Adjusting well as a family of four!

Our family of four with our fith watching over us!! I never understood how much love you can have for something so little and new! In my previous posts, I was worried about not having enough love to go around. My fears have been put to rest. However, I have been struggling with time management. I suspect Tayvah has some colic and acid reflux going on. Ive been trying to manage it with gripe water, gas drops, and sitting her upright for atleast 30 min after a feed and feeding her upright instead of laying down. While this process takes alot more time, I think its helping manage it. But it takes away alot from Brielle. She has not figured out to "share" her mama time. She LOVES her sister and wants to hold her every waking minute. Which I love that she loves to hold her, but it just isnt realistic. We've noticed that her feelings get hurt now. A characteristic she has never shown before baby came. She will pout and even shed tears which yanks at my heart. I know its part of life, but its still hard to see. She also wants to cuddle alot more. Which I gladly jump at every opportunity! We try to include her in everything we are doing with Tayvah that she can help with. All in all, the change has taken very well and we are pretty well adjusted. I just need to sort out a few things, like learning how to go to the store and juggle two kids. Ive only ventured out by myself once so far in 3 weeks. Brielle usually minds pretty well, but she gets in her 2 year old moods for sure! I also need to figure out the feeding schedules. Brielle always wants to eat when Tayvah eats so I am feeding Tayvah when Brielle eats, then clean up, then play and I usually dont eat until Josh comes home. While this is helping me loose all the weight and Im actually 4 lbs lighter Pre pregnancy, its not the healthy way. I never thought it would be so easy to "forget" to eat.

Therapy has picked back up because of the botox. When she gets botox her therapies go to 2x a week instead of once a week. This coming week we have appointments everyday and 2 on Thursday. We stay busy, thats for sure! Thursdays therapy went pretty well! We are seeing some good signs of botox. But Brielle gets bored with the therapy we do. We've been trying to take her to the playgrounds and funset etc to work her, but now with winter coming it is hard to use the playground. Time to put my thinking cap on and come up with new ways to stretch her and get the most out of botox. So far, we've been using Tayvah as a decoy. I will lure Brielle to sit on her ball and I will hold Tayvah on her lap while Lisa stretches her ankles, legs, and core muscles. Or we will coax her to do her stepping stones with the reward of holding Tayvah at the finish line. Poor Tayvah hehe but it works! And Tayvah tolerates it extremely well! 

Tayvah Rose

Our little Tayvah Rose Peterson arrived on Tuesday October 2, 2012. She made her debut at 10:16am and weighed in at 8lbs 9oz and 21" long. She has a full head of dark dark hair. She is perfect. We are so in love! This experience is so different for Josh and I. It was not rushed. It was relaxed (well as much as it could be). We had to be at the hospital 2 hours before my C Section. I had a nurse, Kari, who I have kept in touch with since my stay with the twins. That right there probably made me chill out, because I "knew" her. We could chit chat small talk and I didnt have to just have the surgery on my brain. We arrived at the hospital and put our things in our room and then went to the OR to meet Kari to get prepped for the surgery. I do not remember much of the twins emergency C Section at all.  I was prepped in the same room that Josh had to wait in for the twins by himself and wonder what was going on in the double doors only feet from him. Brought him back to alot of memories. Once I was prepped I walked into the OR room where I got my epidural. OUCH!! It was crazy pain! The anesthiologist was a very nice guy tho and did whatever he could to make me comfortable. Once I started feeling sick to my stomach he would put something in my IV and the feeling went away immediately. Once I was completely numb they let Josh come in. I  was a nervous wreck before he got there and I couldnt stop shaking. Once Josh came in he plaed his hand on mine and sat down by my head and we just made small talk to keep us both calm and try not to think about it too much. The Anesthsialogist was watching and giving Josh and I a play by play of what was happening since we could not see anything other than the blue curtain. Kari was also telling us when her feet came out, then her butt, and then we heard the cry. It was so amazing to hear your newborn child scream and cry! It was months before we were able to hear Brielle cry. Josh then got to go over to the warmer and cut her cord. We got to watch them clean her up and weigh her etc etc. After she was born and cleaned off a bit she was given to Josh. He brought her over to me right away and held her by my head so I could see her. She fell asleep and was so content. It was such a great feeling! After I was taken care of they got me in my bed and I got to hold her on the way to our room. In the room we took her foot prints and Josh gave her a bath. She got to stay in our room with us the whole time. I could not believe that she was ours. Everytime I looked at her I had to tell myself she was really ours. She was my baby. It was amazing to get to see and feel all those things that first time moms get to experience that we missed out on with the twins. Our birth experiences were night and day this time vs last time. Each was unique and I embrace them both.

Brielle is beyond excited about her sister. She can not stop smiling when she sees her. She loves to hold her and kiss her. She always has to know where she is at all times. She loves to help feed her as well. She is really going to be a good big sister and helper. When she leaves me at the hospital for the night she is so funny! We do the whole kiss hug etc and say I love you. She walks out of my room and pokes her head back in and says "Bye" I tell her bye back and she walks out. Only to poke her head back in and say I LOVE YOU. I say it back. She will do this several times until dad makes her leave. Then she yells it down the hallway until I cant hear her anymore. It is so funny and so cute! She melts my heart!