We have been staying inside most of the time nowadays, but every once in a while we get to sneak out. When my mom was still here, my sister Rach and I escaped to the mall while my mom stayed here with the children. We came home to see this cute little scene:
Thank you so much to my mom (and family) for coming and helping us out. Unfortunately, my mom had to leave last Saturday, but we are getting by (somehow)! I am quite exhausted, but overall things are fine. I have a supportive and loving husband, people from our ward are bringing dinner, and a couple people are letting Chase come over to play, which is the biggest help of all!
We are happy that Charlotte has joined our family (and I am happy to no longer have her in the womb)!!! She is so cuddly and easygoing, and has been awake more over the last few days.
Chase still loves his baby sister, usually manifest in more forceful ways than I would like, but I know his intentions are good! He really likes to kiss her, smell her, and just be near her.
He also calls his little sister “Charlotte-lee” and says things like “Here comes Chasie!” to her in a soft, high-pitched, cooing voice. Here he is reading her a book and introducing her to Elmo.
I make an effort to find bits of time to spend with Chase, because I know he needs it! I have been battling with feeling guilty and anxious about what goes undone around the house and not spending enough time with Chase. Parents out there (like Becky S. and Amber P. and others that I tremendously respect) how do you fight off the guilt? I know I can’t do everything and I know things don’t all have to get done around the house, but it’s hard for me to just shrug it off! I’ll get used to it, hopefully.
Yesterday we went on a walk and tromped around in the snow at the park; it was nice to be outside for a while. Chase has been literally bouncing off the walls with this whole staying inside thing! Over the last couple of days, he fell down the stairs and also did a weird backflip off his bed onto the floor, in addition to the regular head/bodily injuries he usually acquires.
…So, any advice on how to get a non-independent child to play on his own for a few minutes at a time so I don’t resort to TV while I’m trying to feed the baby? While Chase IS a very helpful boy, he is with me every second of the day except for the blessed nap time! And look how sweet he is when he sleeps!
