Week one...is over! Thank goodness!

Week one has come to an end of having Weston here with us.  This was THE week that I have been worrying about since I found out I was pregnant.  This was THE week of the unknown.  How would the other kids respond to having a new baby in the house?  Especially Easton.  Would they behave or act up?  Would I get enough rest?  Would I be able to keep up on the house, the kids, the laundry, meals and not over do it?  How long would Sean stay home with us from work?  How will Weston’s temperament be?

Well those questions have been answered, because the week is over!  Thank goodness and I am hopeful that week 2 will get better.  

 So to answer my concerns from above, how did the other kids respond?    The girls have loved having their new baby brother here.  They have been a big help fetching things and have helped around the house with little chores.  They are still a bit noisy and have hindered me from getting a “quite” rest, but it is fun to see them be little mommies.  Easton…Easton has been a different story.  He is only 20 months old and really didn’t quite understand that we were going to have another baby and his spot would be stolen.  Poor little guy.  He cries at the drop of a hat now and does not like hearing the “no” word.  He won’t snuggle with me anymore and barely lets me hold him.  I am seeing signs of improvement…I really don’t know how much more of the crying I can take, especially when we are starting school back up this week.  I really hope his attitude changes.

Would I get enough rest?  The common thing people say is…get some rest…make sure you don’t over do it.  Sean has tried to help me get the kids to nap at the same time this past week.  Easton sometimes cries and cries and then by the time I feed Weston and lay down, naptime is over for the other kids.  So I am thankful I am nursing Weston, so I can at least sit down and rest while I do that.  I have gotten  few naps here and there, but they are usually short as our house isn’t exactly sound proof…and Easton has figured out how to open our bedroom door.

Would I be able to keep up on everything?  I am doing my best.  I am trying to let things go, but it is hard, knowing that things will have to get done sooner or later. So I have chosen sooner rather than later.  I know, probably not the best, but I guess things will not pile up.

How long will Sean stay home with us?  Sean went back to work on Thursday and Friday for just a few hours.  He took Easton with him!  Thank goodness..I needed a break from the whining.  Easton had a hay day and provided plenty of entertainment for Sean’s employees.  He got filled up with snacks and goodies.  He even gave dad a surprise in his diaper right in front of his employees as they were about to start a conference call.  I thought that was kind of funny, because if you know Sean…he is not a diaper changing kind of guy.

How will Weston’s temperament be?  So far Weston is a pretty good baby.  He cries when he is tired or hungry.  He loves his mama…that is for sure.  He is a good snuggler.  The first night home was quiet challenging.   I had nothing to feed him besides formula.  He guzzled it down, but I could hear it gargling in his stomach all night and he wouldn’t settle himself down.  Not sure if it was formula related, but since I now have something else to feed him, he has been quiet content.  He wakes up twice at night for about an hour each time.  The loss of sleep has gotten to me, but one of these days he will sleep through the night, I just have to be patient for when that time comes.

As I look back on week one and look forward to week two, hoping it will better, I am thankful for many things that have happened during this past week.

I am thankful that Weston was an easy delivery.  It was about 100 times easier than the other kids.  I am thankful that our Dr. was patient with us and didn’t push anything on us.  He just let us do our thing.  Even though Weston was 11 lbs, I felt a lot better afterwards compared to the others.  Just feels like I did a million sit-ups.

I am thankful for my dad’s Aunt Bernie for watching the kids, so my mom could be there when Weston was born. 

I am thankful for my Aunt Nannette who took off work on Monday to watch the kids.

I am thankful for my mom, who grudgingly took off Tuesday and was there when we picked up the kids.  Thanks mom for doing our laundry and making us a few meals to get us by when we got home.  

I am thankful for Sean who has been home this past week.  Even though he got sick Friday and hasn’t been able to help out a ton in the past few days, I am thankful that he could be home.  I am thankful that he took the girls on a date on Wednesday night to dinner and a movie.  I was able to get things unpacked and caught up on laundry.  

I am thankful for my friend Emily who provided a well needed dinner and visit.  It was perfect timing and took a load of stress off my shoulders.

I am thankful for friends at church who offered to hold Weston so I could tend to the other kids.  Yes, I went to church on my own with all four kids.  Probably not the wisest decision, because I was an emotional basket case, but we went.  I just needed to get out of the house and let Sean rest and hopefully get a little better.

I am thankful for the lady at Hy-Vee grocery store who helped me take Easton and Weston out to the car.  Little gestures like that, just make my day.

I am thankful for Sean who made mac-n-cheese for the kids tonight, as I needed to just be alone and lay down.  Even though I was interrupted every 10 minutes by kids, it was nice to be able to just do nothing.

Here are a few pictures from the past week.  Enjoy!