Bringing Home Baby

We brought little Preston home early Sunday afternoon, with my in-laws, Kim and Joey helping all the way. My Dad and two little sisters came up to visit for a few hours, and Kim stayed the first week with us. HUGE, huge help. The laundry was caught up (seriously - when does that ever happen? There's always a basket of clean laundry on the floor of our room waiting to be put away), dinners were delicious, and Asher was taken on outings each day - on walks, picnics, to the pool, playground, etc. It was so nice to stay home and snuggle baby while knowing Asher was having a great time. These days I have to get creative to make sure he doesn't feel neglected.

To first-time moms scared to have a second baby after a brutal recovery: the physical recovery this time around was a BREEZE! I know everyone's experience is different, but I felt SO much better than I did after having Asher, which was yet another giant blessing in this whole process. I think a combination of one's body already having done it once, knowing what to expect and how to take care of yourself and a baby usually make for a much easier go the second time. 

Of course, a lot of the same things still hurt and happen.....for instance, a few days after I deliver, hormones change and I get super emotional about how much I love our baby, how sweet he is, how sad I am that he's growing up so fast, etc. Oh look - we have a clip:

It goes about like that. And it's wonderful to now know we can expect this in the future, and that it will only last a couple days. Predictability is a beautiful thing in the life of a new mom.

Anyway, we are very grateful to find Preston is a good baby with a sweet disposition. He only cries when hungry, or on the rare occasion when I eat something that doesn't agree with him. A sweet, sleepy child is such a welcome blessing when dealing with a two and a half-year-old trying to give up naps altogether.  Love that baby boy!

Blessing #472: Asher LOVES his little brother. Just wants to hug, hold, and kiss him all the time. I worried we'd experience one of those scenarios where the jealous toddler tries to invent ways to kill the new baby, but the worst our little guy has faced is food stuck to his head all the time, thanks to Ash man's sloppy, unbridled affection.

Here are some images of our first week home together:

Pillow fights with Aunt Hannah and Aunt Amy

The roses Andrew got for me...my Grandpa always gave my Grandma yellow roses when she delivered a baby. I love Andrew for carrying on the sweet tradition.

That's right - we are now a mini-van fam! Here is a shot of us after our first drive around town with the kids (KIDS!?!!). Never thought I'd want one of these...I remember thinking vans were just not cool...then I realized - Wait! Neither am I. So it's perfect...I maintain my frumpy mom status without any pretense, while everyone enjoys extra space and seating. We love it!

Just hangin out, being one week old