Aedan: Week 2
This blog post begins with Aedan's second week of life outside the womb. Now, Tuesdays are normally our day to go to story time at the library, but I was in no position to take Samantha, plus Aedan didn't need to go to the library at one week old. I had to take Aedan to an appointment that morning anyways, so Daddy volunteered to take Samantha. She chose to wear her pink "Big Sister" shirt, which she chooses to wear almost as soon as it is clean. They had a good time at the library and a few people noticed her shirt and that I wasn't there with her, asking her about how she likes her little brother. The librarian telling stories was her favorite one, and they read books about the ocean. One special book she read was an "I Spy" book, and Samantha really liked it. They had several copies of the book spread out on the tables around the room, and Samantha told Daddy that she wanted to get that one when story was over. (She knows she has to wait until story time is over before she can get up and choose books.) Other kids, on the other hand, do not follow that rule, and quickly all the "I Spy" books were taken by other kids. However, this librarian knew that Samantha wanted one, and that she was sitting and waiting respectfully, so she made sure to find another copy to give to Samantha to check out. Those are the things that make our library so special. The librarians take the time to care about the kids that are regular attenders of story time. I think this librarian in particular has a special place in her heart for Samantha.
While Daddy and Samantha were at the library, I took Aedan to an appointment. He did really well on our first real outing together by ourselves. He fell asleep in his car seat and stayed asleep for quite awhile, giving me the opportunity to have lunch and put Samantha down for a nap easily. Here are some pictures of my two children that afternoon right before lunch.
On Wednesday, Ben went to campus for most of the day for meetings and the final exam for his class. So, the rest of us decided to go run an errand to the bank and then took advantage of the nice weather by playing at the park. I nursed Aedan when we got there and then carried him in the Moby Wrap the rest of the time while he slept. Samantha did a pretty good job listening. Another dad helped her when she freaked out about a bug on the slide when I was nursing Aedan. He helped her get it off so that she could continue sliding down the slide. (It's amazing how other parents reach out to you when they see you have your hands full.) There was only one time that I felt overwhelmed by being at the park with both Samantha and Aedan by myself. Samantha tried to climb up a ladder that was a little too challenging for her, even though I told her not to climb it because I wasn't going to be able to come and help her while I was nursing Aedan. However, she didn't listen to me and climbed up anyways. Once she got to the top, she couldn't figure out how to climb from the top bar to the platform on the playground. She was scared and shaking and upset, and I just had visions of her falling and cracking her head, causing a trip to the hospital on our first outing together with just Mommy. So, I went over to help her climb off while still holding and nursing Aedan. It was quite awkward and frustrating that she didn't listen to me, but at least there was only that other dad and his little boy at the park that day. Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful trip to the park, and it gave me a sense of accomplishment in getting out of the house and doing something with both Samantha and Aedan by myself.
We had a really good morning and a good lunch as Aedan slept away in his car seat. However, he then woke up and needed to eat, so I nursed him while Samantha played quietly with her toys and blocks. (She does such a wonderful job with this. I am impressed with her ability to play independently. It's such a blessing.) After that it was time for a nap, which she knew about, and she went right upstairs, but for some reason she started flipping out about where her blankie was. (We have been putting it away in her closet in the morning the last couple of days because she has grown a little too attached to it and plays with it too much, putting up a fight when we ask her to leave it in her room.) I told her that she could give it a hug and a kiss after she got ready for her nap, but she just erupted emotionally, crying and hyperventilating, begging for her blankie. I finally got her on the potty, but she was being silly and ended up peeing on the floor a bit because she wasn't sitting back far enough, so that caused another eruption of tears. I ended up just taking her off the potty and cuddling her and comforting her for awhile, trying to get her to calm down. I eventually succeeded in getting her ready for her nap, while little Aedan continued sleeping peacefully in the blue vibrating chair in his room. Samantha crying and screaming didn't seem to phase him at all. I guess he got used to hearing all these noises when he was in the womb. Samantha gave blankie a hug and kiss, we read a book, and got her into bed. I stayed in her room for five minutes, but it didn't even take the full five minutes for her to fall fast asleep. This hasn't happened in a long time, so I could tell that she was a very tired girl. I was so glad that she took a nap. She slept for a good, solid two hours, giving Aedan and I lots of cuddle time together. I love holding my little boy up against my chest, resting on the couch, listening to his little baby noises, and caressing his soft skin.
