Just cuz

No idea

Him: "Do all babies sleep this much?"

Me: "I don't know...my frame of reference is the same as yours."

Him: "Maybe we should ask Don and Barb?"

Me (pulling out the American Academy of Pediatricians Caring for your Baby to Age 5 reference guide): "Hmmmm....says here that newborns sleep most of the time. And that as long as he is alert when awake and eats well, he must be normal. Hmm."

A new era...

Sigh.
I suppose it was inevitable. I have boys. And boys,
for some completely unknown to me reason, are drawn
to guns. And anything that can be made into a gun.
Take that fact, and add my son's tremendous
negotiating skills (coupled with that irresistible face)
and a trip to the Dollar Store ends up ushering in a
new era in our household.
Zach has a gun.
I bought it for him.
What in the world do we do now?

Milk

Z: "Do I have breastmilk?" (holding pump flange up to his belly button)

Me: "No, honey."

Z: (pause) "Do I have soy milk?"

Me: "No, honey."

Z: (pause) "Do I have cow milk?"

Me: "No, honey."

Z goes off to ponder other imponderables.

Sugar Boy

Yes, that is my son eating brown sugar off the floor.
Do I really need to say anything else?

He's real

He fusses like any other baby (in case there were
any misperceptions out there) but is still
very cute when mad.

Peaceful

Growing Pains

So, our family is adjusting, for the most part, to our new family member...but as with any adjustment, change is not always painless.

A few of the pains:

• Zach asking when Marcus is going home (and not seeming very satisfied with the answer that Marcus IS home)
  
• Zach acting out more and more vigorously (those of you who have traveled this road before, tell me it DOES get better...?) with more and more time outs, more door slamming, more yelling...
• Zach told me last week that he was going to "cry a little" when he went to bed--he was feeling sad about Marcus being here (this broke my heart into a million pieces and I still cannot talk/write about it without tearing up)
• Me feeling like we're sending Zach away each day when he goes to Grams' and really struggling with the way that feels
• Post-partum issues seem to be in full swing for me...the tears are coming a little too freely these days but I've got a call in to my counselor
  
• Chris struggling with balancing two kids--and the stress that comes with it. Interestingly enough, up to the point that the hormones/emotions kicked in for me, the transition of one to two kids was WAY easier than the transition of zero to one...now I'm struggling more and Chris is doing much better.
  

I know we will get thru this relatively unscathed...after all, families have been doing it for millenia...but in the meantime, we'll take any words of wisdom or positive thoughts you may have to offer.

Brothers

3.23.08

Bubble sweetness

Some pics of Zach from Easter...what a joy to be a child!

Pics of Marcus

Looooong overdue, I know. :)

Isn't he CUTE?!

Still cute, even when he's mad

In NICU, March 15, 2008
(that's his IV)

Catching rays under the billi lights

He's here!

Introducing Marcus Samuel...the latest and greatest member of our family!

Born 3.14.08 at 8:10 AM, 7 pounds 9 ounces, 20 inches long. He's amazingly perfect.

And Zachary couldn't be a prouder big brother.

Well...this is it

I'm headed to bed soon for the last nite I will ever be pregnant in this lifetime.

In approximately 10 hours, our family will have increased in size by 25%. Life as we currently know it will be irreversibly changed. This is big stuff.

No wonder I'm a bit of an emotional wreck. I can still blame it on pregnancy hormones tho...

Wish us luck--we'll update as soon as we're able.

Zachary hath spoken...

And the name of the baby shall be:

Puzzle if it's a boy

or

Nuzzle if it's a girl.

Fooky D'winture

Zach's latest favorite game.

Spooky Adventure. Involves a dark house, little panther eye lights, Daddy, Octopus and the "cat rope." And sometimes the "crawlface" (crawlspace).

Don't ask.

Some of my latest creations

So, whaddya think?

What's this baby going to be? Boy? Girl?

Any guesses as to length and or weight?

No prizes to the winner, aside from the pride that comes from knowing you called it.

Completely hilarious

This cracks me up.

Showers, Tantrums and Contractions, OH MY!

I'm done. Ready to meet this baby.

Ready to be done with the contractions that are making the pressure on my bladder just THAT much more uncomfortable...the dumb thing is, I can't tell if they are just very strong Braxton Hicks contractions, or the "real" thing. Doesn't really matter, I suppose....they're SO irregular and far apart that I don't think they mean a thing. Other than discomfort.

Zach on the other hand...I'm not so sure he's ready for the baby to come...he is angry a lot, striking out at me and belly especially. So yesterday I asked him if he was nervous about the baby coming and he said yes. I'm hoping that he will be able to get most of these anxious/aggressive feelings out before baby arrives, but I suppose time will tell. I know it's going to be a hard transition for my boy who doesn't seem to transition very well.

Today my marvelous co-workers had a shower for me after school....lovely cake, punch, decorations, gifts....the whole 9 yards. I feel so blessed to work with such a terrific group of people...

Baby gift

We've yet to receive it, but I just have to post a little brag about the baby sweater my friend Kate has knit for this little one.... I saw the sweater on her blog yesterday and I can't WAIT to see it in person.

Now I know there's a reason I can't knit....cuz I have Kate. :)

Thank you friend. xoxoxoox

Fun at Kathryn Albertson Park

Last weekend we decided to take advantage of a
lovely day to walk in the
park and watch some birds...
we also ended up with a cattail for good measure!