Life Without Meme

A week and a half ago, my mom finally returned to Minnesota after spending almost 6 months living with us. I was terrified to see her go and incredibly thankful she stayed as long as she did. The original plan was to have her come out to help us the month following Owen's birth. She extended her stay into mid-October because my " colicky " baby was tough to handle. When she finally did leave, I spent two and a half weeks with Ellie and Owen on my own during the day, and felt like I was drowning. My two babies are only 16 month apart. Pile on the challenges of Owen (which at the time we didn't know existed) and I felt like such a failure as a mother. I know plenty of people who have babies close together and manage just fine. Anyway, Owen was admitted to the hospital about 2.5 weeks after she left and my mom returned at the beginning of November to help us when we brought our sick little guy home. November, December, January, most of February, that is a long time to be living out of your suitcase! Now she is back home, and we miss her a lot, but I am sure my dad is glad to have her back!

Here is the good news, we are doing well without her. The days at home with Ellie and Owen, dare I say it, are fun! Ellie is good entertainment and Owen is such a snuggler! Medication has finally been able to calm him and his days are no longer spent screaming his head off. Instead, I have a constant side kick who is doing a great job helping me build up my bicep in just one arm. Two soft cheeks to smooch, available at every moment. A belly ready of tickling during every diaper change. Life is good.

Ellie has her own baby that she attends to while I am assisting mine. She dresses it in Owen's clothes, it wears his diapers, and does pretty much everything Owen does. Her baby is a bit more independent. She can put it down, she forgets to feed it for hours on end, and it sits quietly on its own while she plays. My baby is a bit more demanding, but is also much sweeter.

We miss having Meme in the house. Ellie gave her that name about mid-January after trying out Grammy, Ya-ya, Eh, and a few other noises directed at my mom. Meme was an amazing help to us. She is what kept me from completely falling apart during the first few months while the reality of my baby boy's life rocked me over and over like unrelenting waves. I wish she was still here, but I also love how much we are succeeding with her gone.

I really feel like Owen is hitting his stride. He seems so attune to the people around him. He is happy, he is eating, and he is tremendously loved.