The Long Road Home: One month as a Family of Four

So sorry for the delay in not updating in a couple of weeks. As you can imagine, there's been some adjusting going on around here. Life with an almost two year old boy whose favorite words are, " Me!" and " No!", and a newborn has a little bit of a learning curve for this Mamma.

Brooks is great. We don't go back to the doctor for another check up and weigh-in until next week, but I think he has to be over ten pounds by now. He is eating much better, and is putting on weight thanks to me continuing to feed him every two hours around the clock. just waiting until I know for sure his weight is on the right track to stop feeding him this often. I'll be so happy not to have to set my alarm every two hours at night and wake up a cozy, sleeping baby to nurse as I can barely hold myself or him for that matter up in bed.

He is out of newborn diapers and out of newborn clothes now, and seems to be growing like a little weed. He is battling some baby acne just like his big bro did, and cradle crap. Poor boy is super flaky all over his head and face. I remember Preston being the exact same. Within the last week he has started having defined wake periods where he will stay awake for am hour or so and observe things. He is still not on any particular "schedule". I'm much looser this time. I guess, partly because I have to be since I also have a demanding almost two year old and his schedule to contend with. But totally not freaking out over things as much and worried with things being rigid.

Brooks is still cosleeping with us, mostly swaddled. We still don't have a lot of kinks worked out and things are mostly fly by the seat of our pants kind of days around here, but I'm even enjoying that! I know soon enough this newborn phase will pass and I will never have it back again. So even in my zombie state, still trying to soak it all up. But I am so tired. :)

But not even close to as tired as I remember being with Preston. Things with Preston were brutal! I don't know if it is my placenta pills making the difference for sure, but I think so. I stopped taking my pills for two days after taking them daily for over three weeks, and I got really, really sad and down and had two miserable days. So the next day I got back on the pills, and had a complete lift in spirits and actually got up, got stuff done, and no more gloom and doom! Thank goodness. I had bad PPD with Preston, and never want to go back there again.

So far it seems that Brooks may---MAY---have the tendency to be a better sleeper than Preston. He's easier to get to sleep and it seems he would sleep at least four or five hours at night before wanting to eat. Lets hope so! And he sleeps through anything! He is quite the Mamma's boy, too. Kevin has a really difficult time soothing Brooks, much like Preston when he was young. That part has been a little frustrating for the both of us. Brooks loooves to be cuddled and held, too.

Preston has officially crossed over into toddlerhood. He is full on whiney, nothing makes him happy, eveeeeerything is, " No, no, no, no", and he eats nothing. He throws toys and food out of anger, and has even hit me and the dog once when frustrated. Ohhhhh boy! Yesterday I told him I could not get his drink for him just yet because I was feeding the baby, but as soon as I was done, I would get it for him. He promptly walked over to us and pulled Brooks' head back unlatching him so I could go get his drink. Wow. ( And I didn't go get his drink, by the way) I don't know how much of this is related to Brooks' being here, as he was starting to get to this phase before Brooks was born, but, either way, it's challenging. He pushes and pushes and pushes my patience all day everyday these days! LOL

We will get into a good routine soon enough! Here are some pics. I am such a bad mom to Brooks compared to how many pics I already had of Preston at this point. But I am literally so busy and tired, pics just don't make the cut often. :( But I'm going to try to do better.