It All Started with a Song

I found this song called “Whole Wide World” by Mindy Gledhill, and the moment I heard just a clip of it, I knew that song was pure Phaedra. I told Grant I wished I had the time to make a little video with a slideshow of pictures of her to that song. He agreed it was the perfect song for our little Phae. I gave up on the idea of making a video because of my lack of time with two free hands lately, and I’m such a perfectionist that I would want to take my time, choose just the right photos, edit them, and rearrange them until everything was just how I wanted it.

The next thing I knew, Grant was sitting at our computer tossing photos onto our video making program. At first, I was torn between being glad my idea was becoming a reality and feeling sad that Grant was the one doing it. But I bit my tongue and was grateful for what he was doing for me, and we even ended up working together. Grant helped me throw aside my perfectionism, and I got to help him make it more how I would want it. And it got done without being a month long project. So if you ask me, it worked out . . . perfectly!

Here’s the video we made. I love it!

7 Weeks

Our little Curtis is 7 weeks old, and this is how he feels:

After being coughed and sneezed on by his big sisters for the past week and a half, the poor little guy finally gave in and got sick.

He’s not enjoying it.

He has had a rather stuffy nose for the past couple of days. Today has been worse. He coughs and sputters to try to breathe. Luckily it is the weekend, so Grant and I can work together. We’ve been pampering him, letting him sleep upright in our arms. Of course, I’m worried about him (increasingly with every little cough). Worrying is what I do best.

Grant is also quite sick. I’m surrounded by sick people. I don’t have much hope for myself.

I did manage a few pictures of him looking slightly more pleasant today while he was snuggling Daddy. He really is a handsome little guy, even when he’s sick.

The girls are still smitten with him. Phaedra is acting up less, but I am very careful to make sure she naps, which can make a big difference.

Curtis is a sweet baby. He generally sleeps well at night, going back to sleep after feedings. He loves to have his back patted. He has a great smile that he shows to us more and more often. He hasn’t laughed yet except for a little chuckle right after he fell asleep one time.

That’s about all the one-handed typing I can stand for now, so I’ll have to write more another time. Wish our family luck on our quest for wellness.

Getting Comfortable

Yesterday, I got out of the shower to find that Curtis had decided he wasn’t enjoying reclining in his bouncer seat. Apparently, he prefers to nap curled up. Good thing he was strapped in there!

Grant has been back at work much more this week. He’s been dropping Eleanor off at school and then going to work for the rest of the workday. (I know I’m much more spoiled than some wives, but I’m also much more wimpy.) Yesterday was rough, but other than that, the kids and I have made it through alright. It’s just hard on those days when I really need a nap and I’m at the mercy of Curtis and Phaedra to somehow miraculously nap at the same time. This is especially difficult when Phaedra plays in her bed some days instead of napping (such as today).

My recovery has gone pretty smoothly. I’m not dealing with any physical pain, and I’ve gotten most of my strength back (as long as I eat, drink, and sleep). My main challenge right now is keeping my emotions under control, which is greatly influenced by how much I’m allowed to sleep.

Phaedra has had good days and bad. She’s especially disobedient on days when she skips her nap, so this evening with no daddy around (he’s in class tonight) should be fun.

Curtis is still a great baby. His nights have gotten a bit more tricky now that he’s a little older. He was sleeping like a dream, going to bed around 9:30 and sleeping all night except for a few feedings after which he went right back to sleep. The last few nights, he has gone through a crying period that can keep us up pretty late. Once that’s over (around 11:30 or midnight), he goes to bed and has a typical good night where he wakes to eat and goes right back to sleep. Grant is wonderful and lets me go to bed while he deals with Curtis’ crying, but even then, I can have a hard time settling down while listening to my baby scream in the other room.

Curtis is having more alert time during the day. It’s fun to get to see his little eyes more often.

I’m trying to be patient and tell myself that it’s okay if we have days where all I do is meet our basic needs of survival. The rest will come. Life just has to slow down for a while.

I feel limited by not being able to run my own errands. We don’t want Curtis out in public too much because of how some people maul babies they see in public. Also, Phaedra has really been a terror even when we all go places as a family. I have no idea how I would handle her if I tried to take all the kids alone. That really worries me. I don’t know how I would chase her through a store with baby in my arms. If only Amazon did groceries!

