I'm Overwhelmed and Loving It

So I think, after 2 1/2 crazy months, it is finally time to introduce John Christian Olsen. 

John wanted to get here sooner than later, but I think he kept changing his mind during delivery because I was in labor for about 39 hours.  Ah!  It sounds a lot worse than it actually was, I promise.  And lucky for us, Christian has an aunt that is a nurse for labor and delivery in the hospital we delivered at.  Thanks Aunt Helen!

It was going so slow that I didn't actually believe I was in labor (despite the insane pain and lack of sleep) until about 33 hours in.  But John finally came, and the hard part went really fast.  He was born on 1/11/11 at 5:35 pm.  He was 6 lbs and 7 oz and came out healthy.   Though he had a hard time breathing at first, he quickly got the hang of it.

I loved being a mommy again!  And this time, I only had one baby in one room to focus all of my attention on.  It was almost like I didn't know what to do with myself for the first few days.  I ran around my hospital room and organized my saltine crackers while he slept.  So stupid, really, I wish I would have just slept the WHOLE time!!!

The girls came to visit him in the hospital the day after he was born.  It was an instant shift in personalities for both of them.  Ashley suddenly wanted to be more like a baby.  And Elysha suddenly wanted to be more like a mommy.  She held John and just glowed. 

Over the next few weeks, they quickly got comfortable with him.  Ashley now LOVES to hold him and she especially enjoys feeding him bottles.  Because John was slightly premature, he hadn't quite got the hang of nursing yet.  Hence the following picture.... my poor children.  That's probably TMI, but oh well, it was hilarious.

 Ashley is just the light of my life right now.  She really can sense when I start to get stressed and she will come give me a hug and pat my back and just make it all worth it.  I really don't know how I got so lucky to have her and her sweet spirit in my home.

She is in the process of being potty trained right now!  Her and Elysha got potties a few weeks ago.  Yesterday, Ashley just pulled down her pants and decided to go!  I did some intense training with her until bed and she has only had one accident since about noon yesterday.  Crazy girl almost killed me!  But that's another story...

John is a sweet baby.  He basically has the personality of his daddy, the looks of his Uncle Nathan, and the temper of... well I won't say who.  :) 

He really is a patient baby.  I think he is just a little gassy and uncomfortable.  He will squirm and wiggle and try and get comfortable for about 10-20 minutes before he actually starts crying.  But once he starts... it doesn't end until he is asleep and passed out. 

The good news is:  I am getting more sleep at night than I did with the girls!  The bad news is:  I am doing WAY more during the day than I did with the girls.  It's not peaceful laundry folding anymore.  It's John in his carrier on my chest screaming while Ashley pulls all of the DVD's off the shelf and Elysha is dancing on the table.  Then the doorbell rings.  Yep, true story. 

But, he is a super baby.  Literally.  He rolled over when he was 4 weeks old.  And he's done it twice since.  If you hold his hands, he can push himself up onto his feet and kind of balance there and COMPLETELY hold himself up.  I'm sure by the time he turns 1 he will be able to lift our car off of the ground.  I'm sure of it. 

Elysha is my little princess.  She loves to be beautiful!  She got so excited when we were potty training yesterday.  She loved dressing herself in pretty princesses and tinkerbell fairies all day long.  Sadly, she was still having a lot of accidents today.  She wants to go on the potty so bad!  She would talk about it and get so excited and run over to her potty and sit there for an hour playing with her doll. 

At lunch, 2 minutes after she got up off her potty, she started having an accident.  She was running full speed to her potty with pee flying out behind her.  She got her pants down and sat, but then realized she was too late.  She started bawling and got up and hugged me saying "sorry mommy!  sorry!"  I felt so bad, I decided that we are done training.  If she wants to do it, she can, but she doesn't need me pushing her and making her feel bad. 



So, I just wanted to write this because... I want to be honest.  This has been really hard for me to have 3 kids under the age of 2 years old.  But they really are great kids.  I love being a mom and I love watching them grow up together.  Each time that Ashley pats John while he cries, each time that Elysha starts singing "I love you" while she runs around hugging everyone, each time that John smiles or does something new, I know that it is worth it.  I know that this is what we were supposed to do and that our kids will be close and will be there for each other later. 

If anyone else is feeling overwhelmed, I read a talk by Jeffery R. Holland:  Because She is a Mother.  He is talking about how it is hard, but how we are not doing it by ourselves.  He really stresses that being a mom is the work we are supposed to be doing here on earth.  And we are not doing it alone!

"Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones.... Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever."