And We're Back in the Game?

Through the inspiration and coaching of a friend (Mary Aalgaard) and just the general overwhelming need to write to put my mind in order, I’ve decided to start using this blog again. May it last longer than the last time!

So much has been going on that I can’t keep it all straight, it seems. I used to be the schedule keeper, never needing a calendar, keeping it all in my mind, etc. Now? I’m lucky if I can remember what day of the week it is. Everything is starting to blur together. I guess life with a newborn does that. Mix in an active three year old, and life gets really interesting. Sleep deprivation is great, isn’t it?

Many parents before me have managed to do the multiple child rearing. Heck, many parents before me even had/have the lovely benefit of having twins. I think that would be much more difficult than what I’m facing right now. However, I’m new to this. Emily is still less than a month old. We’re still working out schedules and streamlining our day a little better. For example: bath time. The girls are on a bed time bath schedule. For Kirstin it’s just because I can’t stomach the idea of sending her to bed a dirty little urchin and for Emily it’s to introduce her to a bed time routine from the start. On the nights when both girls need baths we’ve discovered it’s easier to get Kirstin into the tub first. Who knew? I figured being she’s the older of the two, she can have her bath later. It just doesn’t work right now. Maybe once Emily is a bit older it will, but right now Emily is in the bath-food-sleep stage of bedtime routine. Kirstin’s routine is a bit more lax and so she can play while we’re getting Emily ready for bed and the like. It works out much better.

Even with the learning curve, I’m still able to recall many things I’ve forgotten about having a small baby in the house.

1) The middle of the night wake up calls: I’m starting to see less of the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m, but it’s still tough to get up every night. I feel lucky when I get a full four hours between feeding and changing. I know that will change, and is in the process right now.

2) The diapers: Seriously, do we have to go through three diapers per change? I know I’ve lost my speed a little over the very few years I’ve not been changing tiny diapers, but three is a bit much. If I wait until I’m relatively sure you’re all done with your little bodily functions, you’ll still find just a little bit more to help me in changing your diaper, your clothes, the changing pad, and quite possibly my own clothes. Poop should not be a projectile!

3) The feedings: I really enjoy feeding Emily, just as I really enjoyed feeding Kirstin. The intimacy with my child and the knowledge that I’m doing something with her that only I can do are really wonderful. There are times though, when she really has to quit playing with her food, so milk doesn’t go all over the place. And of course, feeding leads straight to

4) The burping: I’m not sure that I really forgot this part or just didn’t have a good lesson from Kirstin. Emily spits up. A lot. The gas drops have actually helped this a bit, but I really don’t need Emily to remind me how many shirts I have in my wardrobe. The best one was at the doctor’s office. She had good aim. Straight down the shirt to have a gooey, icky, warmness nestled in my bra. She got none on her or anywhere else on me. I did manage to wait until the doctor left the room to semi-disrobe and clean up some, but it was tough. Yuck!

5) All the good stuff that comes with having a baby. The cuddles, the coos, the smiles, the tiny baby hands and feet, the smells, watching her sleep, watching her stare in wonder, watching her cross her eyes when she’s looking at something. And all that cancels out the first four items in this list. Even they become enjoyable when balanced with the good things.

And so it goes. After viewing my blog for the first time in I don't know how long...I've decided I really need to change the look, come up with a name for it, etc. So there will most likely be changes to the appearance coming up sometime when I get a chance to sit and fiddle with it a bit. In the meantime, so long, and may your days be interesting!