Benjamin joined our family at the end of November but he was kind of enough to wait until after we had eaten our turkey. The first couple of weeks were a bit intense as we struggled to sleep at night, I had a couple of migraine due to changing hormones, a blood clot scare, and a nasty cold. Jonathan had a throw-up bug and Benjamin lost a pound and wasn't gaining weight for the first two weeks of his life. We were a little on edge trying to get him fed without having to use formula. We are all well now and Benjamin is flourishing. He put on about half a pound a week over the past two weeks. I hope the trend continues for a few more weeks so we can sleep all night long : )
Thankfully through that craziness my mom and Hyrum's mom were here to help us out. My mom spent a night with Benjamin so I could sleep, Hyrum made a lot of peanut butter and jam sandwiches and changed a lot of diapers, and Hyrum's mom played with grand-kids so I could take care of Ben. Grandma's were the favorites for tucking in and doing hair. Hyrum took Jonathan to school everyday and he also made some needed home improvements--recessed lighting in our living room--during his paternity leave.
December brought the normal craziness of Christmas. I did as much as I could ahead of time but Ben was, and mostly still is, eating constantly. I often feel like I spend all day on my couch feeding him. I reigned in my desire to go all out for Christmas and pared down our treat list and Christmas Eve dinner list. I also asked Mom to do a bunch of things. It worked out well since my parents and brother and sister ended up coming on the 24th instead of the 23rd and weren't around to help earlier. Hyrum and I were able to take the kids Christmas shopping over the course of several days which helped reduce our stress and allow some time with each of them.
We enjoyed a quiet Christmas with my family. We built Lego creations, went rollerblading, read books, took naps, worked on a crazy puzzle and just enjoyed being together. The 26th brought great weather so we went for a hike that morning and then another walk that afternoon. Hyrum even got in a couple bike rides last week. Saturday we said goodbye to my family and 45 minutes later welcomed Hyrum's brother and sister-in-law for a couple of days. Ian and Charity played lots of games with the kids and were good sports to put in their puzzle quota. Sunday, Hyrum and I sang in church and I went back to Primary for the first time since Ben was born. We also celebrated Hyrum's birthday.
It has been a busy month but we've been glad to share it with family. Ben has filled a place we never knew was empty and everyone loves having him here. Each day brings new joys and new challenges with him but we are working through it. It's been great to have a month with Hyrum home. I will miss him when he goes back to work next week. I've never been one for New Year's resolutions but I am looking forward to what excitement this new year will bring.
