Does this answer that oft-asked question for you?
Today was a difficult day.
Honestly, I don’t feel like I have many of them, but this one was just insane. I mean, did Christopher have to fall down the stairs, the baby simultaneously vomit AND mess all over his freshly bathed NON-DIAPERED self AND have James dump an entire 44 oz glass of soda on my carpet ALL AT THE SAME TIME?! The baby was on outfit change 9 and bath 4 by 3pm for crying out loud. I am still in outfit 1 and shower 0. (GO ME!)
It kinda sucked six ways from Sunday.
Still, it’s one of the few times I’ve felt frustrated. It had to happen sometime, right?
It’s difficult to believe that little butter bean is 4 weeks old already. I mean, weren’t we just doing this?
Here are how some things have been going and some epiphanies I’ve had in the 4 weeks Sweetpea has been here.
10 years in age difference between your kids is a LOT.
24 has a LOT more energy than 34.
34 has a LOT more appreciation and patience than 24.
I am still in physical therapy for my back but am off pain killers. I take blood thinners for clot prevention and also am on Zoloft to help with any PPD. Even though I have been fine so far, I plan on staying on them for the time being. I am doing ok emotionally. It has been very…interesting. I am struggling in ways that surprise me and other things I thought would be very hard have not been. I’ll write about that later, though.
My pre-pregnancy weight was 151 lbs. I was 178 lbs at delivery and am at 167 lbs currently. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that that isn’t just a big spew of obscenities. (No comment on the Oreo situation. The numbers probably say more than I could.)
This kid has more nicknames than Carrie Bradshaw has shoes: Little Sweetpea, Little Butter Bean, So nice, So big, So very small, Gumdrop, Butterball, Squeaker, Budget, Little Button and Jack.
The one used most lately is “My Little Barf Bucket” (or just “Bucket”)because he doesn’t just spit up, he vomits freaking waterfalls (formulafalls?). OFTEN. And usually it’s right after his bath, right after getting into a clean outfit and/or right after being swaddled. I do two to three loads of his laundry a day.
My parents LOVE their (possibly) last grandchild. They come over every single weekday at 8 am to help while Jon gets ready for work and let me sleep for an hour or two. I can’t thank them enough.
I don’t know how moms with small ones can blog and keep up with everyone. I am IN AWE OF Y’ALL because I am HORRIBLE at it. You all have been so lovely and kind. I have been a totally lame internet bloggity person for, oh, a year or so now. My inbox wants to kick my ass. Sorry about that.
Typing with one hand is lame.
I suckasuckaSUCK at multitasking with a baby. I have had kids in school and a day to myself for 6 years now. Going back to having a baby that must be worked into every single thing I do will take time to readjust to. Part of my problem is that I could (and do) stare at him all day.
Because of aforementioned suckitude at multitasking, I have set priorities. Top after taking care of baby is making sure his room is tidy, well organized and well stocked. It has to be this way or I would go crazy. When he sleeps between feedings/crying/burping/barfing/changing at night I clean, fold, wash bottles, refill formula travel packs and restock and organize my diaper bag. MY room call be cluttery as hell but his? NOPE. I have to have everything on hand in a flash since he is SO fond of committing several bodily functions simultaneously and at the worst possible moment. SO? I have to make peace with my focus being on that and letting the rest of the house fall to Jon and the boys right now.
Mainly, I just want to spend as much time with him as I can. He has already changed so much. I want to stop time. I want this newborn time together to be a million times longer than it is-exhaustion, barf, poo and all. And if you knew how I feel about excrement it would tell you everything you need to know.
I love him so much.
Stumble it!
Filed under: 
And he is just soooo gorgeous.
I think you do well blogging as often as you are. I don’t write, but do read blogs and don’t have enough time to read, and do what I need to do at home. Hence the kids (14 and 15) earn extra money by doing the washing once I sort it, and vacuuming.
Enjoy your time with him at this age, because you are so right, it goes really quickly. Though it does just seem like yesterday that I had a newborn and a 15 month old.
You look great at the multitasking! And he is beautiful.
Don’t worry about the age difference… my little sister is 8.5 years younger than me and 6 years younger than my brother and it kinda worked for us. My mom had built-in helpers, and a couple years later, baby-sitters! Of course, she sometimes complains that she has 4 parents!
Muwah! Love you! Blog when you can!!
You look great, dearie. No fretting about your weight–he’s only four weeks old. And this post was full of all the joys and mayhem of those early weeks. They’re so tough but having gone through it gives you perspective.
Hadley had that same pacifier. When it came time to wean her? I swear it had crack cocaine in it.
He is precious! And the multi-tasking picture says so much!!!
Sounds like a typical first 6 weeks with a newborn! He’s preciousssss!
Reflux?
Or pyloric stenosis? Highly unlikely but possible & he’ll be fine if SO- but worth a mention with waterfall baby vomit. Mine had same.
Hugs & some zzzzzz’s for you!
He’s wonderful and I love all of his names!
I read and immediately thought ‘reflux’ as well. http://www.kellymom.com has some excellent info on dealing. I was SURE my son didn’t have it because even though he spit a lot, he didn’t show the other typical reflux signs. I was also VERY anti-medication. Turns out when we did the testing he did have it. Previcid has become our very best friend. My happy baby turned into UBERhappy baby…and my (and his) clothes started thanking me profusely…
That first picture is CLASSIC! You need to frame that and hang it on the wall!!
