We Survived!

My biggest fear throughout my pregnancy was the idea of having 2 kids to care for by myself during the day. God gave me two hands and I worried that Caleb would need one, Aaron the other, and that would leave no hands for anything I needed to do! I realize MANY people out there have two or more children and survive every day...but I just couldn't figure out how it was going to work!

I loved having Jonathan home for two weeks, but the whole time I was counting down to the dreaded day that I would be left alone with both boys. I'm very happy to report that all the worry, dread, and fear was unnecessary. Yes, there have been some tough moments and earnest prayers this week, but I feel that we didn't just survive, we actually kind of thrived!

Monday was supposed to be Jonathan's first day back, but I made the horrible error of not eating before I took my iron pill. Wow - I will never make that mistake again, EVER. With that mistake, Jonathan stayed home to help me as I was rather sick during the morning.

So our week really began on Tuesday. Jonathan stayed home first thing to be with Caleb while I took Aaron to his 2 week check-up and when we got home, he went in to work. I will say that Tuesday was a rough day. Caleb was very clingy any time I was holding Aaron. Luckily, little brother sleeps well in the swing, so it was just nursing and getting him to sleep that I had to hold him. It took most of the day to figure out ways I could interact with Caleb during those times. By the time Jonathan got home at 5, things had gotten a little better but I was exhausted.

Wednesday was another partial day on my own. Mal came for her usual time with Caleb in the morning, so Aaron and I ran a few errands. This made the day go much faster, but even just the afternoon seemed to go a little better than Tuesday. Thursday and Friday continued the pattern. Each day seemed a little more natural. I can't say easier is the right word, but comfortable fits. There were times I wished I could be 2 people and other times I wished I could disappear for a few minutes, but overall things went much better than I expected.

I know there will be tough days and at some point I'll have to start figuring out how to get dinner on the table again, but I couldn't have asked for a better first week with both of my boys. I hope that when those hard days come, I can look back on the past few days and have hope for better days again. I even kept up with the laundry, cleaned dishes and did some light housework. (Not too much...I won't be "okayed" to do much until my 6 week appointment)

One thing that is much harder with two kids...taking pictures! But here are a few I managed to get!

Sleeping Peacefully

Caleb being silly with the cat

Watching Mommy

Someone found his thumb : )

Many of you with multiple kids might be laughing at me by now, but I'm seriously relieved to know I am capable and that we are all alive and well after our first week. Now that we've made it through four days at home I may be ready to get out of the house with both boys...but probably only to go to Grandma or GG's house... not sure we're ready for shopping just yet : )

On a totally separate note: Jonathan's dad has been working in California since Aaron was born so he hadn't gotten a chance to meet him. With TS Don in the Gulf, his company sent him home just in case. Of course, Don went further south, but it did give Jonathan's dad a chance to come by. Here are a few pictures from earlier today.  (It was Caleb's naptime, so he wasn't exactly cooperative...)

4 Lutz men generations

Grandpa with both of his grandsons

Too Sweet for Words

Pop's Birthday

Today is my dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Pops!

My mom put together a birthday dinner this evening so the family could get together to celebrate. I was glad that all three of us kids (and our families) could be there along with GG, Papa and Derrill. It's rare we can all get together in the middle of the week.

I usually start with pictures, but I have to share these videos from the evening first! Eli and Caleb had a blast playing together all evening. I don't know about Eli, but Caleb pretty much passed out as soon as he got home. The energy in these videos is seriously how they were all evening! There was lots of running up and down the hallway and at one point we heard Eli say, "What do you want to do cousin?"...it was very cute!





And now for the random pictures:

GG with Aaron

Aunt Katy held onto Aaron most of the evening...I think she liked it : ) 

Yummy cupcakes

Cuddling with Aunt Katy

Happy Birthday Pops! We love you!!!

Aaron: 2 Weeks Old

Aaron turned 2 weeks old yesterday! Here are the stats from his 2 week check-up:

Height: 21" (60th percentile)

Weight: 7 lbs 11 oz (21st percentile)

I was curious how Aaron compares to Caleb at 2 weeks old, so I checked Caleb's baby book this afternoon. They are identical in height, but nearly a whole pound different in weight. (Caleb was 6 lbs 12 oz at 2 weeks old)

Aaron's appointment went really well. The doctor was very pleased with his weight gain (said he's an over-achiever). We're still keeping an eye on the blister on his tongue, but as long as it doesn't grow, she said she isn't worried about it.

As a family, we're beginning to find some normalcy again. Jonathan worked from 10 to 5 today (he stayed home with Caleb this morning while I took Aaron to his appointment) and I did ok with both boys. Caleb has definitely become more clingy with me, especially when Aaron is nursing, so I'm having to figure out ways to interact with him during that time. It's been a bit challenging, but it's trial and error during this time and I'm ok with that. Overall, Caleb has done really well and I can't say I mind the sudden need to cuddle with me or have me play with him, he's always been independent and this Momma likes the attention : )

To help us get through the week Mal is coming tomorrow for her usual Wednesday morning with Caleb and we might have a play date with some friends later in the week. I think we might just survive with two boys (and by "we" I mean "I")... there were some tough moments today, but nothing impossible. We'll see how I feel by the end of the week though ; )

Weekend Pictures

Just thought I'd share a few pictures from this weekend.

Cute sleeping boy.

Hanging out with Daddy

Two cute boys!

My current favorite! 

Jonathan's sleep solution

Floor time

All three boys on the floor (Caleb was helping Daddy play a wii game!) 

My new baby wrap. (Used it for the first time today and LOVE it!)

View of Aaron in the wrap....love his little arm propped up!

Space - Update!

All curled up with his blanket, bear and new space pillow during nap time today! 

