Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Evolution of a Family

We are in the middle of many transitions here at the Livingston House...

Robbie is trying to figure out why we haven't taken the baby back to the hospital yet.   Or why she insists on grunting and crying every now and then.  (Insert his classic dirty-look with furrowed br0w here.)  He is becoming a great little walker but has yet to figure out what objects are good to pull himself up on and what things will fall over onto him (toy basketball hoop... every time!).  

I am trying to figure out why I am bawling at the most random things (Robbie falling over in the bathtub, or the latest - a country music song on the radio), and how to avoid them.  I also have no idea how I am ever going to return to the land of productivity.  If anyone has figured this out with 2 small children, please leave your words of wisdom in the comments of this post. The only thing I HAVE figured out is that when all else fails and things are heading south in a hurry, throw the kid in the bath and let him play.  And if it's really bad, give him a snack and sippy cup of juice in the tub.  (Is that allowed? Because we do that here...)

Ellie is trying to figure out how to put herself to bed for the night earlier than 1am, although her tendency to be gassy is complicating the situation.  She has figured out how to nurse well enough to put on weight (6 lbs 14 oz now - yae!).  She has not yet figured out how cute she is, nor does she try to work that to her advantage.  It's probably only a matter of time though...

And I think Rob is just trying to figure out who these people are in his house, and wondering what they've done to his family.

6 comments:

ZFam said...
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ZFam said...

Ohhh!! This just made me laugh. Memories! It gets better every week as you fall into your little routine. Although, A wasn't as young as Robbie when I had JD, so I probably can't say much.

the deKorne family said...

I think you just have to let go of productivity for a little while. You are keeping two little people alive which is incredibly productive. Changing a million diapers, feeding all the time, getting them dressed, getting yourSELF dressed, see-that's a lot. The rest will come. :) You are doing such a great job!

Jennifer said...

Not to worry, Ash, my cousin said she cried at the most random stuff (i.e., Hallmark commercials!) for 2+ weeks after her first baby was born and then one day all her emotions/hormones just went away and she was back to normal again. You just have a LOT going on right now -- crazy/loose hormones, two young children to take care of, etc. Don't be so hard on yourself -- AND -- don't forget YOU ARE DOING A LOT!!! You'll get into a routine eventually. For right now though, just enjoy the fun, unexpected randomness that comes with each new day!

Heather Green said...

Oh my goodness. You are hilarious and a fantastic writer, so... fantastically hilarious. I love these descriptions of your family!

rachel said...

the tears are just the hormones. i didn't have any PPD after i had luke, but i'm still struggling with it after harper. you never know what kind of hormone cocktail you'll get with each pregnancy. but it's ok to cry when you need to!
i use the tub trick, too. i lure him in with a popsicle. (in fact, i don't think he's ever had one on dry land!)
as for little ellie's tummy troubles, dairy was a major culprit for both my kids. i was off it for a year with luke because he was actually allergic! i hope whatever is gasing her up is something much less wonderful than ice cream. (oh, how i miss it!)
one thing i've found with the kids is that it's non-stop transition all the time. somehow, we'll all make it through! xoxo