Little Baby D is almost 4 months old! (16 weeks tomorrow). He is about 13 lbs. and is starting to laugh and coo. He's working on rolling over and is getting really good at reaching out to grab toys. He has even figured out how to get some of them to his mouth to chew on. We suspect teething might be just around the corner as he's always chewing, gnawing, and slobbers so much it soaks through most of his outfit.
Since Birth
We've had quite an adjustment since his birth. They weren't lying when they said 2 children is a whole new ballgame. My mom stayed with us for the first few days. She prepped several meals, kept everything clean, and helped take care of Mertoddler. She even made special coffee drinks for me each morning. Having her there was so helpful!
5 days after Baby D was born, a hurricane came through the gulf. At 4 AM on October 29th, we were woken by extremely strong winds. Nervously, Merman and I decided to get the kids to the basement. We don't trust the pine trees behind our house and it truly sounded as if the house might blow over. So we huddled in the basement under a blanket. Mommy in a recliner with a 5-day-old baby on the boob, a Yorkie in my lap, and a 3-year-old cuddled up by my side. We waited out the storm with Netflix for about 2 hours before going back upstairs. Daycare was delayed so we had breakfast and played before dropping Mertoddler off. About an hour later, we got a call to come pick him up because they'd lost power and wouldn't be able to serve lunch. What an exciting and crazy week for a new big brother!
Baby D got to meet his Paw Paw (my dad) on his birthday at the beginning of November. We met him in the driveway and he wore a mask so that he could finally see and hold his new grandson. I really hate what this pandemic has done to our family-time but I was so happy to finally show him off to my dad. And I know he was excited to hold his newest grandson.
He also got to meet his big cousin (my niece) and Poppy (my stepdad) in an outdoor gathering with my mom. We all met up at the neighborhood playground so Mertoddler could play and interact with the family. Everyone wore masks and got to hold Baby. It was so nice having that family time and I absolutely adored seeing my niece. I miss her so much!
Holiday Fun
The holidays were quite interesting due to the pandemic. Throw a newborn in there and it really shook things up. It was a much different experience with a new born versus having a 6-month-old around the holidays (Mertoddler was almost 4-6 months old during the holidays).
Halloween was exactly one week after Baby D was born. So we were out Trick-or-Treating in a Pandemic with a 1-week-old. Mertoddler dressed up as Gecko from the PJ Masks. Merman and I wore capes and masks to complete the trio as Owlet and Catboy. And Baby D wore the cutest little Pumpkin sweatpants and onesie. I cozied him up in the stroller and covered him to protect him from "the germs." Instead of having my dad come over to pass out candy, we put a table out in the driveway and decorated it with Halloween lights and decorations. The easel instructed children to take a couple of treats from the bowls and to have a Happy Halloween! Mertoddler was on Cloud Nine. He absolutely loved being in his costume and running around the neighborhood to "get more candy." But my body was still healing and after making it around the first cul-de-sac, I was worn out and hurting. So Baby D and I headed back to the house while Merman and Mertoddler went around the whole neighborhood. He came back with multiple bags of candy! I couldn't believe my eyes. We had fun pouring it out in the floor and sorting through it. Mertoddler is so sweet and kept offering candy to us. But we had a hard time convincing him that one piece a day was enough candy for a 3-year-old.
For Thanksgiving, we decided to play it safe and stay home. We had a cozy little Thanksgiving celebration with just the 4 of us. That morning, we watched the parade and enjoyed the coziness of being home together. I made macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, dressing, and pumpkin pie. We thought we ordered a ham but when Merman picked it up from the store, they gave him a pound of deli-sliced ham. haaa! We just laughed and ate it with our meal anyways. Mertoddler helped me make the pumpkin pie. He was so excited to try it after reading about it in several of our seasonal books. But after a few bites, he decided he didn't want anymore. He told me it was yummy but refused to eat it again even after Thanksgiving. We started a new tradition (or so I hope) of creating a Thankful Tree. Each day for a week, we wrote something we are thankful for on a leaf and added it to a big tree poster on the basement door. Mertoddler's favorite things included Paw Patrol and PJ Mask characters. Watching him write the words out on his own and hearing what makes his little brain happy was so much fun! I really hope to do this every year.
The day after Thanksgiving, we loaded up and headed to Pike Nurseries to buy a tree. The selection was slim and prices high. But we found the perfect tree and brought it home. After some chaos with the ornaments and a threenager, our tree was decorated with only one ornament lost (shattered). Mertoddler spent that weekend with my parents to help them decorate and get ready for Christmas. This gave us a chance to clean the house and really prepare for Christmas.... and take a deep breath after the chaos of the past month.
By Christmas, we were a little more into a routine. We'd moved Baby D to his crib and had a little more freedom at night as he seemed to fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer in his own room. Because of this, we were able to have some "late-night" movie dates with Mertoddler. We watched the Polar Express one night and he had his first taste of Hot Chocolate, which he LOVED! He spent a few days at my mom's house which allowed us to get all the presents wrapped and ready for Christmas Day.
