Adjustments

A few months before Anders was born I freaked out about our car  seat situation.  Would a third car seat fit?  Will we have to ditch our beloved Subaru and up size to a minivan?  After a lot of research and testing various car seat configurations, we were able to fit in the third seat.  The result looked like a jigsaw puzzle of car seats, but hey, it worked!  It took a lot more time, and a little bit of cursing, but in the end we made it happen.  Well, that's kind of what has happened with the Karlsson family.  What was possible before, is still somewhat possible, it's just a little bit more complicated.

Both boys continue to love having a new brother.  I recovered fairly quickly, and am adopting a "must walk to the grocery store" fitness plan.  Mattias went back to work a couple of weeks ago, after taking 2 weeks off.  And Kerstin continues to watch Magnus most days of the week, and take the boys to their weekly tumbling class while I stay home with baby.

Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and feeding Anders takes up most of my time nowadays, and I'm finding myself multitasking at a whole new level.  If I lay down, my lap can fit both baby and dog for nap time.  And while Mattias does the dishes, I can feed Anders and read a book to the boys.

I'm notoriously stir crazy, so as soon as I could stand for more than 30 minutes at a time I insisted we go on an outing.  The Smithsonian American History museum is our new favorite-- tons of space, great kid-friendly exhibits, a good cafeteria, and the best of all: no crowds!

We spent a solid hour touring the transportation section, and we came across the 1986 Dodge Caravan, just like I had growing up.  They had a Chicago L train car and station, which the kids loved riding.  But the big hit?  A short film of the history of cars in American film making.

Anders continues to eat and sleep well.  Besides his gassy/fussy time that occurs between 2-4AM he is a very sweet, mellow boy.

He is awake more and more each day, and stares long and hard at faces and high contrast images.

He was 2 weeks old before we gave him his first bath.  Like so many infants, he did not enjoy the experience.  But his head was greasy and his armpits were funky, so we had to do it.

 

Life at home with baby is a little like being in my own warped universe.  The house can be filled with so much noise and screaming, then as soon as the older boys leave, can be instantly silent.  I run around like a crazy woman trying to keep up with the laundry, cleaning, and cooking, but I spend 4-6 hours a day sitting almost motionless on the sofa feeding Anders.  You might find me sitting in my yoga pants and hoodie "mamma uniform" drinking a glass of wine on a Tuesday afternoon.  I'm constantly plotting and coordinating our move back West, but a lot of the time have trouble remembering things or thinking of the right words to say.  How can I feel overwhelmed and bored at the same time?

For the most part, I savor the time I spend cuddling with my spit-up scented, chubby baby.  The weeks are flying by...