A few days on my own...

I have been so very lucky with all my kids that Mike has been able to stay home with us for the first 2 weeks. Gives me a chance to get some rest, and help the kids adjust to our new schedule! Mike's officially been back to work for 4 days now. I wasn't nearly as nervous for him to leave me alone with 3 as I was for him to leave me with 2! Kind of funny how that works!

I've been trying to make sure I do something fun with Andrew & Evie, in a situation I can manage with Ryan. Soooo....to the splash park we went! 3 days in a row, only for about an hour at a time, but hey, we went, we got home, got fed & got napped! Pretty successful in my eyes! They've seemed to enjoy it, and Ryan's been just fine napping in his carseat while we've been there!

THe past couple days Ryan's been a touch fussy (nothing horrible by any means!), so today we finally started some tummy time, back time and kid skin time (I lay him down in his diaper & let the kids hold his hands, etc so he gets used to them). He's snoring on my shoulder now, so hopefully he just needed a little activity to really wipe him out!

While I've been home...

Most creative thing I learned how to do: Make PB&J with a spoon!

Most valuable lesson I've taught myself: Start each day with a schedule & stick to it! Makes everyone much happier!

Proudest moment: Actually getting everyone out of the house and entertained!

Hardest obstacle: Dealing with an almost 2 year old who doesn't quite listen from a couch while nursing a newborn! And, by the same token, dealing with a 5 year old who gets a little tired of helping out all the time, and expresses it with a flat out 'No' when asked. Neither of them is difficult all the time, but they definitely are some of the time & typically reach that moment at the same time!

Hardest emotional issue: Not getting to eat dinner with my family. As hard as I try, schedules only work so well & Ryan is always ready for dinner right when we are, so I eat on the couch while I feed him & everyone else is at the dinner table.

What I still need to learn: Not that I've ever been able to brag about my housekeeping skills, but it's definitely harder now! I'd give myself a C+/B- for keeping up with dishes. laundry and toys. What's most important to me is paying attention to the lot of them, which I think I'm doing, but I feel more put together when my house is picked up, so I need to keep up on that too for my own sanity!

I currently don't have any really guilty mom moments as a mom of 3, but I'm sure I'll get there!

Welcome Home!

Welcome home to my beautiful baby boy, Ryan Christopher Barrett! Born 6/15/11, weighing in at 7lbs 4oz, measuring 20.5in long at 9:02pm.

In the hospital, I was amazed at how calm Ryan was...barely crying at all & I would actually need to wake him up to eat! WHAT?! This is so completely different from Andrew & Evie who very quickly established an every 2 hour type of routine! He is most content just laying next to his mommy...he stole my heart instantly. He is so sweet and cuddly & warm and good baby smelling! :) By the time we got home, I had stopped telling people how much he was sleeping...I didn't want to jinx myself by bragging about getting 5-6 hours sleep in the hospital! He continued this trend at home too (and I'm still cautious to mention it out loud!) He was actually sleeping SO much that he wasn't gaining enough weight - I would wake him up to feed him, but if I tried any more frequently than 3 hour intervals he'd be too tired to eat! I let him sleep at night though & in just 2 1/2 short weeks have already enjoyed 2 full nights sleep! I fully expect him to wake up at some point, and then I will just totally appreciate all the rest he let me get in the beginning. He's just starting to have some brief periods of awakeness between feedings & naps, and I'm pleased to say that he stays relatively content. Such a difference from the first two! Andrew was always fine being held (until that point at night where the crying started!), and Evie just cried no matter what you did! So far, he hates to be cold & naked, which makes bathtime, diaper changes & clothing changes fun! He doesn't seem to mind chaos (it actually seems to calm him somehow!), or personal space invasion! He LOVES to be warm & cozy, so being swaddled up tight w/ way too many blankies is totally how he rolls! We even started to put a hot water bottle next to him at night to help him have that 'sleeping next to mommy' feeling that he loves! He is definitely the type of baby that makes you want to have more babies! Yes, this one stole my heart...my heart is full & content!

Meeting Andrew....

Andrew has been an absolutely AMAZING helper! He LOVES to hold the baby, and Ryan is so relaxed with him. Yesterday, while Andrew was holding him (so I could sweep & mop the floors) Ryan just about fell asleep in his arms. (insert 'awwww' here!). He has been just perfect helping to keep Evie entertained & even getting her dressed for me. He helps with the laundry, dishes and cleaning the floor...kinda makes me think something I've been doing is right! He's got such a soft tone when talking to his baby brother & Ryan really seems to respond to him. I feel so lucky to have him around!

Meeting Evie...

Oh, Evie -- she who is OBSESSED with her babies just doesn't quite know what to do with Ryan! She is such a sweetheart! When she first saw him in the hospital, she came running up yelling "baby! baby!", and when she went to hold him she reached out her arms and wrapped him in a big huge bear hug & pulled him to her! Then, she sits & stares at him...so careful not to move too much or be too loud...it is adorable. She is on constant baby patrol all day long, being such a big helper bringing me blankies, diapers, paci's, wipes, and always needing to know exactly where he is. She loves to 'help' his swing go back and forth, and help me get him out of bed, put the paci in his mouth, throw away dirty diapers... it's almost exhausting, but I LOVE how involved she wants to be & think it's adorable to watch her play 'little mama'! I am so lucky to have her around too!

Everyone is happy and healthy and right where they are supposed to be! The transition to my little family of 5 has been absolutely seemless, and I love how great all my kids are! My heart is complete and I couldn't ask for anything more...except maybe a minivan!