An Organized Closet

 

A friend of mine recently watched my two big kids for the morning on a day my husband also went into the office. I had the whole house to myself (and the baby) and it was glorious! I had a bunch of things I wanted to do but realistically narrowed it down to just a few. Cleaning out my closet ended up being the main task, especially since Brent works out of our bedroom and I don't have much organizing time access.

I purged quite a few things and allowed myself one under the bed storage bag (clothes that aren't nursing friendly and a few special pieces I wanted to hold on to for now). Plus most maternity clothes got cleared out and put in a separate bin. If things didn't fit in the bag or bin, I forced myself to get rid of more.

Now my closet is streamlined, easy to get to, and everything I can wear (which is a huge blessing during the self conscious postpartum period). Plus it looks pretty. And when everything has a place I'm less likely to start stuffing things in here!

Then I watched The Resident, ate lunch in peace, worked on Powersheets, enjoyed two cups of tea while it was still hot, and cuddled my little guy! It was a good morning.

Family Of Five | Newborn Photos

I am excited to share our first photos as a family of five today. We managed to fit in a few family and newborn photos, while my parents were still around to help (at only eight days old!). We took down the mirror in our living room and moved the couch over to attempt our first real photo shoot in our new house in Washington. And thankfully we had a wonderful week of sunshine that allowed for some well lit photos.

Our little guy is now seven weeks old. And while we have come a long way from those crazy first weeks, I will admit my days are all still a bit of a blur. I feel like I am managing my three little ones well as my husband is back to work. But outside of that I do not find myself getting much done besides basic household needs of laundry and meals. I am trying to get little projects done when I can but I am feeling the urge to be online less as I crave more quiet in the midst of the chaos of this season. 

I knew that adding a third child would be encouragement to do less - which I desired. But even still, as a doer it is so easy to get pulled in to doing more than I actually want. So I am taking a deep breath and doing my best to be present. But am also retraining myself with this change. That life will continue to look different with another child in our life and I hope to embrace that in a way that leans towards more simplicity.

With that all being said, here are some photos or our sweet and energetic gang. It was a zoo trying to get these photos but we managed to get a handful of good ones (and probably hundreds of crazy ones - just hold that shutter down!). 

 

Thank you so much for sharing in our joy. xo

 

And a few outtakes...

Postpartum Updates

 

Just over four weeks postpartum and this is what I know...

+ I continue to feel like a feeding machine. I switch off every hour and a half to nurse and pump. Our little guy is slowly gaining so I know it will all be worth it.

+ Having a few productive moments outside of newborn care each day feels life giving. Baking cookies or a simple craft with the big kids allows us to spend time together while also feeling like I'm accomplishing something. I don't usually care for doing laundry but doing a load a day feels so good right now. Even a little online shopping (picked out my mothers day gift!) put a bounce in my step. 

+ Being able to get outside changes the tone of our day immensely. Praying for sun daily.

+ I can still get a bit teary eyed about things. But my crying at least daily for the first two weeks has finally ended and I'm feeling a bit more like myself again. The baby blues were strong this time around.

+ Recovery has been going well. Until one of my children jumped on me and kicked me in the lady parts! Bleeding has come back and it's my reminder to take it easy even when I start feeling like I'm ready to do more.

+ Gentleness may need to be my word for awhile. Gentle with myself. Gentle with my children and husband. Slowness and lots of kindness always feel better at the end of the day than busy and impatient.

+ And that sweet baby makes this all worth it. Trying to savor every moment, even the challenging ones, to fully embrace this sweet and short time.

+ My husband went back to work this week and though I will miss the help, I think it is the companionship that I will miss the most. Family leave time is always a unique experience. We joke it's like a very exhausting staycation! And lucky for me his work still means working from home.

This time together has made me even more grateful for his partnership as we navigate parenting three little ones. The unending time together is a blessing and seeing him bond with our children is always so sweet. He does so much to serve our family and I am forever grateful.

These three are so lucky to have him. And I am so thankful to do this life with my best friend.