Life With 2

It's one of those things, like pretty much all of parenthood, that you just can't understand until you've experienced it. I think that all in all, things are going amazingly well for us as a newly expanded family. Now, that isn't to say that we're not having our struggles, or that I haven't been frequently reduced to tears or yelling. One of the things that I've really come to value in my friendships is HONESTY. And it seems to be something that is fairly rare especially among mothers - there is so much competition and judgement out there! I love to be able to share the good things and lament about the struggles, and to find that no matter what it is, there is a friend that's been there - or more likely in our group, one that is currently going through it! So, being perfectly honest - life with 2 is really wonderful, and really hard. Not exactly profound, is it? I am being honest when someone asks how it's going, and I say "Great!". But they're usually not asking during that fussy hour, or in the middle of yet another meltdown from Evan... And for those that have experienced it and know better, or know me well enough to delve a little deeper - well, you're just risking that you'll catch me at a moment where I need to vent. Or cry. Or maybe sing with joy about our 2 beautiful, healthy children.

And speaking of healthy, isn't it amazing that kids (especially toddlers), STAY relatively healthy, despite the things they get into? For instance, while playing at the park and finding that chasing balls with his friends just wasn't cutting it for fun, Evan decided to collect dried up worms. Lots of them.

Hazel - 3 weeks old!

The First 10 Days

We had Hazel's check up with the midwives & with her pediatrician this week, and she's doing perfectly. I'd like to take credit for having amazingly yummy milk, but I think that it's more likely we've lucked out with 2 really good eaters - Hazel gained an entire pound in just 1 week! I wish we could go to the birth center for everything, I'm really going to miss going there, it's just so much more peaceful and enjoyable than Going To The Doctor. Hazel is changing daily, as newborns do, and we think getting cuter by the minute! She's really sweet & mellow, sleeps great, and even has had her waking hours only when the sun is up...so far. Evan's been an awesome big brother, he always wants to hold her and loves when she grips his finger. Of course, the change in the house has been a lot for him to adjust to, and that's manifesting itself how it usually does with Evan - with sleep issues. We're now armed with some varied advice from friends who have been there (thank you!), but we're thinking that maybe this is just something we need to accept until it passes. I'm just trying to remember how thankful I am for his age and relative maturity, this would have been much more difficult a few months ago. Also, Pete's been an enormous help - it's man on man around here. What in the world do people with tons of kids DO??

Here are some photos from the past week:

Happy family of 4!
Brother & sister - awwww....
A doe gave birth to 2 fawns right on the other side of our fence the other day! I think she chose our house because she knew what a wonderful entry to the world Hazel just had :)
Hazel's first of many poolside happy hours - she's just 4 days old!

Welcome, Baby Hazel!

We are so thrilled to welcome Hazel Mae to our family! She is just the most precious little thing, and looks so much like Evan did as a baby. She was born at the Mountain Midwifery Birth Center on Monday, June 1st and we were home just 4 hours later! It was a wonderful experience being there, exactly what we had hoped for - peaceful, calm and loving, without all of the unnecessary chaos that goes with a hospital birth. Hazel was born "in caul", and into water in the birthing tub, it was really amazing. The midwives were all really excited since being born in caul is so rare, and just added to the excitement of her birth. It's really nice to have this time to bond as a new family at home, and we're grateful to have both sets of parents here to help out. Evan's been really great so far - but I think all older siblings are, until they realize the baby isn't leaving! But he's really the perfect age to be welcoming her, accepting and curious, and easily distracted by playtime with the grandparents. He loves to touch her and talk about her, we just keep reminding him of all of the fun things he gets to do because he's the Big Brother. We had our home visit today and Hazel is doing perfectly, she's 6 lbs. 15 oz. and exactly as she should be. I feel great, so much better than I did the first time around - just excited to introduce her to everyone!

Evan:

Hazel: