Happy Monday

Benjamin

Benjamin has been a wonderful addition to our family. His delivery and hospital stay were both quick.

He had jaundice and needed some help from a bili blanket to get over it. Holding and feeding him while he had it on was a little tricky, but not hard at all. How lucky we are that the equipment was available for use to use at home.

He has always seemed so big to me but I guess he did have a regular newborn stage after all.

We love our new baby. He is so sweet.

Update

We have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to post. That, and I have acquired the special variety of attention deficit disorder that comes from never being able to complete a simple thought or activity before being interrupted with a crash or scream or "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" from the kids. Even more serious are the times of complete, eerie quiet when my spidey-sense kicks in and I go looking for the kids, only to find that Isaiah is eating lotion and splashing in the toilet.

Anyway, I digress.

The weeks since Benjamin's birth have been a mix of awesome, tired, crazy, sweet, chaotic, overwhelming, and fun. He is a fatty who loves to eat. He is a big kid and is wearing clothes that Isaiah wore when he was six months old. He is a fairly good sleeper, my first newborn who has ever just fallen asleep in his bassinet and on his back without any effort on my part. He is now starting to giggle and grab hanging toys. He is loved by his big sister and brother. So much that I worry he will be crushed when they hug and kiss him.

Having three kids is challenging. Our house is always messy and dirty. (There is a difference between messy and dirty. Messy was always fairly acceptable. Dirty I have learned to tolerate.) I don't sleep much, mostly because I try to play catch-up when Isla and Isaiah are asleep. I try and fail and eat a Haagen-Dazs (yeah I know how to spell that without help) and sit and watch West Wing or Freaks and Geeks or Pretty Little Liars (yeah, that's right, I like that show, ok?) or Revenge or The Bachelor/Bachelorette or anything else that happens to be on and I forget to put away the leftovers from dinner and don't bother doing the dishes and I go to bed too late and then Benjamin wakes up to eat and by the time I fall asleep it is 2 am and then I wake up the next morning and realize, wow, this place is a dump. All my fault for not using my time wisely. But man I love TV and Haagen-Dazs. 

Have three kids is also the best. I feel like since being married six years ago (six!) life has been perpetually in transition. Marriage, baby, graduation, job, no job, new job, moving, baby, baby, moving again. But each time we have a new addition or change in scenery, life goes on like it always does. Benjamin has joined our family seamlessly and I can't imagine (or really remember) life without him. 

Isla is so big. She turns four soon. It's so easy to forget that she is so young because she talks and acts like such a big kid. I couldn't have been blessed with a better first kid. She is smart and easygoing and kind and patient with me and her brothers. It's been helpful to have such a patient, resilient kid to teach me how to be a mom. 

Isaiah is a force of nature. His antics keep me running and breathless and take my emotions from one extreme to the other. There is no kid around who is sweeter, though. He loves to run around, play blocks and duplos, and read. 

Brett is a brave, brave man. With little sleep and great effort, he finished his Master degree. He works hard at a job that he loves. He comes home from work at the end of the day (and sometimes even at lunch) to save us from this crisis or that one. He helps me feed and bathe and put the kids to bed and after that he even finds the time to be my therapist so that I can unload a little of my crazy and be ready for the next day. 

We are getting ready to move at the end of the month. Brett's parents will be serving an 18-month mission for our church in Laos, and they are letting us stay at their house. Yay for a dishwasher and other modern conveniences. We will miss them a lot, though. I hope I can survive the short time without them. I know that I will definitely realize how much we rely on them once they are gone.

Yes, we are all doing well. Hopefully I can post more about the kids individually, maybe about Benjamin's birth, maybe even a coherent, comprehensive prose about a single event or idea (probably scratch that last).

Benjamin at 2 months

16 lb, 24.5 inches (7-31-13)

- Kind of a bad breastfeeder, as far as technique goes. Swallows a lot of air, has big belches.
- First of the kids to actually give me sore arm and chest muscles from holding him.
- Loves his bouncer.
- Makes cute goo goo and purring noises.
- Wears size medium gDiapers or size 3 Huggies.

Benjamin at 1 month

 

- Wears size 3-6 months, size small gDiapers.
- Sleeps on back or side in our bed. Likes a swaddle with a big muslin blanket or a swaddle up sack.
- Eats every 2-3 hours.

Benjamin at 2 weeks

Benjamin Romeo Singley

May 16, 2013 at 6:04 am

8 lb. 9 oz, 21 inches