Harry Update: ( from April 2014)
It turns out you can blog while holding a slightly cranky baby in one hand, iPhone in the other hand and while using one leg to gently move the rocking chair. All thanks to voice to type software.
It's still laborious because I have to go back and type over what Google voice doesn't translate properly. I don't think Google voice understands English accents that well. in order to get it to type what I want I have to enunciate like all hell and click out all my consonants.
The long and the short is that Harry is almost 10 weeks old and we are finally getting into our groove. It's hard to know what to say as all the trouble and strife feels like it's under the bridge so to speak.
We had a whole ton of help from people in our church and other friends and family. We had meals delivered, we had a post partum Doula (paid for by my sister and brother) ; my sister took care of Isobel for two nights and most of two days while we were in the hospital for two days and two nights and then Susan took over while I stayed in hospital one more night. There's no way we can complain about being neglected while welcoming Harry into the world.
July 2014
Now I am back to work ( i went back on April 21st) and Harry is almost 6 months old. He is just a joyful baby and one who is wonderful to be around. If you wanted to know what it was like to be with the average baby you would not want to come to our house because you could be seriously deluded about how easy it is. He is so so chill, so happy most of the time ( except for gas on and off for the first twelve weeks) and when he is tired and crabby now, but that's just about learning his cues and feeding him or getting him down for a nap. He is not a very good napper, but he is a terrific night time sleeper. He cries for me towards the end of the day when he has had enough of the bottle and misses me and he took a long time to get used to the bottle. He can go for 9 hours at a time in his co sleeper / bassinet. He wakes for milk and then he usually goes right back to sleep. I am the luckiest parent alive. I really need that break because other things in our house are decidedly not peaceful or particularly calm - more on that later.
July 2014
Now I am back to work ( i went back on April 21st) and Harry is almost 6 months old. He is just a joyful baby and one who is wonderful to be around. If you wanted to know what it was like to be with the average baby you would not want to come to our house because you could be seriously deluded about how easy it is. He is so so chill, so happy most of the time ( except for gas on and off for the first twelve weeks) and when he is tired and crabby now, but that's just about learning his cues and feeding him or getting him down for a nap. He is not a very good napper, but he is a terrific night time sleeper. He cries for me towards the end of the day when he has had enough of the bottle and misses me and he took a long time to get used to the bottle. He can go for 9 hours at a time in his co sleeper / bassinet. He wakes for milk and then he usually goes right back to sleep. I am the luckiest parent alive. I really need that break because other things in our house are decidedly not peaceful or particularly calm - more on that later.
Even so it has been a difficult transition for all of us but mostly for Isobel. In my ignorance and stupidity and possibly optimism I believed that Isobel would make concessions for us after Harry arrived. After all, she had survived two whole nights without us and was becoming more mature and self-sufficient or so I thought. What a pile of crap that was. As most kids ( and adults !) do, she pushed through the hard part while away from us and then once she was back home she unraveled. I don't remember all the details I just know even now it's hard for her to accept that I can't do everything I did for her before when she was the only one.
Right now she is working on at least two big things: one is going to the "big" potty outside the house while wearing underwear and not wearing a diaper outside the house - even though as far as I am concerned it would be easier and less risky if she wore one, she cleverly refuses to wear a diaper away from home, which means we really have to work on this issue. this includes her holding her pee for hours, being frightened of "automatic flush toilets" which she can now articulate, as well as loud hand dryers and anything else that is loud or unexpected. Actually, we seem to have a girl who is working on many issues and I blame myself for letting her acquire these issues in the first place, because I tell myself I was being lax and lazy in my parenting when really I was just overwhelmed and didn't know any better. So currently we are working on her sweet tooth, potty training and the wearing of clothes and shoes that are appropriate for the weather. On deck for next time is her iPad usage. See I told you I was a terrible parent.
Right now she is working on at least two big things: one is going to the "big" potty outside the house while wearing underwear and not wearing a diaper outside the house - even though as far as I am concerned it would be easier and less risky if she wore one, she cleverly refuses to wear a diaper away from home, which means we really have to work on this issue. this includes her holding her pee for hours, being frightened of "automatic flush toilets" which she can now articulate, as well as loud hand dryers and anything else that is loud or unexpected. Actually, we seem to have a girl who is working on many issues and I blame myself for letting her acquire these issues in the first place, because I tell myself I was being lax and lazy in my parenting when really I was just overwhelmed and didn't know any better. So currently we are working on her sweet tooth, potty training and the wearing of clothes and shoes that are appropriate for the weather. On deck for next time is her iPad usage. See I told you I was a terrible parent.
