Checking In: The First Two Weeks

Hey you guys! Thank you for bearing with me the last couple of weeks since Emmett was born (he officially turns two weeks tomorrow). Although the blog has stayed active with some prescheduled posts from me and some really great content from our Lifestyle Contributor Jen, I have definitely been less responsive than normal with replying to emails, engaging in blog and social media comments, and actively participating in other aspects of my daily schedule. It's funny because when Essley was born, I had plans to take a three-week maternity leave from the blog, card shop, and freelance work and only work part-time for a couple of weeks after that, but I ended up going back to working pretty full time after just two weeks. This time, I thought I was being more realistic by scheduling a two-week maternity leave, but ultimately I ended up taking a week off, and started back this past Monday with a full-time schedule again. When you own your own business, and especially when you work from home, maternity leave can be tricky. And when you couple that with the fact that your husband works for a band who has a full tour about to start up right after you have a new baby, the concept of taking time off just isn't cut and dry. I think I was so focused on just having the baby that I didn't adequately prepare in terms of looking at our family schedule beyond a few days after birth, so when I realized how quickly Robbie would be heading back out on the road, I knew that utilizing this last week of him being home to take care of the kids (so I could cram in lots of work) was my best option. I am so tired, physically and mentally, but this is just how it has to be. Ultimately, we're lucky we have the ability to work my jobs' schedules around my husband's so that we can take turns caring for the kids while the other works. And every time I look at Essley or Emmett, any feelings of stress or exhaustion are replaced by gratitude - because they are both so, so worth the challenges.

Now that I've mentioned the hard stuff, I'll talk about the sheer awesomeness of things for a minute. I am absolutely, head over heels smitten with Emmett Hunter. I posted something on Instagram a few weeks ago saying how I felt emotionally overwhelmed about the concept of possibly loving anything as much as I loved Essley, and many of the comments encouraged me to have faith in the fact that my heart would simply grow. And honestly, that is exactly how it feels. The first couple of days admittedly felt a little strange as we got to know this new person in our lives, but now, less than two weeks later, it feels as if he's been part of our family all along. Like his sister, he is not a fan of sleeping at night, but he's been nursing like a champ, becoming more and more alert and aware each day, and bringing so much joy to our house. Essley goes back and forth between showing him intense love and compassion and acting out. I know this is a difficult transition for her so we've been giving her lots of attention and involving her in the process of taking care of him. I can't wait to see how their relationship develops as both of them grow.

I could go on and on about the incredible emotional experience of these last two weeks, but for now, I'll just say that I feel happy and complete and excited. Things will be difficult on many levels as we adjust to having a toddler and a new, very tiny human to care for with our unique work situations, but I genuinely couldn't ask for anything more than I already have right now. Thank you for following along on our journey and continuing to read and support Bubby and Bean during this time of transition. And for those of you who have two or more kids (especially close in age like ours!), I'd love to hear your experiences and tips for the first few months!

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