The One With The Life Update

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Wow. I haven't posted in forever! As in, I didn't even know I was pregnant last time I posted, and now I have a new baby.  3 children in 25 months. That's scientifically impossible unless you have multiples. Rock on.

 When we first announced that I was having another baby, most peoples' reactions were...uh...less than enthusiastic. I heard lots of, "What are you going to do?!?!" , "How are you going to do this?",  "Um...was this planned?", "Sucks to be you!" (<---ok not really that one) along with other shocked responses. Understandably, these are knee-jerk reactions, but I was hoping for some excitement rather than skepticism   After a bit, I was reluctant to tell anyone about being pregnant, because I felt like I had to explain my life away. But now that little Lucy is here, I don't know what I'd do without her!

And now the time has come. I will explain it all in my handy-dandy FAQ blog post!

Q: Were you trying to have more kids?
A: Yes, we were trying to have more children. It didn't take any time at all, since apparently I'm a fertile myrtle (who'd have guessed?) It makes sense for us to have our kids close in age. It's nice to have all my kids in similar phases of life at the same time. Also, when Lucy is done with diapers, I'm done with diapers forever! Yesssssssssss.

Q: Do you want more kids after Lucy?
A: I have always wanted a bigger than average family, but I'm done having biological children. In other words? Tubes. Tied.
We may end up adopting/fostering later in life when things settle down. I've always had a heart for that and I wish I would have pursued that route earlier in life.

Q: Are you one of those Duggars?
A: Yes.

Q: How many diapers do you go through a day?
A: I change about 20 a day I'd say. That is probably crazy sounding to some, but it doesn't really phase me anymore.  Heck, what's one more diaper? The more the merrier!
I finally broke down and have diapers delivered to the door monthly with Amazon, and it's amazing. Why didn't I do it sooner?

Q: How are the twins dealing with a new baby in the house?
A: They are awesome big sisters. They want to play with her all the time, (or play with their baby dolls and pretend like it's Lucy.)  Initially I was paranoid that they would squish the baby and literally love her to death. I constantly had to make sure she was out of reach if I left the room to do anything.  I still can't leave the twins alone in the room with Lucy, but they try really hard to be gentle.  I thought we were making big strides in this department until just yesterday I caught Emily digging her finger into Lucy's eye. Sigh.
Emotionally, it was a little tougher for Charlotte to adjust to having a little sister.  I wasn't able to carry the girls for 6 weeks after my c-section, so she got really attached to her daddy. When daddy was at work, she had lots of meltdowns. In fact, it has been meltdown central over here recently.  I think its due to the glorious combination of a new baby, 2 year molars, and being a toddler. But things get better every day. They really do!

Q: How are YOU doing with a new baby in the house?
Right now, I'm good. I have a lot going on, but I'm good.  If you would have asked me this when Lucy was 2 weeks old, you would have gotten a completely different answer.
In the beginning, Lucy cried ALL THE LIVELONG DAY (but slept most of the night besides feedings!) and I was completely frazzled by having no help during the day, plus recovering from my c-section. Then the big girls got croup, high fevers, and had to be put on steroids as treatment.
Imagine your life with 1 screaming newborn, 2 sick, (yet steroid-hyperactive) toddlers, plus an 8 inch incision in your abdomen.  It wasn't pretty folks. I was a wreck. I yelled at the girls for the first time in my life.  I cried in front of them for the first time in my life. Their new favorite phrase was, "MOMMY IS CRYING!" That didn't help. I was sleep deprived and had no patience whatsoever.  I was used to my nice routine, my scheduled life, my able body, and healthy kids. I felt like everything had turned upside down.
But by God's grace, we all recovered! We made it through that short-lived insanity and things are much much better! Lucy is the easiest, most chill baby in America now. It's awesome. She sleeps and eats well, and if she's crying, I know exactly why! I am truly thankful for her sweet personality.

Q: How do you get out of the house with 3 little ones?
A: I don't. I don't take all 3 out of the house unless I really, really need to. It's just so tricky to wear the baby plus push a double cart/double stroller. It's feasible, but not a preferred way to do things. Maybe I'll get more adventurous when Lucy is older. I shop online a lot. I go out at 8pm after I feed the baby and the big girls are asleep.
We finally decided to do Mother's Day Out with the big girls, and it has helped a ton! Now I can run errands on Monday/Wednesdays with just 1 baby. It's so awesome to go shopping with 1 baby. Just buckling 1 kid in and out of the car? Amazing. I had never experienced this joy until Mother's Day Out.  (All you girls with just 1 kid just won't understand this until you have another!)

So there you have it, folks. I'm so glad to be back blogging now that I have some time during Mother's Day Out. I will be back to sharing all of my crazy antics and poop stories and toddler/baby fun and games! Hooray!

Love you!