Life with 3

Home sweet home. We're all home together at last. The past three weeks have felt like an eternity! We're lucky, though, that our little boy blue is home sooner than we expected. He's done exceptionally well and is so far being the perfect baby. Sleeping and eating, sleeping and eating. Being the third time, I know that this won't last so I'm enjoying it at the moment.

The girls are super excited to have a baby brother and are bursting to do things with him. I think it's a little disappointing that he just sleeps and eats at the moment. Goosey told me to put him on the ground so he can crawl around and then said I should just give him milk as he'll get a tummy ache. I think the novelty may wear off soon.

Life juggling three has been interesting. The car is packed and there are some logistical things to overcome when going out with them all on my own, but so far I'm managing better than I expected. Ask me again in a few weeks when little D decides to wake up and scream, though.

D has been put on a strict four-hourly routine at the hospital so it's feed, express and put to bed and then start again. He pretty much wakes on the dot of four hours or else I have to wake him. This is a new experience for me as the girls were quite the opposite as newborns. Especially Lil-lil who decided that sleep was evil from day one.

Expressing is a whole new ball game too, I've never really expressed before but being in the nursery it's become part of the daily routine. I have to say there are many moments when I feel like little more than a dairy cow, but I know it's helping out the little man. Also, with all the meds I've been on I've needed to express to boost my supply. I was very lucky to receive an electric AVENT breast pump from Philips to help me. It's been the bomb and saved my sanity, so I must give a big thank you to Philips for their generosity, it's totally helped me through this time.

It's weird to think that D should still be inside for another month. I do feel a little short-changed. It's like watching a movie that suddenly ends and you think, is that it? Mentally I wasn't prepared, I never reached that moment when you think 'Yep, I'm ready for this baby and ready for this pregnancy to be over.' Coming out of hospital I felt a little fragile. It's taken me a week and a bit to feel back to normal. The thought of going out, even just doing the pick-up from preschool made me apprehensive. I'm not sure why. Skip and I went out for dinner before D came home and it did me the world of good. Spending time just the two of us, talking over everything and just having a bit of fun. We also caught up with some good friends and had a good laugh, I think that made all the difference. It's amazing what friends and laughter can do for your soul.

Skip has been fantastic. He has been so supportive and helpful, despite being busy with work. He has been a lifesaver. I wouldn't have been able to do this without him. I'm very lucky.

All in all, I feel good now. Moving onwards and upwards. Glad this whole hospital business is now behind us. Glad that D is healthy. Glad that I'm on the road to being healthy. We've been incredibly lucky. It's time to move forward!