What a month it's been. Little Rowan is no longer little. That skinny teeny newborn phase didn't last long at all. He plumped up fast. At his 2 week check-up he was 10 pounds (meaning he gained 1.5 pounds after birth). And as of yesterday, at 8 weeks of age, he is 15 pounds! So he's almost averaging a pound a week!
He is fat in the face, and starting to get rolls on his arms. He is the spitting image of Sage at the same age. And like with all my babies...I am madly in LOVE!
I've spent most of my days at home alone with ALL 3 KIDS. Matt started his new job at the beginning of week 4. So I've now had a whole month of what I consider my "stay-at-home mom trials." This is a taste of the real deal. This what my life would be like with 3 kids - all of us home - 24 hours a day - 7 days a week.
So many words come to mind to describe the situation.
(Some of them are not appropriate for little eyes or ears.)
So let's just go with "YOWZERS!"
Really, it depends on the day and the moment.
Some days we are having so much fun. I'm getting a ton of quality time with the kids. We're bonding like we've never done before. Our schedule is our own. We don't have to adhere to bedtimes or mealtimes. We just go with the flow. We have dance parties, park walks, coloring sessions, and so much more. Those are the good days.
But not every day is good. Some days are stressful and demanding. It's a very tough job. Constant interruptions. Constant meal-making, nursing, butt wiping, diaper changing, entertaining, sibling quarrel break-ups, and a whole lot of cleaning! The laundry, the dishes, the pile of crumbs upon my carpet. My god can 3 kids cause some damage to a house!!! Co-sleeping with Rowan means I never get more than an hour or two of uninterrupted sleep. And at 7:30am like clockwork (no matter how late they went to bed) those dang kids are ready to do it all over again. The cycle continues. Day after day. And with no breaks. I feel like an employee - with 3 very demanding bosses!
But with time, I've gotten better. And so have the kids. This is new for all of us. We're learning the ropes. (Plus a little shot of Bailey's mid-day never hurts!)
I've got one more month of maternity leave left to sharpen my stay-at-home skills. What a boot-camp this has been! I've gained a lot of respect for parents who stay home full time. And I've learned to appreciate the adult-only space that is my office.
Not that I'm anxious to go back.... I know how fast babies grow up. (The cat's out of the bag on that one.) And leaving little Rowan for 50 hours a week will sting like nothing I've experienced before.
But I'll cross that bridge when I get there....
Rowan developed a bad case of baby acne after birth. It went through quite a few unsightly phases. Poor thing. It looked so uncomfortable. (The pic below shows just a mild outbreak.)
But over the course of a couple weeks, it worked its way out. And now his skin is smooth and kissable!
The hardest part of having 3 kids is the guilt that comes from the perception that you don't have the time or energy to devote fully to all 3 kids. I feel pulled in many directions. I worry there's not enough of me to go around. I want quality time with all of them. But the chores don't stop.The bills don't stop. And I just jump from person to person or task to task trying to juggle it all. If I play a game with Sage, I feel bad for Rowan sitting in his swing alone. If I nurse the baby, I feel bad my other children are watching yet another television show. I suspect this is just a phase... An adjustment period, as I settle into my identity as "mother of 3."
We've had a lot of "firsts" in this past month.
This is a picture of the first time all 3 kids rode in the car together.
How did I do it, you ask? How did I fit 3 kids in the back of Vibe? I bought Sage a tiny inflatable travel booster. It's FDA approved - don't you worry. But it fits snugly between the infant and toddler car seats. This is just a short-term solution for us until we get a mini-van.
Knowing that the weather will soon turn frigid, we've made a point of enjoying the gorgeous Colorado autumn weather. Pictured below is our first family outing. Our first time out of the house as family of five!
We saw so many caterpillars on this nature walk...
So it only makes perfect sense, that we saw an incredible number of butterflies too!
We explored an old homestead along the river bank.
Another amazing "first."
Sage's first real bike ride with no training wheels! Matt suggested we try it. I thought it would be disastrous and add to an already very stressful Sunday. But... the kid took off like lightening. He got it on the first try - no joke! I guess all those years on the balance bike really paid off.
