Sick Boys

The last week has been rough for several reasons.  Most notable is the sickness that has overcome our two oldest boys.  Benjamin was first to succumb to the evil stomach virus that left him puking multiple times from 2:30am to the following afternoon.  Poor Lance had his sleep interrupted since he is assigned Benjamin and Evan duty at night while I am with Sawyer.  It was so sad to see Benjamin looking forlorn and just not his normal enthusiastic self.    We thought Evan might escape the virus, but he also fell ill just a couple of days later.  The poor guy was so sad, he made me cry in sympathy.  Lance stepped up and slept in his room, taking great care of Evan through the two nights that he was puking.  


Of course, the other reason that things have been rough relates to the recent arrival of our third boy child.  Lack of sleep is catching up with me, and I find that I have little time to care for my big boys or do other important tasks.  I think I have made it out of the house just a handfull of times in the last month.  Although he is a sweet baby, Sawyer has the typical fussiness that the other boys had.  Sometimes he seems to be unhappy for the duration of the time that he is awake.  I have coped better with this than the first two times because I know that it will end, it is just another of dozens of phases that are to come. You just have to "ride the wave" dude!  When trying to cope with the stress I like to imagine myself surfing the wave, as cool as a cucumber.


Today Evan is feeling better and Benjamin is again himself.  I am thankful that we navigated these days and have come out relatively unscathed.  Despite feeling stressed, tired, and lacking in self-care, I am feeling competent with Sawyer.  I am not stressing about his naps, keeping his fussiness in perspective, and patiently awaiting longer stretches of nighttime sleep.  The ability to take care of all three boys by myself is another task entirely, one that leaves me feeling as though I am drowning.  But for now I don't have to have it all figured out, I will just take it one step at a time.  At least that is what I will keep telling myself!

Sawyer Turns One Month Old!

Today Sawyer turns one month old!  It really has been somewhat of a blur, at least for me.  His turning one month also means that I have gone for a month without sleeping for more than two to three hours at a time.  This is when the sleep deprivation really starts to set in.  I am praying nightly that he will soon learn the very important art of sleeping through the night.  But seriously, I would be happy if he would just sleep a couple more hours at a time.  But, alas, this is what love is all about.  It is not about me and my sleep, it is about Sawyer getting what he needs from me in these early days.  How hard it is to remember this at three a.m. when one is so thoroughly exhausted that the tears start to flow!


Sawyer is slowly starting to emerge out of his "fourth trimester".  He is awake for slightly longer periods and he seems a bit more aware of his surroundings.  He loves to be warm in a thick blanket, loves to be held (of course), falls asleep and stays asleep in his car seat, and has cooperatively accompanied the family to several local restaurants.  So far, his two baths have been a definite hit.  Sawyer is also a sucker for the warmth of the summer evenings in Texas.  


He is so lucky to have two brothers, but I sometimes wonder about his safety with them running around all the time.  Evan does not seem to be aware or to fully comprehend that we must be very gentle with Sawyer.  On the other hand, Benjamin has been very sweet with him and often tells him, "Sawyer, its okay", whenever he is fussing.  Its pretty neat that Benjamin will try to soothe him if he wakes up and fusses in the car.  In fact, Benjamin insisted on sitting next to Sawyer in the car so he could watch him.  This is a luxury I did not have when I only had one baby riding in the car with me.   


All in all, its been a pretty good first month.  I will not lie and say that it is easy.  Even with all of the help I am getting, I wonder how long it will be until I can return to some of the activities I used to enjoy.  I am too tired to exercise and running errands with Sawyer still seems so daunting.  Then there is the ever-present question in my mind, "How will I meet the needs of all boys at once?!".  The answers, I am sure, will come with time.  There will be a time when this is the new normal.  Until then I will just have to take it one day at a time and remember to pray.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Phillippians 4:13

First Bath Fun

Sawyer's umbilical cord finally fell off a few days after he was three weeks old.  That meant that it was bath time!  We were all interested to see just how he would react to his first real bath.  I thought because he was swimming around in all that extra fluid in the womb, he would take to the water like a fish.  It turns out that I was right.  He loved his bath!  When I say that he loved it, I mean that he did not cry AT ALL.  He became very alert, looking all around, and definitely seemed to take pleasure in the experience.

This first bath time has become a pretty familiar right of passage.  We have felt a number of deja vous  moments with this third baby.  However, this time we were accompanied by two small helpers.  One of the helpers was quite eager to join in on the experience, as can be seen in his cherubic little face.  The other helper was somewhat reluctant and unsure, but was willing to go along with it anyway.  I can't wait for the day when we put them all in the bath together!  How much fun!!

