Settling In

We are slowly settling in to some sort of routine... okay, not really, but we're working hard on getting there! Simon still does much of this throughout the day which is always a blessing in those first weeks at home.

I am amazed at how well both Jamie and Clare have taken to Simon. Jamie has been a big help - he loves to fetch things (most of the time) like pacifiers and blankets, as well as taking over jobs like putting the soap in the dishwasher and running it. He dusted the living room for me yesterday and rearranged all my picture frames to "make them look better." Jamie wants to be the one to put Simon to bed or carry him upstairs, but we're going to wait just a tad bit longer before we let him take over those duties!

Clare has also reacted better to Simon than we thought she would. Whenever she sees Simon, she says, "Baby" and constantly wants to pat his head and other body parts. At meals, she offers Simon her milk or a piece of food. For the most part, she has been so gentle with her new baby brother. I have only once had to tell her not to pat his head with her hard plastic Elmo figurine and she only honked Simon's nose one time so far. That's pretty good in my book! Clare is even doing better than we hoped with the whole not-hooked-to-Mommy's-hip thing. I am still not supposed to be picking Clare up or carrying her around, but we're breaking the rules a little for both our sakes. (I miss my attachment!)

Today is my first day solo with the kids - Shawn is home, but he is trying to stay out of our way for the most part and get some work done. Thankfully, Simon is my first baby who likes the sling. He is sound asleep in it right now as I catch up on all my e-mails. We took a family walk yesterday with Simon in the sling, Clare in the wagon, and Jamie on his new "big boy" bike. It worked out beautifully! We're going to venture out to the playground later today. I am unsure how it will go, but sometimes you just have to dive in headfirst.