Sage got the bike from Santa for Christmas. It came with training wheels. We should have taken them off months ago. But who knew he would be so good?!? I actually think the training wheels caused more harm than good. They're clunky, and make a terrible sound when they hit the ground. I think they spooked him.
But ever since removing them, he's been a bike-riding machine!
The spin art is my new favorite toy. I had one as a kid. It's hand-powered. Thank god...no stupid batteries. And it's been my go-to kid's birthday present ever since I discovered it. We've gifted it at least 3 times... All his buddies have one now. :)
Rowan has entered the full-blown smiling phase. And it's awesome!
Tiny newborns are fun to hold. But chunky babies who smile back make way better friends.
These guys have had a lot of time together to bond. I've seen their relationship blossom over the past few weeks.
So many walks and bike rides this season!
If the weather is nice, we try to do this once a day....
Sage is my project man!
He loves writing, painting, crafting, building. Anything that requires focus and results in a finished product.
Here he is writing cards for all his family members...
During October, Sage still went to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays all day. So for many of the afternoon walks, it was just Kale and Rowan.
But Sage's school days are over now.
After crunching numbers and determining what a full-time nanny will cost us, we discovered we could no longer afford to keep Sage at Bright Horizons - even if just 2 days a week.
So Halloween day, October 31st, marked his official last day of school.
Another spectacular family outing.
A little Panera picnic out at Riverbend Ponds.
Boy this wagon has gotten a lot of use lately!
What a spectacular view!
Look at the chunkiness starting to show. Oh my goodness! What a melon of a head. And that double chin. I could just nibble all day long on those cheeks!
On one afternoon, I thought it might be fun to walk up to Chipotle for queso and guacamole.
Lo and behold.... the boys figured out how to turn a double stroller into a triple stroller!
We passed a Little Library on our way. And my boys ALWAYS must stop to peruse the options. There are 3 of these in our neighborhood. And we always find great books and DVDs!
One afternoon, we had a little play date. The parents sat in the front yard drinking beer. The boys biked around the cul-de-sac.
So another important update to share!
Sage has become a serious pokemon hunter!
Matt downloaded a game on his phone. And now those two can be found biking or walking around the town catching pokemon almost 7 nights a week!
Riverbend Ponds happens to be a pretty big pokestop location. So Matt has taken Sage out there several times.
I'm not a video-gamer. (Keep in mind I'm still rocking an iphone 4s!) So I entertain the kids in other ways.... like facilitating arts and crafts.
On one Saturday evening, Matt and Sam attended a CSU football game. (The very first night game hosted at the new on-campus stadium!) It was a very late night for those guys.
The next day, if my memory serves me right, we went pumpkin picking.
Check out this photo.
Something very unique happened this year.
We got a big freeze and snowfall in early October. So all the vegetation shriveled and died. Leaving all the pumpkins exposed. Usually you have to "hunt" for your pumpkins. Not this year. They were all in plain sight!
I looked like a fool trying to get that stroller through the fields. Talk about a rough ride!
So on the next day... we painted!
Another little library stop!
Leaf-jumping is becoming an annual event for us.
Notice the trampoline for extra lift-off....
Another trip to Riverbend Ponds...
Sage with his best bud Hunter at another friend's birthday party.
And like always... a cooking update.
We had quite the carrot harvest. Three varieties.
Sage and I thought we'd give carrot soup a try!
We also had a ton of onions and bell peppers.
Ain't nothin' like a sausage pepper hoagie!
Matt does real sausage. I use a fantastic substitute made by LiteLife.
The kids and I made puppy chow one evening. You know... the check mix coated in peanut butter, melted chocolate, and powdered sugar. Mmmm! Mmmm!
Kale assisted me one evening with a jalapeno cheddar cornbread. (Jalapenos from the garden.)
Garden carrot sticks with hummus.
Tomato-bacon cups. Usually reserved for the holiday season. But also a great way to use up tomatoes during harvest season! (These are the uncooked ones....)
And then the big freeze came. We got our first snow SUPER early this year. And the temperatures were predicted to dip down very low. So everything had to be harvested - ripe or not - it had to be plucked. (Luckily, tomatoes can ripen slowly in a cool basement.)
Sage found some creative ways to assist with the harvest...
Wish me luck this last month.
I aim to savor the moments and enjoy as much snuggle and play time as possible!
