Valentines Day Pics??

Yea i suck.

But these are way too cute not to post. 

So here we are, over a month late!

:))

 Braylee was sick this day and had a fever so she tuckered out quick

 and we only got this good individual shot of her

 eating his hands is his FAVORITE thing to do! lol

Happy Valentines Day??

haha!

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---> ChrissyAnn Photography 

Adjusting To New Baby {Week 2&3}

As mentioned in my previous post, week 1 was just great. But week 2, i had some personal struggles.

Baiden was still amazing and super easy, and Braylee was still attention seeking, maybe a little bit more than week 1, but still not too bad. But for ME, all my stress and emotions that i had been suppressing, started to hit me hard. Jeff goes into work at 3:30am and drives truck, so he can NOT go to work tired. You just cant drive a semi truck sleepy. So i get up all night by myself. Well all the NICU drama, emergency D&C drama, photo shoots, being stressed about editing, and now adding in the lack of sleep.... I finally had a breakdown.

I was super moody, emotional, and stressed out week 2 and 3. It was crunch time on editing. I was really feeling very overwhelmed. I was feeling cooped up and like my life was just a blur! Like i didnt know where my day went! The 2 hour feedings, trying to attend to a 3 year old, trying to edit, i barely even fit time in for me to eat meals at a normal time (breakfast at 2pm... really??), get ready, or even shower. Overwhelmed is in understatement.

My amazing husband is responsible for holding me together and getting me through the days. He is so supportive, says just what i need to hear. Come home from long days at work with flowers and is so eager to help. I dont even have to ask. I have my amazing family, close friends, and sweet neighbors to thank too! I dont think we made dinner for a good week and a half after we brought Baiden home. We received gifts, diapers, cards, calls, just OVERWHELMING love and caring. Basically my negative overwhelmed feelings, and my positive overwhelmed feelings, kinda evened out. I was just a big emotional mess, positive and negative!

WEEK 3: The beginning of week 3 i think i had another break down. I'd take a shower and just BAWL. I had no control over my emotions but boy did it feel good to just let it out! BUT we have good news! Week 3 was when i started feeling a little more together. Getting the hang of things. Feeling good! There was a sense of calm that week. Mostly cuz i got my wedding edited and finished only 2 days late :) What a relief! Things were just great. It was a nice break before MORE stress...

At the end of week 3, Braylee woke up one night just crying and coughing. I went into her room and there it was! The croup barky cough :( Braylee gets it SOO easily. I dont even know where she got it. We seriously went out of the house like twice sense Baiden was born :( So we took her to the ER to get the steriod shot before it got worse and to protect the new tiny baby. That worked! No more croupy cough.. but Bray had a good nasty cough for the next week... HOLY ANXIETY!!!!

And dont you even fret... week 4... things got even worse as far as sickness. But ill talk about all that in my week 4&5 post... basically... PRAY FOR US! :(

Adjusting To New Baby.. {Week 1}

Alright. Lets talk about how we are doing with new baby :)

I heard that going from 1 kid to 2 kids is the hardest. After that (kid #3,4 etc) is easy peasy. And well, i dont have 3 kids, nor will i probably ever have 3 kids, but it makes sense! I mean, your fist kid is used to ALL the attention, ALL the toys to themselves etc. Yea, they play with other kids here and there on play dates, day care, school, whatever. But they always get to go home to being the ONLY kid! So where there is a new sibling.. all that changes.

Now week one for us was BLISSFUL! So amazing.

We were at the hospital for 3 days with room service, nurses to help, great food, and babysitters at night so you can get some sleep! Braylee was on vacation mode with her cousin Kallee and was just loving life!

Braylee LOVES her brother. She gets the biggest smile when she see's him. Always says "Thats my baby BROTHER!" "He's so cute mom!". She always wants to hold him and help anyway she can. 

She'd come to the hospital, get so excited over brother, and then say "k cha-chee" (thats what she calls my sister). "Lets go to your house to play". She seriously was having the time of her life haha.

 When we left the hospital, we went to go get Braylee, and she did not want to come home with us haha. Kinda made me sad.

 We had a game plan for Braylee to make sure she didnt feel "replaced" or have resentment toward brother. We planned that Jeff and i would takes turns having one on one time. Take Braylee out for ice cream of something. Jeff was so excited to take Braylee to dance during his week home from work and Braylee was too, she is such a daddy's girl.

 (4 days old going to first doc appt)

 But even when brother was home with us.. Braylee was SO good with her brother. Always wanting to help, always wanting to hold, its the cutest thing.

But Braylee with US, is a whole other story!

During the fist week, Braylee was REALLY testing her limits with us. She'd find the SILLIEST things to make a big deal about. She became more mischievous, sneaky, and down right defiant. She'd do something bad, we'd get after her about it, and she'd just smile and laugh! (little terd lol).

But Jeff was home from work so it wasnt all that bad! We'd take turns with our patients level with who dealt with which kid haha.

 Ok now for Baiden's side of the situation and coming home!

Baiden is the EASIEST baby! He is so so chill and SO super sweet. Braylee was a hard newborn. She wouldnt sleep, was backwards with her nights and days when she did sleep, and developed colic which made for a REALLY fussy baby. Jeff works REALLY early, and LONG days (especially during the summer when Bray was born). And he drives truck. He can NOT go to work sleepy. So i was doing the up at night thing all by myself, then she'd be up all day and Jeff would be gone all day. I was a new mommy, it was just HARD.

 Baiden though is so sleepy! He sleeps all night, all day. Well at night he wakes up about every 2 hours to eat, but then goes right back to sleep! And Jeff was home the first week (didnt do that with Braylee cuz we NEEDED the money). So getting up at night was actually fun!

I loved the new baby thing and snuggling him at night and feeding him. And i always had Jeff if i did need a break or needed to nap during the day (which i never did).

So yea, week one was AMAZING! Yes Braylee was a little difficult but not bad at all! I loved the help from hubby and everything was just wonderful. 

We had this sweet new baby and a beautiful baby girl who loved him! It is SOO amazing seeing her as a big sister. Words can not even describe the amazing feeling it is being a parent of 2 and seeing your kids interact. And having a boy is SOOO different!! My bond with him is so different.

Everyone worries "how can i POSSIBLE love another person as much as i love my first child?!". Oh, its possible. Your heart just grows 10 million times bigger! But i personally never worried about that.

What i worried about, was Braylee feeling replaced. I mean, it is what it is, newborns are SO demanding and need LOTS of attention. But Braylee is doing very well. I think it helps that she is 3 though and not 18 months-2 years old like most age difference is with other parents.

Anyway! Thats week one!!

Week 1= AMAZING :)