In the Trenches

Ruthie is a month old already!! The time has gone by so fast! She is doing really good, and we are settling into more of a routine for our day to day. The sleep deprivation is definitely taking its toll with being up 2-3 times a night for feedings. She is doing better at getting more efficient in eating quicker and not falling asleep for the feeding, but sometimes it is hard to get her back to sleep.
Maddy and I have gotten back to doing school, and it has gone pretty well. We usually get started about an hour later than we used to, but Ruth usually takes a pretty good morning nap, so we can do school during that time. Maddy has been a huge help in holding Ruth (an extra set of hands really helps!), getting stuff I need around the house, helping with Judah, and being flexible with school and other things. She has actually been doing really great with her school, reading and spelling better, and sometimes she even gets to do some schoolwork while holding the baby!
Judah just loves loving on the baby. He is quite rough, and his forms of love are often a little overwhelming to the baby! But he loves holding her, shushing her, kissing her, and hugging her! He is a good big brother!
I think this is the hardest time when you add a new baby. It is also some of the most precious time. You are still getting into a routine, the baby is figuring out how to sleep on their own, take naps, and fall into a feeding schedule, you are exhausted around the clock, and it seems like there is little time to get things done around the house. I feel like most of my day is spent holding/rocking the baby while doing other things one-handed. Which can often be challenging. Thank goodness I have a 5 year old who can really help with Judah and other things around the house. I don't know how people do it with all little babies to take care of! God certainly knew what I could handle!!

So even though I feel overwhelmed at this point, I know it will settle down and into more of a routine. I know that someday I will get more than 4 hours of sleep at a time, and hopefully Ruth will have her set naps and wake/sleep times worked out in the next few weeks!! In the meantime, we are enjoying her!!