4 Weeks

So it's been 4 weeks since this little man came out of my body...

So surreal and bazaar!  I have come across the pregnancy tests I used to tell David we were pregnant just a week before Christmas last year (I just couldn't wait until Christmas day) and they hold a whole new meaning now. Then they were the promise of a bigger family, and growing love but we had no idea if it would be a boy or a girl or of how he/she would fit into our family. Now we look at them and know that they were letting us know that our Logan was in there, just beginning to form into this baby we have with us today. It is all truly amazing. 

A couple or readers commented yesterday about how you are supposed to use a baby's due date on the Wonder Weeks App and once I checked it out they were right! It really does make sense for it to work that way and after I adjusted the age this is where he is on the chart right now:

We have made it through our first cloudy period. Go us!  I really wasn't too bad, he just wanted to snuggle more and there could most definitely be worse things than that!

Today was a good day. We went to Tuesday story time at the library for the first time: 

Our Thursday storytime is technically a "baby" story time though all of our playgroup still goes to it making it mostly toddlers.  Today's was the official toddler story time and we thought we'd try it out to see if it was much different or more age appropriate.  I actually still prefer Thursdays.  It is a smaller group size, all of our friends are there and the content is still age appropriate enough for Ayden to benefit.  We may keep Tuesdays as an option for if we need another activity to help us get out of the house but we'll keep Thursdays as our usual outing.  

We also had a midwife appointment today.  

Logan weighed in at 8lb 8oz.  He's seriously growing fast.  He's even already transitioning into 0-3 month clothing.  

If I thought things flew by with Ayden, I was crazy.  Life with a toddler and a newborn is going so fast it's hard to make sure it doesn't pass me by as a blur.  I am taking time to really soak each of my boys in each day but it doesn't feel like enough!  This time of our lives really is so special and while I thoroughly enjoy watching them grow and discover the world, I am sad at how quickly it all goes.

Can you all believe it's already been 4 weeks?!?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Forward Motion"

And two years ago today: "Road Trip History"

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Coming To Life

Logan has really come to life this past week. 

With him smiling and making great eye contact it really feels like we have another little person in the house. He is awake for longer stretches more often throughout the day and is more vocal about his needs (though still rarely escalates to a cry). 

He is sleeping well (he gave us a 5 hour stretch last night!) and really loves being held. We don't really have to rock or bounce him. He's perfectly content to just be held tight. 

He loves his brother and his daddy but right now there's no one like mommy!  He likes to be worn which is a good thing because the last couple of nights, after Ayden is in bed, he just wants me to nurse him and hold him. Into the wrap he goes so I can get a couple of things done before going to bed myself. 

We followed the Wonder Weeks app with Ayden and the leaps and "stormy periods" were right on for him. It seems as though Logan is going through his first leap right now, a week early, since he fits the description. David and I were wondering if maybe it was because he was an overdue baby. Perhaps he is demonstrating the skills of a baby a week ahead of his actual age since he is technically that age?  Who knows what it is but we are so happy to already be enjoying the smiles and how much he has come to life!

Was your baby overdue?  Did you find they began reaching milestones a week or so early in the beginning?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "The Great {wet} Pumpkin Hunt" 

And two years ago today: "Wedding Day!"

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Door Knobs!

Slow down, Logan!  You're growing waaay too fast...

This morning we went and picked out our exterior door knobs at Lowes!

It's exciting that we are getting into detail territory which is where I get to be the leader.  We also went to Kohls to buy a plain brown hoodie for Ayden's Halloween costume.

When we got home it was time for lunch and nap.  

Logan has lost his fuzzy newborn sideburns
but he still has some  fuzzy newborn hair on his head.

David went on to the house and the boys and I spent the rest of the day playing and making a quick grocery run.

Still getting used to the sight of two babies in the back!

Excited about his bedroom window.

Front door installed and Tyvek on the dormers today.

