Getting used to 4!

It has now been two weeks since Ethan was born and we could call ourselves a family of 4. Still hard to believe at times that I am just barely 26, been married for 4 years, and have 2 children. Seriously? Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was "smitten" with Kyle, knowing we had a great friendship, but not sure if we wanted to wonder down the path of "something more." Wow, am I glad that I gave in and gave it a chance. Little did I know that I would fall so in love and have 2 of the most beautiful children in the world. Although with anyone, there has been bumps along the road, but all of which Kyle and I would agree has only made us stronger, more in love, and the people we are today. I don't think I could have dreamt or planned such a life as I have now, and love everything about it.

Now that we have 2 weeks under our belt, we are getting more and more into a "routine," if that is even possible with two small kiddos. One of the hardest parts has been my slow recovery from the C-section and the lack of things I can do. Kyle has been AMAZING, filling in the gaps and keeping this house in order. Another tough part has been Payton and her sleeping issues. She has been waking up A LOT at night, and not when she hears Ethan, but just on her own. We thought she maybe had an ear infection, by that wasn't the case. We are wondering instead if she is teething and just having nightmares at night to where she is waking up crying. This has been really hard to deal with because Payton is "Kyle's Duty" at night time, so when she doesn't sleep, neither does he, which makes for TWO tired parents. Last night was better, and she slept until 7am, which was a HUGE improvement, and we are hoping for more of the same tonight. Ethan is getting better at sleeping too. I have a bassinet by our bed, which he is in, and then I take him out of our bedroom and into his when I feed and change him so that Kyle can sleep. Many times, I end up falling asleep with him in the chair and don't make it back to bed much. However, last night I think I spent almost 5 hours in my own bed and up only twice with him!!! (HEAVENLY!) I know, 5 hours doesn't sound like a whole lot, especially to a girl who ALWAYS said she needed AT LEAST 8 hours to function, but it is amazing how that changes when you have kids. When I hear Ethan waking up and ready to eat, there is a part of me that hates to crawl out from under the warm covers and out of bed, but when I see his precious little face and he snuggles into me, it is all worth it. That face is just about the only thing that could make me feel that way multiple times in the night. :)

We have definitely already made many memories with our new little edition. He is such a snuggly baby and I LOVE IT!! He is usually pretty content, but HATES diaper changing time and bath time. Payton loves him and wants to hold him multiple times in a day. I absolutely LOVE when she wakes up from naps or gets up in the morning and sees him for the first time in a while and gets a HUGE smile on her face and says "bubby!!!" So, deep down she loves him, although has her moments. She has gotten in trouble so far by hitting him, taking his passy and running away, and throwing a thing or two at him. But, she can also be mommy's big helper, bringing me his blanket, burp clothes, and passy when she wants to. KEY= when she WANTS TO! :) I have not quite figured out the whole diaper changing thing and have gotten "sprayed" many times. Tonight being one of those times. As I was changing his diaper, he decided to start peeing, and I was ready with his diaper to cover. I waited for him to finish, then proceeded to clean him up. As soon as I lifted his legs, the hydrant started up again, spraying himself in the face and ALL OVER EVERYTHING. He was screaming all throughout, and then needed a bath. SO- it was a quick diaper change turned into quite the ordeal, with LOTS of screaming. Poor guy. I promise I will get better at this...just so different than a girl! :)

On Sunday, when Ethan was 10 days old, we made our first trip to church. I really needed that time to get out of the house, and it was fun introducing out little man to many of our friends! On Thursday of this week, we had Ethan's 2 week check-up. He is growing quite nicely as he is now 9lbs. 10 oz. and 22 1/4 in. long! Kyle and I have just come to the conclusion that we don't make small babies! LOL! After the doctor's appt. we went to Target to do a little shopping. This was the first store I had been to in over 2 weeks and just needed to go. haha! However, it was amazing to me how, with just ONE store, how tired and sore I got. Guess my body isn't ready to run any races yet. I know everyone keeps telling me to take it slow, and I really have, but it is hard to not be able to do all you were used to before. I still can't pick up Payton, and that will continue for up to 2 more weeks. Things are really getting better and I am not feeling too bad, BUT just not quite myself yet. (Although, to my great surprise, I am back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, which I was pumped about. I would still like to loose another 10-15 lbs. and get back into some sort of shape, but I can't complain about that after just 2 weeks!) Life is starting to seem like a new "normal" and we are getting better at balancing everything each day. Thanks to all of you who have stopped by, brought us meals, or offered to come help when Kyle has had to leave the house. It has all been SO appreciated and we couldn't have survived these first two weeks without you all! THANKS!!!