So . . . You're Staying?

It seems that the major 'adjustment period' is over and now everyone is just settling into their place in the family. All of my fears of Matthew feeling displaced have subsided and we are carrying on like we did before Emily joined us! It took us a while to figure out our flow because I gave birth to Emily on the first day of Michael and Claire's summer vacation. Once I brought her home, it was a little overwhelming to have all the kids home all the time but after a few days of figuring things out- it was great. In the long run, having Michael and Claire home all day was the very best thing for Matthew. While Matthew was trying to get used to having a new baby in the house, he also enjoyed playing with his brother and sister who usually were in school all day.

Only a few things have changed in terms of the kids behavior since Emily has arrived. Most of these behavioral changes have happened because I have been too busy to follow through with my normal expectations/rules for the kids. For instance, if I tell one of the kids not to do something and they do it again, I usually follow through with some kind of punishment (i.e. time out, taking away their Nintendo DS for Michael and Claire) to keep consistent. Now that I am so much busier with four kids, I have been more inconsistent which means that my kids are testing my limits and not being as well behaved. We've watched a lot more television/movies than normal, I have a larger threshold for the kids craziness, and I am constantly giving the kids third and fourth chances as opposed to first or second chances. All of this not a huge concern of mine but it does make the day a bit more difficult! We are trying to enjoy the rest of the summer and not worry too much about the few behavioral hiccups we've encountered as a result of adding another baby to our family. It will work itself out as we gain some more order to our lives as school starts in a little over a month. Until then, I will trade some 'not so good behavior' in return for not having to pack lunches, wash school uniforms, and make sure homework is done. This summer has been a lot of fun. We haven't traveled a lot or done any major outings yet. But one thing we have done is survived the first month of a newborn successfully and for that, I am thankful.