"Meltdowns, Tantrums, and Cuddles" or "Life with a Newborn + A Million Toddlers!"

I just thought I'd pop in and write a virtual "I'M ALIVE" note to the interwebs. 

But really..... I'm alive! 

My expectations were about that low as to what would happen when this little babe was born, so I'm really ahead of the game being alive AND blogging, right? 

I have hardly any complaints about baby number 5. Nora's been a really good sleeper so far. So good that I wake up at 2 in the morning and freak out that she hasn't woken up yet! I don't think any of my prior progeny slept this well so early. So I have reason to wake up and freak out right? That's totally normal? She's also ridiculously good at the breastfeeding thing. Which I'm grateful for by the way-I've had one or two terrifically terrible nursers and it blows. 

Our baby swing that has lovingly put to sleep four babies for indefinite periods of time officially died one night into use with baby number 5. I love swings. Seriously, if you're pregnant go out and buy a good swing. You need one that reclines a LOT and has a lot of different speeds and the white noise function is also a good one to look for. You've also gotta start a baby in a swing right away...as in a day or two old because that's when they still love the motion and will konk right out in them. If you wait a couple weeks you're hooped and have officially signed yourself up for forever walking/rocking your baby to sleep yourself. Which can get annoying after a couple years. With the last couple babies I've figured out that putting the newborn babe to sleep at night in the swing and just letting them swing till they wake up gets you a decent hour or so more of sleep at night. And hours of sleep strung together is gold when they're newborns! GOLD I TELL YOU! So we're currently borrowing my brother and sister in laws swing...but we might have to break down and buy another. 

Boy that was a tangent.

This is what's really going on these days...watching too much of the dora and laundry piling up!

I'm able to string together words right now because the in-laws courageously took the three oldest kids for a couple days and nights. So you can imagine I pretty much feel like I'm on vacation with just two kids. I have this spare time to write a little when I'd otherwise be disciplining or throwing kids outside or feeding starving little boys. But I miss them...and its reeaaally quiet around here. Just my little shrieker Max has been making noise and has been enjoying a little more mom time, if not completely back to his pre-baby mom attention its been close. He's come around to the baby and occasionally won't try and smack her head when he walks by. He seems a lot happier too...so thats a win!

You shall not take over my position as the baby!

Our Easter was a good one by the way. The kids had a great day and way too much candy and loved every egg and surprise and cry of Alleluia they could fit in. I, on the other hand, had my first good postpartum emotional breakdown. Of course it happened about 15 minutes prior to us having to leave to make it to Mass almost on time when I realized that I was dressing 5 kids for Church for the first time, and that I was completely incapable of being a mom to 5 KIDS, and that I'd NEVER leave the house again, and that I had not one thing I could wear, and woke up and had absolutely no recollection or iota of inspiration of what or how to do my own hair. It was a pretty good meltdown. Crying all the way to Easter Sunday Mass. The happiest day of the year! Ridiculous. I drowned my postpartum sorrow in moscato and cadbury mini eggs the rest of the day, while my poor husband insisted I nap, which also helped a little. Since then I've been slightly more rational and have felt better, with only small meltdowns like when Luke and Dom go outside and are soaked in ice cold water from puddles in less than 30 seconds. Or Max dumping and then squishing whole boxes of mini-wheats on the kitchen floor. 

I do so love holding a newborn though. It never gets old thank goodness! My favourite is when you can hold their whole head in the palm of your hand. Isn't that crazy!?! Its also crazy how fast the head-holding stage goes by. They grow right before your eyes and you can hardly tell until suddenly -  they've got a giant noggin that you can't hold in your hand anymore. I'm so poetic on small amounts of sleep am I not?