The Rollercoaster

The parenting journey is indeed a roller coaster. One day you've got your two little ones fed and changed and out the door for 8:15 Zumba class at the gym with your diaper bag (or large purse, in my case) locked and loaded with diapers and an extra set of clothes and think to yourself "man, I am ROCKING this parenting thing!" (side note: this has only happened once) The next day, it's inevitably a Monday and you are hazy in the head, swamped by multiple loads of laundry, have two crying children, one needy infant and a demanding toddler, can’t find the wipes, the phone won't stop ringing, the bills are unpaid, the dishwasher still needs to be unloaded at 4:15 and you feel completely inadequate as a mother, woman and ultimately as a member of the human race. I feel like I've written this before, but on days when I am feeling completely frazzled, it's hard to see the forest through the trees, so I feel like I need to write it down yet again for myself to remember that it's not always this way.
P.S. My parenting tip of the day is the combination of swing, Kiddopatamus swaddle sack and pacifier. This was a recommendation from my friend Betsy and is a total lifesaver for me when I need to spend some time with JM or do something where I can't be holding Noah. :)

Thankfully it's not so bad every day, but yesterday it was another bad one for me. Noah wanted to eat all day long (again). And his eye started watering in the afternoon and by early evening was looking like pink eye. JM was a dream, but again I was feeling like I wasn't able to give him attention because of the needs of the other. Sure enough, Noah's eye was indeed pink eye confirmed by yet another H. family visit to the ped. this morning. I have called them the last three Mondays in a row for Noah stuff! The poor kid. I am sure the nurses over there think I'm cuckoo.

Part of the reason that I was feeling so far behind yesterday is that Thursday and Friday night with N. were bad nights. Then Saturday we went out to the lake house to see Mike's parents, his brother and JM's three girl cousins. We had a great time. For once, we didn't go too crazy with the packing nor planning, so the vibe was really chilled out. Which is good because after being sleep deprived on Friday night, I woke up krazy and unorganized on Saturday morning and the prospect of packing up for both a birthday party and the lake again about put me over the edge and it was only my doting husband that kept me sane. P.P.S After 15 years, my beloved finally got a new car! I am so happy for him. He deserves it!

I feel really blessed that I like my in laws so much. A few years ago, being with them would have probably stressed me out a lot, but now I've gotten more comfortable with them and appreciate the tremendous amount of help they offer. Both of my babies must have picked up on the peaceful vibe of their parents, because I must say they were both on their most charming behavior, which is always good when grandparents are around... they ate and slept well. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant on Sunday night with the gang and JM impressed everyone by devouring a whole bean burrito with queso. I think he said "I want a bor-rito" 100 times on the drive to the restaurant. And, I love hearing him say queso. My kid is a Texan!

Oh and I need to brag on my Noah... Although quite the piggy during the day, the past three nights buddy has given me 5 hour stretches between feedings. Last night, he went 6.5 hours from 8:30-3am, which to some would be considered sleeping through the night! I remember someone saying that 6 weeks was like a magic age, so maybe we're on to something with Noah. I hope so!

JM snuggling with his cousins. I love that he has so many cousins and ones he gets to see so often, as I only have two total!




























Me breastfeeding Noah was pretty much the "main attraction" for Carly, Kayla and Brooke. They couldn't get close enough:)













From a few weeks ago, but isn't my brother cute with JM! I am so happy JM gets to grow up on the lake! Although my childhood was very wonderful, my parents were so not boat or lake people!

love them

much better day, today (so far). thanks for the kind words, blog audience! and i think i'm going to seek out a high school kid to come over and help in the afternoons when it gets especially hard...to get me through august heat in texas, in particular!

It won't be like this for long (she hopes)

For the record, the "me" of a few weeks ago with straightened hair and makeup, my husband's lunch made and two sleeping children at 7:30am is totally gone. The honeymoon is over. The adrenaline has worn off. Please mom, stop telling people how great I'm doing this time, because right now I am sending out the SOS Batman light into the sky that I'm having a hard time. Yes, I know a lot much more this time and in that comes confidence and ease in some regards, but having two that are so young is pulling me in two difficult and tiring directions. I'm so sleep deprived that I don't really have the energy to write it all down, but the hard time has set in and I'm struggling. Mostly I am feeling guilty that I'm not being a good and present-enough mom to JM. And then there's sweet Noah, who is taking every bit of energy of mine because we are around week two of him wanting to eat all the time. You are supposed to follow their cues, but with him, I think the growth spurt must be over (surely), so when will I get my breast back? Even him eating every three hours would be welcome right now. Does anyone out there on the interweb have any advice for curbing a snacking infant to get them more on a regular schedule? I'm too tired to sift through a google search even.

The only thing getting me through right now was the fact that we got to get out for playgroup this morning (at the smoothie park! yay!), the fact that both my littles are sleeping (for the first day in quite some time) right now and I actually have time to get this out. Also, the sweet lyrics of Mr. Hootie and the Blowfish... because I know very soon I'll be on the "other side" of this time when I can actually sit and have a glass of wine (or three) when these two littles don't need me quite as much, but for today, I'm frayed at the edges for sure.
Yes, I am grateful to have two healthy children. VERY grateful. Yes, I love being a mom. LOVE it. But, today is hard.

