Being a Family of Five

I think the question most asked of us is, "So are you absolutely exhausted?"

And my response to this is...

Not yet.

Believe it or not, the pure fact of not being pregnant anymore gives one a very nice boost in energy they haven't had in 9 months. Throw in some motherly confidence earned from the last two children, and the baby becomes the easiest of them all.

They don't back talk, knowingly disobey you, stay where you last laid them down....and you can count on one hand what it is they must want.

With this being said....it is our two year old who may not live long enough to see his third birthday!?

Take one two year old, a cup of stubbornness, minced temper and a dash of boyish charm and mix well. To ensure a delicious finish for those with acquired tastes...baste with one pregnancy and bake to the desired nine months to achieve a very naughty toddler.

Nolan is taking after his sister in trying to love his new brother a little to hard. He loves to give constant kisses on his head, pull brothers head away while still latched to mommy, yank on his legs and crowd him out while being nursed. We have to watch this boy like a hawk when little bro is around. Basically, any undesired behavior we had before has been magnified since Alden. It mostly is focused on his sister with extra fighting/hitting/bitting/wrestling while pushing just about every button mommy and daddy have left. We wonder if maybe naming him Dennis would have done him more justice. 

Eliza, we think, is still mourning the idea that this isn't a baby girl. When being asked questions about her new baby brother by her physical therapist, she would only say what his name was and then stated she didn't want to talk about it anymore. But overall, she wants to be the big sister and hold the baby all.the.time. Although she is still a daddy's girl. When Matt has to go out and run some errands, he'll take Nolan since he is the most physically demanding and too much for me in my recovery to handle. This upsets Eliza very much, but taking both out to some very boring places is not worth the fight.   

Lastly...

Give props to daddy...

He has really had to step up to the plate in the last couple of weeks. After just starting a new job position, he has had to wear many additional hats while taking care of the family. He has gotten to see first hand at what my life is like a little bit more while he's at work. I am sure he'll be singing some silent praises when he returns to work towards the end of June, but will have some extra support when my mother comes out for her long annual visit.

Today, I had my post op visit. I've been cleared to drive again (yippie freedom!), and I can lift a little bit more weight. I'll have to wait another month until I can lift the two older kids though. But I sorta celebrated this afternoon with an outing to Target with Eliza and Alden. It went so well, that I even hit up hobby lobby! Time will tell what it may be like when having all three kids while solo....but I think this was a good indication that I'll be alright when the time comes.

What a difference going from 1 to 2 kids compared to 2 to 3 kids. I think I've earned my mommy cred and have enjoyed the extra confidence this time around ;)