Hey everyone! Where to even begin?! I have so much to discuss. I’m thinking maybe I should just stream of conscious this for a bit and then fill in the gaps after?! Here we go- this will be all over the place…especially with my sleep deprivation added to the mix, hah!

We returned from the hospital on February 27th. I was elated to bring Tripp home and be back with Quinn. However I have to admit I felt an uneasiness as I walked through the door. I think more than anything I had some anxiousness about how Quinn would deal with the transition. But she has adjusted way better than I could have expected. We have some tough moments where she acts out as any two and a half year old does, but it’s rarely directed toward him. She is the sweetest big sister. She just loves her baby brother & helps pick out his diaper for changes, reads him stories, shows him how to crawl, tells him “it’s me” (meaning “im here”) when he fusses, and loves to just look at him (she frequently asks “can I see him?!”).

The biggest challenges we have had include: not being able to pick her up (initially with my recovery and now when Tripp’s in the carrier wrap), not being able to just stop breastfeeding to play with her, and we have some trouble with bedtime since Tripp tends to be awake and want me at the same time I put her to bed. Bedtime is probably our greatest obstacle right now. I’ve held onto wanting to do bedtime with Quinn since it’s one of my favorite parts of the day with her, but I may have to give up the reigns to DJ with how it’s been going.

Each day and night looks different. Even over a month in we have yet to find a consistent routine that works- I think because the kids’ sleep is all over the place. Quinn wakes up a couple times a night usually and Tripp was an amazing sleeper for two weeks but then some reflux and gas kicked in that has really interfered with that. Hoping we can get him sleeping well again once those are under control!

We’ve been blessed with the best support and “village” during this postpartum period. I especially felt how much that was needed this time around with two kids. Also I got a sinus infection that first week following delivery and DJ got a cold, so the help was all the more welcomed. Our church organized a meal train and brought by a meal every other day for two weeks. Some people in the church we hadn’t even ever met participated and brought clothes for Tripp and activities for Quinn. The generosity and giving hearts of our church family blew us away! Meals included various soups (these tasted extra good with us being sick), lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, salads, homemade bread, fruit, cupcakes and chicken pot pie biscuits! I barely had to dip into my postpartum stash of freezer meals a month out!

My mother in law, Gigi, has been so incredibly helpful and selfless with her time and energy. She has responded to our calls every time of day from early morning to middle of the night to help us out. After coming home from the hospital, she was over almost every day until my mom and Pete could arrive, she watched Quinn while we were at the hospital and for doctors’ appointments after delivery, has helped with dishes, laundry and has held sweet Tripp many times so I could give Quinn some intentional time, do a few chores, or take a shower. And she brought over a delicious bbq pulled pork meal and other food through the weeks. I also just so enjoy her company always.

Emotionally – she’s really been a huge support for me this whole past year through absolutely everything and continues to be now too.

We also have received the sweetest texts, beautiful flowers, cutest clothes and other gift packages to the house. Everyone’s thoughtfulness and care for our family has meant the world 🩵.

Many walked with us through a lot of grief last year & now it’s such a joy to share this happy, exciting time with everyone! (Including you all here!).

Now to Tripp. The expression “your first child shows you how deep you can love, and your second child shows you how wide” is so so true.

I treasure each moment with him and know how fast these itty bitty newborn days fly. I look at him and can’t believe he’s ours. I don’t feel as overwhelmed or stressed about the exhausting newborn chapter this time because I know it’ll be over in a blink. (Although I do still feel overwhelmed and exhausted at times it’s just easier to keep in perspective). I’m just really trying to enjoy it. We had a pretty stressful start though- Tripp had a misdiagnosis that led to a specialist referral that was entirely unwarranted, then we also saw cardiology and neuro because of some concerning symptoms that arose within his first week. He had an echo and EKG and his heart was healthy as can be, Praise God.