If I complain too much on the blog, forgive me. It’s just a nice place to vent right now. I’m not trying to send out a “cry for help.” I’m just getting thoughts out so they can stop rolling around in my head. Let’s blame it on the hormones, shall we?

We’re Okay

Sorry if I worried anyone with my pity party and then no blogging for a while. It was just a long, busy week, and I’ve scarcely found a moment with two free hands. I’m okay. I just needed to vent. I felt better after I got it out, and it didn’t hurt to hear some sympathetic words from my friends. Thanks. My emotions can be a bit like a roller coaster postpartum, with definite highs and lows; that was just a low day.

That night, Grant and I watched a TV show that ended with this quote, and I had a good cry before going to bed.

“You think that true love is the only thing that can crush your heart, the thing that will take your life and light it up . . . or destroy it. Then, you become a mother.”  -from Grey’s Anatomy

We’re doing okay, just trying to adjust to all the changes. I’m trying to take things one day at a time so I don’t get overwhelmed.

In the meantime, we’ve been enjoying visiting with my sister who flew in from Utah with her baby boy (so I could see her baby and she could see mine).

Here she is with her baby and with Curtis (making his grumpy old man face). I’ll try to share some more pictures of our time together when I get a chance.

Pity Party of One

It’s been one of those days today.

I did too much and totally wore myself out until I was too tired and dizzy to sleep when the opportunity finally came around for me to nap. (I get light-headed when I overdo it postpartum.)

My three-year-old has been defiant in every way possible today. She doesn’t seem to care about half the punishments I try to give her. Right now, she’s bawling in her bed. I couldn’t stand her anymore, so instead of our usual snuggle time before bed, I plopped her in there and walked away. That sounds awful, but I’m a softy, and I gave her plenty of chances.

My head hurts.

My house is a mess. My sister is coming from out of town this week to visit. I’m excited to see her, but she’s going to think my house is always a mess.

I just heard Grant, who is checking on my grouchy, crying 3-year-old, scold her for spitting on the floor. Apparently she isn’t done testing us this evening.

I think I just need a good cry.

 

I didn’t get any pictures of my baby today. Here’s one Grant took the other night.

2 Weeks

Here are some pictures of our little Curtis at two weeks old. I’m having such a hard time grabbing a moment to photograph this cutie. Life is busy with three kids! I’ll keep working on it.

yawn

grouchy face (even his grouchy face is adorable if you ask me)

chatting with daddy

This sweet little baby is so easy to love. The girls adore him; they constantly tell me, “Oh, he’s so cute!” They want to hold him often. He can be pretty patient with letting them hold him (and sometimes not so patient). Phaedra only holds him for short periods of time before she’s done. Eleanor loves to sit and hold him. She’s proud of herself when she holds him even when he’s upset.

He’s been sleeping pretty well. He gives us a few good hours, wakes to get changed and eat, and then he usually goes back to sleep. If something throws off his groove, such as him pooping right after being fed so that he has to get changed when he’s ready to go back to sleep, he doesn’t want to go back to sleep on his own. He wants to eat again or be awake and cranky. Eventually we’ll have to teach him another way of going to sleep, but this works for now.

He doesn’t like getting changed much, but his patience with that is growing. He’s learning to tolerate burping; he doesn’t like it much and tries to keep them down sometimes. He has a really strong neck and can lift his head to look around for short periods of time. I just love when he’s having alert time and he gazes around the room with those sweet eyes. He’s soft, and I like to kiss him—a lot. I have to get it in as much as possible before he grows up and says, “Aww, mom!” as he wipes off my kisses.

Big Sister

This girl just loves her “baby bwother.” When he fusses, she tells me, “Oh, he wants me.”

The Guys in My Life

There are two men in my life now (one of them very little).

One Week Old

I’ve been working on survival around here. One day at a time. Make sure everyone is fed. Try to get some sleep.

As much as I want to break out my camera and attempt to get some nice photos of my adorable baby, I’m settling for snapshots for now. Actual attempts at photography will come soon. Once I can focus on a little more than survival. Recovery can be frustrating. So can hormones.

I’m so in love with this little boy.

Our Little Guy

He’s here! He’s finally here!

(Actually, he’s been here for a while, but we’ve been settling in and trying to adjust to having a newborn around.)

