Monday, February 23, 2009

Unexpected

My favorite of them together to date!

LOVE that you can see both of their special sibling shirts in this shot! These tees were purchased so long ago!

My best girl took this pic. and the next one......she asked me to include 'em and I'm obliged to do so! :) Note the "Mama garb" and easy hair!!


Those cheeks are just so darn kissable!


All tuckered out at the end of another day.....except look at how perky Lexi dog is! LOL


My elegant girls.....she's so proud to have clear nail polish on and absolutely is showing them off! Lexi is always nearby.......guardian pup!
Phew...it has been a week of both some expected and unexpected things as we have continued to settle into being a new family of 4 ( five with Lexi dog!). Tyler continues to amaze us with his easy & loving spirit! He is bonding beautifully with each of us and we are seeing small improvements with his sleeping patterns each night. I continue to sleep in the nursery for now, but usually am able to soothe him back to sleep with soft words and my presence as opposed to needing to rock & lull him back to sleep upon each rest disruption. I have not minded this at all and it only took that first night of seeing his fearful tiny face (peeking through the crib) soften into reassurance upon realizing I was there, to know this was where I needed to be. He is sleeping for longer periods at night without waking and we are hopeful things will continue to improve as his feelings of security and attachment strengthen.
What has been unexpected with this normally gentle little one has been his fiery temper! LOL It doesn't surface often, but whoa.......watch out when it does! He is simply one of the happiest little babies I have ever seen, but beneath it all, lurks a spicy little man! Those little fists ball up.....the face turns red.....the back arches and the lungs go into overdrive! Ironically it usually only stirs when the bottle is not prompt enough or I fail to gallop to the crib quick enough following his naps! On the plus side, leaping stairs 2 at a time for several flights is great for the thighs & hips! ;)
Miss Lauren also continues, as anticipated & hoped, to be a tremendous source of joy & fun for Tyler and really for us all. Unexpectedly she caught a nasty bug last week which kept her home from school and created a bit of trouble too! Its hard to be the Big Sis when you are sick and really really just want your Mama all to yourself! There have been a few flickers of annoyance from her regarding Tyler, but mostly they are directed at me.( Which is better, really....) I know she misses our long sessions of morning play and all the special time we shared before. I am trying to carve out plenty of quality time for just the two of us, but of course its not the very same. She is delighted to have Tyler home and her love for him humbles & thrills me.......but of course she's only human and needs time to adjust too! ( Sadly Tyler and I caught the bug too!! Ugh! Jet lag and sickness....not a pretty combination!)
Also expected was the amount of work it takes to make the leap from one child to two! Now I want ya all to know that I was well prepared by family members and friends and fully anticipated the extra elbow grease needed to maintain a larger family...... additional loads of laundry.....multi-tasking......late nights with no or little sleep....... diminished or no personal time.....and so on! What was unexpected was the guilt I feel when I am caring for or attending to one while the other waits nearby! There are moments I am gushing over the baby and catch Lauren's watchful ( maybe slightly pained ) expression out of the corner of my eye and the guilt seizes me like a bad pro wrestler! There have been days I have almost sneaked my cuddles and cooing in while she is occupied or away for the afternoon. I don't want her to feel slighted in any way! AND it goes both ways too........oh how that guilt cloaks me when I plop Tyler in his saucer for some play, while Lauren and I giggle over a new game or solve a puzzle together. Shouldn't I be more adept at balancing the two together more of the time? Honestly, this sense of guilt was not expected and I'm hoping it will pass in time? Maybe once I feel a bit better and can breathe through my nose again......lol......see, at least I have not lost my sense of the absurd! :) Or is that the guilt making me lighten the moment & mood?? I'm hopeless!!
And finally( and thanks to everyone who is still with me!!), it was completely unexpected that when I dashed into the Post Office today for the first time with Tyler, that I would end up crying happy tears before my errand was done! Imagine my surprise and delight when several staff members remembered me from my many care packages sent overseas to Tyler and were sooooooo thrilled to meet this miracle in person! I was beyond touched and tickled and of course Tyler rose to the occasion and produced his most winning gummy grin and very loudest raspberry sound! To realize again that just mere weeks ago he was not yet with us.........to come full circle with him even doing such a mundane task as buying stamps and mailing the bills......... absolutely unexpected moments of bliss to cherish!!!

15 comments:

Sarah k said...

Ok.. where do I start about these pictures Lisa my love? The first one is just priceless!!! I mean look at those smiles and in the same room together!!!! Picture two... AGAIN, in the same room.. PRICELESS!!!! lol... I mean you ache and ache and are in such agony until the day that you get your child home and then it seems like they were there and the aching didn't happen!!! SO weird!! SOOOO, that is why I stress... IN THE SAME ROOM! Think of that hon! Think of the miracle of that!!! Ok.. moving on ... I love love the pictures of YOU and your easy hair with Tyler the amazing smiling baby! lol... Even as biased I am of my boys.. Tyler is TOOOOO CUTE! AND Lauren doll, you did awesome girlie on taking these pictures!!! Keep it up!!!The sleeping picture is probably the most priceless. I think that every mom longs to see their family safe and all together in the same place! So, God's gift to you Lisa, is that picture!!! The Lauren and Lexi pic is absolutely gorgeous!!! So, this critic gives this picture session 2 thumbs up and 2 paws!!! well, if I let everyone vote.. 6 thumbs up and 8 paws! lol...

Lisa said...