Neuro also was not concerned and said his symptoms should resolve by two months. Last week was the first week without doctors’ appointments, and it’s been sooo wonderful just soaking up our time at home with a sense of normalcy and the peace of mind that he is ok!

Some things that he does that I want to remember: he loves his hands up by his face and sleeps that way like in the picture above, he makes this little sad face with his lower lip that simultaneously kills me because I don’t want him sad but it’s also soooo cute, he’s super intrigued by the contrast books and cards, when he looks up from the carrier and studies my face I absolutely melt, he actually is soothed by driving (which is huge because Quinn hated the car!), he loves the sound of running water, and there is nothing cuter than his sneezes and yawns… Except some of the little baby noises he makes- I don’t remember Quinn being as vocal as a newborn but he makes some seriously adorable little squeaks and coos.

The weather has been all over the place. Getting outside for walks was imperative to my mental well being when I had Quinn, but it’s been harder this time. I walk about two miles once DJ gets home on the treadmill if the weather doesn’t allow us to get outside that day, but any movement feels great.

I’ve definitely dealt with quite a bit of mom guilt. Especially these first few weeks I really wanted to give Tripp the same type of postpartum period I gave Quinn: 24-7 doting attention, tons of skin to skin, endless cuddles on the couch together. It’s just impossible to do that and split time with Quinn, who I also want to be with all the time & set a good tone in this transition so she feels prioritized. But it constantly feels like I’m not giving enough to either. However, once Tripp hit the weight limit with the carrier wrap, it was a game changer to being able to play with Quinn while he sleeps cuddled close to me.

I’ve also felt guilty about screen time. The screen time parameters were pretty much out the window the first couple weeks, but we’re back on track now!

Our toy rotation has been working out really well! Quinn has been pretty well occupied by the rotating bins & activities.

DJ is just the best. He does so much for all of us, is going on so little sleep while working full time and never complains for a second.

How most of our days look right now ❤️

One night that I felt extra terrible from the sinus infection, DJ took Quinn over to Gigi and Gordie’s so I could just lay on the couch cuddling Tripp. Quinn drew this Dino on the etch and sketch! I found it impressive.

March 4th was our first outing as a family of 4! We went to the Stow Park. It was so much fun and felt great doing something normal for Quinn. Plus that day had the first hint of spring weather!!

Quinn was too nervous to do big slides just last fall but is all about them now!

This boy loves his bear lounger.

March 5th I took Quinn on a mommy-Quinnie date. We went to a nearby McDonald’s and I got her an ice cream cone. I brought sprinkles along so she could add them. It was a sweet memory for us both I think 💞.

Later that day, Tripp met his Aunt Kylie for the first time!! He and Quinn also got some time with his Sissy & Poppy too!

(Also we got a playroom couch since then so we no longer all have to sit on the floor- yay!!). Haha.

That week and the next we had to go all over Timbuktu for Tripp’s specialist appointments which all turned out just fine in the end ❤️. On one of our drives, we discovered an amazing coffee shop in Cleveland called 5 Points. SO. Good.

March 7th we had a hankering for pizza. We ordered from Decheco’s, our new favorite! Not pictured: the charred hot honey pizza, so gooood.

We went to Sweet Frog after!

I tried making oobleck for Quinn one morning, but she had zero interest in this haha.

Moose has been very gentle with Tripp. He has adjusted well, and doesn’t seem particularly affected by his new human. He did get noticeably less demanding with his constant ‘talking’ to us, so I think he knows we are pretty stretched right now. We are also taking him to Marie’s more in this postpartum period so he can get good exercise and play with his friends.

Speaking of daycare, we are still taking Quinn once or twice a week to give her a sense of normalcy & also for some days of bonding with Tripp one on one. It’s been good for all of us & Quinn actually asked to go this past week which has never happened! We’ll change up the daycare situation at some point with me not working now, but we’re trying not to throw too many extra changes at Quinn all at once.

I love these doctor’s pjs I found for Quinn from Old Navy!

