Want to know what I’ve been doing lately?
Spending time with my little ones. My little girl is having a hard time adjusting to Mommy (who is somewhat out of commission) and Daddy spending time with someone other than her. It’s a tough transition for all of us, but especially hard for a little one to understand. (By the way, if any of you experienced Moms out there have any thoughts on how to make it easier, I’m glad to hear your ideas…)
Anyway, I was hoping to have my birth story written for today’s post, but … life, kiddos, and emotions are kinda BIG right now and … well, it’s just not happenin’. 😛 Anyway, I really do hope to have it up on Friday but we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out over the next couple days.
Well, over and out. I’m off to spend time with my little man.
Comments
17 responses to “Our Life”
I never had this situation because of our unique adoption situations, but my nephew and his wife did this as each of their kids were added: dad takes out A.G. for an hour or two for one-on-one time; mom lets dad keep N. while mom and A.G. play tea party in her room … that kind of thing. I don’t know if this will help, just passing it along. Love y’all!
What an adorable picture of A.G. and him!! He is ADORABLE!!
And give yourself some time to adjust, REST… we will still be here when you get back! 🙂
Don’t have any advice for you, but I am praying for you and A.G. and hope that the transition will get smoother for her (and you!)
How stinkin’ cute is he???!!!! Oh my goodness! We did have this situation with our middle son (who was 3 at the time) when the youngest was born. It can be tough. I wanted him to feel/understand that he had a job/purpose in the whole process, so made shirts that said, “I’m a big brother!” It made him feel important & it was neat to see him show people. I just bought plain long-sleeved (it was this week 3 yrs ago) shirts and used puffy paint. I also purchased him a “I’m a Big Brother” book…I believe I got it through Usborne books but you could google it & see for sure. I think there is a “I’m a Big Sister.” You could also give her a new baby of her own that she can feed with a bottle, cuddle, change it’s diaper, name, etc… I agree w/Christina about getting rest & enjoy!! We will still be here when you come back. Hugs!
Hello Christa, What a sweet little family you have! So happy to hear of the safe arrival of your new son…precious! One suggestion I give young moms is to have a time in the day devoted to only one child – even if it’s only 15 minutes. We called it “Mommy and Me Time.” Each day I would plan some kind of activity that I could do with each of my girls alone – read a book, play a game, mix up something in the kitchen, etc. Though it was a small amount of time, they had me all to themselves! That was the most important thing. It can happen when the baby is napping, or Daddy is there to take care of him. Your daughter will love that time with you and not feel resentful towards her little brother. =)
As a Mom of 5 I have had to deal with transitions, as well. One of the things I did was to get the (child)ren involved somehow. Whether it was to get a diaper, a burp cloth, or a blanket. I did keep these item within reach so my helper could help. They liked helping.
Another thing is to make time just for your daughter, have dad take care of the baby for a few minutes, while you read to her, play a short game, another activity she like to do with you. She needs to know that she is still loved and cherished, even though she is, she is little and needs the time with you to see that baby brother hasn’t replace her in your heart.
You could also ask your husband to take your daughter out for a daughter and daddy date to the park, just for an ice cream treat, for the same reason.
I hope these ideas help.
Congratulations and Blessings to you and your family,
Tammi
Hey Christa,
That is such a sweet picture. I remember when my sister was born my dad took us out and he bought us stuffed bunnies and then a bunny for the new baby. So then when my brother was born I totally expected that we would go out and get something for him too. It helped us to feel like we had a part in welcoming or helping out with the baby. I hope the adjustment will start getting better for you. Definitely,rest and enjoy your new baby. I enjoy your blog and will be here when you return :).
Abby
What a precious picture! When our second son was born our first son was fifteen months. It took awhile for him to learn to be gentle with the baby. I included him in helping me take care of his little brother…getting things for him, etc. Drew loved helping mommy out. 🙂
Love this pic!! So adorable and what a great shot!! Hopefully she’ll adjust soon!! Hang in there!! When things got tough for me, it helped to remember that whatever it was… was just a PHASE!!
What a precious little fellow! I know you are enjoying him so much! I’ve been praying for you as you adjust to life with two little ones. I know it can be difficult sometimes. We didn’t have too many issues with Lily being jealous…but she was only 12 months old when Levi was born. Like others have said, we tried to make time several times a day to have one on one time with Lily to make her feel special. Also having her get things to help out with Levi helped too.
I’m just working to keep up with one adorable munchkin right now, so no advice from me, of course. 🙂 I have been and will keep praying for you all. That picture is precious!
take it easy. set your priorities. if dishes and laundry are not done, toys not picked up, always remember that there is always tomorrow. don’t stress yourself out, it is just not going to help with the situation. let AG get involved with the easy stuff like getting baby bro’s diapers. she will understand all these in due time. one last important thing, don’t refuse any help, even if it means having them see the chaos of the present. i learned this the hard way. let me know if need help with the babies or house stuff.
What sweet children you have, Christa! So precious! We went through this transition stage with my oldest two. It was challenging and I felt like my heart was being ripped out. It was encouraging to remember that in just a couple weeks, the oldest one (or Mommy and Daddy for that matter) won’t remember life with out the newest addition. Hang in there with the hormones, too! I just had my 3rd a little over a week ago, so totally going through it with you. 🙂 I’m praying that God will be glorified even in these transition times that can be challenging.
Such a sweet picture! So precious. =)
We went through this transition with Lydia and Caleb. It was challenging because she was 22 months when he finally came home from the hospital (he was in for 10 weeks) and there was so much involved in his care. I remember it really helped to have a lot of books close by! Whenever he would be nursing, she was right up there with me and I would read to her. She really loved it! It also helped to get her involved in anything she could do. She was my diaper fetcher, etc.
When I had Levi it was not really hard because Lydia and Caleb were 5 and 4. But this time will be different! Hoping Levi will adjust to having a baby sister easily. =)
Hang in there girl…it only gets easier. =)
wanted to say many congratulations to your family on the arrival of your newest beautiful baby and I pray you are getting the rest you need, momma! Also, as the comments arent working on tha other post, wanted to say how GORGEOUS and inspirational that wall mural is… I might just have to rip it off for my daughters room… I am not a creative or capable person when it comes to art but I think I might be able to pull that one off. 🙂
Be blessed!
Nicole
Thanks so much for the congrats!! And I am so glad you are thinking of doing the wall mural…it was definitely a worthwhile project and you could so pull it off!! Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it!
You have no clue how many times I have replayed those “it only gets easier” words in my mind. 🙂 thanks for the encouragement!!!
Christa! I’m a friend of Christina’s and just read your wonderful and fascinating birth story of your son. =) I can so totally relate with this post! I just had my 3rd boy 6 mon. ago. The adjustment phase can be so discouraging! My first two were 13.5 mon. apart and I thought that my first born would never adjust, in addition to teething, etc! I just prayed that God would show me exactly what I could do to make my other boys feel loved as the new ones came along. Following His direction on a moment by moment basis, even when it didn’t/doesn’t make sense (and usually it’s not very convenient either) has made the most difference. But especially right now, don’t beat yourself up or feel bad for feeling overwhelmed. Those crazy hormones don’t help things especially when you just want things back to “normal”…or a new “normal”! =) Hugs and prayers!