Back to a New Normal

Ah, reality has set in. Chris has gone back to work, and I'm officially the full-time parent to three small boys. What the hell have I gotten myself into?! Just kidding. . . it's actually gone well for the last few days. Although, I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed having Chris home for two weeks. I'm not a person who generally likes disruption to my "routine", and yes I sometimes consider my husband being home off schedule to be a disruption!! When he was off at Christmas (for almost 3 weeks) I was soooooo ready for him to go back to work. I was also 8+ months pregnant and not a happy camper really. This time though, I was sad for him to go back. We had so much fun together and with the boys, and he is such a good dad. He plays with David and Henry pretty much all day long, did baths, got David ready for school, did laundry and dishes, made sure I was resting, and was so sweet with Jack. I'd forgotten how loving and sweet he was with David and Henry when they were born. For someone who had NO experience at all with babies until David was born, he's amazing with newborns. We're so lucky to have him.

We even managed to do some fun things while he was off. The first weekend we were home from the hospital David and Henry were invited to spend the night with my parents, so Chris and I went out for dinner with Jack. He enjoyed his nap in his carrier while I enjoyed some sushi for the first time in almost a year. I was so happy to eat it! (And so glad Chris doesn't like it, because I didn't want to share!) We went to a store in Nashville we love called "Train up a Child". They have EVERY sort of Thomas the tank engine toys, puzzles, etc. you could want. They also have several train tables, and you can pay a small fee to play for as long as you want. I think we're going to have David's birthday party there this year in their party room. We also went to the Discovery Center, which David and Henry loved. (For those outside of Nashville, this is a link to the Discovery Center website. http://www.discoverycenteronline.org/) They had so much fun, so we renewed our membership. Unfortunately, we had to leave a bit early because there was some funky smell and they evacuated to call the fire department!

David is doing well. He's having some adjustment issues with Jack being here, mostly showing themselves in the form of tantrums. Big, long, tantrums. Over nothing. Not surprisingly, as he is the carbon copy of me when I was a child, most of the tantrums seem to happen when he's tired. We're trying VERY hard to be patient with him, but it's difficult after about 45 minutes of screaming and crying. Hopefully this doesn't last long, because I can't take it for long! Other than that, he continues to be very affectionate with Jack, wants to hold him and kiss him, and loves to help.

Henry is still crazy Henry. He's wild and carefree Henry. He's not really paying much attention to Jack, but is much sweeter to him when he does talk to him. He's hugging and kissing Jack more, but still really doesn't care to interact with him. I think once Jack's mobile and more fun Henry will be more into him. Henry's starting to act much more like the 3 year old he almost is than the sweet baby he was. He's asserting himself much more, arguing, and becoming much more opinionated. He turns it off (generally) as fast as he turns it on, but he's definitely starting to be more obstinate and hard headed! He's going to be an interesting child!

Jack is still doing so well. He's eating like a champ, all day and all night long. He's a wonderful, snuggly, sweet boy. He's much more alert now, and keeps his eyes open or stays awake for much longer periods of time now. I just want to smell him and snuggle him all day long! He had his first doctor's appointment on January 25th to check his weight, etc. He was back up to his birth weight and not jaundiced at all. He does have blocked tear ducts in both eyes. They were extremely goopy with green gunk for about 10 days. His pediatrician said about 40% of newborns have this problem, and that it generally clears up on it's own. She showed us where to massage his face to encourage the ducts to open, and thankfully it seems to have worked. There's still a small amount of secretion from each eye, but NOTHING like it was. I'm sure in a couple of weeks it will probably be gone completely. (Thank God, because the alternative if it didn't open on it's own was a "procedure" around a year old where a WIRE is inserted through the corner of his eye down into the place his eye drains into his nose to open the duct!!!!) She also said he has ultra sensitive skin, so we're being very careful about what we wash our clothes in and the soaps and lotions we use. We've noticed a difference in his skin just in the last week or so since his appointment, so we'll definitely continue what we've been doing. We've done the cloth diapers and G diapers for a few days while we're home. I really like them, especially considering his skin sensitivities. I really need to get a diaper pail specifically to keep the cloth diapers in, as they need to be washed seperately. I'm also going to get some different diapers that don't require covers, because using the diaper and an additional cover is pretty bulky on a boy who's already bulky himself!

I'm feeling great, despite some lingering surgery "issues". Very minor, just some general discomfort really. This could potentially be attributed to having two 40+ pound children in addition to a newborn, and of course they all want to be held or sit on my lap at the same time! Our adjustment, so far, to having three children has been MUCH easier than our adjustment when Henry was born. I'm so thankful for all of them, and I can't believe we ever were without Jack.

David and Henry are "resting" now (read: wrestling in their room), so I've got to run and get some things done while Jack is sleeping. Have a great day!