2 Months 5 days

Our little baby boy arrived save and sound, November 17, 2011.  Labor & delivery went very well, and aside from chasing the two bigger kiddos around, I recovered very well too.

We did finally figure out a name for our littlest man, Rhys Michael, and it suits him just perfectly.  He looks so much like his big brother its unreal!   But now, today, he is already 2 months and 5 days old!

Having a baby the week prior to Thanksgiving and right before Christmas is a little crazy!  I tried to plan, be prepared, and be organized, but there is no really preparing for it.  Stink and Peach took fairly well to their little brother.  I was surprised that neither kid woke up when Jet Fighter would cry!  But, he really doesn't fuss that much.  Only when he's hungry, tired, or has a dirty diaper.

For the most part, things around the house have calmed down nicely.  For us at least, going to 3 kids felt a little reminiscent of having our first kid.  The crazy, trying to figure it all out, learning how to be outnumbered, being a SAHM to three- juggling getting kids to school and activities....that was tough.  It has gotten easier and thank goodness for that!  My lifesaver-- the TV.

When my husband went back to work after one week, I really needed help, but we don't really have people available to us at that time of day.  So, in order to maintain calm and order, their brains were "fried" on hours of Nick Jr., Disney Junior, and PBS.  I can now sing the theme song to any and all children's programming available on daytime TV in my sleep.  It worked somewhat-- at a certain point, they'd get antsy and needed to get out a moving and playing.  We did that-- but I tended not to leave the house alone.  We ate out a lot.  Or had breakfast for dinner.  Or sandwiches.  There has been a huge learning curve on preparing a meal and trying to fit in nursing sessions.  And laundry?!  HA!  The first month we lived out laundry baskets. 

We have a much better grasp of life now.  We cook.  We actually grocery shop.  I have a system of getting the mundane completed around the house.  The kids aren't in front of the TV any more, and Jet is now co-sleeping with us, which makes mommy happier and daddy happier-- because we each are getting  a little more sleep.

And what about the big kids?  Well, Peach is two and a half.  She is stubborn.  She is sweet.  She is funny.  She started preschool at the beginning of December which has been so awesome for her.  She loves being the girl in the middle and now that I can more easily lift her, she is eating up the attention she can get from me.  She is mommy's little girl and daddy isn't allowed to help her do anything.  He can't be the one to get her food, or drinks, or tuck her in bed.

Stink is still on the fence of wanting to be a big kid and wanting to be a little boy.  He straddles those moments daily--which is a challenge sometimes.  He can be smarmy and is learning the fine art of negotiating--which will serve him well in his teen years.  I am not looking forward to this.  He still sees things in black and white most of the time, but is quickly learning that there is a middle ground in the choices he makes.  We are trying to let him make much bigger decisions in his life everyday.  Giving him a lot more choices on what order he wants to do the things that need to get done gives him a great sense of independence.  This is much more effective than simply telling him what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.  Though, things take much longer.  Within the next month, I will be registering Stink for Kindergarten!   I can't believe how quickly the time has passed!  I've already been in tears about this milestone a number of times...and hopefully, by the time his first day comes around, I can just enjoy the moment.