The Help

As you can see, I somehow have a little bit of time this weekend to catch up on my blog.  Maybe it's because we are adjusting to having two kids or maybe it's because I am not sleeping when I should. 

Anyhow - I wanted to write about how we got through these first four weeks with Edith.  We certainly didn't do it all by ourselves.  We are so fortunate and blessed to have wonderful family and friends and I wanted to take a minute to thank them for everything that they have done for us this first month!

To start, my parents have been nothing short of amazing!  They not only came my birthday weekend, before Edith was born, but they were also here to take care of Eddie and Sammy while we were in the hospital.  It was a relief to know that Eddie was in good hands and there was little to no interruption to his daily schedule.  They also brought him to and from the hospital, which was so great.  I really missed him a lot while I was there - more than I ever realized I would.  Then my parents came back and stayed with us for a week when Uncas first went back to work.  I loved having them here.  They entertained Eddie a lot, taking him out to different places each afternoon.  In the morning my mom would even take care of both kids, so I could get an extra hour of sleep.  Then Friday my mom and I ventured out to MOA with the two kids.  My dad also helped out by checking out the local bakery and keeping us stocked with many tasty treats.  He also helped entertain Eddie. And my mom even helped out with some cleaning and cooked all the meals.  And my dad and Uncas were able to get out one night and go to a Twins game. I was sad to see them leave. 

The following week, my mother-in-law came to stay with us for a week.  She also was great taking care of Eddie.  They played together a lot, took a field trip to IKEA and we all went to the local indoor park one day.  Grandma N. was also a great cuddler with Edith and often held her while she was sleeping, so I could catch up on my sleep or spend some one on one time with Eddie.  She also helped big time with cleaning up after meals and helped prepare them as well.  It was a very warm week here, especially so since she is from up north and she even had to sit through a power outage one night.  We were sad to see her go as well on Friday.

Then last week I had my first solo week with the kids.  I was very nervous, but overall I think it was a success.  I joined a MOMS Club in the spring, so that week, starting Sunday night, we received meals every other night from a mom.  It was a huge help not having to worry about making dinner.  I also went to a play group on Monday at a mom's house who is two blocks away. It was so close, the kids and I were about to walk there.  And then on Wednesday our dear friend Ella came over in the afternoon to help out.  We ended up talking for most of the afternoon, but she held Edith pretty much the whole time, so I could eat lunch (and she brought me lunch!) and have some time with Eddie.  Then on Friday my neighbor across the street took Eddie for a few hours, which was also a huge help.  I was able to get some quiet time since Edith mostly slept.  There were some tough times last week trying to balance both kids, but we made it through!  I couldn't have done it with out the help!

I wish had taken more pictures - especially with Eddie with his grandmas and grandpa, but sadly I really didn't capture any.  I think I was too busy attending to a newborn!  But trust me when I say that the whole family benefited from all the help we had!  Thank you to everyone!!!!