My Village

They say "it takes a village" when it comes to raising children. All I have to say after these past three or so weeks is that I sure as heck am thankful for my village. Corey, my parents, his parents, friends, and other family have all been crucial in our surviving these first few weeks (and many more, I'm sure) as a family of four.  My parents came in on January 27th, my Dad staying through the 31st (he unfortunately had to get home to take care of the other Lillian in our lives) and my mom for two weeks! As much as we were hoping that Ray would come on his own and avoid the induction, it was nice to have my parents here (without rushing), head to the hospital freshly showered and with bags packed, and most importantly to interrupt Lill's life as little as possible. With my parents here, she was able to stay in her own bed, and stick to her usual schedule, all while spending quality time with Grandma and Grandpa from Michigan. Each time they visit they have more and more fun together (which in turn means her asking for them more and more after they leave to go home :-( )

My mom's extra set of hands allowed Corey to head back to work right away and then him to stay home with me the following week. Turns out you can't pick up anything heavier than your newborn baby for two weeks after childbirth. Anyone who has had a 19 month old knows that it's not really possible to get through an entire day without having to pick them up and, hence, why my mom and Corey were crucial in those first two weeks. Since Corey has been back at work, his parents have been coming over on multiple occasions to entertain and play with Lill, or hold Ray, or do dishes, or anything else helpful around the house. Other family and neighbors have brought over dinner, sent generous gifts and just sent their general well wishes and are checking in on us. Ray is one lucky little dude to have such an awesome village around to help us raise him!

A belated Christmas morning with Grandma and Grandpa

Kisses from cousin Carter