2 weeks and 2 days

That's how long we've been a family of 5.  And we are all still alive.  Grant it, we've only been alone for 2 days but! I made dinner today.

This is what a family of five family picture looks like...it doesn't get any better than this.

My mom left two days ago and it was pretty sad.  One because I didn't have my slave anymore.  And two, because the house.  Don't get me wrong--when Mom left there were no dishes in the sink, no clothes in the hamper, no trash in the trashcans.  We got home from dropping her off at the airport and...well it took me two hours to clean up the mess the next day.  No, I did not get it done on Friday because little Henry is not gaining as much weight as he should and so must be feed every two hours--really sucks the life out of the party.

But let me tell you a bit about having a third child--because now that #3 has survived a whole two weeks and two days, I am an expert.  Pretty much I get mom of the year over here--I, honestly, did not bathe Henry until he was almost a week old.  Why?  Because he's a baby and babies don't get dirty.  They sit in their swing or bed or car seat or arms and sit there.  They don't sweat; they don't do anything.  They just sit.  So why bathe them?  Besides the novelty of bathing a baby is wearing off a bit now that we're on #3 over here.  I did give Henry a bath today and had a bit of a laugh at how funny looking babies are--or maybe just mine because they're so skinny.  He looks like cross between a fetus, an elf and a turtle when he's naked.  I giggled.

Google decided this should go sideways--but here's proof that I do bathe Henry.

looking like a fetus

Next thing that's different about #3: I hardly ever change him.  With both Rex and Alice, I made sure to change them from their night time pajamas to their daytime pajamas every day.   And I made a clear distinction between the two: daytime PJs have snaps, night time ones have zippers or are those little dressing gowns.  Henry gets a new outfit every 24 hours whether he needs it or not.  One, because the novelty of changing a baby's clothes is wearing off; Henry is wearing mostly hand-me-downs so it's not like I am super excited to put him in any of the clothes; and thirdly, and most importantly, he hates it.  It's cold.  He likes to be swaddled--sometimes in two blankets.  Being naked or even partially naked it not fun for him.  Why make him cry if I don't have to?

Not a hand-me-down and I think it's adorable

Overall, things are going pretty well.   There were a few nights in there that I nearly killed poor Henry so he had to sleep on the couch (seriously though, Greg has made a semi-permanent move to the couch [why should we have two crabby adults?] and Henry slept with him a few nights), but once I started feeding Henry every two hours things have been better.  In fact, better than the other two children of mine.  I almost am liking the newborn stage this time.  With Rex, I didn't know what I was up against--people try to tell you how tired you'll be or forget to tell you much it hurts when the milk comes in and you just don't believe it and then it happens and you wonder to yourself why people ever have a second child.  And then you have your second child and you try to be the hero.  I had a baby yesterday but, hey, let's go to the mall.  And you think that things will be better this time because you've done it and survived before.  And then you're just as tired and in as much pain as you were with #1 but now #1 is climbing all over you while you're trying to feed #2 and it's just miserable.  And then #3 comes along and things are good because you know they will suck and plan for it.  I have left my house, seriously, a total of like 5 times in the last 2 and half weeks.  Because I'm not a hero.  I'm tired.  My chest hurts.  I have a baby to feed every two hours and I'm not going to leave as long as I have my slave mother here...which I don't any more.

This is where I sit for about 9 hours a day...just feeding the baby.  Rex likes to help by burping Henry.

 So in the words of Gregory when he got home from work on Friday and it finally sunk in that my mom really did go home, "Now is when all the shiz really hits the fan, huh?"


But we're still alive and I even made dinner tonight.  And in case you were wondering, we love Henry just as much as we love the other two--we're just smarter now.  Bathing and clothes changing is not an indication of our love, but of our parental intelligence.

And now, pictures to prove our love:

He's a thumb sucker already

He's also perfected his poop face.

In his blessing outfit--same one that Greg wore. 

Another, also fantastic, attempt at a family picture.