52 week project catch up pt 2.

23/52 + 1 Week:

24/52 + 2 Weeks:

And now you know I wasn't kidding when I said there would be a lot of pictures of us holding Tommy. :) The first two weeks of his life I don't think I left the house. We just laid low as I figured out how to split my attention between three children and give them all what they needed to feel loved. I did have some help from my mom and sister Amy so I could get some rest too, and lucky for me the girls adjusted well and were as helpful to me as I had hoped they would be.

At the end of the second week they went to stay with my oldest sister Jayne for three days and had a blast playing with her six kids whom they absolutely adore. It was so quiet and peaceful with just a baby in the house and I loved getting to focus my attention solely on Tommy. We also had a lot of meals brought over by family, neighbors, and church friends. We are surrounded by some really wonderful and loving people who are quick to serve and good examples to me that I am grateful for - we were well taken care of, thank you!! To top it all off Tommy never had his days and nights mixed up so he would go straight back to sleep after every single one of his nighttime feedings (he still does, don't jinx me internet!), so instead of being completely exhausted I was only very tired. ;)

25/52 + 3 Weeks:

At three weeks I felt like we were getting into the swing of things. I put on make up and got dressed in something that didn't come from the pajama drawer! We actually left the house a few times! I finally thought to pull out my big camera and take some pictures of the kids all together. Tommy was not very happy about it at the time so it was short lived, but I am really happy with the handful of pictures I was able to capture regardless. I want to remember this special time. These girls are constantly by his side, asking if they can hold him and giving him kisses. I jokingly say that he is either going to grow up feeling extra loved or extra smothered, ha. I imagine all of the enthusiastic attention from the girls will die down a bit the longer he is around, but I hope they will always be kind and show him a little bit of extra love.    

26/52 + 4 Weeks:

At four weeks Tommy started giving us those very first rare smiles that make rational human beings speak in ridiculously high voices and pull the cheesiest of faces all for the glory of saying, "He smiled at me!" For the record, I hold the bragging rights that he smiled at me first.

We also spent Fourth of July weekend with family. The girls swam and played with cousins while the adults played volleyball and took turns holding Tommy while he snoozed. 

27/52 + 5 Weeks:

 

We have started taking a family walk in the evenings when it cools down after dinner. The girls scoot or bike off the last of their energy for the day while we push (or race) Tommy in his stroller and it just feels really good. To be at this place in our lives, happy and together. Life is feeling normal again, but an even better normal than it was before.

And now we are officially caught up.