Monday, December 14, 2009

The New Norm

This past week, my dad adequately described how I'm feeling about things right now. In the midst of an extremely crazy moment he, so very tongue-in-cheek said, "One kid is like having one kid. Two kids is like having two kids. Three kids is like having nine."
Obviously, that is certainly not the case. Having any amount of kids is work. And a lot of it. It's just that for the moment, finding the balance with our new schedule makes it seem like there are a lot more than 5 people living under our roof! I guess the stomach flu didn't really help our cause either. But really though, things feel SO crazy! Endless laundry, frequent temper tantrums, Bilirubin checks, messed up naps, doctor appointments, crazy nights, countless feedings...whoa! All that makes this girl want to crawl under the blankets and hide! If only it were that easy!

I do admit, I was a bit spoiled at first. My labor and delivery was a walk in the park compared to last time. We were home almost exactly 24 hours later. I had my mom, Jer, and my sister at my total disposal. And the boys were snowed in/sick for a week with Grandpa and Nana in Chama. It was a newborn honeymoon and I took FULL advantage. We went out to dinner, shopping, and just spent time relaxing and enjoying our new baby boy. And even though in the back of my mind I knew things would be changing once were living in the realm of "everyday" again, I didn't know just how much.

But I trust that we will find our new norm. It's just gonna take a little while.

Luckily though, I do have my partner in crime to help me combat the craziness. Jer is home this week helping me hold down the fort and keeping the boys occupied and quiet so I can catch some extra zzzz's in the morning. And boy am I thankful for that! Although Judah seems to be quite the calm baby (so far), he has had a few nights of non-stop nursing which has made for a less than chipper mommy when it comes time for The Deuce to get up. I am SO thankful for him. And I'm even more thankful that he doesn't say anything when I'm still in the same pajamas for the third day in a row. Or when I eat a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast.

And as for the boys, they are adjusting-slowly but surely. Now that they are both seemingly over their sickness, they've actually been allowed to touch their brother and they love it! They particularly love to pat his head and point to (poke) his eyes and nose. While most of their actions are governed by a chorus of, "Gentle, boys! GENTLE!!" they don't seem to mind and still seize every opportunity to check him out, rock his swing, or give him a kiss. My favorite is when they hold him though. They love to snuggle him and will even wrap their arms around him. Look out, though, once they're done, they're DONE and they just anxiously push him away. What can I say, brotherly love!

As crazy as it is, though, it's still such a sweet time. We are so incredibly blessed to have another child and I am no longer naive as to how quickly the time goes with our little ones. All too soon, I know these hectic days will be behind us and we'll long for these years again. Now if only I could remember that when the three feels like nine.

6 comments:

Sydni said...

I'm so glad to hear you have lots of good help! Those pictures are just too cute!

Unknown said...

Your sons are just all so precious! God has blessed you all very much!

Stacy Bobbin said...

You have such a beautiful family! Your boys are the sweetest!

Aunt Kim said...

Rally! RA-Ra
RALLY!
You and Jer can do it!

Tania said...

As another mother of 3 boys.. albeit not QUITE as close together as yours.. *I only had 2 under 2 when Asher was born* I understand your thoughts. When you have one crying and hanging on your leg... one crying because he is hungry.. the other running around yelling loudly.. while you are trying to get dinner done to have something to give hubby at the end of a hard day at work, to show that you love and appreciate him... and the tears come to your eyes too.. Just remember, these are the hard years. As fun and blessed as they are... it does get better, easier and funner with each passing month!! I love you!!!

Unknown said...

Darling Girl -

You are right, this is such a blessed time, and you are right, this is such a crazzzzzy time! As mother of three myself and one baking ;o)...I was sad to read of your hardships (not sad about the baby! let me make that clear!) because I remembered those days for me in the past and how hard it is...days when I felt like I was drowning and it didn't seem like we'd ever have room for another child (or anything else!) in life. I hope to offer my hand however I can...please consider me. Also, I hoped to offer some encouragement to what helped me in those days. I know we always
"talk" about letting house work and other things go...I think having three is the breaking point between talking and doing! When Katie was just a new weeee pup, I was still trying to keep up on everything and have life exactly as it was before. Finally letting go of that was the only thing that finally helped! Clean laundry might have sat for about four weeks in the same basket - but it was clean! And mac and cheese from a box isn't healthy, but it provides enough nourishment, and more importantly, sanity to get you through this time! I say all of this knowing how you are, because remember we are homemaking twins;)...Let yourself be a Mommy, not a Maid. They will soon be grown and there will be plenty of time to clean. Rest that recovering/drained/breastfeeding body of yours to the utmost so you can have the energy you need for the rest of life. Having three children has COMPLETELY altered my view of hospitality...At this point, if someone comes to visit, I feel no need to apologize for the toys all over the floor, the piles of dishes, and the other piles of things undone...because God (and anybody else with a brain!) knows what I've been up to. If somebody comes over, I tell them in advance I'll probably be doing dishes or laundry or cleaning up somebody's diaper, and they can feel free to chat with me or jump on in, but I'm not going to be able to provide a calm, clean, perfect haven - just my friendship and a crazy experience for them lol:) I love you dearly, and Mama, please hang in there!!!!!!!!!! Hugs, Rachel