holy pictures, batman

I warned you about the billion pictures, right? Well, here we go-- a little (okay, more than a little) look at what we have been up to.

G meeting his baby sister for the first time in the hospital. From this first moment he has been so tender and sweet with her. He was so worried about her umbilical cord ("Does it hurt her?"), and is not a fan of when she cries ("Baby is loud!" while covering his ears), but there has not been any jealousy or feeling replaced (that I can tell). If anything, I have to be watchful that he doesn't smother her too much when he hugs and kisses her and I have to remind myself not to get upset if he wakes her up because he wants to touch her and be close to her so often. I am so happy and grateful that this transition has been so smooth thus far-- it is almost like she has always just been there (to him-- her parents have had some adjusting to do for sure :)).

We had planned to stay in the hospital for two nights (they wanted us to since I had been Strep B positive), but after the first night of being woken up constantly by well-meaning nurses, we decided that we would all do better in our home. We got the okay from the doctors, got our little Pea (get it?) dressed in an impossibly tiny outfit that was still baggy, and were on our way.

We spent the first week at home, pretty much without leaving the house. We loved, LOVED having J with us for all that time, totally uninterrupted. We didn't get a whole lot of sleep for the first few days, but here are a few things we did do:

stretch

kick tiny legs

sneeze

stare

stick out tongues

pucker little lippies

sleep (mostly during the day, naturally)

get bundled

squint eyes shut

suck on a binky

take out the binky

play with mama

play with daddy

use opposable toes

bite long fingernails

have pretty eyelashes

get drowsy while taking pictures

be wide awake while taking pictures

play in baskets (this is actually her bassinet)

this one is an actual basket

take real baths now that her umbilical cord is off

This little guy has been busy, too. Besides being a happy big brother, he is loving wearing hats right now. He only likes to wear them sideways, and goes around saying, "I'm a cool guy!" with a little drawly accent.

He is still such a delight to me. I think it is normal to go through a little bit of irrational emotions right after giving birth, and mine came fast and hard one night when we were getting ready to put the babies to bed. I'm sure it was a mix of sleep deprivation, hormones, and feeling a little overwhelmed by my new responsibilities (I truly believe all new mamas can relate to these feelings-- I remember them when Baby G was a newborn too. Luckily for me, they seem to only last for a few hours one night when the baby is a few days old), but I handed the baby off to her daddy and told him I was putting G to bed. I had been so busy with my new little girl at night that J had been putting G to bed, and I was feeling so guilty and sad that I hadn't been spending that time with him. So my little boy and I went in his bedroom, and I am sure he was entirely puzzled as to why tears were rolling down my cheeks as I put him in his pajamas. He kept asking me why I had tears and all I could think to tell him was that it was because I loved him. That was the only explanation I had for myself, too. As much as I adored my precious new bundle, there was no denying that my time was now, by necessity, divided and I was missing my boy. He is so dear to me.

And his little sister? Oh how she fills my heart, too. Each day we are getting to know each other a little better, and I find myself bursting with gratitude that I have two precious little souls to care for. One night after putting G to bed, I walked into my bedroom where little Pea was sleeping. I started to feel a little anxious thinking about the long night we had ahead of us, and immediately knelt down to say a prayer that she would sleep better so that we could all get a little rest. As I started to pray, the words that I had thought I would say did not come. Instead I found myself pouring out my soul in thanksgiving that I was blessed with a healthy baby, and that I have been given the opportunity to be a mother again. What a sacred privilege it is to have been trusted with these two special little people.

Love these babies.