We have been home with young Samuel for about a week and a half now and things are slowly beginning to find a new normal in our new household of four plus two hungry cats.
On Sunday afternoon Lydia arrived a few hours after we did, and here came The Moment I had most anticipated and slightly dreaded ever since I had seen those two pink lines way back in October. Oh, what would she think?? It turned out, Lydia wasn’t going to care one way or another until SOMEBODY put Shrek in the DVD player. “Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!” she demanded.
Once Shrek was on and she settled down on the couch was she finally willing to look over and see what I had. “A baby!” she exclaimed, and she pointed at Sam. “Baby!”
“This is your baby brother, Sam,” I explained.
“Sam,” she repeated while nodding. “Baby Sam.” She gently (for a toddler) rubbed his head. “He night-night!” And then she turned back to Shrek.
She seems very content with Sam being here. If she finds his pacifier or blanket, she wants to get it to him; if she hears him make any sounds, especially any crying, she wants to check on him; she is totally cool with me holding and snuggling him . . .
Her Daddy, however, is a different story. She has been a Daddy’s Girl since time began, and it’s harder for her to share him. She cries when he holds Sam the same way she cries when she sees The Husband touching me. It’s a wonder she has a brother at all, actually. She will let The Husband hold Sam as long as he is holding her as well, so I feel that is a step in the right direction.
So far, Sam has been a pretty content baby. If he isn’t eating, he is sleeping, so while Lydia’s in daycare and The Husband is at work I find myself having these strange occurrences of FREE TIME that are almost mind-blowing. I’m doing whatever dishes and laundry I can scrounge up and trying to find any reason that I need to go somewhere but without needing to spend much money. Last week when The Husband was still off work we both were beset by the FREE TIME bug. He worked outside a lot and our front yard has never looked so good in all the years we’ve lived here! He even vacuumed the couch.
Sam’s two-week doctor visit was yesterday and he’s starting to bulk up. He’s gained nine ounces over the past week for a total weight of 6 pounds 4 ounces. Huzzah!
I am also on the mend, slowly but surely. The past few days I’ve started to test the waters on driving and I feel pretty comfortable with it. I don’t think I’d attempt Highway 280 at 5:00 p.m. yet but I’m going to pick up The Girlie from daycare this afternoon, Sam in tow.
So here we are. I have my sprightly little girl and a healthy growing son. We’re flying along through life and now can set our sights on the next event on the horizon: Lydia’s second birthday (and The Husband’s 29th!). The last few weeks have been eventful, to say the least, and I am looking forward to being in the everyday with my family, cats and all.
