One month, but whose counting...

So today marks one month that Charles has been with us. So many things have happened. Charles was born, yep. Lizzy adjusts to having a brother. This is an ongoing process. We adjust to having 4 in a family. I had my 30Th birthday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Chinese food! Yum! So easy. Charles saw his pediatrician for the first time. He had to go to a Urologist to get circumcised.
Crazy story: So the Pediatrician would not let him get circumcised at the hospital stating that his boy parts were too small for the procedure. Ask his pediatrician in a week. So we do, she says it looks alright, but lets ask a specialist just to be sure. So we set up and appointment and go in after I wrote down the wrong address and we had to turn around. Needless to say we were late. The Urologist says it looks fine and they must have been worried about the loose skin. This makes no sense to me, but I am new to all this boy stuff. So we sign off to have him perform the procedure and wait for the scream. I hear it, but it isn't prolonged. about 10 mins later the Dr. comes out with him. Charles was sleeping nicely sucking on his sugar coated Binky. Then the Dr. proceeds to tell us that he put stitches in so that we won't hurt him when we clean him and that because of this "loose skin" issue, we need to be extra diligent in changing and cleaning him. At this point I'm a little freaked, but we take him home and Daniel volunteers to do the first diaper change. He opens the diaper and stares in astonishment. He then looks up at me and says, "Where did it go?" It looked like the doctor had cut his penis off! Now I am thinking, "OK, maybe that pediatrician was right, it was too small." Also we didn't understand exactly what the doctor wanted us to do to clean it. I wish I had the foresight to ask for a demonstration. I mean how dare they send two new parents out with an injured baby and not demonstrate what we should do to care for him. Really! Well, we more or less figured it out, I think.
So back to this month of milestones, Charles rolled over at 2 weeks and is smiling now. His cord stump was accidentally pulled off by me, (this must be my super power as I did the same thing to Lizzy.) What else? We braved the last minute Christmas shoppers to play at the Mills Mall with the Purdys. That was fun. I am just glad I didn't need to do a lot of shopping as it was quite mad there. Charles got to see both Grandmas and one Grandpa. Yep, I think that about covers it. All in all, a great first month!

From One Month

Table for 4

I am at last mostly on my own. Daniel is back to work and Mom is back in Washington so it is up to me now. Ahhhh!! Gasp, Deep breath. There. Exhale. I am also now out of those wonderful pain meds they gave me in the hospital. Ouch. But thanks to a very kind Heavenly Father I am mostly functioning and able to change 2 sets of diapers in a row. My biggest problem is refraining from picking up Lizzy. She wants to sit on my lap or get down from a chair and I tend to just pick her up. Big No No! I feel the pain immediately afterwards, so I keep reminding myself: You can't do that right now. Lizzy is mostly understanding and quite patient with me. Although she does occasionally walk hunched over holding her abdomen saying "I hurts." I'm not sure if I should be flattered that she still wants to emulate me or if it is all just mockery. Alas, who knows. Charles is a dear. He rarely crys and is just so sweet. Now if only I could nap during the day like him I'd be golden. Last night we were getting the kids ready for bed and there we were, Daniel and I each with a squirming child changing diapers side by side. I looked over at Daniel and thought, " Yes, this is the life!"