesterday, I watched her play with my bff's kids and it was such a rush of emotions. She is so grown up in so many ways. The kids play great together and she had a blast. She slept in the car all the way home from Missouri. And through that experience I realized, as kids grow up, the joy you experience from your children comes from more and more of a distance. From birth until about 1 or 2, you are their everything. And the joys come with every milestone--and as a mommy, I was RIGHT there in the middle of it. The more she grows, the more I have to step back and admire the milestones from the sidelines. No longer in the middle of it. It is bitter sweet really. Marathon cuddling is traded in for hugs when I can get them and pecks on the cheek when I ask for them. Slowly, my toddler is morphing into a preschooler. And when I sit with that for a moment, I realize just how fleeting these moments are.
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