I know what you mean. Wouldn’t it be great just to pause time…. just for a little while!
I have an eight year gap between my first and third, and that seemed like an eternity. They do get along fantastically, but there is just a developmental gulf between them!
I love that you are so in love with your little guy, thats how its supposed to be :)
To beat a dead horse? Sounds like my reflux kid as well, but don’t we all have our opinions? Babies are just messy.
You look beautiful and your baby is gorgeous.
10 years is a lot. My older sister is 18 years older than my youngest brother. We all have the same parents (there are five all together). That’s really a lot.
But! My parents had free babysitters locked in for life for their younger kids.
And my son has a 12 year old uncle to take him to the skate park, which is pretty awesome.
He’s just adorable. I want to squish him, but in a good way.
I am with you, on the looking at a baby all day. I am now in the almost 9 month get into everything and crawling stage with my son. So, my advice, enjoy it. Enjoy the time when he wants nothing but to be held. The rest of it, the multi tasking, blogging, whatever, it will come. :)
I think the appropriate response is ‘Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww’
That’s so awesome that you get that extra sleep. What great grandparents! Sleep-deprived mothering is just crazy making (or so I have heard/seen).
I can not get over the last picture in your post. OMG-his little adorable face. I say take all the time you need. Adore him, stare at him, nibble, nom, kiss and smoosh him as much as you can. It does go too quickly. All 3 of my babies came within 4 years, and now I am missing the newborn time with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. (So keep posting the yummy baby pics! ;-) Love Ya-blog when you can–enjoy baby now.
We’re still planning on sending something, but I will let you know when.
I appreciate our baby so much more than I did the first two. I know that sounds mean, but I guess I was young and not ready for babydom. 14 years is a HUGE gap between children. Yikes.
I’m with you on the baby’s room being clean and tidy. Up until last week, our bedroom was a freaking pit and I finally had a chance to clean it up and get straightened up. (It only took me 10 months.)
You look great! And I love hearing about the baby! Hope you have a better day!
Can I tell you…I am sooooooo freaking jealous! He is beautiful!!
He’s beautiful! I want one!
He is soooo cute…my ancient 17 week old has nothing on him.
maybe a milk intolerance? CJ was doing that (and by the way, SO GROSS! nothing like the feeling of hot formula vomit streaming down the inside of your shirt, is there?) anyways, we switched her to soy, and she is doing much better…and now that she is on rice cereal, spit up is rare.
he is so beautiful.
xoxo
You, are a rockstar. I want to snuzzle and kiss and smooshie him sooo much.
So much of me wants to jump through the screen and just smother you with hugs and kisses.
ADORE you.
Methinks you look amazing. period.
Great. Now I have to go buy some breadsticks. Thanks.
=)
The baby is beautiful!!!! Give yourself a break, multi-tasking with a newborn isn’t the easiest thing to do (especially when you consider you are sleep deprived).
Btw, I came by way of Suzanne (Suzanne calling).
Oh, Loralee. He’s gorgeous. And don’t stress yourself! Take all the time for yourself right now; we’ll be here when you’re ready! :)
(Also: The first picture is perhaps the best representation of new motherhood ever.)
He’s GORGEOUS! And I can so relate to that photo- I typed every single blog post for the month after Kaitlyn was born with one hand because she was lying in my left arm, just like in your photo.
And my oldest who is now 12? Did that same vomit waterfall thing at least once a day until he was almost ONE. Dr. kept saying he would grow out of it, and he did, but we got real good at keeping cloth diapers handy to catch the majority of it. Even in restaurants and while visiting other people. Good times.
Hugs!
Ahem…
Are you forgetting a name? Yeah I thought so.
HUMAN PUGGY!!!
he’s so beautiful. I love fresh babies.
fuck! I spelled my name wrong in the last comment.
As someone who also just had a baby (about 2 months prior to you) let me tell you that you will adjust to multitasking just fine. It takes some time to get back into, but it will happen.
And it’s not always as easy as I’d like it to be. Sometimes I just have to drop everything I’m doing, no matter what, and pull all my focus to the baby. (I’m talking about just when I’m multitasking – not like, “Ugh. I’m always having to stop what I’m doing to take care of this… thing. YEch.” ….I hope it doesn’t sound like that!)
Anyway – One thing that has become pretty obvious to me is that pregnancy brain doesn’t just go away either. (As I’m sure I’ve made apparent by this comment.)
My middle child was allergic to the first formula we tried, it was projectile vomit with every feeding. I just heard about the polyric stenosis from a young friend with a newborn this week, that is also worth mentioning to the doc. I do hope he gets some relief some how soon. Poor little guy, that must be awful for him, too.
Hey, glad I found your blog through your touching comment over at Classy Chaos. I have enjoyed reading through your past few posts and will be back for more!
LOL! I, myself, wonder where my 30s disappeared to. When I was in my 20s it seemed my energy and time were endless. After my first child at 30, life was non-stop busy. Now I’m 41 and wondering how quickly it seems my 30s went by.
Awww!!!
Darling.
Hurrah for grandparents!
Good Luck with everything. :D