Finding our New Normal

*Disclaimer: I hereby reserve the right to change my mind at any point in the near, or not-so-near, future.*
Thane is now two weeks old and I believe we're adjusting better than I expected. In fact, I think the transition to three kids has been easier for me than the transition from one to two. I remember when my mom was getting ready to leave after Bryce was born, I felt a small sense of panic - "I'll be alone, with two! How will I do it?" This time, when Kira left - though she was a huge help and we were sad to have her go - I was a little excited to be able to get back to "normal," albeit a new normal (the fact that we'd had company 4 out of the previous 6 weeks definitely played into that mindset). Other factors I think have contributed to the easiness of this transition include:
1. Thane has thus far proved to be my easiest baby. Get this - he actually likes to be put down! AND, he'll stay asleep if I lie him in his bassinet or his bouncer. Brilliant! He also sleeps very well, especially at night. He's consistently sleeping at least one 4-5+ hour stretch, and then goes back to sleep for another 3-4 hours to finish off the night. Strangely, he almost always wakes up at 3 am, regardless of when he's previously eaten. At church last Sunday, a sister commented, "Erin, you wear sleep deprivation very well." I had to admit that I'm really not sleep deprived, and that makes all the difference in the world!
2. My physical recovery has been rapid. I can hardly even remember being pregnant. ;) My lower back was really sore for the first couple days after I got home, but since then I feel great. I'm not too tired or sore or weak to take care of things that need to be done, and that's a relief.
3. I instituted a new "we're not going anywhere ever again" policy when I got home from the hospital and we've spent a lot of time at home since then. When we did need to go out, either Mark or I would stay home with Thane and the other parent would take one or both of the other kids. I've since rescinded that policy, but we're definitely keeping things low key. I think being home so much helped get us back into a routine and was especially helpful for Bryce (more on that shortly).
4. Bryce and Aubree are adjusting as well as I could hope. More specifically:
Aubree... I didn't have any concerns about how Aubree would adjust to a new baby and thankfully I was correct in my assessment. If anything, her love of Thane borders on obsession. She once commented, "Mom, I'm going to FILL him with kisses," and she takes that task seriously. She kisses him when he's sleeping, when he's crying, when he's eating, when he's burping... all. the. time! She's convinced that he prefers her over anyone else, and when he's upset she'll tell me, "he just wants me." To be sure, Aubree is a tremendous help. She's always willing to run and get a burp cloth, or a wipe, or a new outfit. She loves more than anything to sit and hold him and she spends significant amounts of time every day singing, talking, or reading to him. I've discovered that the biggest motivation I can provide is the promise of holding Thane - she'll do just about anything (and do it quickly!) if the reward is holding her brother.
Bryce... I had no idea how Bryce would react to a new baby in the house. It hasn't been a completely smooth transition, but through it all, Bryce has shown no jealousy or malice towards Thane. Like Aubree, he loves to give his brother kisses and joins in when Aubree's singing to him. He also loves to hold Thane and frequently begs, "I want to hold him!" If you ask Bryce what his brother's name is, he usually answers, "my baby," though he does know his real name.
The first couple days after I got home from the hospital, and especially after Kira left, Bryce was extremely clingy and somewhat melancholy. I remember one morning he cried about everything and was super, super sensitive. When I'd set him down he'd cry because he'd say it hurt his foot. He wouldn't play independently or with Aubree. For those few days, I constantly had three kids sitting right on top of me, and that was not so fun. Thankfully, as we've stayed home and gotten back into our routine, he's mostly back to himself (though he is slightly more defiant and uses the word "No" much more frequently). I wonder if he was more disrupted from me being gone for two full days than from the new baby??
Thane... As I mentioned earlier, Thane is a comparatively easy baby. He strikes me as older than he really is, and I'm not exactly sure why. His head control is better than I remember my other kids at his age. When he was just a few days old he started lifting his head up and looking straight at me when I was burping him. As newborns, Aubree liked to look at white walls and Bryce would stare at ceiling fans, so this is different and fun. As of last Friday (when he was a week old), Thane had gotten back up to his birth weight and is growing steadily. He no longer fits in the few newborn sized outfits I had for him. I still think he looks a lot like Aubree did as a baby, but he has dark eyes. He has skinny Winters' feet and less hair than the other two did as babies. He has a deep, raspy cry - it sounds like he's been crying for hours even if it's only been a few moments (reminds me a bit of my little sister, Katie when she was a baby). Perhaps this is a requirement for third babies, but so far he seems hardy and non-fazed. Despite conscientious efforts, he's been kicked, elbowed, squished, poked, and hit by flying shoes, and through it all he just grunts and stays or goes back to sleep. Not to mention all the singing and constant noise he's so far managed to ignore.