PHASE: POSTPARTUM + ONE

But first...some Penny candy... Explanation: It is what it is: the period of time directly following the birth of a baby...plus an older brother. Pros: -It really isn't that bad! I was really quite nervous to start rolling solo after Phil went back to school, but all three of us try really hard: Me, I try to fairly allot my attention; Ryder, tries really hard to be accepting of his new little sister and Penelope: tries really hard to sleep a lot. -I get enough sleep if I go to bed early enough. She allows me an average of 4-5 hours sleeping intervals thru the night which I'm very grateful for. -If I am not sleep-deprived I find myself the happiest I've ever been -I got a healthy angel baby for Christmas -I have a baby boy who isn't a fan about the changes happening in his world, but has a sweet soul and is trying his darndest to adapt. He also doesn't like it if you push the shopping cart fast (something he loves) while Penny is inside. Cons: -We all have our moments. Ryder with the tantrums, me with my downer-dolly mood swings and Penny with her dozen-a-day dirty diapers. -I do feel that "I'm never going to have time to do anything beside being a mom AGAIN!" moments -I still think nursing is odd, but she's gaining weight and eating enough, so I don't care that it's odd. -I feel like it literally takes me an hour to get ready to go do something as simple as grocery shopping. -I've given up on trying to look any sort of attractive those first few weeks after having a baby. Bring on the sweats! The Evolution of Ryder and Penelope... For a couple of days Penny was what my mom called the big pink elephant in the room that Ryder knew was there but politely chose not to acknowledge. This photo shows our first attempt to get them in a picture together and shows Ryder's feelings as plain as day. But as each day went by things got a little better... Although my cheesy heavenly upward glance was an error, I can't help thinking it shows, rather well, my smug and the overwhelmingly grateful feeling I had to a) get Ryder to come sit by me while I was holding Penelope and b) to be snuggling them both at the same time. Soon, with a little help, Ryder consented to hold his baby sister Now, he even sometimes WANTS to hold her :)