We Survived the First Month!!

I can’t believe Grayson is a month old already. Time has really flown by! Just wanted to give everyone an update on how things are going!!

My little guy

Now that I have been living in the life of 2 kiddos I have to say I am surprised at how well we have all adjusted already. Cody has done really well. He has really taken to his little bro and is very gentle and sweet with him. He loves giving him kisses and trying to play with him! I have to remind him to be gentle and since G is still napping downstairs (haven’t made the switch to put him in his bed for naps) I do remind him to use his inside voice as G is falling asleep. It doesn’t always work, but he is doing pretty well! I am SO grateful that he is at a stage where we can communicate and he understands what I am saying. I don’t know what I would have done if I had my second when he was under 2. I do think the older the sibling is the easier it is on you!!

I have been telling my girlfriends that the transition for Steve and I has been SOOOOO much easier the second time around. I wrote about this a few weeks ago, but if you have more than one child you know what I am talking about. You already know what you are getting yourself into and are so much more comfortable with the newborn stage! I also feel so much more relaxed this time (which is a challenge for my OCD, anal retentive self!) and am really enjoying this stage SO much more. Don’t get me wrong- I am still not the newborn stage loving mom- I much prefer the “once they can talk, feed themselves” stage so I still find myself on a daily basis saying “I can’t wait until I am not nursing every 2.5- 3 hrs and I can’t wait until you are down to one nap instead of a million a day”!

I have to say there have been two main challenges since the birth of Grayson:

1. Juggling two kids. Steve stayed home the first week and my mom came to help the second week. After that I was on my own. I was SOOOO nervous to be by myself because I wasn’t sure how to juggle both. What do I do with Cody when I am nursing Grayson and what do I do if Grayson is crying when I am laying Cody down for a nap??!! I have to say that we have come along far in two weeks by ourselves during they day. I am SO glad I was forced to be alone with them because you just figure it out! We are now into a pretty good routine and G is usually still asleep until I lay Cody down so lunch time has gotten a lot easier- still busy but better. If G is up and not happy in his swing (which is a miraculous invention!!) I have used my Maya Wrap Lightly Padded Baby Sling so I have free hands to feed Cody and lay him down- I actually had G in my sling and had Cody on my lap while reading him a story before nap… I am mommy hear me roar!! lol :) I think all in all, you just figure it out and you do what you have to do!
2. Taking time away from Cody. This was the HUGE guilt I had my entire pregnancy. Cody and I are such buddies and I was so worried about the new dynamic of our family when the baby arrived and how Cody was going to feel when his mommy was making time for someone other than him! I still felt guilt the first few weeks. Now, I can say, it feels like Grayson has always been here. I almost feel like I am spending even more time with Cody than before. I am much more aware of the time Grayson isn’t needing me and instead of being on the computer or doing my “chores” for the day I am playing with Cody outside or doing a craft etc. I felt so bad when I would be nursing G because you know they eat all the time in the beginning (!), but now I have Cody bring a toy out to play with and we interact while he is playing, or I set up a craft ahead of time that he can do independently while I feed G. I have some learning cds that I will turn on so we can listen to the music and learn some things at the same time. The other thing I have been doing is allowing Cody to do as much as he can himself which helps me but also makes him feel like a big boy and independent (which increases his confidence)! For example, I have him pick out his fruit for the morning and get his drink out of the fridge for meals and also put his drink away when finished, he gets his own napkin for meals, puts his shoes on before we leave and takes them off and puts them away when we get home, etc etc. It helps him but really helps me!! Oh- and I strategically place allowed snacks where he can get to them in the fridge and if he gets hungry when I am feeding G I allow him to get a snack out himself. All in all, I have realized that rather than worrying about taking time from Cody etc. having to share time with a sibling is the best thing for him. He is learning life lessons every day that I never thought about prior to having Grayson.

How cute are my boys?!

Having fun at the Wyoming Arts Parade