Lisa,
I just love your pictures of everyone including Lexi. It is a big adjustment to go to 2 children. But, the new normal slowly appears and you get into your routine with it all. Especially once Tyler starts to sleep more regular. As for the guilt, well we are moms, and for various reasons we always tend to feel guilty...equal time for kids, working or not working, alone time with hubby. But I think this too becomes easier. You will see that each child usually gets all of you even when you are not focused on them. Listen to me the old sage..;)

I will be picking your brain over the next few months regarding travel etc. ( That is if I ever get to travel). Have a great day.
Lisa R

Sarah and Dan Sullivan said...

YAY you're all together! Boo you got sick! I hope you are all on the mend soon. I sure understand about the guilt and I think you will find it will subside, just give it a few years = ) They really are so fortunate to have one another although I know they don't always know it. So great to see these pictures! Sarah

Kerry said...

So sorry that you have all been ill- really makes getting back into the time zone and a routine much more difficult. Hope that you are resting and not pushing too much.

These photos are just priceless- love seeing your whole family together. Your little man looks so bug next to Lauren. I can tell that she is a wonderful big sis!
Hugs and hope that you all feel better soon.
Love what you wrote about stopping to think at the PO- hey- here we are together doing the mundane- something wonderfully mundane together- TOGETHER!
Hugs

rachel said...

great update!

trust me, mama, the guilt passes. i thought it was hard at first, too, though. you come to this realization that sometimes one child will have to wait for your full attention... and it's okay. this teaches good life lessons!

also, i think your daughter will get more used to you spending time with tyler and the jealousy will subside. jude was incredibly jealous of indigo when she first arrived -- and it persisted for a year or so. now he knows that sometimes i have special time with her and sometimes with him and it all equals out in the end. since lauren is older, it will probably happened more quickly with her.

glad things are going so well. so fun to see tyler home.

saying healing prayers for you all.

oh, and the pic of your husband and the kids sacked out was SO precious!!!!

Anne Marie said...

Oh, Lisa, these pics are so perfect -- I love the first one, I love Lauren's photos (Lauren, you did a wonderful job!!!), and I love the one where they are sleeping. In every one, it just looks and feels like HOME.

I don't have much advice about the guilt, as I am looking to your experience to learn for myself about what is yet to come. However, I do know looking from the outside in, that it perfectly normal to feel that way, and that it will all be OK with time :))))

Here's hoping that bug is gone SOON,and you are all feeling better today.

QingLu Mama said...

Oh Lisa! I just LOVE the new pictures! Absolutely adorable! Lexi just cracks me up and all of you look so splendid and happy and wonderful together! I love the one of the three of em all plopped out, talk about a great photo! All of the pics are just too cute and I am so happy to see Tyler finally home with you and in your arms! Really, the love just oozes all over the pictures! And thanks to Lauren for making you post some of you! We like to see all of you, ya know! Oh, and please tell Lauren her nails looked just lovely, what a little lady!

And I so enjoyed the story of the post office. How amazing to FINALLY have him home to do all those day-to-day things with you, right where he is supposed to be! And how funny that he has this fiery side to him! Best of both, sweet and Happy boy who also sticks up for himself and isn’t afraid to let you know how he feels!

And as to the Mommy guilt...I am sure it must be so hard for you, but that is because you are such a wonderful Mama! It will be an adjustment on both the little ones, but I am quite sure you are doing an amazing job.
Get over the sniffles & the jet lag and you’ll probably feel a bit better about everything. I am so sorry all of you got it, no fun!
Hugs to all, thanks for the great post and the HUGE smile you just put on my face! I really needed it and now I will be grinning all day! Wait till I show all the girls these great pics…
Jen

Journey to our baby said...

I am so glad to hear things are going well and sounds very normal to me with some of the stuggles. I teared up with the post office story, how sweet and to realize this entire full long circle will be great to see someday. He is such a cutie!

Angel said...

I LOVE all these pics of Lauren and Tyler together!!! They're beautiful!!!! Glad you're all adjusting well!!! You look so happy!

White's Journey to Taiwan said...

Oh, my!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a gorgeous family. Tyler is absolutely kissable, squeazable, lovable, etc. etc. etc.!!! Lauren is just a lovely little lady. I looked at your pics with a huge smile on my face. It is such a blessing to see you and your family together and happy. To see Tyler completely relaxed, snuggled up and sleeping with Daddy warmed my heart. Oh, heck!!! They ALL warmed my heart.
You are a precious person, Lisa! Thank you for sharing your joy with us!

Kit said...

Hey! I finally got this whole comment thing figured out! Those pictures are just adorable! The two of them already look like they adore each other, especially Tyler with Lauren. You guys are so lucky to have two wonderful kids! I am anxious to see both of them and of course, you!!
Robyn :)

Jackie said...

What a beautiful family. I just love coming to visit your world :). Those kiddos belong together. They are so comfortable together already! Thanks for the smiles today.

Yvonne Crawford said...

Wow what great pictures. I just love his little face. I so want to squeeze those little cheeks!

Precious Wonders and Little Monkeys said...

Gotta love another "Big Red", that is what my mom called me when I was a baby and I'd get fiesty! Sorry about the bug... we are hoping no more visit here either.

I LOVE the chair one... but owh I feel for your hubbie's back! They look like those little monkies are having a blast while Momma figures out the chaos that is two! he he I'm laughing because I so know what you are going through.. I'm right there with ya.

Emelia_Florida said...

yay Lisa! I love how you have kept with the blog updates - even with a new baby and busy life!! Thank you!!! :) The photos are amazing - I can actually feel the love just by viewing them!

Keep 'em coming - your friends can't get enough! :)

Emelia
JOH