Atkinson Family Adventure: Mitchell's First Trip to the Sunshine State, ETC!

The Atkinson Family at Dewberry Farm

Wow... Long time, no blog! Get ready for a long "ketchup" post! I started to write a new post a few weeks ago, but life with "two under two" is INSANITY! I thought about deleting the draft I started, but then I decided I should just publish it as well, just to remind myself that things ARE getting better - even if the process is sloooow! So, here is the draft I started just after our return from Florida in early September:

As Mom's stay in Houston came to a close, the family and friends back in Florida tapped their feet impatiently for her speedy return (it's good to be missed, but sometimes you'd rather not be!). I, however, was dreading my impending alone-ness. Yes, I would miss having Mom around - not just for her insane housework productivity, but also for her company during the day. But the thing is, I would more than just MISS her; I knew I would flounder without her.

Samara was an easy baby. We never knew how easy we had it with her. She nursed every 3-4 hours, skipped the 12:30am feeding immediately, and was sleeping through the night within a matter of weeks. She may not have been the most cuddly infant in the world (her independence started early), but it sure was nice to be able to lay her in her crib and get things done - all the while, listening to her little contented coos and squeals.

Mitchell squeals, too. Except his squeals are quick warning squeals that precede a siren of a wail. And they occur at least every hour and a half (when he demands to be nursed), along with the additional cries that are peppered in when he has a bout of gas or hiccups. My hunch is that he is battling a bit of infant reflux, and that he definitely has some gas issues; so I know when he cries, it's for a reason. However, the crying is hard to handle. Especially when you factor in a slightly jealous 15-month-old.

Fast-forward to today, and things are definitely better! Life is still hectic, and my eyes are blood-shot from lack of sleep, but we are taking baby steps toward getting onto a schedule. Mitchell now eats about every 3 hours, though he sometimes puts up a bit of a fuss at 2.5 hours. He wakes up about once per night, around 2:45 or 3:00am, but every once in a while he decides to wake up at 12:30am, too. (Hence, the blood-shot eyes!) He slept until 5:45am two nights in a row a couple weeks ago, but that has not happened again since. I am tossing around the idea of just putting him in his crib upstairs and letting him cry it out to see if he will drop the night-feeding habit, but I'm afraid he might wake Samara, and two babies crying in the middle of the night sounds like my worst nightmare! So, for now, our little guy is still sleeping in his cradle in our bedroom. I keep saying I'll re-evaluate my game plan when he's 3 months old, but that's in two weeks! We'll just have to see about that! He might be 16 years old and still sleeping in our room, for all I know! Yikes...

In addition to our erratic nights, our daily schedule has been just as crazy these days. Mitchell absolutely will not be put down for more than 5 minutes at a time, so I walk around with a baby on my hip all day long (and the poor kid gets a bonk on the head every now and then because of it! Darn those door frames always getting in the way). He is a big cuddler and prefers to be entertained face-to-face. He shows no interest in mobiles or other baby entertainment gear, and would rather just sit and "talk" with me. He gurgles and coos and blows the cutest baby bubbles. If I could just sit around and look at him all day, I would! But, alas, at some point, dishes and laundry MUST get done!

He seems to do much better at Playgroup, though, so I try to make a point to get out and do something at least twice a week. We are still meeting up with our Heights friends every week, and Samara started Preschool at Bear Creek United Methodist in September. We also joined the church and are attending Sunday School and services every Sunday, which has been a great way to meet new friends in the area. The mother of one of Samara's classmates at school invited me to join the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at church as well, so we attended our first meeting this week. And, we're planning to start going as a family to the "BFF" (Bear Creek Family Fellowship) meetings on Wednesday nights twice a month starting next week! So, as you can see, we are busy! Busy, and loving it. We are loving our new friends, our little family, and all the activities that come with it!

Mitchell & Me at our first MOPS meeting.

What a sweet little face!

When we're not out of the house at one of our many activities, I am practicing my patience skills with my darling daughter and needy son! A typical day consists of a hurried breakfast before Garrett has to race off to work, then feeding Mitchell while Samara jealously looks on, followed by damage control for the rest of the day until Garrett returns in the late evening. Samara is learning to love her little brother, but she's still adjusting to a world where she has to share her mommy. She does, unfortunately, take swipes at him when she gets a chance, but I am noticing some improvement in her behavior these days. We have been practicing nurturing behavior with baby dolls, and it seems to be working. The No-no!'s followed by a quick bop on the head are reducing in number, thank goodness! She will now go up to Mitchell and tuck his blanket around him, rather than stealing it from him. However, when she does decide to smack him, she's not one for apologies. In fact, if I try to make her "kiss and make up," she will go up to him like she's going to kiss him, and then quickly slap him and run away. (I'm sorry, but it's kinda funny). And her "badditude" doesn't stop there. When I go into my bedroom to change one of Mitchell's frequent dirty diapers, Samara the tornado swoops in behind me and creates a trail of destruction in her wake. No storage bin or unlocked cabinet is safe. (See proof below).

Samara caught red-handed with one of Mitchell's pacis, his towel, and my shoe.

Mitchell's changing table, pre-organizational bins, post-Samara.

Even shoe boxes contain treasures (i.e. tissue paper to be crumpled and torn to pieces)

Laundry baskets are not overlooked.

Clean clothes are pulled off the bed and promptly unfolded.

"No" is not Samara's only favorite word. These days, she also loves saying "Uh-oh." It's not uncommon for me to turn around just to find an "uh-oh" moment, in progress. These are just a few highlights:

I turn around from changing Mitchell's diaper to find Samara pumping baby lotion on the carpet.
While cleaning baby poop off my pants, I look up to discover a HUGE pile of wipes on the floor, and Samara bending over them, trying to collect them all in her arms.
I sit finishing my makeup at my vanity, with 10 minutes to go before we need to be out the door, and Samara reaches a half-full glass of red wine from the night before on my bedside table. The wine is promptly splattered across the carpet. I run for the Resolve, only to find I have only a few squirts left! Lesson learned: Toddlers can reach things if they are placed too close to the edge of the table.
Garrett and I look away for a second, only to hear a "crash" and find a broken salt shaker and salt ALL over the kitchen floor. Wait - didn't I just say we learned that lesson? Guess not.
Garrett and I sit eating breakfast and Samara suddenly walks up to me with something brown smeared on her finger. It's dog poop. The dog had diarrhea outside and must have come inside and sat on the tile floor. Samara was curious enough to stick her finger in it, and (thankfully) was all too happy to show it to me before licking it. (I hope, anyway).

So this is life with two babies, and some days I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread, but I know I'll be happy I had two so close together when they can play with each other and experience life with a friend always by their side. I just have to keep reminding myself of that! In the meantime, here's my attempt to document those fleeting moments in pictures.

Remember, if you are reading this in email form and you can't see pictures and/or video, go to the main blog at www.atkinsonfamilyadventure.com for better viewing!

A Visit to the Sunshine State: