the little gunnell family : Life with a toddler and a newborn

is hard.

I mean, there are always good and bad parts to everything, but seriously, it is a hard thing.

Thankfully, I've been blessed with a mother who is the most amazing homemaker I've ever seen. I can't even list half of the things she's done already in the one week she has been here, but I will sure try:

She filled our fridge. Seriously, it's amazing to have so much produce and so many snacks on hand. I haven't said "There is nothing to eat" once since she's been here. And it seems like we end up saying that a lot usually.
We cleaned out the freezer and pantry and stocked them with stuff we actually use.
We put Declan's clothes and blankets and burp clothes away in bins and on hangers.
She did a ton of laundry. Thank goodness she enjoys that because I do not and especially lugging it out to the laundry building. Also thank goodness, it's been in the 50s here with no snow in sight (other than in the mountains--I'm not sad about that at all).
She stocked us up with diapers and wipes (and thankfully we also received some of the above from good friends).
She had the apartment sparkling clean when we came home from the hospital--beds made, everything organized and put away...it enabled me to breath a sigh of relief to come home to a stress-free environment.
She cooks delicious food for us and does the dishes afterward.
She runs errands for me. I have been trying to clean out/donate several things and she helped me go through them and bring them to DI.
She helped me through my labor and delivery when she wasn't watching Tenley.
She has helped hugely with Tenley. Feeding and changing her, snuggling her and distracting her in the early morning, taking her on outings--this has probably been more of a help even than anything else.

Truly, having my mom here has been a giant blessing and we are so lucky she's here for two more weeks! I just know they're going to fly by--they did with Tenley. And lucky me, Dalin loves having her here. She always does so much for us that we feel bad about it, but she reminds us that ordinarily she doesn't always get to do as much as she'd like to because of the distance.

Definitely the most difficult part of this journey in parenting two so far has been Tenley. I love that girl SO much and she is really a wonderful (and comparably easy) toddler but it is hard seeing her struggle with understanding the new dynamic of our home. She loves babies and has been even more helpful with Declan than I foresaw (telling me when he's crying, fetching diapers and wipes, getting his paci and burp cloths for me, trying to put his paci back in his mouth when it falls out) but she has also been ultra-sensitive to how Dalin and I treat her. If we tell her "no" too often or especially with things related to the baby, her lips go into a tiny little pout and tears well up in her eyes. It makes me cry almost every single time because I feel so bad seeing her like that. She never did that before Declan was born.

Fortunately, the last two days there has been a giant leap in how she behaves. She still is a little naughty because she can get away with so much, but it is clear she cares about her little brother and is excited to have him here. When she hears him crying, her eyes get wide and she drops her jaw and looks at me, like "help, Mom!" Sometimes she even tells me to help him if I'm taking too long. It's so cute. She's such a smart girl. She is still my comforting little snuggler and makes me feel better when I'm sad or stressed. Tenley is clearly a leader and is going to make the most protective, loyal, and concerned big sister--I see it already. I can't wait to see how Declan comes to know and love his sister.

Declan turns one week old tomorrow! I can't believe it. It's like he was always here. I'm scared he is going to grow up too fast. Tenley has already...I swear she gained twenty pounds since Declan was born. She suddenly looks huge and feels super dense to me. I'm like how could I possibly have such a big grown-up girl and now a tiny and new little boy? It's surreal. But I love our family and I'm already excited for the inevitable joy our future babies are sure to bring us:)

Anyway, in other news, it was Dalin's 25th birthday today. Poor guy had to work all day from 7am-11pm so we are celebrating tomorrow (on his sister Cassie's birthday...). My mom helped me put together a little collection of treats to leave in the car for Dalin before he headed to work this morning, including some Raisinets, York minis, and other stuff. We also ordered an ice cream cake for him to pick up tomorrow (shhh! JK, he definitely picked out the flavors so he knows). I can't wait to give him the little gifts from me and the babies! It's going to be fun.

K I'd better go before I start talking about how much I love Dalin and Tenley and Declan.