Well I'm officially back at work. It was so nice to have 10 weeks off to spend with Chloe, I'm a little sad to be back. It is hard to leave her every morning. But I am glad to be back into a routine, and using my brain on a daily basis, and talking to other adults! It is definitely exhausting though (all you mom's understand!) Getting up by 6:30 (this morning I was up at 5am!) to get ready and get Chloe fed, drive her to Springfield to the sitter, then back to Republic for work, then after work drive back to Springfield to get her, then back to Battlefield to get Kylie at school and Claire at preschool. Yesterday it took me 45 minutes after work, and I only picked up 2 of the kids! Then fix dinner, baths, bedtime, then it's my bedtime! I've yet to figure out how a shower for myself works into this routine... ;) I know we will get used to it, it's just a big change. Having 3 kids at 3 different places every day is a lot of driving! I am so fortunate that Chloe sleeps very well at night still, most nights she's asleep by 8:30 and sleeps until about 6:30am, so that helps a lot!
The big girls just love Chloe though, Kylie is so good at feeding her and holding her, and calming her down when she's crying. Claire just loves kissing her and telling her she looks beautiful. I look at those girls every day and think how blessed we are to have such beautiful, healthy, smart little girls. They enrich my life in unimaginable ways, most days they are the only thing that gets me through!
We took the girls to a Springfield Cardinals game on Sunday, it was Chloe's first! We sat in our Ashley Furniture suite, so it was easy to be able to take care of her. They had a lot of fun!
Kylie had her kindergarten graduation on Monday, I can't believe the school year is over! This year has flown by, it seems like just last week we were taking her to the first day, and I had just found out I was pregnant. Now we have a 2 month old and Kylie's almost a 1st grader!!
The days are long, but the years are short. Kylie will be 6 (going on 16) years old in a month, and Claire will be 4!
It's been a couple weeks, but I've been busy adjusting to life with 3 kids! It's crazy, but as a good friend said (that has 3 boys) it's "crazy awesome"! The big girls have adjusted well and love Chloe, sometimes a little too much...like when she's sleeping and they try to kiss her ;) I think meal times are the hardest, breakfast and dinner on weeknights because the baby is always hungry when I'm trying to feed the older ones.
At her 1 week appointment she was 96th percentile for weight and height, and at her 2 week appointment she was 98th for weight! She loves to eat! She's sleeping 4-6 hours at night, depending. Usually she'll eat around 11pm, then sleep until 5am or 6am. If she eats at 2am she sleeps until 7 or 8am. She is an AWESOME sleeper so far (I knocked on wood, don't worry!) but I know that can always change. I'm just very thankful for all the unexpected sleep I've had so far, as she's never gotten up to eat every 2 hours.
She had her first bath and hated it! Cried the entire time:
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First bath!
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The second bath she only cried half the time and it ended much better:
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| Second bath! |
Today we took her to Mexican Villa for the first time, and she slept the whole time. We sat at the table right next to the booth we sat at on our first date and I told him we never thought we'd be sitting there 12 years later with 3 kids! On that note, Monday is our 7 year wedding anniversary, and not to get sappy because that's not my style, but I am so happy I married him. He is the best father these girls could ask for, and the best husband I could ask for (most of the time...) I look forward to 70 more years of wedded bliss with him (yes, I'll be 103)!
I'm loving being on maternity leave, although it took me a couple weeks to adjust to being off. She will be a month old next Saturday, and it's going by way too fast! My husband actually told me a few days ago that he looked at our finances and I could stay at home permanently if I kept Chloe and Claire at home with me. I immediately said no, that Claire needs to be in preschool and I need to be at work. I've been thinking a lot about it since though, and trying to figure out what the best answer is. As all of you fellow mom's know, whether you work or stay at home, it's a big decision. I want to spend time with my kids as much as every mom does, but I also really enjoy working. I went to college and got a Master's Degree to help me with my career, and I enjoy what I do. I also enjoy having adult interaction and talking to people every day, and having a reason to take a shower and put make up on! On the other hand I am really enjoying spending this time with Chloe and being home as well. I know ultimately I have to do what is best for my kids, and Claire is almost 4 and I truly think it's best for her to be in preschool (Kylie is in kindergarten so she's not a factor), she's getting ready to start kindergarten next year, doing activities with kids her age and keeping her routine. Our babysitter that we have lined up for Chloe is the same one that watched the big girls and she is awesome. She did so much for Kylie in the 4 years she kept her, and taught her so much that I know that Chloe will be in great hands and will be learning a lot and doing a lot of activities at her house as well. So...does it make me a bad mom if the best decision for my kids is to not stay home with me?? I also know that working keeps me sane (when it's not making me crazy) and my kids need a sane mom. Anyway, I rambled a bit, but any fellow moms that want to give your (cordial and nice) opinion I would be happy to take it (and any friends that know me well feel free to chime in with your opinion since you know me)! In the end I just want to do what's best for my kids.
We are so blessed to have the beautiful girls that we have, and I am so thankful for them. I will keep you guys updated, and I plan on doing a post at least once a week still.
