The Ever After

Last post I dedicated to Kestrel's birth story--now for what's been going on since then.

Frankly, it's been pretty rough since Kestrel made her debut into the world, but in her defense, it has not been her fault at all. I can't really imagine a much happier, contented, easy baby. She's five, almost six weeks old now--what should be the peak of fussiness for a baby. She sleeps well, only waking once or twice to eat, nurses amazingly, and has never fussed without me being able to figure out what she was trying to communicate within minutes. Seriously, an easy kid.

When awake, she is generally content to play on the floor or in her swing, where she will often drop off to sleep on her own. If she gets fussy there, I snug her up in our Mei Tai or wrap. If she is overtired, sometimes we have to put on some music to help calm her, but that's about the extent of her woes.

The problem has been with the rest of us. We have had a grand total of one (1) weekend since she was born that we have not been sick. The first week, Tiernan had a sore throat. For the second and third weeks, Robert and I had it. We were gearing up for a fun Labor Day weekend when I developed mastitis, and instead spent it battling a fever of up to 104.5 for two or three days. By the time I was recovered enough to attempt a social outing, we arrived only to have Tiernan throw up in the parking lot as we got out of the car. So we got back in and went home to quarantine ourselves yet again and care for Tiernan as he threw up over and over. Robert came down with the virus two days later. Miraculously enough, I seemed to be being spared--two, three, four days passed after Robert had it, and I still hadn't contracted it. I planned a couple fun events for Saturday, eager to finally be with people again.

Friday night, it hit. At that point, it was beginning to feel like some conspiracy to keep us from ever having fun again.

Thankfully, it was a 24-hour bug, so by Sunday I was feeling mostly back to normal...but unfortunately, with stomach viruses, you can stay contagious for a long time after you feel better, so we're still holed up here, hoping and praying that Kestrel doesn't get it--at her age, it'll be a far more serious case if she does.

As far as how we are adjusting to having two kids, it's been mixed. In addition to Kestrel being a superb baby, Tiernan is a great brother. He loves to 'hold' her, give her kisses, stroke her hair, and play with her. He's very attentive to what she is doing, giving us status updates every time she moves, hiccups, opens her eyes, etc. ("Baby wake!" "Baby sleeping." "Baby moving!" "Baby sad.") The closest thing to jealousy I've seen is when he gets upset and wants me to hold him when I'm already holding Kestrel, he suggests where I should set down the baby so that I can attend to him. Not bad.

Practicing swaddling.
I suppose we should get him a baby doll so he doesn't need to use blocks.

However, as many of you know, Tiernan is a confirmed extrovert. So, naturally, our extended confinement has given him a wretched case of cabin fever, the symptoms of which include being exceedingly volatile and weepy, a strong urge to rebel and test everything, and general disagreeableness. It's certainly been enough to drive me crazy on more than a few days. We're having difficulty finding effective methods of discipline for him, not to mention outlets for his incredible reserve of energy.

Staying at home drives Tiernan up the wall...

We have our good days and our bad days. Days when I feel hopeful and excited about our new and improved little family, and days when I feel overwhelmed and like I'll never get the hang of things. At this point, I just want to be able to establish a rhythm and way of life that doesn't include being holed up at home week after week. Back in June or July I became very passionate about getting fit and active--rather pointless, given I was on bedrest at the time. The good thing is that I still want to, and as of this week, it should be safe for me to begin taking up more active hobbies. I've already begun slacklining most mornings, walking, and intend to begin rock climbing as a habit soon. I have other ideas, such as taking up yoga, jump rope, and fire dancing. Perhaps once I've brought my body back from its atrophied state after so much bed rest I'll take up parkour, capoeira, or, if I'm really daring (and have lots of money) aerial silk. If you have interest in joining me, I'm looking to do any or all of it socially--I much prefer doing those sorts of things with people.

Tiernan learning how to slackline, with a bit of help.