We're Alive! + Day 16

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." - Marcus Aurelius

Yes, we've survived the first almost-week as a family of four! Hurray! Here are the updates of us:

Jason is back to work, and actually has been since Thursday night. Since starting his tutoring job, he's missed a lot of days because of the weather, and didn't feel like he could miss any more without endangering his job plus the grades of the students he was working with. He's been keeping busy with that along with his interpreting job, plus having the energy to come home and have the energy to play with Andrew and help me with night-time diaper changes. What a trooper! I really appreciate having him around.

Andrew is having a difficult time adjusting to the change. He doesn't mind David himself. Andrew likes trying to give him his pacifier or saying, "Hi baby Vevid," which is how he says "David". It's pretty cute. What isn't cute is the way he reacts to is the sharing of our attention. He's been throwing tantrum after tantrum; says no to EVERYTHING, including to things that he wants; and has been wrestling us for diaper changes. Andrew really HAS been improving over the last few days, but I know it'll take a while for him to see that having David around is a good thing for him. Once David doesn't sleep so much and interacts more, I think Andrew will really like having him around to play with.

David is doing really well! He sleeps pretty much all the time, eats frequently with some long naps in between sometimes, and needs lots of diaper changes. Watching Andrew grow, I'd forgotten how much newborns sleep! I'd forgotten that they don't move! I'd forgotten a lot! I'm finding it much easier to take care of David than I did for Andrew because I actually know what to expect and what I'm doing this time around. It's really nice. I've even been able to get what feels like a decent amount of sleep at night because I'm not constantly worried about each tiny sound he makes. It's been nice. He goes to the pediatrician for the first time tomorrow, which I'm actually quite nervous for because he looks like he could be a bit jaundiced. Yuck. Wish us luck!

As for me, I'm doing well. :) I seem to be healing alright so far, David is easy for me to care for, and I'm loving living at home right now because of all the extra help we've been getting with Andrew. After gaining 27+ pounds while pregnant, I have somewhere around 8 pounds left to go before I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight, which I'm happy about. I've been ravenous for food because I'm nursing (and knowing what I'm doing makes that a LOT easier!), so I've been eating whenever I get hungry. Yeah. Life is simple and good. My mom is taking off work this week, and I know that reality will hit next Monday when everyone is back at work and it's just me and the two little boys at home.

Day 16 - Another picture of yourself

Well, these aren't just of me, but here are some pictures from this last week!

Going-home outfit

Size comparison. I always knew Andrew was big for his age, but he just DWARFS David! Andrew's knees are even bent in the picture!

Andrew holding David - he asked to hold him!

Close-up on the new addition!

And here's my picture. Lovely, no? I thought it was funny. I obviously wasn't ready. I was saying something to Jason when I saw the flash. Nice. Very nice.

Secret: People keep asking me how I looked so good after just having given birth. Want my honest answer? It's because I was induced! How does that have anything to do with looking good? I made absolutely sure I had showered, done my hair, and put on makeup before going to the hospital! If there was anything I could've done to prevent myself from looking like a heap of crap in the "I just had a baby!" pictures, I was going to do it! I don't know what I would've looked like had I not been induced! So there you are. I am vain, and that's how I accomplished it!