August 26, 2013

Life With Two

So, here we are, our first full day alone since James has been born.

I've done two loads of laundry, made all the bottles for the day, changed our sheets, prepared dinner, mailed some bills and now both kids are napping.  It's still weird to say kidS, as in I have more than one now!  Holy smokes!

I feel on top of the world today.

A few people have asked me how life with two is going, how everyone is adjusting and I have to say, it's going pretty freakin' well.  Knock on wood.

My mom was here with us last week and words cannot explain the gratitude I have for this woman.  She did some laundry, washed dishes, made us dinner, drove us to doctor's appointments, played with Kendall, held James so I could shower, it was glorious.  We even joked that she should quit her job and become my nanny, hey we can dream!  We were so blessed last week that I was a little nervous to wake up today.

James has been a great sleeper, so far, he's going about 4 hours between feedings at night {2.5-3 hours during the day} and just like his big sister he goes right back to sleep after each one.  I have been waking up for the day around 6 am, spending about an hour with him before Kendall wakes up.  At which point James usually is back to sleep so I can spend some one on one time with my big girl.  It's been pretty perfect.

Can I just stop for a second and tell you how proud I have been of Kendall?  At first she was a little timid around her baby brother, she would go up to him, kiss his head and that was about it.  Now she's holding him, helping me with his bottles and diaper changes, talking to him and when he cries she gets very upset.  She's taking to her new role with such ease and I could not be happier.

It's weird because all of the sudden I feel this sense of peace, almost, come over me.  Like this is what our family needed and now that we have it we are complete.  I feel like all of our relationships have grown and become stronger, more intimate, and, in a way, more pleasant.  Let's face it, I am a miserable pregnant and now that I'm getting back to my old self things have been a lot nicer in the Dew house.

For those wondering, I am not breastfeeding.  I started to in the hospital and did it for 4 days before I just decided it isn't for me.   It didn't feel natural/normal to me even though James took to it pretty quickly.  I was starting to dread feedings {something I always loved with Kendall, even being bottle fed} and I didn't want that for him or me.  So I switch to bottles/formula and I couldn't be happier.  I really wanted to like breastfeeding and maybe I should have given it more time but I can say I tried and it wasn't for me.

My recovery has been amazing, seriously.  From the moment James entered this world I didn't take any pain medication besides Motrin, I just never felt like I needed anything stronger.  My incision has not bothered me at all {except when I tried to wear jeans yesterday} and I can honestly say I feel almost 100% again.

I took both babies to Target on Saturday, by myself, and they both did so well.  Yesterday we went to cheer my brother-in-law on at his first half marathon and it felt good to be out and about as a family of four.  A lot of people think I'm nuts, seeing as my baby isn't even two weeks old yet but I just feel ready.  I'm not doing anything crazy like running or doing sit ups but I think just trying to get back into the swing of things, carry on as usual, has helped us all transition so smoothly.

I am so grateful for everyone's well wishes, thoughts and prayers over the past two weeks. From friends bringing us dinners to family helping with housework to blog friends sending congratulations, we have truly been blessed.  Each and every person has helped make this transition so easy for us and I cannot say thanks enough.  We are truly blessed.


28 comments:

  1. Glad to hear the transition is going well! That picture could not be more adorable :) Congrats again!

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  2. Congrats again! I miss having a newborn!!!!!

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  3. i love (LOVE!) this post. THANK YOU FOR BEING SO HONEST about 1 - your BF decision and 2 - being out and about. I think both your decisions are totally awesome and perfect for you, and need NO defense at all, and i swear there better be no blog-haters here because they better prep for a smackdown!

    I think you're such a great mom, and that black and white picture of KP and JW is pefect. CONGRATULATIONS on your family!

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  4. James is adorable and I am so happy to hear it's going great! I don't know about you but when we started having more then one child for me it was amazing the feeling of being a "family"...not that we weren't with one...but now we were a serious family! :) Thanks so much for sharing!!

