The day I came home ended up being a difficult one.
I am sore, and exhausted. I move slow and rest lots.
That did not sit well with Andrea my 6 year old.
"I thought you weren't supposed to be on bed rest anymore!"
"Andrea, I just had a baby and I have to rest to recover. The baby is up a lot in the night."
"I'm hungry!"
"How about a yogurt with granola?"
"NO!"
"How about a piece of cheese?"
"How about a sandwich?"
"No No"
"How about an apple? An orange?"
"I hate all of that!"
"I can't help you then." She slams the door to her room and I hear her crying.
She comes out a few minutes later.
"I am bored. I have nothing to do!!....and I'm hungry!!"
I can't seem to please this child. I go into their bedroom and something I see triggers something that upset me at the hospital. I start crying.
I kept crying and couldn't stop.
These thoughts came. I have no more strength. I tried so hard to keep it together week after week on bed rest. I mustered up all the energy I had to make it through my natural delivery. I have nothing left. I'm done.
"Don't tell me you hate all the food I offer you. Don't tell me you are bored when we have a Wii, trampoline, lots of toys, and siblings to play with. Now everyone clean up this house and from now on pick up after yourselves. At least I'm home, even if I can't be your playmate."
But that is as bad as it got.
It has been all up hill from there. Every day I feel better, and get closer to normalise. These are the realities of life. The realities of raising children. I'm certainly not perfect.
In a family, during difficult times or during times of change it effects everyone. But there is a time and place to share feelings. I think that children need to learn a little restraint as far as letting everyone know just how they are feeling during a certain moment. Sometimes it is inappropriate. Sharing feelings is super important in a family. But not in a moment when within an hour of someone just coming home from the hospital you decide to slam doors and throw fits.
Its a lot different bringing your baby home from the hospital when you have three children at home to greet you, verses when you have one other at home. All three are excited to see you, see the baby and all need some one on one attention. It is good. Just complicated. Each age is so neat to watch as they interact with the new baby.
Andrea-6: "Mom you should feed the baby right now."
Lydia-4: "Look at her she is so cute! I want to keep her."
Damon-22/mo: Smiles, points, and pets her face.
I've been calling Damon the closet talker lately. He will not talk when we are around. But everyonce in a while I hear him in another room byhimself...."baby"...."bike".....
And for me, I can't get enough of my brand new precious baby. I know more now then I ever have how fast children grow. How precious this time is. The newborn stage goes by in a blink of an eye.