We ended the evening with a family dinner at our favorite place and ran into Ayden's favorite children's librarian from story time which Ayden LOVED.  Not too exciting but a great day none the less!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Let's Pretend!"
And two years ago today: "Rehearsal Day!"

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Standard Saturday

Happy Saturday!  Ours was pretty standard. 

That photo was taken minutes before Ayden tried to bop Logan in the head with a DVD case. Overall he is doing really great with his big bro role but he does have moments. We definitely drop what we are doing and keep close proximity when he decides to visit with Logan. 

My mom came to the farmer's market. Our CSA season is over and we still have plenty of freezer meals, potatoes, winter squash and frozen meat so we really didn't need much this week. It's still always fun to go walk around. A flower vender has some Cindarella pumpkins that are BEAUTIFUL!  They were $13-$15 each so I did not buy one but I definitely want to grow some in our garden next year!

Both boys napped after the farmers market while my mom and I took turns running in to a couple of other stores. David went to work on the house while we were away but had to come home early because he got something in his eye this morning and he was in enough pain still to where he couldn't blink. He came home and napped and when he woke it was feeling better enough for him to function again. He went back out right after we got home. 

First post orchard apple activity: gluing golden delicious "apples" (yellow foam circles) on a tree while eating a golden delicious apple. 

These caps are PERFECT for toddlers who just can't squeeze hard enough:

They got two more windows installed while they worked today:

We had a quiche from our freezer meals for dinner and got Ayden to bed before 8:00. David is watching the UK football game this evening while I am snuggling a nursing Logan. I'm looking forward to tomorrow since we don't have any big plans. I'm thinking my mom is going to come over so we can turn all of the apples we picked into all kinds of deliciousness. 

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Broken"

And two years ago today: "Nine Lives"

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And So It Begins

Logan and I are loosing our hair already. 

He's losing it Friar Tuck style.
It's still long and thick in the back and on the sides.

I spent way too long unwinding hairs from my fingers during my precious shower time this morning.

I figured I'd have postpartum hair loss this time again but I never thought it would be this early. I experienced this from about 2-9 months or so after Ayden and I assumed it would be the same. I guess this is just one more example of how every pregnancy and postpartum experience can be different. 

We went to have lunch with David today:

Ayden was just as proud as David to introduce Logan to everyone.
Him and the ladybug that he put in his pocket before we left the house.
(That somehow stayed alive)

When I got home I realized that I was feeling melancholy.  It was similar to how I was feeling last night. So I went and took a placenta capsule and went on with my day.  A couple of hours later I realized that I felt like a different person. As tired as I was since I wasn't able to get a nap, I still felt better emotionally, had more patience for the juggle and was much more fun for Ayden. I'm glad that my placenta pills help me but I don't have too many left. I had started weaning off of them at the 2 week mark, which I guess is why I am noticing fluctuations in my mood, but I obviously am still needing them. They say a placenta will make as many as a woman needs so I am hoping that when they are gone I won't need them anymore. I guess we shall see! (I realize I had not yet mentioned that I had encapsulated my placenta.  If anyone is interested in my writing a post on this, let me know!)

I had big plans to get some housework done this afternoon but Logan had different plans. His heel is swollen and sore today and he wanted to be held so into the Moby he went. 

And fell asleep immediately.
He's a fan of mine.

I got all of our clean dishes put away and some of our clean laundry folded/hung and put away. The house is still pretty messy but we'll call it a success.

David was home tonight so we had a normal family evening. We had a dance party, David and Ayden went for a walk while I set Logan up to play for a little bit, there was fort building and wrestling, laughing and running. There were also some toddler moments and it was so nice to be able to handle them together. TGIF!  We are looking forward to this weekend. 

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "How To: DIY Wedding Card"

And two years ago today: "NOT Today"

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Smiles and Apple Picking!

Look what I caught on camera!

Such a happy baby.

