Well, it’s officially been 2 weeks since Lincoln and I returned home from the hospital, and our days have been a mix of eventful and low-key. We’re all settling in to life with our newest addition, and enjoying the ride. Which is not to sugar-coat the sleep deprivation or occasional bursts of over-the-top whininess from the girls, but when I take a step back I realize that I have three beautiful, healthy children and the fatigue and frustration that often accompanies the first several weeks will pass before I know it!
Plus, look at how cute they are 
The first week home, Lincoln was basically catlike in his sleeping, by which I mean he slept ALL. OF. THE. TIME. (except at night of course) So when he was awake, I liked to give him something to stare at with those huge, Sissy-sized eyes:
His eyes might not be quite as gigantic as Victoria’s were/are, but they’re pretty close.
After some hardcore stuffed-animal staring, Lincoln was pretty tuckered out and took a little snooze:
Don’t worry, I only let the cat nap on the baby sometimes 
Maybe it’s crazy, but after sitting in the hospital Wednesday through Saturday, and then sitting at home all day Sunday, I was still sore but going stir crazy and opted to go along with Jim and the girls on their trip to DACKids Monday morning. Lincoln came along and slept the entire outing, of course.
The girls were super excited to revisit this indoor play area:
Later that afternoon post-naptime, we all loaded back up and went on a Babies R Us run. We needed a few things (namely Mustela’s Vitamin Barrier Cream – cannot say enough great things about their products!) and so it was a good opportunity to let the girls get out again, and also for me to use my wrap for the first time. It’s actually the exact same wrap that I wore and used all of the time when Victoria was a baby, but I couldn’t find that one and had to order another because I loved it so much:
The girls, trying out some little sofa-beds and stuffed animals:
Tuesday was a very full day – we started out with a visit to Monkey Joe’s, where Scarlett showed off her climbing and sliding prowess:
Once again, the girls had a good time but were overwhelmed by the sheer mass of other kids – I can tell we won’t be doing too many of these indoor play facilities too much during the summer when all the kids are out of school.
Back at home during the girls’ naptime, Lincoln had his first little sponge bath:
When the girls woke up from their nap, they were thrilled to see that cousin Meredith had stopped by for a visit and to meet Lincoln. Meredith kindly fixed the girls’ hair (french braids) after they got dressed, and she was repaid with a fantastic dance show
Scarlett, showing off her “real dancing” ballet moves (complete with high-heeled princess shoes, naturally):
Sissy, who is – according to her – performing the same move as Scarlett:
“No Sissy! You have to put your leg up like THIS!”
They are quite the pair:
Next, Meredith was treated to an authentic, salon-like beauty treatment as the girls fixed her hair. She was such a good sport about it, even when they EACH took a turn sneezing directly onto her face:
Right before bedtime, Scarlett busted out her new marching drum, tambourine and an old trumpet she has… and played them all simultaneously:
Wednesday was Jim’s birthday! However, by this point the girls were running on empty after working hard on adjusting to mommy having been gone and then me being back but having Lincoln, plus all our outings and just all of the excitement… they were wore out! So once Daddy’s birthday cupcakes had been secured, we mostly hung out at home. Jim was able to head out that afternoon for a massage, but otherwise we kept it low-key.
Jim headed back to work Thursday morning, and once again I opted to have a total at-home day. The girls and I enjoyed the quiet time, and played with their dollhouse, watched Lincoln sleep in the swing, and spent quite a while painting:
After two days with no action, the girls were all too excited Friday morning to have Amanda, Olivia and Judd coming over for a visit! They literally waited at the front door for a solid 10 minutes:
The girls all had so much fun playing with each other, and we were treated to a great lunch that Amanda brought for us (thanks again!!). We managed to get Olivia to hold Lincoln for a minute and I snapped a quick picture:
The only thing I didn’t manage to get was a picture of Judd and Lincoln next to each other! Oh well, I will have to remember next time ~
Lincoln had been majorly flipped around all week on his sleep, and had his days and nights severely mixed up still. On that note, my mom and Jerome did a HUGE thing for Jim and I and came over bright and early Saturday morning and let Jim and I go back to sleep for over 3 hours!!! When you are completely exhausted, 3 solid, uninterrupted hours of sleep is like a mini-vacation Thanks again guys, it was such a blessing in the truest sense of the word.
