July Already!?!

 Wyatt had his first doctor appointment last week along with his brothers.  He impressed the doctor (& his mama) by weighing in at nine pounds, eight ounces!  When he left the hospital he was down to eight pounds, five ounces, so I was so grateful to see breastfeeding is going well & he is growing.

 He lost his umbilical cord on Monday, and it was looking a little raw underneath. I am happy to report that nearly a week later, he looks almost all better. I will be happy to not have to work around it when dressing or changing him.  At the appointment we found out we'll be giving him vitamin D supplements since breast milk is not rich in vitamin D.

In addition to doctor appointments for all three boys & myself, I had a breastfeeding class.  It was very informative.  I learned that breastfeeding is protected in Washington state, which means I can breastfeed anywhere I need to.  I also learned more about what makes breast milk so perfect for babies & am feeling very proud of myself for doing it.

Of course, I need to give credit where credit is due- This little guy is a champ! He eats & eats.  We've had absolutely no problems and I am so grateful.  He coos while he eats and while he sleeps. It's the sweetest thing I have ever heard. He is rarely quiet.  There is constantly a mumble or hum or moan coming from him.  I joke that it's because he has twin brothers and he's used to the noise level being quite high.

I have so enjoyed getting to know his face.  I just study him.  I am slowly learning all his features & different expressions (happy, sad, unsure...)  He's had some peeling skin, but is otherwise just beautiful.  His eyes are so big, and mostly greyish blue. I think they will end up blue like his brothers are, which Josh is excited about.  His hair is as dark as it looks in the pictures.  Sometimes in the sunlight it looks reddish, but mostly it's brown.

When I found out I was pregnant with anther boy, I had trouble imagining that he would look different from his brothers. I thought he'd come out looking like their long lost triplet.   I hoped I was wrong, and Wyatt has not disappointed.  He is his own little person.

His big brothers have continued adjusting.  Some days are better than others.  Mostly there's a lot of fighting with each other, not listening & timeouts.  But this is pretty normal for three year olds, I think.  So I am trying not to be discouraged.

Josh has been taking one or the other for some one-on-one time, as has my sister, and I think that's been helpful.  Sometimes I think the boys just need a break from each other.

Like the other day Jack wasn't feeling so hot, so Josh took just Logan to his sister Julie's house to swim in her pool with her boys, Ethan & Isaac. He had a great time and Jack was able to get some much needed rest.

I've been feeling more & more like myself which means more normal mommy/boys activities like playing play-doh & making pudding.  I'm happy to be back spending time with them. I missed them like crazy while I was busy nursing, sleeping & healing.

I mentioned their tantrumy/naughty behavior, but I must also mention that they LOVE their little brother.  My parents ordered pizza the other night, and when the pizza delivery boy walked into the dining room Logan ran over to me, put his hand on Wyatt's face and said, "This is Wyatt!"  He loves to show off his little brother. 

Jack must spend at least an hour a day holding Wyatt. He'll sit up on the couch, put a pillow next to himself and ask to hold Wyatt.  He likes to hold him tummy to tummy.  He loves him so much. If Wyatt starts to fuss Jack tries to burp him by patting his back.  And he'll kiss him and talk sweet, "I love you, buddy. It's okay." 

The other day in the car Wyatt was crying (he was hungry) and we were almost home.  Jack said, "Okay, Wyatt, that's enough. We're almost there."  He sounded exactly like me! It's so fun to hear them repeat what they hear us say.

I mentioned the boys had their well child check up last week as well.  They didn't have to get any pokes, lucky boys! Although Jack did tell the nurse, "Logan needs pokes. I'm fine."  Way to throw your brother under the bus, Jack! Ha!

Logan weighed in at 33 pounds (60th %ile) and Jack weighed in at 37 pounds (90th %ile) and Jack has two inches on Logan.  The size difference is really noticeable right now.  People often ask if they are twins or not, and sometimes I think they think I'm lying.  (Trust me, people, I have the stretch marks to prove it! -Not to mention the DNA test!)

Their favorite activity right now is baseball with daddy in the yard.  Josh throws the ball over & over & over and the boys are getting really good. Yesterday Jack hit it over the roof! And the day before that he hit it past the front fence and into the street!  He's got mad athletic skills!

Watching them play with Josh is bittersweet. I love watching them together, and I am so thankful they have Josh. I see why boys need fathers. And then I think about his upcoming absence, and hope that I can fill his shoes in the meantime.

I've started planning his farewell party.  I vacillated on whether I was going to throw one or not, and then decided that Josh deserves one and everyone who has loved us through the last few years deserve the chance to celebrate his new job & say goodbye.

We've got five weeks left & it's going way too fast.  Every few days Logan asks Josh if he's going to Alaska yet.  I don't think they get it.  I'm scared for once they understand that he's leaving for a long time and not coming back.  Heck, I'm having trouble understanding it.

We're taking lots of pictures & video of the boys with their dad.  And trying to make memories they can hold onto when Josh isn't here.

The other day on the way home from the park Josh said it hit him.  So he asked, "You know Daddy loves you right?" and the boys said yes.  And when they got home he said he had decided that he would be coming home between August & December.  Even if it was just a short visit.  He said he's going to need to see them.  I was elated.

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I had my first of two postpartum visits with my OB last week and my c-section is healing up just great.  I had stitches & already the scar looking fantastic.  I discussed my postpartum migraines with her and she said they are pretty common in women who get migraines around their cycle when they aren't pregnant.  (I had about four days of hormone migraines at 8 days postpartum due to the drop in estrogen.)  I also learned that I had an infection in my uterus at the time of my labor.  The doctor said this may be why my labor didn't move forward as we had hoped.  Regardless, I won't be trying for a VBAC again. If we choose to have more children, I'll be having a scheduled c-section.

In addition to planning the farewell for Josh, going to all these appointments & trying to keep the house running, we've planned a family getaway to the beach that we're really looking forward to.

But don't let all these big plans & adorable pictures of my kids fool you... 

Having three kids has gotten to me-
the other day I took a shower and when I got out I realized I hadn't washed my hair!

This could get ugly, people!!!