(image by the fabulous Amy Sargeant)
   We’re two and a half weeks into life with Archer and I’m happy to say it’s going pretty smoothly thus far. Are we sleep deprived? Absolutely! But we’re making the best of it! And apparently Mr Archer Bear is a Tempur-Pedic fan because he really only prefers to sleep in the big bed as opposed to his own little bassinet next to us (how does he know?!).

I set my expectations pretty low on getting used to life with a newborn for when we came home from the hospital. The overall goal was to rest as much as possible, recover from the csection, snuggle the baby, and love on Jude. Simon’s schedule is thankfully super flexible, and he’s been here at home with us, popping in and out as needed. He’s been incredible and I am so very thankful for what an amazing dad he is.  I told him the other day that I know he’ll eventually have to go back to being at his office more regularly but that I’ve really loved having him around so much. The biggest thing I was worried about was how we’d negotiate carpool and the morning routine of getting Jude up and at ’em and off to school and he really has made the difference there for me.  I just love him so much – he consistently goes above and beyond for us.

As for Jude, he’s doing about as well as could be expected. Poor kid – he had major anxiety the week the baby was born, and threw up every night for a few nights. He wants to be close to us but school and basketball are offering him a lot of normalcy too. There are ups and downs; one night we had a particularly disastrous bedtime routine which left me in tears and Jude pretty close. But then there are sweet moments where he’s kissing the baby and reading stories to him. So all in all, pretty much what I expected from him.  And he looks so crazy big all of a sudden – where did my little redhead go?

On Monday I got the clear to drive again (YAY) and had my first solo outing with the baby. We had a pediatrician appointment, lunch with Simon and then a quick trip to Target to purchase what I’m now referring to as the lifesaver (the Fisher Price rock ‘n play). He really doesn’t like laying flat on his back in the bassinet we already had, aaaaand he’s also not feeling the swing (which we also already had). Go figure. So three cheers for the rock ‘n play because sometimes I just need to put the baby down so I can take a shower.

Nickels is also adjusting – and far better than I had anticipated. He’s been pretty gentle and curious about the baby. While I was in the hospital I had Simon take one of Archer’s blankets home so Nickels could have something to sniff. Now when I feed the baby, he’s right there next to us, and occasionally manages to steal stuffed animals from Archer’s room.

I’ll be popping in and out here with some new posts soon – and I promise it won’t be all baby related! 🙂