Just one week ago today, I was sitting in this same exact spot on the couch with no idea
that in just a few hours our lives were about to change forever. What used to be a family
of three is now a family four. That little boy who used to be an only child and have 100% of our
undivided attention now has the big responsibility of being an older brother.
With all the changes I am actually very surprised with how seamless the transition has been
so far. When I brought Owen home I was terrified. He was so tiny and we had to be so careful
with him. I had to wake him every 2 hours to eat. I had to set my alarm in the middle of the night
to get up, bottle feed him so I knew exactly how much he was eating, pump so I had milk to feed
him at the next feeding, get him back to sleep, then get myself back to sleep. That left me a
half hour, or an hour if I was lucky to sleep before I did it all again. And I didn't even think about
leaving the house for a good month or two after he was born. Just going to the grocery store
made me anxious if he wasn't with me. Things are so different this time around.
Joe is a great eater and has taken to nursing extremely well, which is such a relief. I don't have
to wake him to eat, but rather I get to wait and let him tell me when he's ready. The most
exciting part of all is I haven't had the breast pump out even once yet! Everything is so much
more relaxed. Maybe it's because we've done it once before, maybe it's because we have no
choice but to go with the flow, but no matter what the reason I am so thankful that things feel
like they are fitting right into place bringing Joe home.
He's been sleeping pretty well too which has been a huge help. I would have never dreamed of
bringing Owen in bed with me because I was so afraid I might roll over on him. With Joe
it is our sleeping position of choice. It works out perfectly. I feed him for the last time around
11:00 PM, bring him in bed with me, we sleep for around 3 hours, he wakes, I feed him again,
we sleep for another 3 hours and then we are up for the day around 7:00 AM or so. Now my
only challenge is fitting in Owen's preferred wake up time of between 5:30 and 6:00 AM.
It's been great having Ryan home from work because he gets up with Owen. Not only does it
give Joe and I a little more time to sleep, but having that special one on one time together has
brought Owen and Ryan so much closer which is awesome. I know it really means a lot
to Ryan. Once he's back at work we'll have to figure out a new plan, but you can bet they'll
still make time for those special Daddy and Owen moments.
The biggest adjustment of all will be having not only Owen, but now Joe to watch all day.
Owen is very spirited lately and full of energy. He is so sweet and loves cuddling, but he also
is not afraid to let you know when he's not happy. For the past week my mom was in town and
helped out SO much with Owen. She would take him for walks, keep him busy while I was
feeding Joe, and give him the attention that I just couldn't give him. She left us with an
awesome bin full of little wrapped presents for Owen. Books, stickers, games, activity books,
etc.. Seeing as how we are going to be in the house a lot over the next few months with the
weather getting a little colder, when we need a new toy or something to distract Owen we can
simply go to our new bin, pick out a package and unwrap something to keep Owen busy. It
was such a smart idea and I appreciate it more than I could ever tell her. We love when she
comes to stay with us and this time was no exception. It is always sad to see her leave.
Thankfully Joe has been pretty easy going so far, so hopefully even with my two back ups back
home and back at work I will be able to manage. He sleeps most of the day, except for the
times when he wakes up to eat. He seems to be cozy in the bouncy chair or bassinet so it
gives me plenty of time to hang out with Owen. We might not get outside as much right away,
but we'll find plenty of things to do inside to keep us busy. With our new basket of goodies and
a new indoor basketball hoop Owen will find ways to tire himself out without making multiple
laps walking around the block. I'm just trying to stay optimistic that Joe will continue on this easy going path as time goes by to make the transition a little easier for Owen. :)
Here are a few pictures from Joe's first week at home
choice but to go with the flow, but no matter what the reason I am so thankful that things feel
like they are fitting right into place bringing Joe home.
He's been sleeping pretty well too which has been a huge help. I would have never dreamed of
bringing Owen in bed with me because I was so afraid I might roll over on him. With Joe
it is our sleeping position of choice. It works out perfectly. I feed him for the last time around
11:00 PM, bring him in bed with me, we sleep for around 3 hours, he wakes, I feed him again,
we sleep for another 3 hours and then we are up for the day around 7:00 AM or so. Now my
only challenge is fitting in Owen's preferred wake up time of between 5:30 and 6:00 AM.
It's been great having Ryan home from work because he gets up with Owen. Not only does it
give Joe and I a little more time to sleep, but having that special one on one time together has
brought Owen and Ryan so much closer which is awesome. I know it really means a lot
to Ryan. Once he's back at work we'll have to figure out a new plan, but you can bet they'll
still make time for those special Daddy and Owen moments.
The biggest adjustment of all will be having not only Owen, but now Joe to watch all day.
Owen is very spirited lately and full of energy. He is so sweet and loves cuddling, but he also
is not afraid to let you know when he's not happy. For the past week my mom was in town and
helped out SO much with Owen. She would take him for walks, keep him busy while I was
feeding Joe, and give him the attention that I just couldn't give him. She left us with an
awesome bin full of little wrapped presents for Owen. Books, stickers, games, activity books,
etc.. Seeing as how we are going to be in the house a lot over the next few months with the
weather getting a little colder, when we need a new toy or something to distract Owen we can
simply go to our new bin, pick out a package and unwrap something to keep Owen busy. It
was such a smart idea and I appreciate it more than I could ever tell her. We love when she
comes to stay with us and this time was no exception. It is always sad to see her leave.
Thankfully Joe has been pretty easy going so far, so hopefully even with my two back ups back
home and back at work I will be able to manage. He sleeps most of the day, except for the
times when he wakes up to eat. He seems to be cozy in the bouncy chair or bassinet so it
gives me plenty of time to hang out with Owen. We might not get outside as much right away,
but we'll find plenty of things to do inside to keep us busy. With our new basket of goodies and
a new indoor basketball hoop Owen will find ways to tire himself out without making multiple
laps walking around the block. I'm just trying to stay optimistic that Joe will continue on this easy going path as time goes by to make the transition a little easier for Owen. :)
Here are a few pictures from Joe's first week at home
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