March 8th we went to the library! Tripp was super chill the first two weeks which made these outings a cake walk. We just kept our distance from people and sanitized our hands like crazy.

Tripp has grown a bit a lot fussier the last couple weeks due to some reflux and gas. The reflux is actually getting so bad I’m worried he has the cow’s milk protein intolerance like Quinn did, but we’ll see (update: since originally writing this post, pediatrician confirmed he does have it, poor thing!). The treatment for that is for me to cut out dairy from my diet since he breastfeeds, so I’m glad I could go back to my post about what I used during that time to jog my memory of what alternatives to get from the store.

Overall though, breastfeeding is going well! Although it makes me ravenous. I remember that with Quinn too, my breastfeeding hunger is nearly insatiable. I stopped losing weight about a week after coming home from the hospital, but I’m ok with that. I really don’t want to lose much this time around because with Quinn it fell off so fast, and then I ended up needing to gain back 20 lbs to get pregnant again. I’m not trying to have to go through that again if we decide to have another one, but also just for my own health the weight is good. Any time I start feeling insecure about how clothes are fitting or anything else I just try to focus on how grateful I am that these changes are what made it possible to bring Quinn & Tripp into the world. My overall physical recovery has actually been easier than it was with Quinn, thankfully!

March 9th we took Tripp to church for the first time! Our church has a “quiet room” that is separate from the sanctuary to watch the sermon. We came in early and left early. Only a mom and her son were in there so it felt a lot safer than actually going into the crowded sanctuary.

That afternoon DJ took Quinn to a new playground! I am so thankful he had off a few weeks for paternity leave. it made a huge difference!

We did tummy time with Tripp for the first time that evening. They told us to wait about two weeks to start, which was surprising to me. I remember with Quinn I started right away. Tripp actually loves tummy time just like Quinn did. Actually if he’s really fussy, I find doing tummy time helps. The little man has good strength- he moves his head side to side and lifts his hind legs into Superman pose!

We found these awesome educational posters off Amazon that I’ve been using with Quinn. I find she interacts with them the most when I ask her to be the teacher and I pretend to be the student.

A couple times I’ve been able to get out for walks with Tripp in the carrier using my maternity jacket I got when pregnant with Quinn! It feels like stepping back in time since I took walks like this daily with Quinn.

My postpartum show of choice has been Severance and DJ’s has been The Office. Severance is the weirdest show I’ve ever seen, but I can’t stop watching!! I love the psychological element of it.

Quinn has been eager for walks to the park when the weather allows. One day she made Gigi and me mulch “pizzas”.

Emotionally, postpartum is a rollercoaster. I can feel the hormones dipping and shifting, but it helps knowing those will even out eventually. In general my perspective is very different this time around. I know all the difficult parts of having a newborn will be over in a blink. I don’t have a lot of anxiety either- my anxiety was definitely worse during pregnancy which was the case with my pregnancy with Quinn too. There is no greater joy than holding my two little ones.

March 13th Tripp met Kelley (Nini) for the first time! This was special as Kelley watched Quinn for some of our OB appts and has prayed for us & been such a source of encouragement through my whole pregnancy.

Yay for no coats on March 14th! that evening it felt like the whole neighborhood went to the nearby park. It was a gorgeous evening, and I met another mom I’m hoping to schedule a play date with soon!

March 15th Renee, Chris, Ender and Emelyn stopped by to meet Tripp for the first time 🩵. I always love watching the cousins play together.

March 16th I made pancakes to start the day!

That afternoon was Ender’s birthday party! Yes, Renee made that cake! She will never cease to amaze me with her cake making skills.

Tripp and I stayed back to avoid being indoor among a lot of kids with Tripp so young & with so much going around; it was hard not to be there, but DJ and Quinn had a blast!

That evening we had leftovers. I had a veggie bowl with tofu and orange sauce for dinner (I had leftover sauce from the orange chicken I made in the crockpot). It was so simple yet so good.

And my mom and Pete arrived that day! Can’t wait to share about their time here too!

Mackenzie