Week one...

I guess it was too much to ask to get all three in a photo!

We're all settling in to our new family dynamic and slowly figuring out our routine, or the fact that we really don't have one at all. I guess it will just take some time.

Wyatt's attitude fluctuates between mild curiousity and mild annoyance, just like he did when his sister came along. When he comes in the door from school, he comes to find me, then looks around suspiciously and asks "Where is he?" He's a bit jealous and often just asks "Mommy, can you please put the baby in his swing?" I'm not surprised since he is the only one of my kids who has ever had me all to himself and knows the difference. Hadley has always had to share my attention. I'm not too concerned about Wyatt. He wasn't wild about Hadley either and now they're best friends. I know in another year or so, Tate will be running around here trying to keep up with his big siblings and they'll view him as more of a peer. For now, he's just someone who takes attention from them. When Tate cries, Wyatt covers his ears and says "Hadley! Quick! Cover your ears" until she does it too, then he says "Tate! BE QUIET! That's too LOUD!" This coming from one of the loudest kids we know. 

Hadley is very concerned when he cries. She will come running in and say "Mommy, something's wrong with the baby!" or "Is everything ok in here, Mommy? I don't think Tate likes that!" It's very sweet. She's also fascinated with how/what he eats and asks a lot of questions and watches him a lot. The first time she saw him nursing, she was horrified. She exclaimed "Mommy, he's eating you! Da baby's eating you!" When I told her he's drinking mommy milk, she asked "Should we get him some animal cookies to dip in it?" Wyatt saw us and said "Mommy, there's a boob sticking out. Can you cover it up please?" I guess it was all too much for him.

I'm feeling really good. I found the recovery from the c-section even faster than it was with Hadley. I no longer needed pain medicine by the third day home. I've been up and down the stairs a million times, been on a couple of outings and even shoveled the driveway. No rest for the weary!

Overall, Tate is doing great. He loves to be held and as long as he's in someone's arms, we rarely hear a peep. As soon as you set him down, he starts squeaking. He's been sleeping pretty good considering his age. We can't complain. We've even gotten a few 4 hour stretches and last night he slept for 5 hours straight. Our best sleeper yet! I woke up before he did. I'm sure he'll go through little growth spurts where he'll require more food, but for now, I'll take the sleep!

We hosted a little Sip & See so our friends could come and meet Tate. A Sip & See is a fun southern tradition, open house style where people can drop in and meet the new baby, have some nibbles and sip some bubbly. It's really nice for the new parents because everyone wants to see the new baby, so rather than having people popping in each day, you have them all at once. It worked out great and it was fun to see everyone. Tate just got passed from person to person so he was in heaven. He barely made a peep the entire time. Wyatt hid out playing computer games and Hadley was working the crowd, asking for help loading her plate with snacks. We estimate she had at least 6 brownies. When we asked her the best part of the party, she said "the snacks!"

It's been so great having my parents here helping out with the kids. They've been getting a lot of extra attention, which is great since I'm usually tied up with Tate. At dinner the first night, Wyatt looked around the table and said "I've got all my family with me!" in the happiest voice with a huge smile on his face. My mom is so good about playing with the kids, where I probably send them off on their own a lot more. They are in heaven - having tea parties on the floor, performing dance recitals and playing "Hide and Go Squeak", as Hadley calls it. My parents divide and conquer, each reading bedtime stories at used to driving in the snow. My mom is a trooper and has really been picking up my slack on the cooking and keeping things tidy. My dad is helping Hadley with her puzzles and every morning, he gets Wyatt ready and puts him on the bus for school while I'm feeding Tate in my room or even catching a few extra winks of sleep. I know the needs of little kids are a lot more demanding than their leisurely retired lifestyle, but I haven't heard any complaining. I'm resisting my type A, control freak urges to correct their methods. I really do appreciate the help. We've received some delicious baskets of goodies and flowers. Starting next week my girlfriends have organized a "meal train" for me where someone brings a meal every couple of days to save me from cooking. I can't wait!

Today we're back to reality since my parents hopped an early flight this morning home to Florida. It's going to be a bit of a juggling act with the three on my own. I'll be going back to doing everything one handed and saying a lot of "wait just a minute, please". I'll be getting us much done as I can during my tiny windows of opportunity. Heck, it's already taken me 4 days to write this blog! Hopefully the kids will go easy on me!