    Laura @ Mice In The Kitchen

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  5. I'm glad things are going well! I tried breast feeding when my son was born. What should have been a great bonding experience turned into a stressful crying nightmare. I didn't look forward to snuggling him while I tried to feed him. It just wasn't for me. I was instantly happier and ENJOYED feeding time once we switched to formula. Our second baby is due in 5 weeks. I'm going to try again to BF BUT this time I won't push it so far if it's not working out that I'm miserable about it OR beat myself up about it afterwards. I think everyone should make a decision that fits for them. Whether they BF or not a happy baby and happy mommy are most important =)

    I LOVE their shirts!!!!

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  6. You gave James a tremendous boost to the start of his life by being able to give him that colostrum and breast milk those first 4 days. Instead of looking at the short period in which you did it as a "failure", look at that gift to him and see the HUGE success! My 2nd (a boy, my daughter will be 3 in Nov) also brought a sense of calmness to our house. I was terrified to have a boy, but that washed away instantly after that first day. It's like I can stop wondering what, or rather WHO, would come next for our family (boy or girl, when will they join us, what will we name them, etc), and now we can all just BE. Being in the moment, instead of waiting for the next moment to come, is what truly living life is all about!

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  7. CONGRATULATIONS Shannon! i am so proud of you mama and you are doing an unbelievable job! Your kittle kiddos are blessed to have you x

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  8. Love this! Such a sweet picture and I'm glad to know things are going so well. Gives me hope for the future with Leah and Hannah. :)

    - Bethany

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  9. That's awesome! Glad you are feeling good, glad Kendall is becoming a big help with her baby brother. Sounds like life is pretty good for everyone right now. :)

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  10. Oh my heart, what a sweet photo. I'm so glad things are going well so far with two! As a mama terrified to add onto the family, you're such good encouragement. Keep rockin' it out!

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  11. Congrats!! That picture of them is precious! Glad things are going so smoothly :)

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  12. Love this post! So happy for all of you!!!

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  13. I LOVE this! Knew you would rock it momma...and KP would too.

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  14. Oh my goodness... the pic of the 2 kiddos is the CUTEST pic ever!

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  15. It's great you're getting out and about! If you weren't you'd be getting crabby and upset and the kids would feel that and you'd be in a pickle! And w/ the second I just felt much more comfortable taking a newborn out by myself w/ the older brother. It's great that everything is going so well for you! So happy for you. As for the breastfeeding, who cares? He's happy and healthy, what more could you ask for? :)

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  16. Congrats on your new addition. We just added our 4th little one July 1st and I can totally relate to everything you're going through. Its a little strange how similar things are. Enjoy your little bundle of joy and the feeling of calm. :)

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  17. Good for you feeding your baby the best way for both of you! Enjoy those special moments!

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  18. I am so happy to hear everything is going well. I found the 2nd time around easier and harder if that makes sense. Keep up the good feelings!!

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  19. I was so excited to see a new update from you, I'm so glad to hear life with two is going well! Kendall already sounds like a great big sister. Enjoy!

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  20. I am happy to hear everything is going well. That picture of your two cutie pies is to die for... I love Kendall's kissy expression and I just want to give little James all the kisses in the world. Congrats again.

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  21. So glad everything is going well! You and Jimmy make some pretty good looking kids ;-)

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  22. You are doing an amazing job! They are both so adorable and I love the pic of her kissing him. I have a little girl now and am due in 7 weeks with our little boy and I can't wait for these memories :)

    And I love their shirts by the way. Would you share where you got them? I still haven't ordered them matching ones and know I need to get on that.

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  23. Yay for a rockstar day yesterday!

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  24. Hooray for a great start...and a huge hooray for following your momma gut and making decisions that are best for your family and not apologizing for them. You rock.

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  25. I love that picture! Love that everything is going so well!

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  26. Girl. How in the world do you manage to get all of those chores done with two? I only have one and I'm not that efficient. Do you do it while Kendall is napping? I'm honestly curious to know any tips you have!

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  27. That photo of them together is TOO cute!!

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