Boreal Witch

My son Arthur turned 3 today. He's been pretty excited about his birthday for a long time now. Ever since February he's been telling everyone that his birthday is in April and that he'd be turning 3. We deliberately hyped it up because we knew that there was going to be a new bundle of joy in the house who had the potential to take away a significant amount of attention from Arthur.

Luckily, the majority of the party planning was done before Balin arrived. His friends Alek and Cedar were able to make it to the party. They did a craft, ate lunch, played outside, had cake and lemon curd (Arthur's choice), and opened presents. Then they played some more. It was a very stress-free party.

He had so many gifts from my family we opted to open the rest of them after his nap. There was tissue paper, boxes, and wrapping paper everywhere. A mighty haul for Artoo.

My big boy is 3. Sometimes I still think of him as the little baby I brought home from the birth center, the little boy who used to sign to speak to me, and the little boy who would fall asleep on my lap as I nursed him.

Now, however, I get to think of all the fun things that he's doing now. He's a big boy who takes a swimming class, a big boy who can swing on the big kid swings, and a big boy who can practically cook for himself. He got some ice skates from his friend Alek and his dad will be taking him skating. I wonder whether or not he'll be skating by his next birthday.

Blessed be.

About a month ago, I signed Arthur up for swim lessons with his pal Jade. I wanted him to have something special that he could be proud of doing, since everyone (or a great many people) would be fawning over Balin. I also wanted him to learn some of the basics of swimming.

Tuesday he went to his first class and had the worst separation anxiety I've ever seen. It didn't help that he was in the water with a bunch of kids and a teacher he didn't know. I had a word with the teacher afterward and we agreed that he and I should come back for Family Swim Wednesday and then try again on Thursday. Arthur needed to know that his teacher and I wouldn't be giving up on him.

Family Swim Wednesday went so well. We put on one of the floats and practiced doing some of the activities that I saw his teacher do Tuesday. I hoped that with enough encouragement from me that he'd be more confident in the water on Thursday.

So, today during swim class I stayed downstairs in the lobby. To anyone looking in on the class, I was probably an amusing sight, peeking through the door to the pool, hoping for glimpses of my kid (happily, I hoped) in the water. He did really, really well. He listened to his teacher and he tried to do everything she instructed. He even swam unassisted (though with floats). I was so proud of him that we went to ice cream with Balin and Nana afterward and heaped on the praise.

We'll probably try to go swimming again this weekend to keep practicing. He doesn't have to become an Olympic swimmer someday, but I do want him to be comfortable in the water.

Blessed be.

I can finally wear my wedding ring again! Hooray!

True to form right after the birth, the swelling in my legs went down. It was nice not to feel like a sausage again. The swelling in my hands is still present, especially in my right one which is still a bit stiff, but I can tell it's getting better, too. Here's hoping that in a few more weeks all of the swelling and stiffness will be gone and that I'll be able to type and draw again. Okay, more like change poopy diapers and fix snacks, but a gal can dream...a gal can dream...

Blessed be.

Well, it's going on 3 weeks since I've had Balin and our lives changed again. I had forgotten how much work an infant is. I'm up about every two hours nursing; this time, however, I've been trying to rest as much as I can while Balin is sleeping. It helps that Robinson's been around to assist me and keep Arthur company. I'm lucky that my mom will be coming up this weekend and staying for two weeks. She can entertain Arthur while I sleep or hold Balin while I play with Arthur. Robinson will be starting up work next week (only two days), so he'll still be around.

Life's a bit tougher with this new addition. Arthur demands attention, but he's also pretty good about playing by himself. He's also got his playdate friends to keep him entertained and next week he starts swim lessons.

So far, the house is a bit messier, a bit louder, and we have to get ready at least a half hour sooner if we travel. I've cried a couple of times in frustration, but I feel no where near as lost as I did when I had Arthur. I felt like my whole world had changed and it kept changing. I couldn't find a constant and I felt like my efforts to establish a consistent schedule (for me and Arthur) had failed. It wasn't until I started spending more time with Robinson's friend (and News-Miner co-worker) Amanda that I finally felt like things were looking up. Perhaps it helped that Arthur was also getting older and a little more receptive to a schedule. I don't know. But whatever it was, it was a godsend to have that support.

And now I find that I have overwhelming support. The moms in the playgroup have been simply wonderful spoiling not only myself, but also Arthur. My own mom will be glad to hold the baby or play with Arthur. Even Robinson's at home more this time around. I feel a bit guilty being the center of attention, especially when I didn't do nearly as much for my friends when they had their second as I feel they are doing for me.

