It’s true…our newest addition is already 1 week old. I cannot believe how fast it went by! And it’s definitely been a learning experience for our little family but luckily we’ve all been managing fairly well. The kids don’t pay Garrett much attention unless he’s awake, which is usually in the evening. They are very helpful giving him his binkie and for helping me reach things when I’m feeding Garrett or changing his diaper. They are still doing well playing together when I’m still asleep and except for those moments of ‘he/she is trying to kill me.’
Steve is wonderful! He’s been helping juggle the other two kiddos when Garrett needs my attention. What’s nice is that Garrett will take a bottle so I can give Steve a break from the older 2 and he can spend some time with Garrett – who is a little less of a handful at the moment. It’s so cute watching Steve talk to Garrett. And I love how Garrett focuses on him when he recognizes Steve’s voice. It’s so sweet!
Garrett is a really good baby so far. He lets me lay him down while he sleeps – either in the swing or in the bassinet (which is more than my other 2 let me do) – and does’t cry when he has a wet or dirty diaper (which the other 2 freaked once it was a little wet). Now, he DOES cry when I change his diaper … I’m guessing in part because I do not warm up the wipes … and if he’s hungry and I’m not feeding him fast enough. Which, when it comes to nursing, takes a few more steps than a ‘regular’ nursing baby. The nurses at the hospital are assuming his sucking reflex is farther back in his mouth so getting him to nurse on me is proving a hard task. We have to use the nipple shield to reach the sucking reflex but because he has to suck to start the milk flow, and the nipple shield just doesn’t cut it, I have to use a ‘teaser bottle’ of formula or previously pumped milk to drip into his mouth and on the shield to get him even interested in sucking. So. Fun. BUT, he is nursing so I’m happy. And one day we’ll get past the nipple shield and get things rolling on an easier and more enjoyable pattern. He’s such a good kid though!
Steve has gone back to work and let’s just say I’m not sure how well I’m going to handle mornings when school starts. Right now I’m up 1 – 2 times a night to feed Garrett and then I bring him to bed (usually around 7:30 or 8:00) so I can cuddle and get a little more shut eye..and we usually end up waking up around 10 or 10:30. Nice, right? Well, with Spencer needing to be at school at 8:15 and Evie needing to be at school at 8:30, those extra cuddling times will have to be postponed until an afternoon nap or MAYBE the few hours between school drop off and pick up…but I doubt I’ll do that unless I’m super duper tired. Yeah…school should be fun! LOL
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Oh, I forgot to post pictures from when we were able to bring Garrett home. He had ‘baby rash’ (aka baby acne) on his cheeks and they must of really been bugging him because it made his cheeks all read and even a little swollen! He looked like a reversed raccoon and it was just sad to look at. He had beautiful skin when he was born, and he has beautiful skin now…but the day he came home he just looked sad. Kind of reminds me of the allergy scene from Hitch. Remember that one?
