Me and the Girls

I have been so fortunate to have help from friends and family over the past 3 weeks but now it is time for me to go it alone. Yesterday was my first day taking care of Anna and Madelyn by myself. I had no expectations for the day; no "to do's" or errands to run - just a wide open schedule to see how the girls would do. The morning started great with Madelyn being asleep when Anna woke up so I was able to get Anna out of bed, dressed, and fed before Madelyn was ready to eat. We then went for a walk around the neighborhood to get some exercise and fresh air. The next "activity" for the day was getting a shower, which went surprisingly well with Madelyn in her bouncer and Anna playing with toys (note to self: the magna doodle is not a good shower time activity for I had to keep getting in and out of the shower to "clear" the screen for Anna). Then the next thing I knew it was time for lunch and naps. I had to make sure Madelyn was asleep or at least content before being able to take Anna upstairs for her nap since she gets upset when she hears Madelyn crying. Success. Anna slept for an hour; Madelyn slept for 2 1/2 hours so I had an hour of time to myself and then an hour and a half of just Anna time. I would say the first day alone was a good one though I know they won't all be made equally. A friend of mine who has two kids of her own reminded me the other day that I need to be flexible and remember that a "routine" this week doesn't mean it will all be the same the following for a newborn's "schedule" is constantly changing.

Today has gone very much the same. I am currently enjoying the few minutes of downtime during naps. I have noticed today that Anna has been even more clingy. She wants to hold my hand whenever she goes anywhere (including into the other room), is constantly reaching for me to pick her up, and at times runs away crying when I pick up Madelyn. Poor Anna has had her world turned upside down; hopefully in a few weeks she will adjust to sharing her time with mommy and daddy. Until then I'll just make sure to give her extra hugs.