One week.

Today Levi is one week old. Gah! How did that happen so fast?! This also means we have been a family of SIX for one week. And lastly (but certainly not least!) this means I have been post partum for one week. Which of course means I have been a complete emotional basket case for the past 7 days. Or as Joe likes to say, "I'm fragile". But first let's talk about this guy...

Because I think he's pretty wonderful. And totally worth all the work and exhaustion that newborns bring! A week ago I declared him the cutest newborn I had ever seen and I haven't changed my mind:) He has Charlotte's ridiculously large cheeks and blonde hair. And Isaiah's tiny lips and chin. And so far I haven't found any resemblance to Hannah. And I have spent A LOT of time studying his sweet face while nursing. According to my baby app I have spent anywhere from 288 to 376 minutes/day nursing him. (That's 4.8 - 6.3 hours!) That's a whole lotta baby gazing. Ok and some blogging and facebooking too;) Speaking of nursing he has decided that he can in fact survive longer than 60 minutes between feedings at night! This has been a wonderful change these last two nights!! [I knew I shouldn't have written THAT...now he's back to marathon nighttime feedings with hardly a breather in between! Oh well. We'll survive. And he'll thrive so it's worth it I suppose. He already has me wrapped around his cute little finger!]

Now onto this family of six deal. In some ways it doesn't feel that different. Levi has just blended right into our family. And thankfully all of his siblings adore him. They often fight over who gets to hold him. He is one LOVED baby brother. And in other ways it has been challenging! The logistics of fitting in nursing sessions and diapers changes into our family schedule hasn't been the easiest. And let's just say some of us are experiencing what I call "family growing pains". My once happy, super compliant four year old has decided there are many things she now HATES and refuses to do. Like going to dance class and wearing snow pants and going to the bathroom before bed. And the most shocking change has been her sudden dislike of skinny jeans!! Speaking of shocking, the two year old hasn't really had ANY problems with adjusting to being a big sister...yet. So far she is carrying on all life as usual style. I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop because it can't really be this easy for her...it has to be a honeymoon phase of some sort!

Lastly let's cover the hormonal mess formally known as Bear. See. The thing is before I have a baby I tell myself I am NOT going to be a mess. I will not cry. I will not feel like a terrible mother for paying more attention to the new baby and less attention to the older siblings. I will hold it together. Then I have the baby and all those lofty goals fly right out the window...right about the time we drive (very slowly) home from the hospital. Happens every single time despite my best intentions. It's those darn fluctuating hormones...that and all those children demanding my time and attention in my sleep deprived stupor. Its a bad combination.  

All that to say, I have cried quite a bit this last week. Most of the time for completely ridiculous reasons like...

-I cried because I cried right before delivering Levi.

-I cried because it was time for Levi's first feeding at home. 

-I cried because my baby is so cute. 

-I cried because I miss feeling a baby kick from inside my belly.

-I cried because Charlotte refused to dance this week and Joe made the declaration that her dance career is over!

-I cried because Joe said I looked beautiful. (And I know he is lying because I actually look like death warmed over.) 

-I cried because Isaiah's teacher said he "lights up" when talking about Levi. 

-I cried because my four year old refused to put her snow pants on for school (and to be completely honest I yelled too). 

-I cried because my two year old wouldn't nap. 

-I cried because I missed my husband (he was upstairs while I was downstairs for a marathon nursing session). 

-I cried packing up my maternity clothes (to get rid of them!) when I realized there were a few items I didn't wear this pregnancy. 

So pretty much anything can make me cry right now. Like Joe said I am fragile. But so very in love with this new little person in our family!