Family of Five

Adventures in Newborn Land

Hi everyone! It’s me, Christy!  The last time you heard from me, I was VERY pregnant, VERY anxious to meet my newest addition, and sharing my thoughts with you about becoming a family of five. And here we are, six months later, and I am incredibly excited to introduce you to our sweet baby girl, Emma!  And share my thoughts with you about now actually being a family of five.

She’s here!

Our healthy little auburn-haired beauty was born two days before her due date…at a whooping 9.6 pounds. It was love at first sight for my husband and I, and we were obsessed with her miniature, delicate features, coos, itty bitty cries, chunky cheeks, and snuggles. This little butterball fit perfectly in my arms, stared at me with huge blue eyes, and was a big cuddler. We couldn’t wait to share her with our big kids.

The moment they met their baby sister is hard to put into words. Their gasps of delight, excitement, and genuine love for this tiny human who just joined our family is something that I will always hold dear.  One of those snapshots in time that I want to tuck away carefully, remembering every little nuisance, every giggle, every smile.

Party of five

First, let me start by saying that I can’t imagine our lives without Emma.  She was always meant to be in our family. Six months later, it feels as though she’s been with us forever – in the best way possible. But…it’s been hard.  Really hard at times.

Because, guess what? That cliche saying that “every baby is different,” is said for a reason. Every baby is different. And our little Emma is no exception – she is completely and totally different than our first two. So that mommy confidence of, “I totally know what I’m doing and I’ll just easily transition back to taking care of an itty bitty,” didn’t quite go as planned.  I’ve had to lean on my husband. Lean on family.  Lean on friends.  And accept (and make peace) that it’s okay that this has been a more challenging transition. And I can’t thank them enough for being my “village.”  You know who you are!

Here are some things I’ve learned so far with being a mama of three –

– I always accept help now – and pretty much every time someone offers it. Gone are the days that I smile and say, “Oh, thanks so much for the offer to ________, but we’re totally fine and under control.” Um, now I smile, say thank you, and say yes to whatever sweet person is offering to do something.

– It’s also much easier for me to ask for help now.  I need it. My life is currently a mesh of school carpools, homework questions, sports practices, Taylor Swift, Star Wars trivia, and remembering important school and sports deadlines…plus feedings, scheduling things around nap times, fussy times, crawling, introducing solids, singing “Wheels on the Bus,” playing patty cake, and Googling, “Is it normal that my baby…? (fill in the blank).”

– Sleep deprivation is as difficult as I remember. Sleep regressions are even more difficult than I remember.  On the flip side, baby snuggles, cuddles, coos and little baby chunks to squeeze are even better than I remember.

– There is no “napping or resting when the baby naps” (although I’ve always struggled with that one anyways). Pass the coffee.  Nap times are for getting things done at warp speed OR having the baby sleep in the car while carting a big kid around.  Yep, baby #3 is my “car seat” kid. I’ve made peace with that, too. Sometimes I feel like the jump from two to three kids has been exponential.

– Having a big age gap between my bigs and my little has actually been pretty amazing.  Because they are enjoying her so much.  Which makes it easier for everyone to enjoy her so much!  I have built-in helpers who dote on her, entertain her, take care of her, feed her, diaper her, and cuddle her.  I LOVE this.

– My hubby and I are more relaxed this time with baby.  We have to be.  Seriously.

Our new reality

I was just joking with one of my dear mama friends – someone always needs something.  Someone is always sick. Is hungry. Has a question.  Is waking up. Is hungry again. Is arguing. Is yelling. Forgot something. Needs to be somewhere. Can’t remember where they put something. Dropped something. And on, and on, and on.

But look at those grins!  Our house is always filled with lots of laughter, lots of kid noises, lots of play and lots of hugs. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some days, everything flows.  And some days it just doesn’t.  Which means that I have to (gulp) just go with it.  Yep, this Type-A mama is learning to just go with it. Well, I’m trying to, at least!  Baby steps.

Thank you again for being part of my pregnancy journey, and for all of your well wishes and sweet comments. I am so happy to share about Miss Emma, and thank you for all of your support!