The first couple weeks with three...

Our hospital stay with Charlie was longer than with Addie. Addie was born around 5pm and we were headed home less than 24 hours later. Charlie was born close to 1am and we stayed three nights (including that night, even though we didn't get to our postpartum room until around 4am, it still felt like three nights.) She had to be under lights for jaundice for 24 hours. It was a long 24 hours. Mostly because we were all three awake most of that time. I only got to take her out to nurse her and I felt like the meanest mom ever taking her blanket and skin to skin warmth away, only to put the protective eye wear back on her and lay her under the lights with nothing to comfort her but a binky. Our room was really cool. We tried to change the temperature but had no luck. The lights aren't heat lights and we could tell that Charlie was cold. Around 1am Paul had had enough. He'd been asleep for a couple hours but knew I was struggling watching Charlie struggle. And all I could do was reinsert the binky. They even told me to keep my hands out from under the lights so I wouldn't cast a shadow on her and keep her from getting all the treatment she could. Paul told me he was going to 7-11 to buy a coffee and then he'd take over for the night so I could sleep. He was gone for about an hour and came back with a coffee and a bag full of stuff. Most of the stuff were snacks from the gas station, but at the bottom of the bag was a heated rice bag. He'd driven home and searched through our dark house full of sleeping people and found a rice bag. He heated it and then snuck it into our room. I don't know if the nurses would have allowed it had he asked, but they told us not to put anything in with the baby. Paul tucked the warm bag around Charlie's little feet and she almost instantly calmed down and fell right to sleep. And that's the man I married. 

We survived the lights. Our pediatrician ordered a formula supplement during the night because I didn't have enough milk yet and she hadn't peed in 46 hours. We gave her about an ounce and her numbers improved my morning and she peed so we didn't have to stay longer or take her home with lights. 

The day after we got home Addie came down with a fever. And we didn't realize it until she'd been holding Charlie for two hours. That sent me into a mild panic. She was over 102 for three days. On the third day of her fever, Charlie had a doctors appointment to check her weight. So I took Addie with us to be checked out. There was nothing they could do for her, and of course they told us to keep her away from the baby. That became a full-time job, because Addie has wanted to be right next to, holding, touching, kissing Charlie since day one. Her fever finally broke, and none of the rest of us came down with anything. So after a couple of days of being paranoid I finally let Addie get close to Charlie again. And right after I let her near the baby, she came down with a cold. Addie passed it to me, then Garrett got it, and then Charlie got it. Less than two weeks old and she had her first cold. Fortunately, Charlie's was very mild and she got over it quickly. Garrett seemed to struggle with it the longest. He's just finally stopped coughing the past couple of days. It's such a struggle keeping two toddlers away from a baby. Let alone keeping them from touching her blankets, pacifiers, clothes, my breast pump bottles, etc. For almost a month I've either been saying "don't touch that!" or "get away from her face!" or I've been washing things that they touched. The miraculous thing though, is that I haven't been too stressed. 

So far, this new baby experience has been much different than my first two. I'm keeping up on housework better, I'm finding time to shower, I'm sleeping better... I'm just enjoying being a mom at this moment more than I ever have. (And even though Garrett and Addie absolutely adore the baby, I'll save my thoughts on them and their weird behavior that I can only assume has something to do with adjusting to a new little one, for another day.)

Addie held her hand up and said, "look, I'm glowing." 

By day three, these two (especially Addie) were ready for mom to come home. And I was ready too!

I made a dozen of these jars a few days before Charlie was born to give to my nurses. They were a big hit! 

The first car ride picture. 

First bath at home. She looks content here because I think this picture was taken seconds before she pooped.  She doesn't love bath time so far.

It's been much easier this time around to forget the to-dos and just sit and hold my baby. And I'm enjoying the newborn phase more this time. 

We even made it out for a beach day while Mimi was still in town. 

Charlie slept the whole time. 

Mimi was with us for two weeks, and then I had to start making it through the days on my own with all three.