I knew when we started this process that this would not be like bringing a baby home from the Hospital. I also knew that I'm not a huge fan of change and it tends to take me awhile to adjust. Add to that a three year old that isn't too excited that his parents just left him for two weeks, a one year old whose body is adjusted to another time zone and a husband that has evening meetings lined up for a whole week and you have a recipe for stress. I'm really glad I wasn't blogging during those two weeks, my post would not have been very warm and fuzzy.
Overall, the fact that we only had two rough weeks is a miracle and we are very lucky we can report that. Elias had a seamless transition. He slept ok from the start with only a few really rough nights and the only issues he had were napping not being able to understand why we weren't playing soccer in the yard anymore (it was really cold when we got back). His older brother had a lot more adjustment. We had tried to prepare him for our new arrival, but it's hard to get a three year old to understand. I think his "new baby brother" took a Santa Clause or Easter Bunny persona - You talk about them, but never see them. Then when little brother arrived ready to run around, play with every toy and soak up attention, it didn't seem quite as cool as Santa. After a lot of trial and error and extra time spent with each boy ( we had to do a lot of divide and conquer ) things evened out. It was really hard to watch my older one struggle, but he has really come around to be the awesome kid he always was.
It really helped that week three my Husband was on spring break and able to take Noah while I worked on tackling the nap issue with Elias. It only took a few days for Elias to get into a good nap pattern ( it was just too crazy before and something always woke him up right after he went down). I am happy to report that Elias naps for two hours after lunch each day. This gives mommy and Noah some one on one time (Elias gets one on one time while Noah is in preschool) and Noah has really responded positively to this. Noah now tells his brother that he loves him and "it's ok, little brother, everything will be ok" when he cries. Too Cute! I know we will still have bumps along the way, but we are off to a good start!
I remember when we brought our second son home from the hospital. Those first few months were crazy. We quickly figured out the whole "divide and conquer" routine. At first it made me sad to see my little baby become the "big boy" but I will admit he and Dad have an amazing relationship. I'm sure part of the reason is the special bonding they did during that time. Transitions are hard but they make life so much more interesting! Sounds like you all are doing awesome.
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