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Thursday morning we decided to go to REST Stop, the last one of the year. I figured I might as well go because it would give Samantha a chance to play with other kids, give me a break from having to entertain her, and allow me a chance to socialize with other moms while keeping Aedan close by me. Since we all left for the morning, Ben went to campus all day to work as well. I was pretty impressed with myself because we actually got there on time, something that didn't happen all that often when I just had Samantha to get out the door. Aedan slept in his car seat for half the time, nursed, and then looked around for the rest of the time. He did great on his first real outing around a group of people.
Even though Samantha was really sleepy since she woke up around 6:30 that morning, she did not go to sleep right away at nap time that afternoon, instead playing in her bed for an hour and a half. I went up there once and caught her standing on the little guardrail of her bed, she had taken a picture decoration off the wall, and had peeled bits of paper off it. I gave her a time out and had her get back in bed, and then, after already being in her room for so long playing, she finally fell asleep at 3:15 and we ended up having to wake her up at almost 6:00 that night. She's so crazy! If she would only just go to sleep right away!
Our friend Jacob visited us for a little while that afternoon since he was in town for his dissertation defense, and then we had dinner and small group that night. We were glad that we went tonight, even though we have a 9 day old baby, because it was our last meeting before breaking for the summer. We will resume next August, as long as everyone continues to be interested. Aedan did a good job, even though evenings can be difficult sometimes. He tends to nurse a lot more in the evenings, which is fine with me because I'm sure that has to do with how well he has been sleeping at night. The last couple of nights, it's almost as if he puts himself to sleep around 9:00. He'll nurse and then totally conk out. You can do anything to him, change him, move him, and he will remain sleeping. Then, when Ben and I get ready for bed between 10:30 and 11:00, we will change Aedan's diaper, put him in pajamas, wrap him up, and I'll nurse him again. Then, I lay him in his bassinet and he will usually wake up again sometime between 2:00 and 2:30, at which point we change his diaper and I nurse him again, laying him back in his bassinet. Then, he will wake up again around 5:00-5:30, and we will change his diaper, I nurse him, and lay him back down again. Those times can vary some, obviously, but overall, he is only waking up a couple times a night and is really good about going right back to sleep. He is such a good baby with sleeping, so far anyways. It seems like we were up throughout the night much more often with Samantha, and this could obviously change with Aedan, but so far we are pretty lucky and don't even feel like zombie parents that are totally sleep deprived.
On Friday, we had a slow morning at home with Daddy before he went to campus to get a little work done. We had some good bonding time as a family. I am so glad that Ben's schedule is so flexible, allowing him to have these slow mornings and to determine his own work schedule around what works for our family, especially in this time of transition with a newborn at home. Samantha did not take a nap that afternoon, but that was okay. And then, my parents arrived for their visit around dinner time. We picked up some Mother Bear's to eat together and then spent the evening playing and hanging out, allowing Chicago Grandpa and Grandma to meet and hold their grandson for the first time.
Then, Grandma and Grandpa had her open her birthday presents from them: two sets of new pajamas, a Doc McStuffins t-shirt, a princess cup, and a Frozen book with a read along CD. We also got a package from the Aeschliman's with a present for both Samantha and Aeadan, which was very sweet of them to think of us. They got Samantha an interactive puzzle board, and they got Aedan some clothes. It's nice that people think of getting a present for Samantha as well as Aedan so that she feels included in it all rather than jealous of the fact that Aedan is getting so many presents and she isn't getting any. It definitely helps with the adjustment of getting used to having a little brother around.
