I made this comment to Pete the other day:

“I both can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks already…and then at the same time I can’t believe it’s ONLY been 3 weeks that he’s been here”

Shep is 22 days new today. It’s easy to remember how old the little one is because the other brother keeps asking how old he is…or how old he’ll be when Shep is 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 10. It’s a good lesson in addition in subtraction, but it also makes me remember how old all these kiddos are on a regular basis.

 

The first three weeks of Sheps little life have been pretty basic and uneventful. It’s been either freezing cold or a rainy mess so we don’t go anywhere but the school pick-up line or church, where tiny tot stays in the safety of the car seat hiding from all the evil germs floating around trying to latch on to anything that moves. Downside of a winter baby, forced hibernation…upside of a winter baby…an excuse for lazy hibernation, it’s a tough cycle.

 

When I look back on these first few weeks as a newly minted family of five, I’ll remember (or try too…most likely try) a few things:

1. The smell of hand sanitizer and lysol looming in the air…always
2. The ridiculous amount of diapers this small being goes through in an hour…its mind blowing.
3. The sweetest moments shared with his older siblings who think he’s the best thing since M and M Yogurt…yet still find each other increasingly more irritating everyday?! Why can’t we all just get along eh?? Your siblings…he’s a sibling…just a smaller version who can’t play with you yet and you keep trying to bend in half from intense hugging.
4. All the burps and toots and hiccups…this kid is like that scene from Willy Wonka at the end where they get all filled with air and float up into the fan and have to burp themselves to safety…just waiting for him to start levitating and floating like a helium balloon.
5. Your brother learning to burp you…it kills me.
6. Your brother asking if you’re poopy and then demanding I change you immediately before he’ll grace you with his presence…this is the same kid who makes fart jokes from sun up to sun down, but a dirty diaper gets ya? Makes no sense.
7. How he sometimes sleep with his eyes open and they end up going in different directions…actually I don’t wanna remember this, cuz it’s a bit off putting :).
8. Those sweet after nap snuggles in Emma’s bed surrounded by all her stuffed animals and princesses or that time she “read you a story”
9. Your post-fed big cheeky smiles…can we get some real ones soon please?? Gimme somethin’.

We’re still figuring each other out, this new normal out, and this new dynamic out. I sometimes still catch myself calling you Luke…cuz bye brain, but after 22 days, we’re all still functioning, eating, sleeping some, properly bathed, and even Gracie hasn’t been forgotten about yet…hey heyyyyyyyyy.

 

Week 4 has me solo parenting all week…if you don’t see an instastory update for awhile…send help, :).