The truth comes out...

I did not advertise such facts on the internet as we didn’t want to get, well, ROBBED, but we spent the first 7.5 weeks of Stefan’s life under my parents’ roof. That’s right… we moved back in with the rents! And it was hands down the best decision we have EVER made (other than deciding to get married and procreate, of course). You see, I was not supposed to lift any more than 10 lbs during the six weeks following Stefan’s c-section delivery, and Lowell was unable to take more than one week off work. So, Nana & Papa to the rescue! They took EXCELLENT care of all of us, and it made our transition to a four-person family WAY easier. Two to six lattes per day? Naps? Constant childcare at one’s fingertips? Meals and housework taken care of? Fraser’s routine covered?  Intense Nana/Papa/Fraser bonding? Nightly sing-alongs with Papa and his guitar? regular adult companionship/conversation? What’s not to love? The following images simply scratch the surface of how amazing our time with my parents was.  Fraser and Stefan soaked in tons of Nana & Papa time- starting right from the hospital...

 

EXPLANATION! My parents often randomly bust out their dance moves. This time they did so much to Fraser's amusement.

This photo also requires an explanation! Fraser frequently pretends to blow Nana & Papa away (because he gets such a good reaction out of them, no doubt), so they were hiding behind the almond bag in an attempt to avoid the powerful wind gusts. Obviously.

Yes. THAT IS STEFAN SMILING!

I realize it’s truly unusual for 30-somethings WITH KIDS to happily move in with their parents- or worse- IN-LAWS, and that makes me all the more grateful that we did so with much success. And trust me… we were in nooooo rush to leave. Those Hutterites sure have the right idea with their colony living. I wonder if Fraser’s development (speech and language growth in particular) would have been different had we not lived with my parents (which provided him with an insanely language rich environment). We have NO CLUE how many words he now has (?over 200?), and he’s combining them into 2-3 word phrases. Most of these words/phrases are not understood by anyone but us… but still. CUTE.

We've already expressed our thanks and appreciation a million times, but one more time doesn't hurt... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!!

Stefan slept legitimately THROUGH THE NIGHT on our first night back home (10:30pm to 7:30am... I know right? WICKED welcome home!), and both kids were doing amazing, but I felt horrible. I thought I just missed my mama THAT much, but it turns out that I had developed a nasty little case of mastitis. Nothing a few antibiotics couldn’t shake, however, and now I’m good as new, both boys are still sleeping well, and we’ve settled nicely into a little routine in our own home.

I have three keys for my success at home (thus far) with two wee ones:
1. Freezer meals. (Lowell is especially grateful for these, otherwise we would be eating eggs and toast every night. Or cereal. No joke.)
2. Mandatory nap time. (It's not an option. If you live under this roof, you nap, and so far both boys seem to be on board so yay.) (This is 99% for me.)
3. Live two blocks away from Nana & Papa and/or live with them for at least the first 7 weeks of any newborn's life (if not permanently haha).

There. Done.