Newborn Normals

 {3 weeks . photo credit: Christy}

I think we’re finally settling into a bit of a new normal now that Zara is five weeks old.  Her normal seems to change every few days.  Just when she sleeps for seven hours for three days straight and I dare stay up until 11:30 to get some much needed things done … she blows her normal and gets up relentlessly every three hours that night.  Her mornings were filled with squirming uncomfortably and fussing and needing to be held and finally I recognized their consistency and realized I needed to wait until lunchtime after her blowOUT to do her bath so I wouldn’t have to do two of them.  We settled into a somewhat comfortable routine of baby-holding and trying to get Adam through a little bit of school lessons in the morning and then after the blowout doing Zara’s bath, scrubbing mustard colored clothes, getting the boy’s lunch and then starting school for real.  And then the routine changed again.  Zara is somewhat more settled in the morning although still not always able to nap while lying down.  When she hit one month old, I finally manged to get a full day’s school work done for both boys in one day.

While her normal changes constantly, a few things in our new normal have definitely been here to stay.

Laundry has become a daily marathon, not a twice a week chore.  Shout is a new mom’s best friend.  The clothes have found new homes.  Instead of closets, they hang out in the laundry basket, in the dryer, and in the hampers.

I try to say, “I’m exhausted” less frequently … like only in the times when my vision blurs and my walking turns to staggering like a drunken sailor.  Tired is simply the new baseline.  Having a third baby is so much easier than having your first because while you are a new mom as in having a new baby, you are not a new mom as in having a completely new learning curve.  But having a third baby is so much harder because of juggling everyone else.  The boys are old enough not to have the typical other demands of needing to get dressed, but(!) enter homeschooling.  I think I’ve snagged a total of four fifteen minute naps since Zara is born.  Thank God she sleeps so well at night.

 {photo credit: Christy}

I am loving these days beyond compare.  I’ve quit apologizing for the dusty house when people stop in. I’ve quit feeling guilty when we pick up pizza and finish the “meal” with ice cream when we serve guests.  I’m trying to be okay with the fact that I can’t seem to get Zara’s birth announcements done even though it makes me sick because she doesn’t look like a newborn anymore and I have no “perfect” picture.

These are the days of high protein snacks and two cups of David’s fabulous, freshly-roasted coffee.  These are the days of holding a tiny baby and feeling withdrawal almost every minute she’s not right with me.  These are the days of watching the boys become big brothers.  These are the days of feeling like my mushy brain is pummeled from every side and my heart is filled to overflowing.

These are the {normal} days of legos and listening to stories on tape and big boys who are suddenly wanting to work out and who are learning to hold the door open for ladies.  These are the days of reading through books faster than we can pick them up a the library and wanting a rifle and art and piano classes.  These are the days of goodbye and goodnight hugs and kisses and thinking the day is terrible if you can’t get them for some reason.

 {four weeks}

These are the days of burps and spit up and blow outs and outgrowing clothes before your mommy has a chance to get tired of them.  These are the days of smiles that light up the room and make your entire family ooh and ahh over your accomplishment.  These are the days of gaining almost a pound a week.

These are the days of wrestling in prayer for a few friends who are in deep grief or experiencing deep pain for other reasons.

These are the days of {almost} spring.  Of pink tulips. Of strength returning.  Of a beautiful new normal.

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