Adjusting to life with two kids...

Phew! It's been a crazy few months around here! Between having a baby, life with a newborn, and trying to complete my current term for my master's degree, life has been nuts. I take my final test for this term tomorrow morning, and then will be enjoying a well-deserved three month break from school. Hoping to spend that time getting my feet back under me and catching up on all the things that have been pushed to the side... like blogging and cleaning. :)

So I'm now the proud mother of two beautiful children. We all know the Eskimo, and now we have a new baby girl in the family.

She's nearly 8 weeks old already and has been a wonderful baby. But, we all know that newborns require a lot of attention. A LOT. We are still in the period of adjustment with the Eskimo. He's fantastic with his new sister, but has definitely been acting out in other ways. So, I'm trying to keep him busy. For my first few days home alone with him and his sister, this involved handing him my iPhone and letting him play games while I nursed and changed her. It worked, but I do NOT want my son turning into a game-zombie at the ripe old age of two and a half. We're kind of anti-screen-time in this house, and letting him spend that much time playing electronic games goes against a lot of what I believe in as a parent.

I decided I needed to come up with something creative to keep him occupied while I was trapped in the glider nursing his sister. I got out a small plastic tub, filled it up with a couple bags of beans and some diggers, and bam! Instant construction zone. :)

I can't believe how well this has worked. The beans are big enough that he can pick them all up when we're done with a play session. He also found some stacking cups and incorporated them into his play. I also limit the time that he's allowed to play with this. We keep it in the nursery and the only time he can use it is when I'm nursing and changing his sister. He loves it. I gave him his own special place in her room to store it and he proudly puts it away after each play session. So far, so good!

Oh, and glad to be back, y'all. ;)