Aedan has such an easy disposition so far. He loves being held, and he loves being in his swing. He will take really long naps in his swing in the afternoon especially. I am definitely glad that we got a nice swing like we have. It is so helpful when I need my hands free to get lunch ready or to put Samantha down for a nap. He is so content and happy, and really only cries when he is hungry or is tired and needs to fall asleep. He isn't too big of a fan of baths yet either. Friday night his Plastibell ring fell off, so we were able to submerge him more in water during this night's bath, and he seemed to like that a lot more. It seems like as long as we keep him warm by pouring new, warm water on him, it keeps him happy, as long as we keep the baths short and sweet. I love the smell of clean baby after bath time. His hair is so soft and he smells so good. Saturday night we had a pretty good night of sleeping with Aedan. Friday night he seemed to wake up more frequently than normal, if there can be a normal with a newborn baby. However, early Sunday morning, around 5:00 am, some bad thunderstorms rolled through and they seemed to bother Aedan some. He was just really fidgety and squirmy, even though we had already changed his diaper and I had already nursed him. He stayed awake in his bassinet for most of the time until the storm calmed down around 6:00. He seemed comforted when I put my hand gently on his tummy, just so he would know someone was there and everything was okay.
Sunday was Aedan's first time to church. We got everyone up and out of the house on time, which seemed like a miracle. He slept through most of the beginning of the church service and then woke up wanting to eat. I left the sanctuary to nurse him and he fell asleep, but didn't stay asleep for too long once returning to the sanctuary. Ben offered to take him since I would have to be with him during our ACG in the next hour. Ben walked around in the Gathering Space with Aedan, and he quickly fell asleep in his arms. Aedan stayed asleep for awhile, waking up about halfway through our ACG, needing a diaper change and wanting to eat, so I took him to the baby nursery to take care of those things. He then fell asleep and I was able to go back into our ACG to catch the last bit of conversation. This was our last class for the semester, so I wanted to be a part of it as much as I could. Aedan did such a good job for his first time at church. Here are some cute pictures of Samantha and Aedan before church that morning.
After church, we picked up lunch at McAlister's Deli, went home to eat it, and got Samantha down for a nap. She was, again, a very tired girl. Daddy put her down, and she fell asleep around 2:45 without fighting at all. After nursing Aedan, Grandpa and Grandma offered to hold Aedan for me so that I could go take a nap with Ben. However, I always have such a hard time napping in the afternoons. I have always been bad at napping. Even if I feel tired, once I lay down, it's like my mind is too awake and I can't stop thinking about things, even if they aren't very important things. I think I eventually fell asleep that afternoon, but didn't get too long of a nap in before I heard Aedan starting to cry downstairs. My parents usually leave around 5:00 pm to head back to Chicago, but Samantha was still sleeping, so I decided to go upstairs and wake her up because she would be upset if Grandpa and Grandma left without saying good bye. They left around 5:45, after spending some more time with her.
We then had our house back to ourselves which is good, but I always feel a sense of emptiness and loneliness when people visit and then leave, especially knowing that Monday is coming and Ben will be going back to work on campus, leaving me at home with two children. I know that most of these feelings are probably a little of the postpartum blues, and that I have so many emotions and hormones changing in my body, but it's hard not to let myself feel that way. Especially with everything ending for the summer, like our ACG, our small group, BSF, and Mom's REST Stop meetings, I feel kind of lost without my normal structure and routine. I like having a certain routine to follow for the week, and we now have to discover what our new normal is going to be for the summer and with having a newborn and a three year old. I am trying my best to keep things in perspective, to enjoy my time with Aedan, and to not get sucked into the trap of feeling like I don't have a purpose.
Sunday evening, I put Samantha to bed while Ben took Aedan out to Kroger to buy a few things that we needed for the week. It was strange having it be just me and Samantha again. We then got situated for the evening, Aedan nursed and fell asleep, putting himself to bed for the night, and I held him up against my chest, letting him sleep on me as Ben and I sat next to each other on the couch, watching The Amazing Race and The Good Wife, just like any other Sunday night in the past. It was nice, and just what I needed on a day that I was feeling rather emotional. Aedan had a really good night's sleep. I nursed him when we got ready for bed, and he probably fell asleep around 11:15, sleeping until 3:10ish. After a diaper change and nursing again, falling asleep around 4:00, he then slept until about 6:30. It was amazing going through the night with really only that one wake up time. We think it is just amazing that our little boy is already giving us these gifts of longer stretches of sleep at night. We'll take it. :)
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