First I had a meltdown. Then I had an Epiphany. (More on the meltdown later).
So far Sydney has been a super chill baby. I have had an awesome recovery. I wanted to go a zumba class like a week after having a baby kind of good. These are two major blessings. The epiphany? I am getting these blessings because I need a baby to chill while I sprint down the street after a 3 year old who has scissors in one hand and a lighter in the other. In my life history this chapter will be called DEEP BREATHS AND PERSONAL PEP TALKS.

I've been really touched and humbled and blessed and more by the generosity of friends and Jason's coworkers. I could and should call everyone out by name, but even Sydney doesn't sleep long enough for me to blog about it. It is less about what people have done and more about what I have learned from it. Good people make me want to be better. The generosity of my friends has made me feel really loved and Jason's coworkers have been very kind. Can you believe one of Jason's computer-guru-tells jokes in binary- coworkers made this for me? Yah. I was very touched.

Another coworker sent this home to us. I am sure this took hours and hours of work. Again, feeling very grateful for generous people.

In my weeks before delivery I was in total list mode. I wrote Jason lists. I wrote hospital lists. I wrote meal plan lists. Smartest list I made? A list of things for the kids to do inside while I "recovered".  Since my brain is a wee bit sleep deprived, I am really glad I have that list. Today we made play dough and the kids played for hours while I cleaned up previous trails of destruction they had made while I was feeding Sydney.

All good activities come with consequences for me....Lots of cleanup. But,  that didn't really bother me until a little three-year-old took the play dough to his room with a rolling pin.....

Is it just me, or is my daughter a budding artist? I loved this painting so much I hung it in my room.

Isn't it funny how I can think my children are brillant at the same time they are making my life crazy? Noelle has been determined to do the monkey bars at the park all by herself. She carries full milk jugs around the house to "build up her strength". Then she made this playground (with monkey bars and a slide) out of Trios. (Awesome toy BTW. Lots of play hours and creativity. Just don't walk around the house with the lights off if any get left out).

My kids are extremely photogenic when they hold still. Even when they are half dressed in a ninja outfit and are going on second day hair.

This little charming boy......may have tried to clean up grass clippings from the lawnmower by using my vacuum. He may sneak out of the house to move the neighbors sprinkler so that he can spray people. (And the neighbor wonders why the brown spots never get green). He may have made himself a smoothie with caramel syrup and half the bowels in my kitchen, and his messes may have made me cry huge irrational sleep deprived tears, but he is teaching me a lot about pep talks and he is always good for a hug.