Mama Challenges: I Can Do This

I have to write this post while I'm feeling the title... Currently, Zoe is at Boppa's house, Mike is napping, Max is on the boob, and I'm typing on my iPhone. AND the house is picked up. AND the dishes are done. AND there's a load of laundry in the wash. AND I even made a batch of

home made peanut butter balls for snacking. (Recipe later...)

Now if only I could shower, my day as a mom-o-2 (or 3 depending on how you count) could probably not get any better!

I need to write "I can do this" today, mostly to myself. I need to use today as an example. To be honest, the past 3 weeks have been pretty overwhelming for me. It's been harder than I thought to adjust to this new phase of life. It's hard for several reasons:

1. Lack of sleep- Max wakes up to eat at least every 3 hours, and eats for relatively long for a newborn. Add in burping, diaper changing, and getting him back to sleep- that's about one out of every 3 hours of sleep missed. Plus, trying to make sure to do all of that silently to give Mike the opportunity to sleep as well as possible. (Max sleeps in the room with us.)

2. Lack of exercise- Boy oh boy I am missing my old friends, endorphins!

3. Boredom/guilt- you're supposed to keep a newborn out of public places as

much as possible since their immune system is so new. But I can't just sit around all day, plus Mike has his 4 weeks of paternity leave (yay European company!) and we want to do some things as a family that are entertaining for Zoe. So we've done a few things like go to the zoo and B&N. It's so exciting to get out of the house...then as soon as we're out, I'm stressing because what if Max gets a disease?! It's been hard to balance his needs and mine.

4. Hormones/post-partum depression?

As I type the list out, again I feel a surge of "I can do this." All of these items are identifiable, and are getting better by the day. I got cleared by the doctor today to start easing back into exercise (yay!!) with the caveat to "listen to my body." Max is getting stronger every day. The stress of the new life is starting to make way for the stress of the new normal. Mike, Yaya and Boppa are all here to support me, Max, and Zoe. I don't have to do everything by myself.

I (we) can do this!

xoxo Phae