sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation-
That is pretty much how I would describe our feelings as we head into Sheldon's 4th week of life. Seriously, this kid can eat. And for some reason, at night, he has been deciding to wake up every 1-2 hours to eat. Sometimes, he is really hungry and sometimes there seems to be other issues. He needs to burp, or his nose is stuffy, or he has pooped. Regardless of what it is, Ryan and I both lack much understanding and patience at 3am when we have already been up 3 times. That sounds terrible, considering the fact that Sheldon is an innocent newborn. But, I'm being honest. I'm glad that Sheldon is eating well. He'll take 4 or more ounces when he gets his bottle from Ryan in the evenings- which is awesome. But, by this time in Coranelle's life, she was eating in a 5 hour chunk and 3 hour chunk at night. It was much easier to get up to feed her when I had slept a 4 hour or 2 hour stretch. But, when I have only been asleep for 1 hour, it's really rough to get up. So, I have been functioning on 3 1/2 -5 hours of sleep each night and it is taking its toll. I'm getting really awful headaches! Plus, Ryan has been getting up sometimes too to take Sheldon for a while and hold him off while I sleep a little extra. That makes me feel bad because then Ryan has to go to work tired. Whew! I cannot wait until we get some longer chunks of time between feedings. Any suggestions on what to do? We're worn out!

Despite the fact that we're worn down, things are going pretty well. We did a photo shoot with Sheldon yesterday and PopPops got some awesome pictures of all of us and Sheldon cooperated wonderfully. It has also been so freeing for me that Sheldon takes a bottle so well. We have left him with Ryan's parents a few times to go to church or even for a walk and it is nice that I don't have to rearrange my whole day to make sure he is fed right before I walk out the door. I can just leave a bottle and I know that his caretakers can feed him if he's hungry. It's such a nice feeling that I didn't even take my phone into church with me yesterday when we left him with Bruce and Heidi! That says a lot, considering how often I would text and worry when we left Coranelle.

I am feeling much happier as a mom this go around. I think a huge part of that is that Sheldon seems more calm and happy than Coranelle. But, even more importantly, I have a great network of amazing moms surrounding me this time. I have people to vent to, bounce ideas off of, and compare stories with. My MOPS group has started an evening bible study and I even made it to our book study last Tuesday. It was awesome to leave Ryan with two sleeping kids and get to spend some quality time with other women.

Last week was my first week alone with both kids (although my mom came two mornings and that was wonderful). We did pretty well. We made it to the rec center (I walk with Sheldon and Coranelle gets to play in child sitting). We took the double stroller and went for walks and met people at parks. We even did some grocery shopping (that is quite the adventure!). Today, we are headed out to meet another mom and her kids at a gymnastics center. We'll see how I do chasing Coranelle and helping her out while carrying Sheldon around. So far, I am managing, although it is so busy. I feel like I don't have time to go to the bathroom, let alone check my e-mail or return phone calls. My hands are always occupied with one kid or the other, or cleaning up after them both! It's kind of a whirlwind!

Coranelle continues to do absolutely fabulously with her little brother. She kisses him and says, "I love you Sheldon" all the time. She has been playing independently so well while I nurse and tend to him. I am so proud of her and it is so exciting to see the girl she is becoming.

We really do have two wonderful kids and we are so blessed and happy.... and tired! Happy May to you all!