Owen was born on March 4 this year, he is such a dreamy baby. And I say that meaning both in personality and the fact that the kid cannot stay awake for more than about 6 hours a day total, he is such a love. I want to be sure to document what life is like with this new little addition, because it is SO different than before he was here, but it is true, I don't remember what I used to do before he was here!
The first few weeks are clearly blurry- recovering from my second cesarean went better than planned, until I totally overdid it by walking about 3/4 mile with the kids in tow and I ripped a few stitches, whops. From what I do remember, there was lots of poop, peeing on me, peeing on the counter, peeing on clothes, shrieking at peeing, sore nipples from the most shallow latch ever (nope, not tongue tied, darn), smiles, sleepy time, snuggles, kisses and so much love. Brooke has been fabulous with Owen from the get go, I am blessed. Although she was only 20.5 months old when we brought him home, she was as gentle as a 20 month old could be, as quiet as she is capable of being (which is not quiet at all, pretty much as quiet as dropping 5 pots and pans on the floor- with lids) and mesmerized. It is still my favorite to remember mornings with Lyn. Daddy got up with her while I waited for Owen to stir, I'd listen to them sit on the potty, make breakfast and destroy my perfectly clean house. (I was a slave driver when we got home, we were NOT going to let the house get out of control so every night at bedtime, we'd clean everything to "perfection.") When Owen was finally awake for a feeding I'd walk down the hall and step on the gate, Brooke squealed with delight every day, "Baby?! Baby!" It was her Groundhog Day, every day... and I promise, she still gets just as excited, 5 weeks and 2 days later. But now, she remembers he is coming out of that bedroom at some point and searches for him if he is still sleeping when she is first awake. She loves her little brother, and I could not be happier.
Owen has been a dream- he eats, sleeps, and is up and wide awake for small portions of the day. So, adjusting to two hasn't been all that bad. There are elements that are killer- but since he is so content, it pretty much is as perfect as I think I could have imagined- and yes, I have had 2 screaming at the same time. At week 3 (when I hurt myself) I had finally felt as though I could do this, handle this, and it was definitely not "that bad." Queue ripped stitches and I fell back a week. So week 4 was really when I said to myself, "This really is working out, it is so not that bad, I can do this! I cannot wait to do this again!" Queue Jon scheduling a vasectomy, just kidding. :) I hope we have more babies- and he does too, just not this instant.
My current days are pretty crazy, but I love them so, so much! We're still doing a quiet time with Brooke in the morning and I would recommend it to anyone looking at having kids. Some days she sleeps (and I make sure it is for no more than 30 minutes) and other days she just plays in her bed or screams and sings. Either way, it allows me 1- a shower if Owen is napping, 2- a moment to clean up something she has destroyed :), 3- get a handle on one chore for the day. And that, my friends, means a successful day. Owen is awake most in the mornings and evenings, he will do about 1.5 hours of wakefulness and then nap, another hour of wakefulness and then wake only to eat and pass back out. I try to get him in his bed when he acts tired, so I am not caught holding him (or starting bad habits) and unable to care for Brooklyn the best way I can. I talk to my mom every morning while Brooke runs around the house, she is a very independent player and I have to force myself to play with her, she would be content to play all day by herself pretty much. As long as she has her snack and drink of course. We're also trying to be outside more since it has been nicer, and that is fantastic. The yard is fenced, as is the deck, so often I just open the back door and let Brooke and Harley run about on the deck. After I let Brooke up and we've done something (reading, puzzles, building with mega bloks) we start lunch and Owen is usually kind enough to let me eat a full meal. Then it is more play time before naps. I try to do one "brain" thing with Brooke a day where we build, read, or do puzzles, so no matter when we can squeeze it in, we do. Then it is nap time until just about when daddy gets home. I clean the house when Brooke naps- except for the early days when Owen decided to be awake from 115-315 (beginning of nap time, booger!) But now that he is older, he is settling down and I am getting an even better handle on the house.
Jon and I are communicating at an all time high I think, which is a beautiful thing. We are finding systems that work for having 2 kids- which are different than having one. I'm on Owen duty, he has Brooklyn. He tries to play with her outside or take her on a bike ride every day when he gets home and Owen and I rest. Now that I'm not nearly as exhausted, because yes... I'm spoiled and have been getting at least 4 hour stretches pretty much forever... and 5 hours for at least the past 2 weeks, and if my brain is remembering correctly... over 6 hours last night, I try to do a chore that is hard to do when Brooke is around. We eat dinner, Brooke gets a bath, we play and watch Big Bang Theory and read lots of stories before bed. I've missed bedtime for a long time now, which makes me sad, Owen needs to eat at bedtime almost every night, but I know I'll be in there helping again soon. :) My hands are very full, I am very busy, but my heart is more so full, and I like being busy. I think I'll write more about my systems with 2, because it is pretty great :) but I did not eat a good lunch today because I just didn't want anything, so I'm starving, and my kids will be up soon.
*This post was not entertaining in the least, but more so to be sure Owen does not feel undocumented :)*
My little OJ
