What a difference a month makes…okay, not really. Things are still chaotic and adding a baby that eats in the middle of the night never makes things easier.
The honeymoon phase is over and I think we all know that Bennett is here to stay. We are all excited by this but still overwhelmed by what it means for our family. Sean and I still assume man to man defense will work and then you realize you have one more kid to carry or change clothes/diapers for.
Bree and Bauer are doing so much better sleeping through the night again and Bauer has even spent the last two nights in his big boy bunk bed. It appears that Bennett may get to sleep in a real crib at some point in his young life.
Some days I think things are improving on how I handle all three and then some nights I call Sean at his friend’s house and tell him he must come home because Bennett won’t stop crying. My emotions are all over the place still and it’s so hard for me to remember that I had this kid inside of me less than 4 weeks ago.
I want to pretend that everything is back to normal, but there is no back to normal…there is only embracing what we are now…a family of five.
Bennett is growing like a weed already so I tell myself everyday to embrace these newborn days because they are going to vanish before I know it. But then Bennett cries for like 2 hours and I’m ready to trade him in for a 1 year old. All in a day’s insanity, I guess!
Today, I survived gymnastics and a trip to Joann’s Fabrics with all three solo. To be fair, I had my dear friend Mary Kathryn at gymnastics to dig through my purse for juice boxes and offer Bauer crackers while I fed Bennett and attempted to cheer on Bree. And to laugh with me while Bauer ran around the gym like he owned the place and then went behind the mats to poo one of his biggest poos ever in his diaper. I guess he needed some privacy. But we survived.
After lunch, I then somehow waved my magic wand and got them all to take a nap simultaneously…
The key is not being in a hurry to do anything which is against every part of my personality. You have to be willing to take the time to pack the double stroller in the minivan, pack the snacks that will buy you some time in any store, leave right after you feed the baby, and know that even if your kid cries in the store or runs away from you, you will probably survive and so will they.
It takes a long time to get two kids into the stroller, a lot of patience to coax the one who is walking to not cry that she can’t sit in the stroller with her brothers, a lot of skill to get the huge diaper bag/purse into the compartment underneath the stroller, and a lot of strength to push this contraption to your destination while holding the oldest’s hand. But it’s so worth it. No, I can’t carry the baby carrier and corral two toddlers anywhere and it makes everyone happier if I don’t try. Strollers are a must.
The key is to also know your own limits and those of your children. After gymnastics and Joann’s, I decided to enjoy the quiet of the baby sleeping in the car and the older 2 watching Finding Nemo. We drove for an extra 30 minutes as I tuned out the world. i then remembered we were out of milk. I knew the grocery store was out for so many reasons…and being without milk after naps was not an option. So we drove thru Chick-Fil-A and got 3 kids’ milks so we would have extra for Bauer after nap. It was the best 8 dollars I’ve ever spent for some nuggets, fries and milk.
Again, days like today, let me know I can do it. Do I always want to do it…NO! But I’m thankful for the three little faces I get to spend these days with regardless.
Bennett welcome to the chaos…you seem to be fitting in just fine.
Below are some of Bennett’s newborn pics from when he was 1 week old…it seems like that was a long time ago…
Yeah…he’s a keeper!