3 Weeks

The littlest Vaughn is now three weeks old.  Time has gone by quickly and yet slowly, which might have something to do with the broken up sleep and infrequent trips outside of the house.  Its hard to imagine that it has already been three weeks since I was pregnant.  I miss it, well, sort of....  Sawyer sure seems to be growing, and he passed his weight check on Monday.  His sleep has gotten a little better, as he is putting together 3-4 hour stretches at night.  I'm doing much better with sleep deprivation than I did with my first baby, but the negative effects are certainly noticeable.  I find myself frequently staring off into space and I am beginning to get a bit crabby at times.


Sawyer is a sweet baby.  I don't really know that many newborn babies aren't sweet, so maybe that's not so much a description of his personality but of the phase that he is in.  Anyway, he has not given me much attitude, which is more than I can say for his two older brothers!  Spending time alone here with him while the boys are at school is definitely quiet and peaceful, if not somewhat lonely.  It does give me time to reflect, organize my thoughts, and to write this lovely blog.  I know this phase is very temporary and I should enjoy it for what it is.  As I have learned, it will be over before I know it!


It really is true that Sawyer looks just like a combination of his brothers, as can clearly be seen in the picture below.  I can't imagine how cute he will be as he grows older.  After all, what could possibly be cuter than a mixture of Benjamin and Evan?!

A Stormy Evening

On Monday afternoon we all headed over to Amma and Papa's house for a swimming session.  It felt good for me to get out of the house, and I really wanted to watch Benjamin swim.  The day was pretty cloudy and it looked like rain from the time that we got to their house.  However, the dark clouds just hung around without releasing any wet stuff.  We've seen it here before countless times; lots of dark clouds and no beneficial rain.  The good part is that we were able to stay in the pool and Benjamin thoroughly enjoyed practicing his newly acquired swimming skills, while Evan honed his skills of throwing every toy into the pool for Papa to retrieve.  Lance showed up after work, grabbed a gin and tonic for himself and Papa, and the party was really on!


After swimming we gathered under the covered porch for a lovely pasta meal.  The dark clouds, Italian wine, and delicious spaghetti made me think of the brief time that Lance and I spent in Capri on our honeymoon.  That day the clouds were ominous and it rained heavily.  We had already eaten an earlier lunch but, due to the rain, we decided to stop in to a small trattoria for another lunch.  We sipped Barolo and dined on perfect spaghetti while the rain poured outside.  Meanwhile, back in Austin, just as I was devouring my spaghetti the rain came pouring down.  We all got a little wet but we enjoyed the cool air that the rain brought.  The lightning and thunder, coupled with the heavy rain drops falling in the pool, provided a nice entertainment for our meal.


When we were all about finished with dinner it was definitely time to come in, as the rain caused a minor flood on the patio.  We listened to some great "beach" music as the rain continued to pour outside.  The evening was finished off with another round of delicious quick pops courtesy of Amma.  It was certainly the most fun that I've had in the past few weeks!  I thought to myself that life might still be enjoyable despite the challenge of raising these three little boys :)

Celebrating Independence

The day started out with a morning parade that granmom, grandad, Lance and the boys attended while I took care of Sawyer at home.  They described it as a small parade, without floats and with only one fire engine.  To make up for this lack of grandness, candy was thrown to the bystanders.  Of course, this made Benjamin and Evan huge fans!  Who knew that 4th of July would also involve a large bag of candy to be doled out over the next month.  What joy!


This holiday will be remembered for a very important milestone; Benjamin finally took the plunge and learned how to swim on his own!  Something happened that allowed him to feel safe with his head in the water and he wanted to swim over and over again.  I was so proud of him and it was great to be there to share in his excitement.  He was so proud of himself and so were we!  Sawyer just hung out and enjoyed the warm outdoor air, settling in for a couple of long naps.  Papa cooked some delicious burgers, followed up by Amma's yummy Fourth of July quick pops.

Two Weeks

Our life as a family of five has entered its third week.  I am surprised at how quickly I have recovered from surgery, and how eager I feel about getting back to our old routines.  I want the boys to feel that life as usual will continue, so they have a sense of stability.  I also want to believe for myself that I can go about life as I did before, with just a little more effort!  


Lance and I had our second weekend without help since Sawyer was born.  It did not seem like such a huge task as I had imagined, but it was no picnic!  The experience definitely reminded me of the terms "juggling act" and "three ring circus".  However, as experienced parents of two children, Lance and I were able to divide tasks and make it through the day.  We even got out and about for some errands.  At times I felt as though we were owners of a small preschool, taking our students out for a field trip.  The days were finished off by dining experiences at Subway and BJ's.  Thankfully, Sawyer has slept very well in his carseat.  


In other news, Benjamin earned some pet fish by getting 100 stars on his behavior chart!  I'm just glad that we talked him out of the hamster.