Space!

A few weeks before Aaron's arrival, I went to a local quilt shop with GG and my mom. They had an incredible space panel hanging on the wall that I knew I had to have, but it hadn't come in yet. I put my name down on the waiting list and have been anxious to see it ever since. Well, a few days ago they called to let me know it was in and I asked GG if she would pick it up for me next time she was there.

So, yesterday, GG and mom went to Pinwheels and Posies to pick up my panel and decided to do a fun project for the day. (They spend Thursdays together having fun and getting into trouble... they enjoy their project time!) My mom came by yesterday evening and surprised Caleb with a little gift from GG and mom.

First peek into the bag...

A pillowcase (and pillow) with rockets, space shuttles, and astronauts....

...and another pillow with planets and stars! 

The panel I plan on quilting at some point in the future. 

I'm so excited about this panel! I plan to quilt it (with lots of help) and then hang it low in the playroom so it will be on Caleb and Aaron's level to look at! 

Below are a two videos of a happy boy! I couldn't choose just one...he was just so excited both of them! 

Last night we let Caleb sleep with the smaller pillow. He cuddled with it for quite a while before he fell asleep. It was cute to watch in the monitor. When I went upstairs to get him this morning, he was pointing at it as I walked in the door! 

Thanks GG and Grandma for the pillows! He's loving them! 

No Longer a Newborn!

Aaron graduated from newborn diapers to size 1 today... 

I guess that means he's no longer a newborn. 

Sigh... time is going by too quickly! 

Caleb The Big Boy

I have been amazed watching Caleb during the last week. He is definitely becoming more of a two year old and less of a toddler each day. I don't mean that in the "terrible twos" sort of way, just that he is becoming more independent, more intentional with his play time and generally more focused. I'm sure this change has been gradually occurring, but, having this time to observe him more, I've really started to see it.

Here are some of the ways we are seeing the "Big Boy" emerge:

Helping Uncle Thomas unload his new trains. 

Caleb LOVES his trains. As a toddler, I would have expected things everywhere... but he's very focused on the trains going on the tracks and seeing how everything works. 

The story behind this balloon: Caleb has been aware that it was "up" and it slowly is drifting down. While it was tied to a chair he kept telling it "up" one day and getting in the chair to help it! When we took it down for him to play with it, he studied it going up and down. 

Reading with Daddy. Caleb has always loved books. But we've noticed that he has begun to study books more and really see the pictures, not just quickly glance at them. 

We gave Caleb a kitchen set around 2 weeks ago. He is very imaginative with it and likes to mimic what Mommy and Daddy do in the kitchen. He fills the water cup with the fridge, cuts fruits and veggies, and brings us food to eat.

It's amazing to watch him slowly growing up. He's been playing well on his own, but certainly enjoys time with Mommy and Daddy. I had the opportunity to sit on the floor with him yesterday while he sat in my lap and we watched a movie together. He's been enjoying Jonathan being home and has been finding lots of ways to spend time with him too.

We sure do love our Big Boy : )

Aaron: 1 Week Old!

Our sweet little boy is already a week old! Was it really a whole week ago that I was excited and nervous about meeting him? Wow - as always, time flies!

Aaron's 1-week check up was yesterday. Here is his info:

Weight: 7 lbs 2 oz (Babies are supposed to get back to their birth weight by 2 weeks...Aaron is already 2 oz away from that so the doctor is extremely pleased at his gain) Just some info for me: birth weight 7 lbs 4 oz, discharge weight 6 lbs 10 oz

Check-up: Everything is looking really good. He had slight yellowing (VERY slight) when we left the hospital, but has gotten pinker : ) Eyes, ears, nose all checked out great. When he was born, Aaron had a small blister on the end of his tongue. We are pretty sure it's from sucking on his hand/arm before he was born. It hasn't grown, but we're watching it in hopes that it at least gets smaller during the next week before his 2 week check-up. It doesn't seem to bother him and hasn't affected his eating, but it is something we're keeping an eye on.

Besides that, I just have some general observations:

Routine - we certainly have no routine or schedule, but I'm seeing patterns emerging already. Aaron definitely set himself up for an eat, play, sleep routine. He eats for about 20 minutes total and then is ready to be awake for a while. His alert time varies from 20 to 40 minutes. During that time he likes to be held, but doesn't fuss...just wants to look around and observe things. He definitely fights falling asleep, but not in a fussy way. More in a "fighting to keep his eyes open" way. It's cute to watch him slowly loose the battle : ) Once he's asleep, he typically transfers easily to the bouncy seat and stays there until he wakes up and it's time to eat again. This cycle lasts anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 hours.

Temperament - So far, Aaron has been very easy going. He cries during diaper changes, bath time, and if he's hungry and we're not fast enough. He gets a little fussy if he's awake and wants to be held. Other than that, he's pretty relaxed (and let's face it - we would fuss over those things too!). If he does start to get fussy, his paci usually calms him down.

Ok...that's it for reading...I know the pictures are really what everyone wants to see : )

Aaron naturally puts his arms like this while I burp him... I happen to sleep with my arms similar to this, so I find it VERY adorable!  

Random moment with both of my boys

Jonathan is such a patient Daddy! Helping with the paci

On the way to his 1st doctor's appointment 

Our 1st family outing! Jonathan pushed a cart and I used our new stroller! 

Caleb kept turing around to check on Aaron (who slept the whole time) 

Sleeping after we got home (We just unbuckled him, but left him in the car seat - he slept like this for over an hour)

Aaron's 1st tummy time. He did great! Lasted around 5 minutes on his tummy before he started to fuss and then we rolled him over and he spent probably around 10 minutes on his back just looking around.