2 Weeks In With 2

Well, we have survived the first 2 weeks of being parents of 2.  People are right when they say it is a totally different thing parenting 2 rather than 1. And I say this even having ridiculous amounts of help and support.  We have 2 sets of grandparents here, a maid, a nanny, and of course the 2 of us! It should be sufficient but sometimes we still seem to be missing a set of hands! We got through the Bris, or Jewish circumcision ceremony, last Monday which felt like a big ordeal since we decided to host it in our home with 30 people and food both made by us and brought in from bakeries.  Isaac was a champ though and I think everyone else suffered more than him, as it's not a pleasant thing to watch. But, it was fantastic to be surrounded by our family and our newly made friends, all of whom have been extremely generous with their time, lovely gifts, and support.

Here are some pictures from the day.

 Our other preoccupation since bringing little Issy, as we call him, home is helping Eli feel attended to and loved.  I cannot imagine how he understands this in his small head of only 2 years.  He has definitely been more irritable and quick tempered since the arrival of his brother.  He has moments of tenderness with him though and lately even kisses Issy goodnight.  It will be an ongoing effort on our part to make him feel included and important.

Eli's had a few little treats during the last couple of weeks including these really cool wall decals for his room.  He came from school and I surprised him with big tow trucks and construction vehicles!  He was really excited and said with his Spanglish "otro tow" which is how he calls trucks.

And of course our parents have spoiled him with gifts of toys, new clothes, and lots of grandparent play time!  Eli's also gotten some play time with his cousins both from Lima and Bogota, as Alan's brother and his family arrived from Colombia last weekend to visit us and meet Isaac.

So with a lot of support from our families and our wonderful nanny, Salvi, and our cook extraordinaire, Rosa, we are adjusting really well.  Of course we are both sleep deprived and Alan is the one who has to go to work every morning completely lacking in the sleep department due to Isaac's every 2 hour feedings and Eli's recent bouts of waking up in the middle of the night.  We split the night time duties...me feeding and changing Isaac and Alan returning Eli to his bed 6 times a night and even sleeping on his floor on an air mattress to get him to stay there. But we fit in little naps when we can and of course looking at these two boys and anticipating what will become of them down the road makes it all worth it!

New Baby Boy

It has been a whirlwind of a week that was proceeded by weeks of anticipation, nerves, planning, and just plain waiting. We expected that baby number two would arrive today or later this week, but when the doctor told us at 38 weeks that the baby was still breech, we knew a c-section was imminent and that we would likely be planning a c-section ahead of time.  So we made a plan for a c-section that would likely take place this past weekend when my parents were scheduled to arrive to Lima.  But, this baby had other plans. As I mentioned in my last post, I was to be working on a birthday cake for a friend's son and that I hoped the baby could wait. I joked with some friends that as soon as I finished the cake, the baby was going to come and sure enough, I delivered the cake at 12pm last Sunday and delivered the baby boy at 9pm that same day.  At 4pm I was on the phone with the doctor describing the early stages of labor. So we went to the hospital for an emergency c-section and rushed to get my sister-in-law to take care of Eli in our house so we could leave.  My parents and in-laws quickly changed their flights and baby Isaac was born at 9pm on Sunday in a fantastic medical clinic in Lima. The care and attention was wonderful and my doctor was fabulous too. I don't have another c-section to compare it to but it seemed to go very smoothly. I was so nervous to have surgery, my first ever, and the experience of being completely drugged really frightened me and of course now the pain of recovery is in full swing but nothing I can't manage. I actually do have some pictures of the actual c-section so if you are faint at the sight of all things slightly gory, don't look!  Alan was photographer extraordinaire during the procedure.

Isaac is beautiful and calm...perhaps a little calmer than Eli was at this stage of the game.  He is also more petite weighing only 7 1/2 pounds, a pound less than Eli, and measures 20 inches.

We spent our first days together recovering in the hospital and getting back into the swing of breastfeeding and diaper changes and sleepless nights! Isaac met my mom who arrived on Tuesday and had some bonding time with papi too.

Now back home and settling into not so much of a routine but at least getting used to being a family of 4 now. One of the biggest adjustments has been helping Eli get used to his new brother. Of course he doesn't really understand it all and can be a little rough with his caresses but hopefully with time he will understand. He has mastered the shortened version of Isaac's name..."Issy" and is fascinated by patting his head.