The girls have gone from acting like rival cats, hissing and screaming at each other all the time, to content and peaceful BFFs. Okay, BFFs might be an overstatement. But really, it has been a night and day transition.
The girls having "tea" during nap time.
Drew is still working out what it really means to not be the baby and the center of attention at all times. But he is also growing up and turning into a "real boy" over night.
Drew playing cars with his baby bro.
Our house has somehow gotten better organized and more clean. And everything seems to just be running more smoothly. Homework gets done, dishes get done, laundry gets done, and everyone gets a little one-on-one time. It's like we were disjointed before Jay got here and now that he is home, everything is more balanced.
I keep waiting for the "wake up" moment when reality finally sets in. But I am beginning to believe this may be our new reality. Don't get me wrong, this is not easy. There are huge adjustments and learning curves going on in our home: calmly coaching our 3 year old through some major displacements is not easy, making sure the sensory challenged 6 year old is getting all the help she needs during homework and every day sensory struggles is not easy, keeping a reserve of just enough patience to not bite the sassy head off the pre-teen is not easy, putting in immense amounts of time and energy working toward forming a bond with our newest family member is not easy, and convincing my inner perfectionist that vacuuming the floors and cleaning the bathrooms will have to wait so that I can focus on my children's needs is not easy.
Just this morning I had to mentally coach myself through getting the girls to school on time amidst Amber screaming and crying that her shoes were just, "not comfortable!!", Caitlin working her pre-teen gasps, sighs, and grunts while exclaiming that she simply could not be seen in a skirt with leggings and black tennis shoes (why, oh why, mother, have you not purchased me a wider selection of shoes?), Drew insisting that he is a "big boy" who can put his underwear, pants, socks and shoes on himself even though we only have about 90 seconds before we need to leave, and Jacob munching on yet another leaf that had been tracked into the house by the dogs. Yet it all got done and Mom kept her cool.
Aside from the busyness and adjustments of the older munchkins, Jacob is doing absolutely amazing. He has learned the signs for "up" and "milk" this week and has begun to snuggle. He loves the fact that he can express his wants and needs. But he is learning so many signs so quickly we have noticed him practicing on his own. He'll just be sitting somewhere by himself doing all his signs. And sometimes when I know he wants something I can see him mentally go through the checklist before he enthusiastically makes eye contact and does the necessary sign. I can literally see his face light up as though he is thinking, "Oh, I remember, it's this one!" So far Jacob consistently and intentionally uses: up, more, all done, no-no, and milk and is also working on but less consistent with: bye-bye and bite.
I started taking the kids to school with Jacob this week. He seems to like the car. Jay just takes everything in and greets the world with a sense of calm. He is such an easy going little guy.
I've been spending a lot more time playing with the kids rather than taking pictures of the kids so I am a little short on pictures. But Jacob's most noticeable advance this week has been walking. After his discovery at Nana's house for Thanksgiving he is unstoppable. Walking is now one of his favorite activities.
In the last three days Jacob has really learned to snuggle at nap and bed time. Last night he laid his head on my shoulder for the first time. I though he had fallen asleep so I laid him down in his crib. He was not asleep and gazed up at me with a big grin. I stroked his head and then his hand for a minute. Then he gently grabbed my finger, smiled, and dozed off to sleep. It is a moment I will not forget. He melts my heart.
And, last, a random doggy moment just cause it's cute:
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