Lifeline

Being a new mom during the summer in Central Texas is challenging. Last time I spent way too much time in the house isolated by the heat and my lack of ability to get organized enough to get out of the house. This time, having a toddler of two and a new baby who wants to eat all.the.time lately (he's fine, btw... no fever in 48 hours) makes me especially cabin feverish. I love being outside, but after 10 am, it's just too damn hot to leave the confines of the AC. That's why I am especially grateful for two wonderful places close to our house. One is a splash pad conveniently located in an outdoor mall area adjacent to a coffee shop. JM loves to play in the fountains. The other is a fancy grocery store with a coffee bar and smoothie counter and a wonderful, almost heavenly shady outdoor playscape area. JM calls this one the "smoothie park." If I can get my rear moving in the morning and out the door by 9 or so, JM and I can share a smoothie, then I send him off onto the play under the shady oak and can breastfeed until Noah's content, while still keeping a close eye on number 1. We all need a little vitamin D and exposure to other humans! Both of these business concepts are genius, considering I buy a coffee or smoothie every time. Plus, JM is happy; I am happy; and Noah is happy. It makes the fact that inevitably on such outing, JM poops and Noah poops (and usually has a blow out poop requiring a total outfit change) totally worth it! It's my lifeline right now. Love it!

1 month old!

Noah's 1 month birthday did not start off so well. The past twenty four hours have largely consisted of him on the breast, with me pitying him, my poor body and poor older brother whose mama has been largely tied down by a baby who wants to nurse all.the.time. Yesterday I was thinking it was a growth spurt, but this morning Noah woke up with a fever and believe me, this mama doesn't handle tiny little babies with even a low-grade fever well. His temp was 100 even and I freaked out, but thankfully didn't do anything crazy like Google searches or calling our family friend NP who tends to really get me scared, and instead called my mom to come over and watch JM, who regaled me with stories of my 4 week-old sister's 103.5 temperature and hospital stay and made me feel better (sorta).

Anyway, by the time we got to the pediatrician at 11 this morning, he was only at 99 degrees and because he looked so good and is now 30 days old, they didn't make us get a blood and urine sample for something scary like meningitis, but instead are thinking he might have a little bug and I'm supposed to monitor his temperature and call them if it gets scary high. So far this afternoon, his temp is down to normal, making me think I might just have had a moment of BSC (bat shit crazy). I hope so. Although he still wants to nurse nonstop. Who knows? I am still pretty freaked out, but trying not to worry.

How on earth is time flying by so fast? How did Noah get to be a month old already? Anyway, since we got to swing by the pediatrician this morning, we also got to do a weight check. Guess how big my baby is? 9 lbs and 10 oz! He's almost gained 2 pounds since his birth!!! For the record, JM didn't get back to his birthweight of 8.4 until 5 weeks and at 2 months was only 9.5. I am thrilled! All this breastfeeding is paying off. And, little brother is definitely not having the weight issues that big brother did! Thank you, Jesus!

At 1 month, Noah is a sweet little pea. He is a happy guy and will generally conk out on a full belly, especially if being held or moved around. He will smile occasionally and makes lots of wry faces. He poops a lot. He generally goes 2-5 hours between feedings (lately more like 3, sometimes 4).

Isn't he cute? Uh oh, gotta go. Back to breastfeeding!

Our bluejeaned, green digger-wearing Texan

Like a sort of mini Carson Kressley, sire is very interested in his attire, lately. He is very into blue jeans (despite the fact that it's close to 100 degrees).
He is going through a Picasso-like green period, as well. If not green or blue jeaned, he prefers his two outfits that have backhoe diggers on them. I think it's safe to say that backhoe loaders are his favorite thing ever.
He also likes wearing cowboy boots.

If you see us out and about and he looks a little crazy, please know that the odds are quite good that neither Mike nor I picked out his clothes that day.

Noah at 3 weeks

Since big brother is off at camp today (he's been so naughty the past few days that I am actually relieved in a way... more on that later), I thought I'd take a post and focus on our new addition.

Noah at 3 weeks
....Has the cutest little patch of hair in the back that stands straight up. Even if you try to push it down, it goes right back up. I love it!
....Likes to eat every 2.5-4 hours. He has had a few 5 hour stretches, God bless him. Note to Noah: Mama would like more 5 hour stretches in the dark nighttime.
....He is very alert. When he is awake he kind of reminds me of Benjamin Button. He has an old soul quality to him and makes funny faces
....He likes to be swaddled. He doesn't realize that his arms are attached and gets very startled by them.
....He is not sure about the pacifier. Sometimes he will take it, sometimes no.
....He is quite gassy and needs to be burped.
....He poops more than any baby Mama has ever seen. Every.single.diaper.change there is a poo. Mama is not worried this time that little is getting enough to eat. His poos are quite frequently explosive and loud. He also has been known to toot with an adult-like volume.
....He is quite a spitter, but it doesn't seem to bother him too much.
....He is growing SO fast. His head, in particular, seems like it's tripled in size since his birth!

We love this little guy SO much! I remember reading in Waiting for Birdy, a very true memoir about adding a 2nd child, that you worry that your heart won't be able to expand to love another baby as much as your first, but somehow you do. I can't imagine life without him. I can't believe he's almost a month old, already! Time is going by way too fast!






L

Fun Fourth

Fun weekend at the lake house! Granted, with us, two little people and the carload of stuff that it takes to keep them up and running, two grandparents, my brother and Sarah and two idiotic dogs, it was not without its challenges. Noah decided that he really wanted to be held all.the.time and putting him down was cause for hysterical screams. John Michael decided he was two and was going to put his daddy through the ringer during every bedtime ritual and give us a hard time during much of the day. Mom and Art brought my sister's dog, who along with our own beast, decided we were abandoning them when we left to take a boat ride on the lake and in a somewhat comical scene swam all the way across the lake and in Wrigley's (Lauren's dog) case, almost drowned under the boat. But beyond the drama, we did have some fun, too. There was watermelon eating (and lots of eating, in general), there was singing of the Playtime Poppy theme song under the stars and there was love and family bonding.