I am loving being on maternity leave and allowing myself the time to enjoy both of my kids without the stress of work. We're keeping Aliyah in daycare three times a week, and so far it's been a good transition for her. I enjoy my time with both her and Isaac and am glad she's home for at least two days a during the week with me. It's fun to be able to play with her and work with her on math, writing and crafts. Though I will admit, since newborns rule the nest, I do find myself worrying whether I'm giving her enough of my time. I never want her to feel as if I am putting her second. Balancing the needs of Isaac with her needs and wants is something I'm slowly figuring out, and each week gets a little bit better. At the same time I'm also happy that I get to spend some precious one-on-one, newborn time with Isaac while Aliyah is having fun with her friends at "school".
Here's a few snapshots of what we've been doing these past three or four weeks.
I think it's a given, I could stare at Isaac all day. He's huge compared to Aliyah at almost four weeks, but he is so incredibly adorable.
Sebastian was able to take paternity leave for two weeks. This was a huge help since it made the transition of going from a family of three to four much easier. I also attribute Aliyah's ability to welcome Isaac with no jealousy to the fact that Sebastian was home and could give her some much needed attention those first two weeks. Even though he said he wasn't going to work, he did clock in some time from home. What a guy. :)
Adorable father and son moments. I'm always amazed at how well Sebastian falls into the father role, no matter what age our kids are. He changes diapers, he swaddles Isaac, he showers Aliyah with attention and he disciplines. It's great to have him by my side.
Candy Land is a new favorite around here. Often times Sony Baby has to play with us. This makes the game about 10 times longer than necessary, but it's Sony Baby. He can never be left out.
As I mentioned before, Aliyah has taken to being a big sister with flying colors. Most of the time she doesn't pay too much attention to her little brother, but she is quick to tell us we need to be quiet when he's sleeping, and if he cries she'll rock and shush him--and then come running to me letting me know that she's done so. She loves to hold his hand and give him kisses. I'm so grateful that she's been so good at sharing the spotlight. Especially when this little girl has received a huge amount of attention from Mom and Dad for the past three years.
Aliyah also celebrated her 3rd birthday earlier this month. I have a three year old? How can that be? One of her gifts was a package of about a hundred temporary tattoos and she was in love. If I would have let her, she would have tried to put all of them on at once.
And last, but certainly not least. We can't forget out "first son", Sony. This is pretty much how he feels about Isaac. No big deal, as long as he has a comfy spot to sleep. Interesting story: When Aliyah was born, Sony disappeared for three days. We thought he was gone forever, and that would have been terrible, because this cat probably means more to us and a cat should--but then again, he's a pretty cool and awesome cat. This time, Sony decided he didn't need to be so dramatic and stayed put at the house. Now if only I could get him to stop bringing tiny lizards into the house....
