4 weeks and still breathing

We're doing alright, mostly because I've managed to avoid alone time with the kids for almost the whole month.  Erik has been off the whole month of January, which has truly been a blessing from a merciful God, since we didn't have any say in his schedule.  He's been so helpful, especially with Morgan, and it's been wonderful to feel like I can kick him in the middle of the night to go change Sam's diaper to give me a blessed 30 more seconds of sleep.  When he went back to school my mom came into town for a week, and took shifts at night keeping him pacified.  I never felt greater love toward my mother than when I realized she had taken care of my baby for half of the night so I could crash.  When she left, my sister came for a few days.  We've had meals for weeks from a slew of church friends and neighbors, and Grandma Louise next door has been available whenever I need help.  I think I'll have a total of 3 days alone until Erik is off again for the next 2 weeks.  All in all, I've had it really good.  Now for any of you mothers who are ready to punch me in the nose, please remember that next time I will likely be living away from family, with a very busy and sleep-deprived husband, and 2 kids running around (by the way, Erik thinks it's a very positive sign that I'm even saying "the next time").  Besides, God knows my limits - I think he's taking it easy on me this time so that I'll be open to having more.

Now, on to Sam.  He's had a busy few weeks:

• 2-week check-up, at which he was back to his birth weight and beyond and looking good - the jaundice is finally gone
• His circumcision, where he urinated all over the doctor, who hadn't brought a change of clothes that day
• His repeat hearing test.  I did a lot of praying before that he would be ok, or that I would be able to handle it if something was wrong.  We got in there and the audiologist explained what she needed to see on the monitor to indicate a passing level.  She tried over and over, for probably 10 minutes, and I could tell that he kept failing the test.  I was truly resigned to hearing aids and sign language before she finally tried a different size tip and he passed both ears quickly.  All that trauma just because the little device kept slipping out.  I was too relieved to even be cross with her.
• He's eating well, sleeping decently (every once in a while he'll sleep 5 hours at night), and even getting braver about those awful moments of nakedness that cause him such distress.

Morgan is doing a lot better with the changes around here.  She enjoys Baby Sam when she's not ignoring him, and likes to hold him and fetch his blankets and burp cloths.  She's been very clingy with me, probably afraid that she'll get sent away again, but at least she's taking naps again and no longer spending the majority of her day in time out.  

She's said some charming things lately:

• after looking at my stretch marks: "Baby Sam drew on Mommy!"
• after I finished nursing: "Mommy's chest is open.  PUT IT DOWN!"

 We've braved alone time with some poor parenting on my part; lots of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Elmo's World, and iTouch time.  It hasn't helped that she developed her first ear infection a week ago, which first manifested with a sleepless night and hysterics in the morning.  After she told us that her ear hurt, Erik checked her out and we got her some medicine, which she called delicious.  And then after a day or two we had to take her delicious medicine away because she broke out in hives and was diagnosed as allergic to all the -cilins.  Darn those Merkley genes.  

As for me, I'm basking in the luxury of very low expectations.  

Children alive, fed, and mostly clean/clothed: check.  

Mommy fed, clean, and clothed: for the most part...  

Laundry done: only when I run out of clean onesies. 

Dinner made: don't we have some more meals in the freezer?  

House cleaned: heck no.

Let's see how long I can run with this.