It's shocking to me how quick this first month went. In my head, his delivery is still so fresh, but at the same time seems like a distant memory. My tiny baby isn't quite as tiny anymore, and is growing at a rate quicker than anybody is ready for. I tearfully packed up all of his newborn clothes, aside from a couple of newer pieces he still fits into, and shed tears through the whole process. This is it. The last of our babies. A choice we made as a couple, but it is making great moments a little more bittersweet as well.
It amazes us how different Max is compared to Lucas, at least in these early days. Sleep is a big noticeable difference, in that he doesn't really like to do it, during the day at least. Nights are normal, with wakeups every 3-4 hours (sometimes every two hours like the past couple of nights -- growth spurt?) and every once in a rare while he gives us a nice five hour stretch, usually at the beginning of the night. I am quick to go to bed as soon as I can get him to sleep because I know that Big Brother will be up bright and early. During the day, he is a great cat napper. Thirty minutes here and there UNLESS somebody is holding him! If Max is in the arms of mom or dad or grandma, then bring it on. A three hour nap is no big deal, although it does render the holder completely useless during that time.
And we don't care.
We frequently find ourselves reminding each other to enjoy the moments. The house can be cleaned or picked up another day, but our babies are only small for so long and won't snuggle us forever. And during the night, when we are up for feedings, I am not so quick to put him back in his bed, but instead keep him on my shoulder for just a few more minutes, sleep be damned. I'm not at all ready for how quick the time is passing, and these moments I know won't last forever. Baby doesn't care that I've been in the same yoga pants for three days, or haven't showered in two. So the snuggles and the loving are lasting as long as he will let it.
Max is already becoming aware of his surrounding, and it has been fun to watch him see what is in his environment. He has giggled once -- in his sleep -- but smiles are becoming less gas-induced and more social. His eyes are becoming bluer every day and we are pretty sure that he will have blond hair just like his brother. Whether or not it will be curly is yet to be determined! Floor time is a favorite every day activity, but only when Big Brother is napping and isn't trying to be on top of him! The crazy infatuation has lessened although Lucas still loves Max and is learning to help out through "holding" bottles (aka he sticks one finger on it and calls it good), grabbing items that I need, or simply holding him on the couch with Mommy and boppy pillow close at hand. These two are going to be great friends, and I cannot wait.
We definitely haven't been short of visitors either. Because Max was sick with RSV, we haven't had nearly as many people by as we would have liked, and sadly still have some close friends who have yet to meet the little guy. But my sister, Aimie, was out his first week in a pre-arranged trip, and my mom, bless her freaking heart, came to our rescue ALL THE WAY FROM GERMANY when Marshall had to head back to Oregon. In both instances, I have never been more sad to see family go, and am looking forward to seeing them both again. My mom, especially, helped out in a time when I really needed it the most. I was not at all prepared to handle two children alone, and while I had to tackle that challenge the last full week, having her here in the meantime was a blessing. The help she provided was huge and I will never ever forget it. In fact, she was so great that I sort of went through mom-withdrawals for the first couple of days after she left! Who would have thought that at 33 years old, you would still need your mom that much. :)
As for myself? I have to say that I am feeling pretty amazing. Maybe it was because labor was SO QUICK, or maybe it's because I was in slightly better shape (although not really that much) this time around but I bounced back fairly quickly. After those first couple of weeks, I was ready to resume life as normal. The baby blues also were not present like they were last time. So aside from physically feeling amazing, mentally I was feeling fantastic as well. That right there is half the battle. I've lost all but three pounds of my baby weight (25 pounds total is what I gained), and while I did nothing to get there, I am eager to start going back to the gym again. However, I am not pushing myself due to the insane work I have put in to get my breast milk supply up (another post in the works) and I don't want to endanger that.
All in all, while it has been a challenging first month of life with two, it has been amazing as well. Now that Marshall is back home, he is making up for missing two and a half weeks of Max's beginning to life, and we are slowly but surely finding our new routine as a family of four. We most definitely don't have it down yet, and there are still struggles, but we love it and are enjoying every moment, and even every struggle, thrown our way.
1 comment:
Thank you. I feel the same about you and the boys.
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