Brother comparison:
Ayden on the left, Logan on the right.

Today, David's mom took Ayden to story time while I took Logan back to the doctor.  Since he was born at home he did not have any of the usual tests, shots, ointments, etc. that most babies receive as protocol in hospitals.  He was supposed to have his newborn state screening (the heel prick test) at his appointment on Friday; but since one of the tests is a 24 hour thing that they wouldn't have been able to read on Saturday, they scheduled him a nurse appointment for today.

I was prepared for him to scream his little head off but all he did was fuss like it was mildly unpleasant and then he was over it as soon as he was in my arms again.  I was baffled and relieved.

I'll let the photos of the fun part of our day speak for themselves!

Our moms have been life savers the past few weeks!

In house news, they are getting windows in!

The day was good today with a lot of fun sprinkled in but I had a rough evening.  Nothing specific or huge happened but there were enough little things to add up to make me feel overwhelmed.  Some days are definitely easier than others and adjustment takes time!  This evening I'm giving myself some grace and a reminder that tomorrow is a new day!  It is also supposed to rain so we will have David home with us.    

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Care Takers"

And two years ago today: "Sad Day For Sarah"

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Juggling Act

This morning Ayden decided to share his favorite toy (at the moment) with Logan. That's a pretty big deal, right?

Logan is Ayden's biggest fan already.

We'll have to see of Ayden changes his tune when Logan actually holds it and tries to put it in his mouth. I'm pretty sure that won't fly since a boy at story time put a ball in his mouth and Ayden said, "Oh no, he's getting spit on it!"

*Almost* caught that sweet smile!

Naps didn't line up today which was okay. Luckily I slept really well last night (we get pretty consistent 3-4 hour stretches) and I was planning on staying awake during nap anyway. My original plan was to mark a few things off of my ever growing to do list but instead I left those on pause and had some great quality one on one time with both of my little boys. 

Baby toes!

Today's life saver...

A little while after Logan woke up Ayden came down with a case of the crazies so we got outside for some fresh air. 

It was definitely for the best because the weather was perfect!  

For a "congrats on the new baby gift" David's employer gave us a gift card to a local place where you can order a weeks worth of pre-cooked meals, pick them up on Monday or Tuesday and just re-heat or freeze them as needed. It was SUCH a generous gift. Between friends and family feeding us the first week and these meals feeding us for the second and third (we split them into 4 meals last week and 3 this week), we've barely even put a dent in our freezer meal stash. Tonight our dinner was bacon wrapped chorizo meatloaf with chipotle mayo, cauliflower mashed potatoes topped with avocado slices. All of the meals have been equally as fancy, are Paleo friendly and have been effortless. All I have to do is preheat the oven, transfer it all to a baking dish and warm it up. It feels good to still be able to have dinner ready when David gets home. Now we still have some freezer meals to use as needed as I transition back into cooking which will be interesting... 

Logan is still mellow but is beginning preferences and needs be known now that he is more alert. He understandably loves being with me so if he's been on his own for too long he'll fuss until I go pick him up. This usually happens while I am reading Ayden his bed time stories. Luckily Ayden doesn't seem to mind sharing my lap with his brother. The great thing is that, for now at least, as soon as his needs are met he's Mr. Chill again. 

He's always sleeping with his arms up.
Touch down!

The juggling act involved with meeting both kids' needs, especially when they need you at the same time, is probably the most challenging part of this "parents of two" thing so far.  You kind of have to act in a triage sort of mind set.  Who's needs are most urgent?  Meet those needs first then move on to the waiting child.

Overall I feel like we're doing okay with the juggling act.  Everyday we tweak a few things here and there in an effort to find our groove again.  In the meantime, we are really enjoying our newborn this time around.  Even with the house building and having two kiddos now instead of one, everything is more relaxed overall.  Life is good.  

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "October Goals"

And two years ago today: "Hands Up!"

  Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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