3 weeks old!

I'm still here! Absolutely no time to update - we've had no internet most of the last week anyway (tsk!!), but it's back on now by the looks of it.

Managing with Neil at work is incredibly hectic! My parents came to stay with my grandparents nearby last Friday and they've been to see us every weekday since then. They go home tomorrow so today was the last day they came over. They came each afternoon and it was LOVELY to have their help with keeping the boys entertained and busy (and the dishwasher running!) - they brought me sandwiches every day too. Love my parents! I'm a bit sad that they're going home!

Not quite sure how things will go without my parents around to help! A couple of the days this week have seemed absolutely unmanageable, but I think those were days when I had added stress factors. Nathan's 3rd birthday was on Wednesday, which also turned out to be the day that Samuel started breastfeeding like he was starting a growth spurt (he was!), and Benjamin started cutting both bottom molars at once - literally all of a sudden they were halfway up through huge purple swollen gums, my poor baby! :( Benjamin literally breastfed as much as Samuel did that day, either that or he was screaming and crying continually, and wanting to focus on making the day special for Nathey, I found it pretty stressful. Last week (before my parents came) there was one day that felt completely impossible to manage. I thankfully don't even remember the details of it too well now, but I do remember the bit where I was in the boys' bedroom rummaging frantically for a change of clothes for the one who had merrily tipped out a whole cup of water over the recently-opened Christmas presents, while Benjamin cried for me at the stairgate and Samuel cried in his bouncy chair and I just sat down on Nathan's bed and cried, saying, "I can't do it Lord! I can't do it Lord!" over and over. It was the last thing in an ENDLESS line of difficult-to-manage things that day and I felt so much less ready physically than I had expected to feel. Anyway, at that moment I was completely overwhelmed and did not know what to do. But, you know, I pulled myself together pretty quickly and changed a boy, cuddled another, and nursed another, and I survived.

But it is hard with 5 such very little ones! :S

Health Visitor came last week and since Samuel had just been weighed by the midwife 2 days before, she didn't weigh and measure him that day, but she sent someone to do that this week instead. So on Tuesday, at 3 weeks old exactly, Samuel weighed 11lbs 1oz - ANOTHER pound in a week gained!! He's at the 98th percentile for weight which I think is a record for one of my babies, even over Arthur (who wasn't far behind that as a baby)! His length was funny though - somebody has made a mistake somewhere because he ws 57cm long and DEFINITELY longer than he was a couple of weeks ago (he's filling out the length of even his biggest 0-3 month clothing) and yet he was measured at 59.5cm at birth?!?! Hmmmm! I would think that the birth measurement was wrong, but she was very careful and thorough. It's different though, because they use a tape at birth, and stretch them on a flat scale with the HV.

Anyway, growing boy! He's doing his 3 week growth spurt right now but it's not too bad. He's napping okayish, mostly in the bouncy chair but also on my bed once or twice a day for a good 2 hours each time, if I can put him down without waking him. He sleeps most of the evening now from about 8pm if I nurse him thoroughly (with 5 breasts, haha!) around that time. It's just after midnight now and he's stirring next to me having been asleep since 7.30pm ish. I'm noticing this is becoming "normal" for Samuel, which is nice! After that he'll usually need a full change and feed between midnight and 1am (yep, he's fussing and sucking his hands now!) and then wake around 4.30am to feed. Neither of us really wake up since we stay lying tummy-to-tummy (LOVE that!), and he wakes again about 3 hours later - usually AFTER I have to get up for Neil to go to work. It's quite nice to get the boys changed and eat breakfast before he wakes up for the day.

Bless! He's sucking his index finger really noisily right now (and very contentedly!) - never seen him do that before!

I have photos, but no time! Soon, hopefully. He is smiling occasionally and once did a HUGE beaming smile which changed his whole face - gummy and broad! :) Like Arthur's smile I think. He is starting to coo like he is really wanting to communicate with me, but just the odd one or two now and again - soooooooo sweet! :)

I have a ton more I could say but I need to nurse my sweetie pea and go to sleep! Back soon hopefully! :)