Adjusting to Life with Two Kiddos

I'm hoping to return to my blog once again now that I'm beginning to figure out how to care for a 2 year old and a newborn without losing my mind.  We are amazingly thankful that Noah is such a terrific sleeper.  For the past week he has started sleeping through the night pretty consistently - and I actually feel a bit like a normal person again!  Last night I fed Noah at 930pm, I went to sleep by 11pm and Noah didn't wake up again until 545am!   I actually can get through the day without feeling like a sleep-deprived zombie!  We are so so grateful that our 7 week old baby is such a terrific sleeper!

Sam is adjusting pretty well to being a big brother. He LOVE LOVE LOVES Noah.  He wants to help us with everything.  He pulls up a chair next to the changing table to help us change Noah's diaper.  He has learned to gently pat Noah's back to help burp him.  We pull up a stool next to the kitchen sink so he can help bathe Noah in the baby tub in the sink.  He takes dirty burp cloths and puts them into the laundry hamper.  For a 2 year old, he's a pretty fantastic helper.  

Sam helping Brad bathe Noah

However, then there are times when Sam is a bit overly eager to be around Noah and be affectionate.  He loves to gently pat his head but every now and then he tries to squeeze his head so we are working to redirect Sam's kisses to Noah's legs and feet.  I'm regularly entertained by the things I have to say to Sam - like, "Sam, please do not lick your brother's head."  

Most of our challenges with Sam are not really related to his new role as a brother, but more due to the fact that he is dealing with some classic 2 year old challenges.  He does not like to share and wants to do everything himself.  He wants to push Noah's stroller by himself - so we work on "sharing" the stroller pushing so that he can "help" me with the stroller.  He wants to carry Noah's carseat by himself, so again - we "share" carrying the carseat. 

Sam is constantly pushing boundaries and trying to figure out exactly where the line is - what is he allowed to do and what is he not allowed to do?  We try to choose our battles wisely, but sometimes there's just no reasoning with a 2 year old.  The other day he threw a tantrum because Mommy couldn't make it rain any more!  We drove through a strong rain storm which he loved, but when it stopped raining he kept asking me "Mommy, more rain please! More rain please!"  Sorry Sam, but Mommy is not Mother Nature.  He has endless energy and is speaking in sentences now.  We can understand pretty much everything he says and he surprises us with new words regularly.  Some of his new words include "motorcycle, computer, helicopter, firetruck, parachute, umbrella, and school bus."  He is at such a fun stage that is equally sweet/gratifying - and challenging/frustrating.  

Sweet Sam swinging in the sun! (Yes, I'm a poet, haha!)

Noah is a pretty easygoing baby and so sweet.  He began rolling over at 3 weeks old and is very strong physically!  He loves to eat and doesn't know when to stop eating, so we're learning to regulate that so we have less spit up.  He sleeps through VERY loud noise (Sam is not exactly quiet).   He loves to smile, coo, and he laughed for the first time this weekend! 

He tracks objects beautifully and turns his head to look for me when he hears my voice.  He is 10 pounds now, very cuddly, and pretty easy to comfort. He also likes to play on his playmat and bat at his toys.  He enjoys staring at himself in a mirror and reaching for his image. 

Life is never dull in our house, that's for sure.  Brad and I are constantly on our toes and exhausted at the end of the day.  We are LOVING the gorgeous May weather and spend a lot of time playing outside as a new family of 4!  We are adjusting to life with 2 young children, but are so grateful to have such sweet, healthy, and happy boys.  I hope to start blogging more regularly but wanted to post a small update about what we've been up to and how our boys are doing.