Our New Normal

And then there were three! Joe is back in the office for pretty much the first time since Declan was born. Having an extra set of hands around for the past two and a half months made the transition from one to two much easier. For that I feel so, so lucky. The few days in the beginning that it was just me and the boys were rough. I'm sure all of you with more than two kids are laughing at me right now. I just didn't have enough hands or lap space to keep everyone happy, and all those extra tears are hard on a new mama's heart. But now we've hit our stride and this week is actually running more smoothly than I anticipated. I think we're all ready to build a new routine and I'm sure Joe is much more productive in an office as opposed to being home with us crazies all day long. 

As you can see from the picture above, there are still a few tears, but Ez loves his little brother so much and he's adjusted from being super clingy and emotional back to being his normal helpful and independent self. He really needed some extra attention and snuggles with all the change going on, and I'm so glad Joe and other family were around to give him that when I was busy with Declan. Or vice versa.

The true test for any parent is that first solo shopping trip. It's always such a daunting thought. I remember when Ez was a newborn I spent way too much time thinking about the logistics of it all before he and I made our first shopping trip. Carrier or car seat in the cart? Plan B if he has a meltdown mid-trip? Now with two, I'm less concerned with the minor details and more worried about being outnumbered. But in both cases I just bit the bullet and went for it and you know what? It wasn't bad at all. It was actually surprisingly pleasant. Of course I chose Target for our inaugural trip. I think most moms agree that Target is alluring enough to actually warrant leaving the house with your littles. The trip went so smoothly that I even had a chance to browse the women's clearance racks. $5 workout pants really are a necessity if you stop to think about it. Ez had a mini hunger meltdown toward the end, but I let him pick his own snack bars and eat it in the cart and all was well in the world again. Bonus points that Declan found it absolutely hilarious to have Ez sitting in the cart right in front of him. 

It's only been a few days, so I'm not going to pretend to have it all figured out, but so far I've actually been more productive with Joe gone. I think having him around made it feel like vacation mode and now it feels like real life. Ez is at a great age where he loves to help me with whatever I'm doing, so I just include him when I'm doing chores and everybody is happy.

Declan follows us from room to room in his little chair and he's perfectly content as long as he can see and hear us. Between Ez's thoughtfulness and Declan's laid backedness, I honestly don't know how I got so lucky.