autonomy!

Today, everyone was gone. All our helping visitors had gone home, Lou was back at work, and I was alone with my three kids. It was perfect timing.

I really appreciated having family come to visit—I was able to take my time recovering from the delivery, get into and used to a pumping schedule, get Veronica sleeping well enough that I'm getting some rest, and ease into the challenges involved in shepherding three kids around. All things I could never have done if it had been just Lou and myself post-partum. But four weeks is a long time to have visitors! And it seemed like it was confusing for the boys, as well—they always had two voices of authority in the household, often making different decisions; the routines and schedules shifted around; and, of course, in the back of it all was me not being able to be with them and tend to them the way they are used to.

So between the boys pushing their boundaries and me feeling like I was losing control of my own house, it was definitely time for all of us to get back to normal. And today went really well! Normal morning, both the boys in their gym classes, nice quiet nap time, watched a movie in the afternoon. By the time Daddy got home we were all pretty frazzled, but that used to happen pre-baby V, so I'm not too surprised by it. It is nice to be in charge again. (But keep an eye out for a future entry on what a micro-manager I am and how I really need to let go of the reins a little—I'm running the risk of becoming downright rigid.)