Life at Home

We came home from the hospital on a Saturday. We were greeted by flowers from Jimmy and my parents. The next day was Mother's Day. Let me just say that having your husband see you give birth is a GREAT way to motivate him to go the extra mile when it comes to celebrating a holiday. There was a fabulous flat bread sandwich brunch, a card that had the kids voices recorded and a framed picture of us that plays "Unforgettable". (He actually went to the trouble of finding a picture and framing it!) Jackson made a beautiful flower pot at school and Luke made a cute heart in the nursery at church. I even got to sleep for three hours while they all went to church. What a fabulous holiday!

Grant slept most of the first week and Jimmy took good care of Jackson and Luke which gave me lots of time to rest. My mother, then, came to help us. And help she did. She rocked Grant for hours on end. The dishes were actually done for ten days straight and she even scrubbed the fridge! She also introduced Luke to hot chocolate and napping with another person...a habit which he has not been very happy to give up.





She also came with us on our first outing to Spenser Park. Thank goodness she did because Luke was a handful trying to scurry out into the lake every chance that he got. I can't believe that I thought it might be relaxing! We were able to get him into a swing which got his mind off of the water. Grant spent his first time at the park sleeping and Jackson was all about the playground.






We were so grateful to have members of our church and neighborhood bring us lots of yummy dinners. Thank goodness for that. It was such a blessing to have food around to eat for dinner and leftovers without needing to run to the store constantly.

Since then, things have been chaotic. Luke only occasionally shows his distaste for the new baby by stomping on his head, throwing things, or head butting him. Most of the time, though, he loves to give kisses and offer pacis to Grant. He often drags me to the monitor when the baby is crying and he runs upstairs to help me get the baby. He seems to want to be held by Jimmy and I, mostly, when we are holding the baby. I spend a lot of time carrying two children around. (My back is killing me, but they will feel loved, I hope!) He seems VERY interested in Grant's belongings. He would not let go of this blanket that our cousins sent for Grant and often can be found relaxing for long periods of time in the bouncy seat.





Jackson seems relatively unphased by the whole thing despite the fact that Grant cries 99% of the time that he is awake. Jackson has been very helpful on car rides sitting between the two younger boys. I even think that the doctor and I have figured out why Grant cries so much and have found things that help (but that is for another post). I have actually ventured out to the store with all three of the boys. (Hey, we HAD to get a converter box so that I can stay awake during the 4 am feedings.)

And so, we are figuring things out. I had forgotten how much time nursing and holding a baby take. The house is a mess but we are surviving which is all we can hope for right now. With transitioning to having three kids, having a fussy baby and dealing with the housing situation I definitely feel like I have been given extra strength. Most days it doesn't seem that hard. I know that I am being assisted by something greater than I. Many days I am able to handle all of the demands on me while listening to lots of crying and whining. It is almost like I'm floating, in a way. It is definitely an adjustment, but we will get there and we will have another little personality to add to the mix. How exciting!