One Week With Quinn

 

One Week With Quinn

* Born on a Friday morning, we got to take him home Sunday midday.  The hospital was a lovely experience... it always is for me. I love the stillness and pre-real-lifeness of it. Love the pause. The ready help. The waffles. 

* Heading home this time proved traumatic for Joe and for me. We weren't able to get wheelchair help to the car until far later than we'd planned. Normally no big deal, except our other two kids were at church in their Primary classes and we really needed to get them by the time church ended or they'd be the parentless urchins running wild around the halls of the church after it ended. Add to it we only had our Civic, so the original plan was to take Quinn and mama home, then go pick up kids, since really all five of us don't fit in the car at one time. But. There was no time for that. So to church we headed, Quinn crying, and made it only 15 minutes late--- 15 minutes of parentless urchin children isn't the worst, I guess. We illegally squeezed Noah, sans booster, between the two carseats, and we made it home.

* Home, where the dining room table had a bunch of random crap on it and the early morning rush out the door for the family was evident in many spots. And there was sand (??) on the living room floor. And my baby blues rushed in and I swept, then sat on the couch with my new baby and cried. 

* Luckily, my mother-in-law was landing in St. Louis that very minute (I also cried when she called and I realized we'd botched her arrival time and had no way of picking her up right then. She was so sweet to me as I bawled into the phone and she told me she'd take a taxi and she'd be right there.)... And she came in and started helping balance come back. The calming effect was immediate. And hasn't ceased since she's been here. Thank heaven for mothers and mothers-in-law. 

* It's been a slow, strange, mildly hilly week... finding temporary rhythms in taking Noah to school, making meals, managing sleep, working together, giving three kids all individual time and love.... Asking for help, accepting help, taking turns, handing off, letting go.... The moods have been mostly good, but every one of us have dipped down, from grandma all the way to baby. And it's impressive we've not dipped more than we have. Luckily, we tend to all take turns with our moods. 

* Mostly it has been a good week--- slower, as it should be.... Taking time to just get to know the new little one, taking time to love on the other two.... Listening to music, enjoying the sunshine coming in (but staying far away from the outdoors and it's cold cold temps)...

* The sanctity of Quiet Time has been preserved mostly--- since my two older kiddos have their set time for rest, and baby seems to be content to nap then, too... it's a collective sigh of release and all the grownups relax a bit, too. Perhaps even get naps in for themselves. 

* I've managed two batches of cookies and one loaf of bread. Carbs are back in style over here. 

* Noah loves Quinn and enjoys being given things to do for him. He seems to not have missed a step in this transition. 

* Lucy has been wary and watchful-- mimicking Mama in a lot of her new motions, like rocking baby, patting baby, wrapping baby up---- she's imitated every one of these motions, and it is endearing. She is not overly curious about Quinn, but is also not overly mad at him either. For now, she seems to just be watching, figuring out what this means for her life. Most of the time she seems to be as happy as she ever is, but she definitely has more touchy moments since Quinn's been home, and I'm trying very hard to make sure she feels validated and loved as an individual in this transition time. 

* Joe has been off of work (AWESOME) and has slid right back into the groove of parenting a newborn. He swaddles like a champ, shushes-sways like a rockstar, and just loves being a daddy in general. I am absolutely the luckiest girl out there. He lets me be baby-bluesy when it happens, he scratches my endlessly itchy post-partum back, he seems impervious to Quinn's loud crying, and is generally the strength in this household. 

* And I've been mostly good--- prone to needing to "do things", in spite of this being a time for recovery--- things like making cookies or tidying up the house or organizing something or other... I promise I'm also doing NOTHING at times, too.... And getting some naps in. But this cold weather and the inability to go outside for a walk is making me trunky and I am more balanced in these early days if I "do something" here and there. It's just my nature, I guess. It's annoying. Haha. I've slumped on two of the seven days home, feeling distinct Baby Blues- empty and hollow and restless and crabby and overwhelmed and despondent... But the other days I've felt pretty optimistic and peaceful and able to just go with the hour-by-hour flow. I am really pretty happy with life for the moment. Scared how it will be when the help is gone and Joe's back at work--- but let's not think about that now. 

* So Quinn is one week old. Here we are. Family of 5+Grandma, Saturday waffles and pajamas and continuing to just take it moment-by-moment. This moment: Quinn is swaddled and starting to doze off in Joe's arms. Lucy is ready for a diaper change and clothes for the day. Noah is drawing prolifically in his sketch pad at the dining room table. I am in fleece lounge clothes and blogging, and Grandma is getting ready for the day in the other room. That's us. Update complete.

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(and huzzah for iPhones and Instagram: providing all photos in today's post.)