THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Whoa, buddy, gotta be KIDDING me about those first couple of weeks! I cannot tell a lie: They were tough, I cried a bit, I was anxious, and didn't see an end in sight (patience is NOT one of my virtues). I felt like I was slugging through the mud, and couldn't figure out how to make things work right again. Having two kids is a LOT different from one, that's for sure!! I wanted to say this to document the difficulty, and also to make it public so that others who have or are going to figure out having more than one in the near future, will know that it ate my lunch at first. However, in the third week we've turned a corner. Things are looking up, I'm figuring things out, and we actually have a schedule that's worked fabulously this week! :) So now, needless to say, I feel a little silly for the drama that was me around our house for the first couple of weeks - hee :)

Okay, so here's an update in pictures and info, especially for family and friends who can't be here with us on a regular basis.

First off, an update on Jasper. My initial assessment about his disposition is holding firm (and I'm SO glad :) ). He's an easy going baby who only cries when he feels a cold wipe on his rear (who wouldn't cry over that?), is hungry, or is ready to be put down for a nap. Amazing kid. I keep thinking, "Lord, you are just SO good to us." I send up lots and lots and LOTS of praises for this sweet baby, because he's more wonderful than I could have imagined. Truly. I thought Bennett was an easy baby, but this kiddo takes the cake.

We're working on getting his weight back up to what it was when he was born. We've been going in every week to monitor this because he's been stuck at 7lbs. even for two weeks. He eats, sleeps, and functions GREAT in all ways, so we're thinking either he's just catching up late, or he's not absorbing the nutrients like he should (the doc thinks it's most likely the former, and nothing to be concerned about), so we're keeping an eye on the little guy.

He's getting stronger and more alert. He seeks out faces and sounds now, and attempts to hold his head up for a few seconds at a time, and also does the dreaded "lurch" move, where he swings his head, body and appendages in unpredictable places at unfortunate times :) Man, I LOVE babies!! This phase passes so quickly, I'm trying so hard to soak it all in.

He reminds me of a teeny tiny new puppy, especially when he fusses and cries. He has some pretty good lung power when he gets really good and mad (which doesn't happen much), but for the most part he sounds like a whimpering little pup. It's the sweetest thing. Bennett was a screamer and a half :)

As of this week, we've gotten onto our schedule and our little one is doing great on it, which is a great stress reliever for me - I like knowing what's going to happen and when :) Jasper is now waking up only once a night to feed, which is great, and about the same thing Bennett did, too, at this time.



Now onto my sweet Benito. Man, this kid rocks my socks. Having the baby around has definitely prodded him more quickly into the "twos" stage of life, where he says no just to say it, exercises his choices, takes pride in the little things, asks the same question over and over and OVER again, and repeats everything he hears. He's really had a mind-spurt since the baby has come home. There are some discipline issues we've cracked down on and he's doing really well now with adjusting. Bennett LOVES LOVES LOVES Jasper, and this is WONDERFUL for our family. He constantly "holds," touches, and "plays" with his brother. I thought Jasper's crying would really bother Bennett, and it does to an extent, but he's very accepting of an explanation about why he's crying, and goes on about his business (it's also very nice that Jasper doesn't cry much in the first place). We've had a lot of fun together this week since I really mapped out what our days will look like. We've even ventured out to the library, the park, and a walk around the block :) This kid is a trooper, and he really seems to be enjoying our "new" family (praise God!).

Bennett says and does the FUNNIEST things now. I love the two year old mind-set. The other day at Mimi's house he was eating a piece of cheese, and as my mom and I were talking, he got really quiet. I turned to investigate and found him proudly displaying said cheese (with bite marks visible) on the front of her brand new refrigerator. He'd go off to play with something else, come back, remove the cheese magnet to take another bite, then stick it back and go off again. HA! Today he was waiting to go outside with daddy and he said, clear as day, "I am SO excited!" And best of all, for the first time yesterday, when we were riding home after I picked him up from school, he said, "I love you, Mommy." I whipped my head around and looked to see the biggest, sweetest smile on his face. I've never prompted or taught him to say this, because I wanted him to say it on his own when he figured out what it meant and until he wanted to say it, so it was the sweetest of sweet things to hear it come out of his innocent little mouth, knowing he did it all by himself :) Goodness, I'm blessed!



And without further ado, some pictures of our two munchkins for your viewing pleasure:
(I've been messing around with our new camera and the software Michael downloaded on our computer - I'm LOVING the results!)


Our Sweet Benji







Precious Little J.