Thursday, April 17, 2008

Adjusting to life with three boys! (well...actually four!)

Well, it has been four weeks and two days since Hayes was born, and let's just say that life is definitely different around here! I guess the best, and most OBVIOUS, way to describe it would be to say that it is "more involved"! That is putting it mildly, for sure! The boys have adjusted quite well to their little brother, much to my surprise! I wasn't as concerned about Xander, because he has been through this before when Cade was born. Although that was four years ago, it still allowed him to have more of an idea of what to expect. Cade, on the other hand, had NO idea what to expect; and at times, I wondered if he understood that we were going to be bringing a "baby" home and not a pet! However, I should have given him more credit. He has just jumped right in and become quite the big brother! In fact, just a few days ago, he asked when we were going to have another baby and what we were going to name it! I told him to slow down and enjoy the one he has! :)
Shane is adjusting pretty well to having a third child around the house...and why shouldn't he?!? He gets to sleep at night! No, I do understand he has to get up and go to work in the morning, so I don't mind making that sacrifice for him to get a decent night's sleep. Not to mention the fact that I would fear for my child's life if it were up to "the walking dead" to feed him in the middle of the night! Fortunately, Shane has taken the spring season off from coaching, so that has allowed him a little more time at home to help referee our bunch!
I'm still on maternity leave and will continue to stay home until I teach summer school during the month of July. I have thoroughly enjoyed being home with Hayes and spending some quality one-on-one time with him while Xander is in school and Cade is still going to the babysitter's. At the moment, I'm pretty much functioning on high-octane caffeine to get me through the days. Xander and Cade have been taking turns waking up sick- Cade with the worst case of croup he's had in a long time, and Xander with horrible allergies and a persistent cough. Then just about the time I'm able to get them settled down and back to sleep, Hayes wakes up to eat! It's an on-going cycle that I'm hoping will break soon! However, I have to admit that my quiet time with my boys in the middle of the night, while irritating that first moment when I'm forced to open my eyes, end up being some of the sweetest moments together. 20 years from now, I know that those will be the memories I will cherish and revisit the most!
And lastly, the one who has adjusted with the most ease is Hayes! He just slid right in effortlessly, as if he'd always been here! I'm not sure if it's being the third child, or if it's just his personality...it's probably a little of both...but he is such a content baby! He sleeps all but a couple of hours a day; and even when he's awake, he's perfectly happy to sit in his bouncy seat and watch whatever is going on around him. His older brothers provide him with ample entertainment; however, even when they are gone during the day, he simply looks around at the colors and lights around him not making a peep. I know this comes as a surprise, but Xander and Cade were never that...calm. Even as infants. Shocking, I know, but it's true. Anyway, there's plenty of time for Hayes to learn all of the most important wrestling moves (that is, if he plans on surviving his older brothers); but until then, he is content to watch and take notes.
Well, that wraps it up for this post. Please, don't worry...not all posts will be this lengthy. I'm sure there will be plenty of times when all I have time for is a quick "Hey, we are still alive!" We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the onset of spring! Please let us know if you have a family blog or website that we can visit from time to time to find out what you and your families are up to!

4 comments:

Sara said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the new look here! Glad you are committing to be at least "semi" faithful to the blogosphere! Those sure are some handsome boys you have! Looking forward to some fun times with lots of boys in our future! You were right in that our boys will grow up not just as cousins, but as the best of friends! That is what we pray!

Jumpin' into Life... said...

Tree, I love it - I miss you so much and you have a beautiful family. I am making a vow to make a SERIOUS attempt at us seeing each other BEFORE 2009!

Trisha Kelsey said...

The pics of Hayes are just precious! Where did you have them done?

Theresa said...

The pictures of Hayes were taken at Sears. We really didn't expect them to turn out so good. Our family pics are scheduled for Oct. at the same place Gage got his pics taken, but we wanted to get some tiny baby pics of Hayes just to have. When we got there, we were the only ones getting pics made, so they really took their time and did a great job. I actually wasn't supposed to be in any of the pics, but she threw me in there at the last minute. Anyway, we were really pleased with all of the pics.

Keeping Up With Xander

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Cade's Chronicles

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The Days of Hayes

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