V-Day 2010

Today is my first day alone with all four kids. It just so happened that it falls on President's Day, when no one has school. And I must say, having four kids wouldn't be hard. If there were four of me. :)

My mom left us on Saturday, and now real life begins. Because it is RSV season, we are supposed to stay home as much as possible until Carter is a little older. That is going to be hard. Not for me, but for the other kids, especially Kyla, our stubborn little mule. She started showing her independence by peeing on the floor. In the bathroom. In front of the toilet. Twice. Then she announced that she had peed on the rug. I asked her why, and she had a perfectly good explanation. "Because I want to." Fortunately for me, the scrape on her leg was irritated when she peed, and now believes that if she goes on the toilet again, she won't get any more sores. I am willing to let her believe that if it means she is cured of her regression.

She also cannot keep her hands off of Carter. Anything I ask her not to do ("please don't wipe your face on his," or "please don't cover his mouth"), she instantly does. It makes for fun times, as I can't trust her to be anywhere around him when I'm not in sight. This is usually what happens (she is trying to put his binky in his mouth, but actually, she is about to suffocate him).


She did have a lot of fun "helping" grandma with all the cooking and baking. Maybe that's what I need to do while we are stuck at home--just bake and let her help. That would probably keep her entertained, but I'm not sure it would help me start to get the pregnancy pounds off.

Damon has kept busy with Valentine's Day. He is very much into gifts and gift giving (I am reading the Five Love Languages of Kids right now, and he seems to be fairly equal in Gifts and Touch, FYI), so of course he decided to make Valentine's for his class. He probably spent upwards of 5 hours making them, and they turned out great. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture of the final product before he handed them out.


My mom made sugar cookies (twice), and these are the ones the kids got to decorate.


Meanwhile, I got to spend a lot of time with Carter. Probably the most helpful thing my mom did while she was here was entertain the other three kids. I got to have quiet time every day enjoying my newborn (and yes, falling asleep as I enjoyed him). I know I have done this three times before, and it should come as no surprise to me, but I honestly can't believe how much love I feel for him. Even when he is crying and I feel like crying because I just want to sleep, I can't help but feel anything but love for him. For months I worried that there might be something wrong with him, and I am constantly amazed at how perfect he is.

At 10 days old, he weighed 7 lbs 11 oz (50th%, and up 10 ounces from birth), was 20 1/2 inches long (45th%, and up an inch) and had a head of 34 cm (5th%--I hope that isn't a comment on the size of his brain). He sleeps a lot, but has been awake for as long as two hours straight, and routinely will stay awake and happy for over an hour at a time. He still loves to pull his knees under his body when he is lying on my chest, and often seems to have his arms folded. He has yet to sleep for more than three hours at time at night (and usually it's more like two hours at a time), but is on a good nursing schedule of every three hours. He loves his binky and will easily take a bottle of breast milk, 3 ounces at a time.


Here he is at two weeks. His belly button stump fell off the next day, and he had his first bath (which he hated).

Jeff and I got to go out for Valentine's day on Thursday, before my mom left, and he got me some beautiful flowers (and I can't remember the last time I got flowers). What a great way to celebrate the day of love this year, when my heart already feels big enough to burst through my chest. Carter was due on Valentine's Day, so maybe it's fitting that he is my "love baby." Not that I love him any more than I did my other babies, but it's so fun to remember again why we do this. And, yes, I look tired and pale, and my hair is a little greasy. But luckily, Carter's eyesight isn't very good yet.