"You know, in a couple years"

February 17, 2015

"You know, in a couple years"

Sean and I say this to each other at least once a day. It's usually in regards to something we want to do around the house, sometimes it's a place we want to go and sometimes it's just something we want to get. When Sean said to me the other day, " I would like to get a pour over coffee thing for our coffee bar" then immediately followed it up with " you know, like in a couple years" I busted out laughing hysterically. It would be as simple as walking down to Time Market and shelling out $15 for the necessarily supplies, but I had to laugh because you know you're a bit overloaded when even that's too much. All in all things have calmed down tremendously here, Griffin is settling in to his big brother role and seems much happier and adjusted. That first month was a bit of a struggle for him. I anticipated it but I didn't know that it was going to be as difficult as it was. The first week that we brought Graham home Griffin would burst into hysterical tears for no reason other then his world was suddenly flipped upside down. He was really difficult, like REALLY difficult. He tested every possible limit, hit us when he didn't get what he wanted and threw some nuclear bomb sized tantrums. He was hurting and I don't think he really knew where he fit in anymore, but after lots of love and consistency from us he seems to be finally adjusting. He's actually pretty great with Graham, he is always sharing his toys with him and talking to him. He loves to kiss his head and cheeks and rarely is too rough with him. On the occasion that he is a little too rough its usually because of something else and we talk a lot about how hard it is to be a big brother. I'm proud of Griffin, we have been working a lot on how to calm down when we are upset and we are finally starting to see him take deep breathes when all he really wants to do is hit or throw things. He's proud of himself too, he will say, "Mom! I took deep breathes! I'm ready to be gentle!".

I think the transition from one to two was easier then zero to one. You know what to expect, you have more confidence as a parent and a newborn isn't really all that difficult in the great scheme of things. I also think that has a lot to do with Graham's easy going temperament. If he was a high strung high needs baby I think I would have lost my mind! He is the sweetest, snuggly little baby! He is an amazing sleeper, it doesn't take much to make him content. I remember that with Griffin we had to bounce, shush, white noise, feed to sleep, swing, car...whatever we could to get him to fall asleep. I also remember how all I read was to put baby down sleepy so they will learn to fall asleep on their own, and how I thought that those so called sleep experts were absolutely crazy. That would have never worked with Griffin but turns out it works great with Graham. We have done nothing different with number two so it goes to show that every baby is different and their needs are different. Graham was chill from day one, I remember asking the NICU nurses if they thought he was just sleepy from all he had gone through or if there was something wrong with him, he was just so content most of the time. This was not our experience with our first baby so I thought surely something was wrong! They all laughed and said that babies show their personality from the very start and that I was just lucky to get a really happy and content baby! Truthfully, I didn't believe them and for the first 8 weeks I kind of waited for the all day screaming to start and it just hasn't. Maybe Graham will start to show his true colors in toddlerhood :)

My maternity leave ends this week and I'm a little stressed about going back to work. Mainly because I have to figure out the whole pumping thing again. Pumping is not that big of a deal, I have been doing it since forever, rather where I am going to pump at each hospital and finding the time. The one difficult thing about my job is that I don't have someone to give me a pee break, a food break or a pumping break. Most often then not I'm the only perfusionist in the hospital so I have to find time to take breaks when it is safe for the patient and find a place that is close to the OR in the case that I would be needed immediately, like if the patient suddenly crashed. That usually means pumping in the ladies restroom, usually in the shower or sometimes just standing at the sink. Its also a supply and demand thing, so I usually see a bit of a drop in my supply when I go to work because instead of nursing every 2-3 hours I end up only being able to pump every 4 hours. It sucks big time and is a pretty big stress for me, but its worth it.

So, that's kind of where we are...enjoying our boys, going with the flow and actually getting a little more sleep. I'll leave you with some pictures of the last 8 weeks :)