Once Jim and I roused ourselves, we spent some time lounging around and visiting with Nana and Papa. Sissy was snuggled up to Papa on the sofa, playing some iPhone:
Meanwhile, Lincoln spent his time staring suspiciously at Papa Oh my gosh, he looks SO much like Scarlett did as an infant, especially when he has this look:
Sunday we went to church and Monday was a laid-back day at home, with our next big event happening on Tuesday with the arrival of Grammie and Papa Wright, along with cousin Mikayla. The girls were looking out the front window since they woke up that morning, beyond excited to see everyone. After hugs were given and lunch was eaten, Mikayla settled in on the sofa with Lincoln while Grammie Wright (and Papa Wright too, as able) played some games with the girls:
“Simon says, ‘Raise your arms up high!’”:
I’m not sure what day this picture is from (Tuesday after naptime, or Wednesday morning), but Victoria became mildly obsessed with Lincoln’s little vibrating papasan chair and while I initially wasn’t going to allow the girls to sit in it (weight limit is 25 pounds and they are both 30), I just kind of figured “Oh well…” and said she could. She even wanted to be strapped in – at least until the buckle started digging into her legs:
Wednesday was the big 2-week mark for me, and I was officially allowed to drive. To celebrate, the girls, Mikayla and I went to Southern Prep while Lincoln stayed home with Grammie. I was a little leery, seeing as how the previous week had demonstrated that EVERY indoor activity place seemed to be packed, but was pleasantly surprised with how non-busy SP was.
Mikayla and Sissy in the foam pit:
Scarlett and Victoria on the teeter-totter… Scarlett was crying because some boy had tried to do it with her (the horror!) and she had wanted Sissy to do it instead:
But it was all giggles and smiles once Mikayla jumped on
See?? Apparently I didn’t need to worry about the chair’s weight limit, since it comfortably holds both a 30-pounder AND a 9-pounder
Friday night Nana came over and she and Grammie watched all of the kiddos so that Jim and I could take Mikayla out for dinner and a movie – in part just because it was fun to do, and in part to thank her for coming to visit and help out (she was a terrific help!). Thanks Nana and Grammie!
Saturday evening was Elizabeth’s 2nd Birthday party, and we all headed to the Peddi’s community clubhouse for a pool party.
Balloons!:
After playing with balloons and bubbles and eating pizza and cheese puffs, Scarlett was hovering by the cake until Erica and Emmanuel brought it out… at which point she took the hovering to a whole new level and was virtually pressed up against the table while Erica lit the candles. She would never dream of actually touching it (unlike Victoria who ran in when we first got there and stuck her fingers in the icing before I could even blink), but was dying with anticipation to get her hands on a slice
Before swimming, it was time to whack Dora – i.e. hit the pinata:
Swimming time! Since I was unable to get in the water (thanks to the c-section incision), Jim and Mikayla were on point in the pool, and the girls had such a fun time!
Daddy and Sissy (complete with chocolate face from the pinata candy):
Scarlett and Mikayla:
“Ready… set… go!”
Being caught by Daddy is the funnest thing ever:
Right before we left for the pool party, Aunt Jen and Uncle Dave had arrived. The girls had been woken up from their naps and were being super-shy with them, but once we returned home they warmed up pretty quickly. Playing blocks with Aunt Jen:
The next morning they joined us for church, and afterward we went to one of the girls’ favorite restaurants, Red Lobster. Victoria was practically falling asleep in the booth and so she headed home with Jim, Lincoln, Mikayla and I, while Scarlett went on a special trek with Aunt Jen and Uncle Dave to Target. She had so much fun and talked about it all afternoon and evening It didn’t hurt that they let her pick out a huge chocolate cake and ice cream to bring home! Way to go guys being the newly crowned favorites!
