It’s been eight weeks since we welcomed Seth into this
world. Like his brothers, his birth was not without fanfare and a little bit of
crazy. Unlike his brothers, he was five days late and I was in labor with him
for over 24 hours. At 3:49 AM he was born via c-section after the doctor
determined his heart rate drops were enough to warrant getting him out quickly
(rather than drag it out for a few more hours).
And out he came—all 8 lbs 15 oz of him.
The transition from two to three has been easier in some
ways. I know what to expect from babies. I have a full term baby this time
around. He’s been a more content baby than the twins were. It’s amazing how
rapidly they develop in those early days when they aren’t premature. But in
other ways it’s harder, like I feel like someone threw me in the deep end of
the pool and handed me three kids harder. My mom stayed with us for three weeks
after his birth and the night before she left I could feel my chest tightening
as I anticipated trying to do this whole three kid thing by myself. So far,
I’ve survived.
But more than anything I’ve really enjoyed these last eight
weeks with him. Because I’ve done it before I know that these early days—when
he is waking me up at night desperately wanting food, yet also desperately
wanting to feel the comforting warmth of my familiar body—these days won’t last
forever. Soon he will be easily distracted while eating. Soon he will want to
move around and away from me, as he starts to explore his little world on his
own. Soon he will be like his older brothers, still dependent yet growing more
independent by the day. Soon he won’t need me nearly as much as he does right
now. These days of newborn sweetness are so very short. I know that now, and so
I’m savoring every last ounce of their sweetness.
When I was in the thick of the first year with the twins my
sister-in-law helpfully told me that while it feels like the season won’t end,
it will. What I didn’t have, that I now do, is perspective. I can see the light
at the end of the tunnel because I’ve been in this tunnel before. Weeks and
months don’t seem so long when you can look back on ones you have previously
lived. Often I spend my days wishing life would just slow down so I could savor
every new word uttered, every new developmental milestone hit, and every
snuggle that never seems long enough because now I don’t have enough arms to go
around. But time just keeps on moving, taking all of us with it.
So it’s been a good, exhausting, rewarding, and fast eight
weeks with our new little guy. We look forward to many more.
