hard

Having a second child is hard.

I know those of you with more than two children are shaking your heads, thinking about just how much harder it can get.

But for me, two has been hard.

It's getting easier, nearly four months in. I'm starting to be able to do some of the things I had set aside. You know, like cleaning bathrooms. Or cleaning... anything. I'm starting to get Kieran on some sort of routine, and I'm figuring out how to multitask enough to keep everyone fed, changed, dressed, and reasonably happy. Sleep deprivation is still a part of my life, but not in the mind-numbing way it once was. I'm starting to blog again. Slowly but surely, I am getting my life back.

But it's a different life.

A life of double strollers and not enough hands and nursing while walking.

I nursed Kieran in the powder room this afternoon, sitting on a little plastic stool, steadying Lyndon as he sat on his potty seat.

I know I'll be overjoyed when my little boys start playing together, when they whisper to each other from their beds at night, but right now, I'm just overwhelmed. I have an infant. And a toddler. I am a mother of two. And it's the hardest thing I've ever done.

"Spash!"

Lyndon stayed with his Nana and Pop-Pop last weekend.

The first afternoon, they walked down to the river.

They collected river rocks...

And Lyndon wore Pop-Pop's hat... backwards...

They went back the next morning. And then things really got interesting...

When I asked Lyndon what he did all weekend, he replied, "Spash!"

Why yes, dear, I believe you did.

Happy Easter (from our family of four)

the promised belly shot

So, I never did get around to taking a belly shot picture past 32 weeks. Oops.

But I got a good one tonight.

Baby on the inside, baby on the outside. Still a belly shot, right?

welcome baby Kieran!

Kieran Peterson, born at 10:13pm on January 3, 2012 at The Birth Center.

9 lbs. exactly, 21 1/2 inches long.

Born 13 minutes after arriving at TBC, after 1 hr. 45 min. of active labor. (It's a fun story; I'll tell it to you sometime.)

Loves nursing, snuggling with his daddy, and being swaddled.

yes and no

Yes, I'm still here. Yes, a belly shot post is in the works. No, I didn't forget. I misplaced my camera and just got it back on Christmas Eve, by which point I was (am) huge enough that the idea of posing in front of a mirror is, quite frankly, intimidating. Even as a skinny girl, I have body issues like the rest of us.

So, while I work up my courage, here's a Christmas Eve picture to tide you over. Lyndon, in his Christmas jammies, showing off his "camera smile". Yes, when you ask him to smile for a picture, this is what you get:

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope yours was wonderful!

thankful

This post is in no way affiliated with Thanksgiving. I've just been feeling particularly thankful today, which is a big deal for a pessimist like me, so I thought I would share (and record for posterity).

Today, I am thankful for . . .

• a hot water heater capable of providing two hot showers at the same time
• new tires on my car (finally the steering wheel doesn't pull to the left!)
• The Birth Center: the care, the warmth, the attitude
• my favorite midwife, and having my appointment scheduled with her on the day I started freaking out about going through labor again
• a fan.tas.tic son, who played happily during my appointment, charmed everyone he met, and didn't fuss once, even when mommy had to get an internal exam (that's huge progress)
• a perfectly-sized, head-down little boy #2
• Costco. a full fridge and pantry for $85? Lunch and a drink for $1.50? Yes, please.
• church family showing up at Costco just when I was wondering if my lightheaded self could push that giant cart one. more. step (nevermind how in the world a 42 lb. bag of cat litter was going to get into my car)
• $5 rotisserie chickens. dinner? done.
• my birthday tomorrow, my first full day "off" (except for sickness) since becoming a mom-- oh, and a pedicure (thanks mom and dad!)

I started the day just being thankful for a hot shower (I don't know about you, but at the end of my pregnancies, showers start to feel amazing), and things just kind of snowballed. Was it one of those days when everything goes right? Or did it just feel that way because I was looking for things to be thankful for? I don't know, and I'm not sure I care. It's been a lovely day, no matter what the reason.

What are you thankful for?