Lessons

I thought I'd share a few things this morning.  First, all the things I'd once known so well, but have since forgotten.  And then, those things I've never known, but now do.

I'd forgotten.....

-how tiny everything on a newborn is, tiny hands, tiny toes, tiny bottoms

-how such a tiny bottom can create such a huge explosion (maybe it's just my breastfed boys, but you can hear them fill a diaper from across the room when they are small!)'

-how much I hate boogers in tiny noses, and how helpful a booger snatcher can be at retrieving them

-constant motion, always walking, always bouncing (or as Carter loves it when I say over and over- "bouncing, walking, patting Isaac's bum, bouncing, walking, patting Isaac's bum....)

-how much gas one child can have

-the sweet smell of a newborn

- the not so sweet smell of yourself after not having a chance to shower in ... a week?

-how great those first smiles are

-those little grunts and moans

-their scrunched up faces when they stretch

-how you really can survive (albeit marginally) on only 4 hours of sleep (in 1 hour bursts) for weeks at a time

-how much you need to rely on others to help

I've learned.....

-the advice "sleep when the baby sleeps" does not apply when you have a 2 year old

-how to nurse while: lying down, peeing, cooking dinner, attending to a 2 year olds boo-boos...

-nursing while trying to make applesauce is rather difficult

-that you can't be everything for everyone all the time

-asking for help is OK

-that if your 2 year old does not want to put on his day clothes for daycare, and your newborn is screaming as well, that you can strap both of them into their car seats (one wearing only a diaper) and they will continue to scream, but will not be able to run away.  

-that daycare parents are really understanding.  When I showed up on the aforementioned day, it was 8:30 am and several parents were around.  By this time, a bottle of milk had calmed Carter down, but when I carried him to the front door, his eyes were red rimmed and he was still only wearing a diaper.  I had to leave him briefly on the stoop to return to the car to get Isaac and Carter's bag and lunch.  None of the parents gave me a reproachful look, and several said "we've been there..." Carter did go on to have a fun day at daycare (wearing clothes...) and ever since, we've arrived in our PJ's and changed there.  There are some battles I'm not willing to fight.

-that as tough as some days are, having these two little boys is the best thing in the world

It's hard to believe it's almost been a month.  We've had some big highs and lows, but things are starting to smooth out. Enjoy the photos!

What's in a name?

Many people have been asking where the name Isaac came from....  It's not a long lost family name, rather just one we liked after going through thousands of name books, websites, etc (if you're looking for a name and want to know it's rank or any other interesting info, let me know - I know all the websites now!!) The name Isaac rose to the top after we then discovered the meaning of the name is "laughter".  Laughter is something frequent in our house and something fundamental we try to do every day.  Hopefully Isaac will enjoy his name for years to come.

Visitors

The last 2 1/2 weeks have seen a flurry of visitors to our wooded abode.  Our friend Andrea once again set up a food train and every other night, we've seen somebody different bringing a delicious home cooked meal.  Oma had the distinct honor of being in town the night Isaac was born.  Opa spent last weekend here, helping Lars bring down a tree to get ready for the winter.  Aunt Lorissa, cousin Paul, Aunt Christina and Andy are here this weekend, holding Isaac, playing with Paul, picking apples and eating lots of donuts! 

The first picture is me, with Isaac in a sling and Carter and Paul walking alongside - 3 boys! At one point, Isaac was in the sling and Carter was on my shoulders picking the apples.  Great fun with the family!  Only wish they all lived closer....

NOOOOO!!!!

Seems the post pregnancy high has past into the post pregnancy low.... two weeks of fragmented sleep, Lars back at work and a very negative needy 2 1/2 year old makes for a challenging day indeed.  I called Lars at around 10:15 this morning and just held the phone out - that's all he needed to hear to come back home for a few hours to help out.  Makes the patients at the Community Health Center seem like a breeze in comparison.  Give me some percocet seeking patient over screaming toddlers any day!  I think Carter has hit some new high notes in his voice that I'd never heard before.  The title of the blog was Carter's favorite word of the day....  I'd post some photos, but I want you to keep the sweet innocent image of the two boys in your head.  Any tips from those out there with two kids on keeping the peace?  Or any amusing stories to commiserate with? Laughter is necessary for dealing with children.....

Sleep....

                                                          I seem to remember being absolutely exhausted for what seemed like months after Carter was born.  This time around, I'm feeling relatively well rested!  Hopefully it's not just the sleepy newborn period.  I hear they "wake up" after 2-3 weeks....  But so far, we are enjoying the fact that Isaac sleeps ALL the time! And unlike Carter, you don't have to be constantly rocking him for him to go back asleep.  We are enjoying 2 hour stretches of shut eye at a time at night, which is heavenly! Hopefully Isaac is just a mellow man and you won't be seeing a post in 2 weeks about how exhausted we are...

Here is also a photo of my 3 boys - Carter loves to have papa pick them both up and says "TWO boys!"

ISAAC

Welcome to the world little one!

Isaac Keller Whitman was born at 2:22am on Tuesday September 9, 2008.

Weight is under debate - scale said 8#9oz, but later that day he was 7#5oz, so we're guessing a birth weight somewhere in the high 7's.  Guess we'll never know!

Height - 20 1/2 inches

Labor and delivery went really well - got to the hospital around 10:45, spent some time in the tub, then got out, pushed for just under an hour and out came Isaac!  No pain meds, but plenty of Ibuprofen now!  Just waiting for the sore bottom and explosive boobs to calm down....

We've been home for 2 days now.  Seems like Isaac is the easy one, keeping up with an active 2 year old is the tough part!  Carter doesn't seem to pay much attention to Isaac, but has been very helpful in fetching diapers and wipes for his little brother.

We'll try to post a new photo and story every week, so check back in and leave some comments!  

Also - check out some photos at http://www.briannagraham.com/darkroom/share/?whitman

These were photos of Carter that we had taken earlier this summer.  They will only be available for viewing for the next few days, so check them out!!

Thanks to all for all the support and food! 

Anticipation

Still 4 days from my due date, but feeling ansty! Could be because at my last OB visit, they told me I was going to have it that day - so we packed the bags, called grandma..... but now it's 2 days later and not much happening.  We were able to make it to the pre-wedding BBQ tonight, and are still planning on going to the wedding tomorrow!  Anna, our OB doctor friend, will be there, as well as a midwife, so even though it's 1 1/2 hours from Burlington, I think we'll be covered.  We'll have some gloves and towels!