Photo by Annie Theby on Unsplash |
The transition to four has been interesting, our third was so incredibly easy, I just wasn't sure what this one would bring. Shortly before Lincoln came along, people kept mentioning that number three is an anomaly in the delivery stories and as it turns out, they were SO right!
This transition to four babes has been difficult, but I don't think it's anything other than how tired I was in the beginning. Our third transition was easy because I went home completely rested and ready. With number four, I went home groggy, barely having slept, into chaos. The kids had no negative responses other than being a bit extra emotional around week two.
After two weeks something clicked for me and I suddenly felt a surge of "ready for normal life." So, I'm just now getting back to my computer work and it feels great!
Besides keeping up with the daily cleaning tasks, meals have been the most difficult part of normal for me. I went through a phase of doing really well and making dinner regularly but lately, it's been really hard. I've been super bored with sandwiches for lunch, I have tried to avoid pasta and bread for the most part, so finding something for me to eat has been hard. I have also been super bored with my "normal" dinners.
I decided to try to find meals on Pinterest that I commonly have ingredients for but that I might not make on a regular basis. I went through a list of 1000 meals for meal planning and typed out 22 of them that I can rotate through. I did that for dinners and lunches, and did about 10 for breakfasts. I'm excited to work through the meals and see if it makes things easier, or just as boring for me.
Since baby came, I have been working harder at getting out of my grubby clothes and taking more care of what I look like day to day. I've been able to get a shower in regularly (almost every other day) since he came, and also to make sure that I shave when I need to. These simple things may seem silly, but they've been things that I neglected after Bennett (our first came) and made me feel less about myself. I don't feel as smelly as normal, and I feel like my body is going back to normal easier than before.
Putting clothes on that I feel good in, and also have been washed frequently has been a big moral booster, and daily blessing that has benefited me as well. I was very intentional in this pregnancy to try and purchase things that I would be able to comfortably wear after delivery, and during nursing. So far, I found I did a good job!
Our days go slower than before; I'm working on savoring the time nursing, as well as finding ways to interact with each of my other kids on a more individual level regularly. For Elliot (#3), I have taken the time to read to him before tucking him in for naps and bedtime and he has responded greatly to this! For Bennett and Parker, I've been working on not shooting down their requests to do creative things, and trying to say yes to helping them more often, or reading to them before bed when they ask. Bedtime is always a mad hustle for us as I'm completely worn out, and they still have two days worth of energy left over...
I'm looking forward to beginning a style challenge with Shelby in August, a faith challenge with my friend Lo, as well as Whole30 and a light workout plan with Andrew. I'm hoping that the month of August will be a huge reset for me. Since having Lincoln, I have had only several days of breaking down. On one particularly difficult night I had a flash back of rocking Bennett to sleep as a new baby. I feel like we've once again come full circle in a part of life.
I'm looking forward to continue learning who little Lincoln is as a tiny person. Watch out soon for a post about his birth story!
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