Is that the real distinction between having the first and second? Is it because I'm not reluctant to ask for help, or even at times to demand it? I'm certainly more confident and competent in my parenting, which helps, but there's something more.

I don't feel like everything that I'm doing results in frustration, tears, and eventually failure.

If this is the new normal, I think I'm doing pretty okay.

Blessed be.

It's amazing how kids can develop a personality so quickly outside the womb. I'm sure there are many mothers who will insist that their babies had personalities inside the womb, too. I don't doubt that. Arthur and Balin were both very different occupants; for example, Arthur was pretty mellow and Balin liked to kick (especially before bedtime). Indicative of their personalities? Perhaps.

If there's one thing to be said about Balin (provided he keeps that red hair) he'll probably be a little mischief maker like myself and my grandmother. Of course, that's assuming that there's something inherent in having red hair that makes a person mischievous.

Isn't there?

Okay, I'll admit. There are no real thoughts going on in this blog. It's just an excuse to post cute baby pictures.

Blessed be.

Today Arthur asked Robinson if he could hold Balin.

As I snapped a few pictures all I could think of was, "What a sweet older brother."

Blessed be.

There's been a whole mess of stuff going on around here lately. Having a newborn certainly puts your life into a whole new level of chaos. It's not necessarily bad, in my humble opinion, but it does require a whole new household strategy (which can become very stressful).

Strategy #1: Sleeping 2 hours at a time isn't as fulfilling as an 9-hour stretch, but it's better than nothing.

I'm determined to pace myself better now that I have two kids. Arthur is 3 and already a champion sleeper. Now I need to make sure that Balin doesn't keep him awake. I've started sleeping downstairs for half the night so that I don't disturb Robinson or Arthur's night sleep. I figure if they can get some solid blocks of sleep at night, they'll be more rested and thus more helpful during the day. That's the theory at least and so far it's working for them.

I no longer poo-poo at these short naps. I need them to keep up my energy (and sanity). I've been trying to take naps during the day and going to sleep early at night so that I can get about 6-8 hours a night, even though my sleep is broken up into 2-3 hour increments. Hey, I'll take what I can get now.

Strategy #2: Delegate, delegate, delegate.

I'm a horrible at this because I assume that I can do everything on my own. Most of the time I can, and sometimes I get overwhelmed. After having Balin, I've been trying to pace myself better. It's been hard because I feel as though I can't always rely on other people to do the job right. Housework especially.

A part of it is just being able to let things go, which I am also horrible at. Our kitchen floor hasn't been mopped and the bathroom hasn't been scrubbed down in 3 weeks . I don't think the carpets have been vacuumed in 2 weeks and there's a lot of stuff that needs to be taken to the garage since our incident with the water heater.

On a positive note, I've also discovered a ready helper in Arthur. He's nearly 3 and very mature for his age. He's been taking Balin's presence in stride. He takes messages to Robinson when we're on different levels of the house, helps with some chores, and fetches things for the baby, such as diapers or wipes. He doesn't always do it right, but he tries, and that's what matters.

Strategy #3: Frozen meals are AWESOME.

We've already dug into our frozen meal stash. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to just throw something into the oven and bake it. There's no preparation and no big mess to clean up. Last week, instead of making a whole new meal, Robinson threw some freezer fried chicken into the oven and made some Cole slaw and mashed potatoes while it was baking. Hardly any mess, no greasy splatter, and the chicken was delicious.

Strategy #4: My post-partum body may not be swimsuit worthy yet, but that doesn't mean I still shouldn't take care of it.

This is a funny statement to me because while I was pregnant, I was consuming large amounts of sweets. I would make cookie dough just to eat it. Now that I am no longer pregnant with Balin, I've lost my appetite for sweets. No joke. I had a cupcake yesterday and I felt so sick afterward. It's a good think Luna bars are low glycemic because those have been my before bedtime snack for the last few days.

I'm hoping this aversion to sweets continues. I've always had poor judgment when it comes to dessert and I'm discovering (yet again) that I like not filling my body with all kinds of sugary garbage. This was also my downfall after my pregnancy with Arthur. Once my weight plateaued because my breast milk production leveled off, I kept eating like I was still making lots of milk...and then gained a lot of weight. It took a lot of exercise and healthy eating to get it off...and then I got pregnant again. I do expect to fit into my jeans again someday, but in the meantime, I'm planning on concentrating on eating well and getting some moderate exercise once I completely heal.

Blessed be.