My parents (and us) all "quarantined" for 10ish days leading up to Christmas so that we could be together and not have to worry. So, on Christmas Eve, my dad came over. He actually came INSIDE the house without a mask and we had a totally normal celebration together. Cookies, coffee, presents, and chit-chat. It was such a good feeling. That night, we let Mertoddler stay up late to watch The Nutcracker and drink Egg Nog, which he also loved. After the movie, we set cookies and milk out for Santa and Mertoddler went straight to bed. Seriously, he feel asleep immediately. We were shocked.
I was the first one up on Christmas morning, as usual. After putting breakfast in the oven and taking care of the dog, I woke up Merman and we decided to wake Mertoddler up ourselves. This year, Santa brought him the Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage! He got a lot of cars to go with it and played with it for HOURS. We spent the day opening gifts, eating yummy food, and playing with all the new toys. It was a perfect, cozy Christmas as a family of four.
The next day, my mom and stepdad came over and we did Christmas AGAIN. They stayed all day, because that's how long it took to open all the gifts for the kids. (Can we say spoiled)? For dinner, we ordered pizza and had a totally normal INDOOR gathering without masks. It was so nice!
This was right around the time that Baby D began sleeping through the night so we were actually getting good sleep. Which made functioning through COVID holidays much easier to manage. :)
That weekend, we did Christmas with my sister and niece. We all met at Mom's house and did a backyard celebration in masks. Mertoddler kicked the soccer ball around and showed off for anyone who would watch. After awhile, Baby D got fussy and I had to disappear inside to nurse and calm him. My niece followed me in (mask on) and we had a long, heartfelt chat that made me love her even more than I thought was possible. I'm just so proud of the woman she's growing up to be. I HATE this pandemic and the fact that it has taken so much time away from us being together. All I want to do is have her over to the house for a sleepover and/or spend a day together at the zoo again. It really is such a hardship and living through a pandemic is starting to take its toll on me.
New Year's Eve looked quite different this year, as well. There were no parties or gatherings with friends. Merman and I simply hung out on the couch watching Netflix with wine and beer. At midnight, we toasted and kissed and then quickly went to bed. ha! But New Year's Day was pretty fun. Baby D slept for over 12 hours straight! After a failed hunt for our decorations, I hung some handmade decor up and pulled out the party hats for a family photo-op. Then, we had a black-eyed pea Mexican casserole for dinner.
Post-Holiday Illnesses
A few weeks later, I got sick with a cold (not COVID) and my maternity leave ended. However, due to soaring COVID cases and the number of staff/teachers calling out sick, the schools went virtual for a week. So I was able to ease back into the swing of things by working from home. This also meant that I could ease myself into being away from Baby D everyday.
During my last week of leave, the thought of him being in daycare really hit me hard. I couldn't stand the thought of sending him into a classroom with a teacher I've never met in person. The fact that I couldn't enter the building or room nor would I be able communicate with his teacher in person just really bothered me. The new daycare director has been awful with communication and I felt very uneasy. After finding out that the teacher has only been a nanny and never worked in a daycare, I cried. I cried A LOT. I just couldn't commit. So I called the in-home daycare that Mertoddler attended as a baby and she had an opening. We visited her house and left Baby D with her for a couple of hours to test it out. All was well and my heart was filled with relief. As much as I wanted the boys at the same daycare, it wasn't worth leaving Baby D in a room full of infants with an inexperienced teacher who I don't even know.
About a week later, Mertoddler became sick with a runny nose and cough and could not stay at daycare. And then Baby D began acting sick. After rushing him to the doctor, he was diagnosed with RSV and we spent the next week at home hoping it wouldn't get bad. We were very lucky because it was a mild case. We only had one scary night where it seemed as if he was struggling to catch his breath. Otherwise, he actually did really well. What a relief! I had to take FOUR days off of work to be home with him and Mertoddler. Then Merman became ill! It was pure chaos at our house. But the kids were finally able to return to daycare and I to work on Wednesday, Feb. 3...
Thursday evening, Feb. 4, I get a call from daycare that Mertoddler's class is closing for 2 weeks due to high risk exposure.
And so, here we are. 2 days out from Valentine's Day. And Mertoddler is still in quarantine. This is my 4th week back at work (first full workweek because of the illnesses). Merman is working with a toddler at home. Next week is winter break so I'll be off again. I don't yet have words for teaching in a pandemic. It was quite a shock for me once I returned as we have been so very careful and sheltered. Maybe I'll write about that one day?
Overall
Baby D just makes me so happy and I really am struggling being away from him this week. I can't wait to just be home with him and Mertoddler next week for winter break. We've got some Valentine fun planned. And hopefully we can get to the zoo once quarantine is over. Keeping a three-year-old in the house for two weeks isn't exactly easy and he's beginning to get a little stir-crazy.
Overall, Big Brother Mertoddler is absolutely in love with his baby brother. He tends to cling to me much more now, wanting every second of my attention that isn't on Baby D (understandably). But if D isn't in the room, he wants him there. I came home early from work to log into a meeting and Mertoddler couldn't believe that I didn't have Baby D with me. He kept asking where he was and insisting that we go pick him up. It makes my mommy heart so happy.
I love doing this life with my two boys and am so looking forward to all the fun our future will bring. Hopefully this pandemic will "end" soon and we can resume our normal social outings and leave the masks in the trash.
On the brightside, we have been able to spend so much quality time as a family. This is precious time that I will always cherish and for that, I will be forever grateful. :)
