An Elephant Always Remembers

Well, it's barely been 2 1/2 years since I first did all this newborn baby stuff, so you would think it would all be fresh on my mind. I'm quickly discovering that there are a few things I had already forgotten.

- I forgot how many diaper changes accompany this new little one. And they are usually in quick succession (sometimes as frequently as one before eating, another between sides, another after eating...can mean 3 diapers in a span of 20-30 minutes)

- I forgot how hard it is to keep a newborn awake to get in a full feeding, especially in the middle of the night. Usually, I can't even keep myself awake much less Sam! But, the efforts pay off when he slumbers for another good 4 1/2 hours before waking again to eat!

- I forgot how much stuff you feel like you must tote around with your newborn. How quickly I got accustomed to the lightweight backpack with a diaper and a juice box in it! (Or if you are really trying to simplify tossing those things in your purse!)

- I forgot how easily poop can find its way onto your clothes and anything else in a 2 foot radius of a breastfed babe!

- I forgot how much laundry these little people require. It's very rare that Jack has to change his clothes mid-day, but Sam can and has worn 3 different outfits in a given day due to some sort of mess (erupting from the top or bottom).

- I forgot what an accomplishment it can be to get a shower during the day, and how it can make you feel like a completely different person. I usually dread getting ready. I hate drying my hair, picking out clothes...all of it. These days as rushed or hectic as it can be, this time is a reminder that albeit one of my most important responsibilities, I'm more than just a nurturer and caregiver to two little people and one big person :)...I'm still me too!

In addition to these revelations, there are a few things I don't want to forget!

- I hope I never forget how funny Jack is when he announces, "hold it." He sounds exactly like Javier Bardem's character in No Country For Old Men. (I know this is kind of a weird clip, but when he says "Call it" or "Just Call it" that is what Jack sounds like when he asks/demands to hold his little brother.)

- I don't want to forget that when Sam was a week old, Jack pointed to my belly and said, "baby." When I informed him the baby wasn't in mommy's belly anymore, but across the room in his nearby bed...it was so neat to see the wheels turning in his little brain.

- I don't want to forget the moment that Sam was born. About 2 weeks after Jack was born I broke down crying telling Josh I couldn't remember the minutes immediately following Jack's birth. Of course I was postpartum and an emotional wreck waiting to happen, he reassured me that it was completely normal. Because it was a somewhat stressful delivery with a prolonged pushing time, I was unable to formulate a long-lasting memory of it (or at least he explained as something like that...he's much better at explaining it than I am. Then again he was a psych major!) Anyway, a benefit to being the second born is a mommy with a much more experienced birthing body. I also made a conscious effort to formulate snapshots in my head of my first glimpses of this new life. I'm sure my memory will fail me at some point, but I hope I can hold onto this piece for a long time to come.

- I don't want to forget how overwhelmed I felt by the support we were shown by family and friends. I guess many of them knew how much help I'd need as a new mommy to two, but the phone calls, offers to help and the meals were abundant. My family feels truly blessed by those in our life.

- I don't want to forget what occured last week when Sam started accompanying me & Josh during Jack's bedtime routine. After prayers, Jack leans in and gives Josh a kiss and then me a kiss and then climbs under the covers. Without any encouragement he immediately leaned over where I was holding Sam and kissed him on the top of the head. Will he always be this sweet to his little brother?