December Candids

"That Giraffe is looking at me again"

Tasting the icing from...

 ...our paint your own cookie party. 

"Daddy, she is taking pictures again"

"Mommy, you want a bow on your hair too?"

Ready for the snow!

Don't they look thrilled?

"Don't eat the yellow snow, Daddy."

Amelia plays with her manger and animals for at least 30 minutes a day. She lines them all up in rows, makes them all lie down in front of Baby Jesus, and puts them in a circle at the "playground" which apparently is the left side of the table. A few quotes from her latest play: 

 "You want to go to the playground, giraffe?" "Mary is talking to the angel." "Ok, have fun mister monkey, see you tonight." "Everybody is in a circle"

 "Mommy, I want to read my puzzle book in the fence"

Contemplating sleep...

Looking under the couch for the lost green ball...

 Erica has started really interacting with her toys. She looks intently at them and flails her arms in delight. 

 And she sleeps, a lot.

Hard at work.

Green girls.

Loving the tree.

"Daddy, do you have a big shovel and I have a little shovel?"

 and of course, the purple face.

Cupcake Sisters

 Yes, I became that mom that likes to dress my daughters alike. I am also in love with The Children's Place clothes. I was mostly a Carter's mom when Amelia was young but these sleepers are so stinkin' cute! Amelia is thrilled to wear the same thing as Erica-she typically requests the same color at least since she (usually) wears actual clothes and Erica is still in the sleeper-all-the-time phase. Here's a short photo shoot of the two of them in their cupcake jammies-I would have had some great pictures if I didn't have to keep Amelia from excitedly squishing Erica. I need a personal photographer.

"Uh oh, here she comes..."

Gramma and Pa come to visit!

Gramma and Pa drove in from the midwest and spent a week playing with Amelia, cleaning our house, holding Erica, letting me rest, and general being VERY helpful! Thanks Gramma and Pa, you can come anytime!

First Bath!

Family dance party to Christmas music!

ATNR: kinesiology geekiness

That's Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex for all you lay folk. It is a primitive reflex that biases motor neurons towards extension on the side of the body that the head is turned toward. AKA, she sticks her arm out in the direction she is facing. Watch when I turn her head the other way, she flexes the left arm and extends the right.  Erica is a pro. 

Week One with Two

It's actually more like weeks One and Two...it has taken me a while to get to this post. The past two weeks have been kind of a blur. Thanksgiving, contractions starting, going to the hospital in the middle of the night, thinking I was progressing (I wasn't really), being in labor for what seemed like forever (although 20 hours shorter than last time), having a BABY GIRL!!!, 24 hours in the hospital, home to a sick Amelia, middle of the night feedings for Erica and nebulizer treatments for Amelia, cracked, bleeding, and very sore nipples (sorry boys), parents visiting, meals pouring in, no sleep, realizing Erica likes to sleep reclined-not flat, a little more sleep, lots of time staring at our beautiful newborn, blinking and she is a week old, breastfeeding group, survival mode, trying to figure out Amelia's emotional breakdowns, loving time as a family of four, not sleeping again. Phew.

First morning home, at least there is coffee in my cup!

She found her thumb...but only once.

Amelia was sharing her toys with Erica. So sweet.

One week old.

Cooking up a storm, her sink is full of dishes too. Must be a family trend.

Showing off her new baby sister to Cousin Tristan.

Mom of two. Not sure how people do more than this, I only have two hands. 

Watching the snow with Grammy

The Goggins.

Grammy and Granpy adoring their newest Granddaughter. 

Snoozing.

Amelia has only done this once, but it was pretty cute.

Amelia does want to include Erica, she doesn't quite understand why Erica sleeps all the time.

+1 and the Lies of Omission

As I sit here 2 days post the birth of my second child, and scanning the paper for holiday offers of 2-for-1 vasectomies and hoping the offer is good for me to use them both, I am reflecting on the lies of omission committed in the name of polite, social celebration of second children.

Take greeting cards, for instance.  Greeting cards come laden with words like "sweet," "adorable," "bundle of joy" and "precious."  While aptly describing the baby in the singular and in it's more serene moments, I feel the cards need a bit of updating:

• Enjoy you're new little vampire that drinks your sleep instead of human blood! (OK, maybe that can work for the first child as well.)
• Congratulations, it's WAAAYY harder with two!
• Child #2:  This time, you don't get naps!
• Man, put down the beer and get off the couch, it's man-to-man coverage now!
• It's not child*2 = work^2 = sleep/child^2, enjoy! (For you math types.)
• THIS time when you swear, there is an older child to repeat it.
• Two words: Alternating sleep.

For those nifty Mylar balloons, perhaps instead of a baby buggy, or teddy bear, or flowery bassinet; a huge, floating, bloodshot eye with the words "THIS IS YOU!" would be more appropriate, or a coffee cup with the words "Your new best friend," or any of the above greeting card slogans in helium form.

I know, I know, this is just a phase, and this, too, will pass.  Think of how great the older one is (or was before this one came along,) etc., etc, blah, blah, blah.  Look, writing is my catharsis, to shut up and LET ME HAVE THIS!!  (As I told my wife as she was doubting she could get through the labor, "Honey, I am going out for a beer."  I mean, "You can do this, and you don't really have a choice.")

Oh, and for you parents up with your first child, you have my sympathy, but let me be the first to tell you as I hand you a giant, blood-shot eye balloon, "It's waaayy harder with two!"  (And for my friends with 4-7 children, you are saints!)

And now, please be distracted with some pictures:

"OK Erica, ready to destroy these fools?"

"Mommy and Daddy, I OWN you!!"

"Daddy, I got this virus just for you!"