The Wilhelmsen Botanical Blog

So last week was a busy week as we transitioned from a family of 3 to a family of 4.  Thankfully Brandon was able to stay home on Monday and Tuesday to help me get used to the idea of having two kids as well as to be a kind of buffer as I learned what adjustments I would have to make as I juggled the needs of two kids.  Now, a week and a half later I am still a bit shell shocked, the drop in hormones is causing my emotions to run wild, but I think if I continue to take things one moment at a time and not look at the overwhelming big picture then I just might survive this big change and adjustment.  😉

We opted to head home from the hospital on Sunday, just a mere 24 hours after Lucas was born.  In order to make the concept of having a new brother an exciting event rather then just a huge change for Aiden, we copied an idea from my mom.  When I was little and they brought my sister home we had a “birthday” party for her.  She got a present for me and I picked a gift out for her.  It was complete with birthday cake and party hats.  We did the same with Aiden.  Aiden picked out a little elephant toy for Lucas and Lucas got Aiden an Elmo K’nex set.  We had yummy pizza and birthday cake to eat, wore our impromptu party hats, had a few balloons as decor, and we even sang happy birthday to Lucas.

During the party Aiden played a little golf and of course the party boy slept.

Monday Lucas had his first visit to the pediatrician (mandatory because we left the hospital early) and all of his test results came back normal.  Now I wasn’t there so I don’t know all of the details as to exactly what was tested but I am glad that Brandon came back to report a clean bill of health for Lucas.

Tuesday we tried to straighten up as much as we could and Brandon was able to go and get a haircut.

Wednesday I was feeling a bit overwhelmed but took things one at a time and did ok until about 6:00.  That is when Aiden got to where he’d had enough of sharing mommy and wanted more, More, MORE attention!

Thursday my grandma and dad came over to visit, see Lucas, and spend some time with Aiden.  It was a nice diversion in the day.

Friday I gave Lucas his first bath at home which I can tell you he did not appreciate.  Despite the warm water he was shivering and his little hands started to look purple.  I tried to wash quickly while at the same time attempting to soothe Lucas but in the end I just had to hurry and finish washing him so that I could get him out of the tub.

Here he is starting to recover from the trauma of a bath.

And now a return to normalcy (a fully clothed state).

Friday Brandon was off work again!  HOORAY!  So after Aiden and Brandon returned from the dentist we decided to brave going out to get some errands done as a family of four.  After a stop to Wal-mart we decided to get a bite to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  As you can see, dining out was an adventure, from Aiden’s roller coaster of emotions, to my needing to feed Lucas in public while sitting at our table but we had a nice time and delicious chow!

In the evening we (mostly Brandon) did a little bit of garden prep work.  We now have a fence up around the garden, it has been squared (we removed extra grass to make it a more exact rectangle), and we tilled it a little bit.

As you can see Aiden was a big “help”.  Any time a tool went unguarded he would hurry over to try and pick it up.  When Brandon was finally done with the shovel he stuck it in the dirt and told Aiden that it was his very own sword in the stone and that if he could get it out of the dirt then he could use it.  Needless to say, he was not strong enough (and Brandon knew that would be the case).

This is how Lucas felt about the whole thing…

Because Friday was such a success we ran a couple more errands on Saturday.  We stopped at the mall because I had something to pick up and then ran to Costco.  The trip went quickly and we made it home in time for some lunch.  Just before nap Brandon and Aiden put dirt in our little seed planter and then while he slept Brandon and I planted the seeds.  Here’s hoping it is a success.

Later that evening my dad dropped by because he was in the area for a dinner.  He took some time to be silly with Aiden.

Sunday we got all bundled up and went for a walk.  It wasn’t especially cold but it was windy.  Little Lucas was snug as a bug in a rug in his car seat (meaning he could not see anything and there was no way the wind could get in to affect him) and he ended up falling asleep during the ride.

Lastly, Lucas was smiling a bit in his sleep on Sunday so we took the opportunity to try and snap a few smiling photos.  The top is a partial smile.  The bottom photo we took because we thought it was a humorous expression and felt it necessary to catch on film.