wordless wednesday

the last two weeks

I've been MIA, I know. I'm sure it's to be expected with two kiddos to care for now. These last two weeks have been more difficult to date, with Curren having rough periods of sleep during the day (sometimes napping in 10 or 20 minute increments...what the heck!?) and not really going more than 3 hours between feedings at night. Maggie has been getting up most mornigs between 6-6:30am which is a most ungodly hour, considering we don't normally start our days prior to 7am. And this weekend she has battled strep throat and a double ear infection. She was up about 4 times last night and of course, it was the night of Curren's longest stretch between feedings, 4 1/2 hours. Oh, the irony! And on top if it all, I seem to have a cold and don't feel too well. These last 7-14 days have felt like those first few weeks of Maggie's life where we were severly sleep deprived and for me, the world looked quite bleak. I've cried more and felt more alone. And Aron's work has been extremely busy lately, so most days he is gone from 6am-7pm. I'm thankful these times have hit when Curren is almost 6 weeks old because we really did have some joy-filled days those first few weeks and it's good to know that we will get back there.

But, I've been having trouble finding joy lately as my children are not sleeping or feeling well. Being a parent is so much more refining than I ever thought possible; I'm so selfish and want what I want, when I want it. And that's not always how things work. Sigh. It's at times like these that I miss my family terribly. Thankfully, they are coming out in a few short weeks! Hooray! And Aron's mom came for a quick visit over President's Day weekend (and we were able to get out for a date), for which we are grateful. We enjoyed some good downtime with her, ate out a couple of times, and just relaxed. Below are a few pics of her time here.

We are also trying to work through some possible life-changing decisions (more later) and that adds to the stress of life currently. He recently stepped down from his position as Customer Service Manager in his job to focus on special projects, in hopes of easing his tremendously hectic workload so he can focus full-time on school come fall. There is much uncertainty for us right now and I'm praying and trying desperately to see what God has for us. For now, all I can do it take it day by day, sometimes hour by hour. And cling to the good things that happen on a daily basis, even if they are few and far between.

curren's 1 month stats

I wanted to post Maggie's 1 month stats next to the boy's but alas, they must be in storage, so for now, here is a pic of our sweet babe and his numbers.

Weight: 11 lbs.-- 75th percentile

Height: 22"--70th percentile

Head: 15 1/4"--50th percentile

cure

1 month old

cold chillin

one month old

wordless wednesday

Here are some pics of Maggie playing dress-up with her friend Avery. They are quite silly together. And of course, here is Maggie's attempt at "smile and show your teeth" when having her picture taken.

over-heard

Aron, doting on me as a mom of 2, to Maggie, over dinner last week: "Maggie, mama is the bomb! Can you say that?"

Maggie, quite enthusiastically: "Mama is a bum!"

sibling love

normal re-defined

Babies come into your life and upset everything--in both good and bad ways. Good, in that here is this new little person who is part of your family, who will forever change how you do life, how you think and live. And bad--a better word is challening--in that you have to learn to adjust to life with another little person around. You no longer get the sleep you used to get, you have to plan to get out of the house that much earlier because it's going to take you that much longer to get ready, and well, you fill in the blanks.

I've made it through two weeks alone with my kiddos and surprisingly, it went much more smoothly than I expected. I took it easy, didn't have much of an agenda, and tried to rest when I could. I've determined that the most difficult time of day for me is about 7am (or whenever Maggie wakes up) and then between 7-9pm, give or take, before Curren's last night feeding before the middle of the night feedings start. He is only waking up an average of 2 times in the night, so I feel these feedings go rather smoothly, unless he wants to stay awake for an hour and a half (which has happened a couple times). I have had my moments of tears and breakdowns, but they have been minimal. I have to wonder what exactly that means, though. Are there worse ones coming? Undoubtedly. Yet, it's all about taking things one day at a time and relishing both the good and challening times.

I must share that I have enjoyed this era of babyhood much more than I did with Maggie. I feel more relaxed, more at ease. Curren really is extremely mellow. I can remember counting down the weeks to 6 when fussies were supposed to "peak" when Maggie was this age. Curren just isn't fussy. I love when he sleeps on me or with me (we have brought him into bed with us a few times; I'm mastering the nursing laying down), and I love to cradle him in my arms and take in all his sweet features. I can remember my friend Patti telling me this age is one of her favorites and me thinking she was CRAZY because having a newborn is downright difficult. But, perhaps my experiences are being challenged because I don't feel this way right now. I'm enjoying life overall with two bambinos. I hope that is encouraging to my friends who are about to embark on the journey with two. You can't prepare for this, but I did hear from many of my mom friends that transitioning from 1 to 2 kiddos is the most diffcult of all. I'm not sure I would say that.

Several things I'm currently proud of:

--I've successfully breastfed in public--at a park, at a gymnastics gym, a restaurant, and in the car.

--I've taken both kids out, including a shopping trip to Old Navy.

--I've put Maggie to bed, read her books, played with her, given her a bath, fixed her meals, disciplined her, all *while* breastfeeding Curren--I feel I've climbed a 14-footer for what this accomplishment is worth. :)

--I don't loathe middle of the night feedings like I did with Maggie. Call me crazy.

Now, it's learning to master my time, time in the Word, time to organize the house, cook, and connect with Aron. It will all fall into place slowly, I know it will. For now, our new normal is being defined and I'm taking it in stride.