Helllloooo! Is There Anyone Out There??

Hello!  I'm still here!  I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I was probably wiping a bottom, a nose or a tear.  We are all doing better than I truly expected after welcoming our little (that's only figurative when you weigh 9lbs as a newborn!) bundle of joy almost three weeks ago.  I knew that Will would do fairly well when the baby was born.  He was so excited about the baby's arrival and he still is.  He just looks at her with these smitten eyes and says things like "She's the perfect baby, Momma" or "She's just the cutest little baby!"  I was really worried about Brooks - I thought he would be my jealous one.  He's done surprisingly well with the baby though.  He does show some signs of jealousy, but none too extreme.  I also thought he would be extremely rough and rowdy with the baby, but so far so good.

Brandon and I are doing well.  I'm finally feeling better physically and I have only had one day where I could really tell those postpartum emotions were wanky (yes I know that's not a real word!)  Brandon is back at work of course, so I'm *very* outnumbered here on the home front.  With Will going to Pre-K MWF mornings, that really puts us in overdrive three mornings each week.  I get everyone up, dressed, fed and loaded in the car (sometimes the hardest part) by 8:50 to have him at school by 9.  It's a very good thing we live less than a mile from school.  Otherwise, I'm not sure he would ever be there on time.  He's only been late one morning out of five so far and that was his little brother's fault.  On those mornings, there is literally NO time for shenanigans and that is practically Brooks' middle name :)  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the boys generally go to my in-law's for a little time on the farm.  This gives the girl and I a break; and these are usually the only days where any coffee gets poured, laundry gets done, or the television is on any channel other than Disney Jr.

There have been good days and bad days, but every day is hard.  Especially those when the boys are wild and stir crazy because we've been stuck in the house all day.  I'm not sure which is harder, getting 3 kids loaded in the car and out in a public place, or keeping them from killing each other and tearing down the house at home.  I don't know about your kids, but mine generally do better when they're busy and focused on one specific thing.  Left to their own devices, I deal with a LOT of fighting over toys, whining and crazy loud crashes (don't ask :/).  BUT, it's hard to come up with something that both a 2 AND 4 year old finds captivating while feeding, burping and changing a newborn.  Brooks is my biggest challenge right now.  He doesn't play independently for very long just yet, and if I don't get him occupied with something productive, before you know it he's locking himself in rooms, jumping off furniture or doing some other "no-no".  I know I'm not the only mother to face this challenge, and I don't want to sound like a weeny, so I'll stop complaining ;)

Tessa is still being a very good girl!  She still loves her sleep and just last night slept from 11-5:30AM and then from 6-10:20AM.  I'm thinking we need to start moving her bedtime up based on her stretches.  I think we may try having her last feeding at 9 or 9:30 tonight.  I'll probably be up at midnight.... we'll see.  We've only had two rough evenings with our girl - one was tummy troubles and the other was restlessness.  I told you that she likes her sleep and I mean it!  If she doesn't get a good *sound* sleep within an hour after eating, you will pay for it.  So those days when Brooks and Will are doing every thing in their will power to keep the baby awake, we usually all wind up in tears.  She's still a "grunter".  Sleeping with her in our room is very similar to spending the night in a very comfy bed that's placed in a barn.  I'm very near ready to move her to her room.  I'm thinking we'll move her when she's 4-6 weeks old.

We just had her newborn pics taken by our favorite family photographer and as soon as I get some proofs, you know I'll be sharing them :)  Maybe we'll get a sneak peek soon!  Just in the last 2 days, Tessa has broken out with baby acne all over her forehead.  This is no surprise as Brooks had it too, but it makes me sad that my pretty girl is covered in red bumps on her face.  It should resolve itself soon - the docs say its just her hormones taking over from my hormones and it peaks around 4 weeks.  Little bit will be 3 weeks old tomorrow, so I'm hoping it goes away soon!

This is all I have time for now as Brandon is on his way home with our two little men in tow.  Having the laptop out around them is a *very* expensive accident waiting to happen, so I need to get this show packed up :)  I leave you with a comparison pic of my big boy's first day of pre-K - one from last year and then one from this year.  My big boy is getting sooooo big and I've already been super sad that he starts Kindergarten in one year :(  Not to mention that next year Brooks will start pre-K too.  Gah!

3 Year Preschool

4 Year Preschool