Curtis Elliot

Weight: 7lbs 5oz

Height: 20in

Newborn smell: absolutely intoxicating

Parents: infatuated

Sisters: excited and proud

First Day of School

Eleanor had her first day of kindergarten last week. She was so excited to start school, and it has been such a smooth transition. She even agreed to let me take her picture before we drove her to school –and she looked at the camera! –and she smiled! I almost had to pinch myself! We bought her a new skirt and sweater to wear the first day, and she wore a pink (her favorite) shirt. She is now enthralled with that sweater, wearing it every day and calling it her “lucky sweater” or her “special sweater.” She requested a ponytail with two clips in her hair, so that’s what we did.

Saying goodbye to Daddy. Cool as a cucumber. I love that he was able to be there to drop her off for the first time – not that she needed any extra support. We probably could have dropped her off at the curb and she would have strode right in.

“What do you think about going to kindergarten?”

Her routine is to go in, hang up her backpack on the hook by her name, and then go find her nametag. She takes her nametag to the table and writes her name on a piece of paper, and then she puts her nametag back with her written name in front of it. I told her goodbye while she was writing her name. She has no problem at all with parting. She’s excited to be there and learn, and she doesn’t have any trouble with the separation.

Lined up and waiting for parents at the end of the day. And still happy.

She ran to me and gave me a huge hug. What an exciting day!

When I imagined this day in the past, I always thought I would have to pull over to cry on the way home from dropping her off, such a big day for my little girl, growing up so fast. The real experience was actually quite different. No tears were shed. I love that she is going to be one of the oldest in the class. I think that extra time really helped her and me to be prepared. She was SO ready for this, and I was excited for her. I love her confidence. I love her enthusiasm.

She enjoyed school through the rest of the week, giving me a big, excited hug at the end of the day each day (which doesn’t hurt my feelings one bit). On Friday, she wanted me to take her picture with a sign saying “fourth day of kindergarten,” but we didn’t really have time. I asked her last night if she knew what today was, and she hollered, “my fifth day of school!”

Phaedra has also enjoyed the change. At first, she would ask if we would drop her off at school, but she hasn’t minded when I’ve explained to her that she just comes with me to drop off Eleanor. She loves Eleanor’s classroom, and she tries to hurry and find something to play with before we have to leave. We have enjoyed our quiet time at home together. Sometimes she helps me with things around the house, and sometimes she just enjoys playing without competition for the toys she loves most. Now, when Eleanor gets excited about going to school the next day, Phaedra gets excited about taking Eleanor to school the next day.

Flirty Skirts

My Aunt Kathleen sent these darling skirts for the girls a while back, so I had to take some pictures of them wearing them for her to see. I wish I had my aunt’s talent—and access to such beautiful fabrics! I ambushed the girls as we were leaving my nephew’s blessing, so I didn’t get the highest level of cooperation. Eleanor was coming down with a cold, so she was especially whiny and grouchy. Phaedra liked showing off her skirt, but she’s still a challenge when it comes to actually getting her to look at the camera. I might have to take some more pictures next time they wear the skirts if they are in a better mood. At least the skirts look cute!

It’s a bird, it’s a . . .

A friend of ours offered us some tickets to the VIP section at the air show today. Last year, we went and set up chairs on the sidewalk across from the airport to watch it, so we jumped at the chance to actually go inside this year. Here’s a small sample of what we saw.

the F-14 taking off

We came prepared for our girls and all their squeamishness. They each had their own set of hearing protection. Even with that, whenever one of the really loud planes passed by, they had to sit on my lap. Eleanor would say, “Hold me tight!” whenever one came back toward us.

It was a HOT day today. The kids and I stayed in the shade of the tent or the umbrella tables for as much of the time as possible. One time, looking rather overheated, Phaedra and I passed by the drink table. One of the men in charge grabbed us some chairs and let Phaedra play in the ice surrounding the drinks until we had cooled off a bit.

(getting rather sleepy)

Toward the end, we went back and both girls played in the ice, switching the drinks from one container to another until all the drinks were taken and they just played in the ice water. I can’t imagine how many drinks they went through. I saw them restock the drinks at least 3 times. It was so good to have plenty of liquids to keep hydrated and to be able to keep the kids cool and entertained while Grant could go to the very front and watch the planes.

I didn’t get a ton of pictures of the planes this year. I was busy trying to keep cool and keep kids happy, but here are a few. It was amazing to watch the planes pass each other so closely.

(one upside down, one right side up)

After a camping trip this weekend and a day at the air show, I think I am officially worn out. It has been a fun weekend, but I sure don’t mind if the next few days are just quiet, at-home days for us.