Happy Birthday, Violet Jean!

Today is our niece Violet's first birthday...I can't believe a year has gone by already! This photo was taken yesterday by my Aunt Jean, when the family celebrated her birthday in Hollis Center, Maine. We wish we could have been there! My mom and my aunt sent us lots of pictures of the festivities, and it looks like everyone had a great time!

Boo at the Zoo

This morning, the boys and I packed up the car and headed to Boise, for our first official "major" outing. Boy did we pick a doozy! "Boo at the Zoo" is held at Zoo Boise each October, and I'd heard from friends that it is a "mob scene" - - basically it is a huge Halloween party for kids, with air jumps, face painting, loads of good food, vendors, and of course, the animals. I decided we'd arrive at the time the zoo opened, so maybe we could get ahead of the crowds. Well, when we got there, there were literally thousands of people already there. It was crazy! We had to park over a half-mile away (thank the good Lord for our Sit and Stand stroller!) and then waited in line for over 20 minutes (which is equal to about 5 hours, when you are three years old). Camden was quite a trooper, not once whining or acting crazy. We had so much fun! All of the vendors had candy, so the kids could trick or treat throughout the whole zoo. Was it insanely packed with people? Yes. Was it nearly impossible to maneuver a stroller? You betcha. However, we'll be right back there next year. Camden absolutely loved it.
As you can see, Camden took the face painting rather seriously. Once we were done at the zoo, we hot-footed it for Barnes and Noble, for story time. Featured today was Clifford, the Big Red Dog, which is all-important in our home, as Clifford is Camden's current imaginary friend. After the stories were finished, Clifford made an appearance. It was pretty funny, because when Clifford appeared, a smattering of preschoolers began shrieking and running for their mothers. Not our boy! He boldly plowed through the melee, and positioned himself right in line, so that he wouldn't miss his chance to hug Clifford. We had a great day, and I have to say that toting a baby and a little boy around town wasn't nearly as difficult as I feared it would be. It wasn't even difficult really; it just took a ton of packing to get us out the door. I'll have to work on my timing -- it was a bit off this morning.

Time to get dinner ready!

Just Pictures

Sweet little Griffin Peter

The boys, before bed

Check out my Robeez, Papa!

Griffin's new double-chin

Peanut Shell

I do believe my life has just taken on new meaning. The other day, I ordered a Peanut Shell Sling, and it arrived today. I never had a sling with Camden, but since Griffin arrived, I've been struggling with the fact that we are now in a two-story house, I'm running up and down the stairs ALL day, and Griffin also seems to like to be held quite a bit. With a rambunctious 3-year old, I need both of my hands most of the time. Anyway, this sling is made out of microfleece and is all one piece. Easy to put on, comfortable (important for my back), and I think Griffin will love it. The poor boy - - I've been trying to get him to nap all morning, and then this arrives in the mail about 15 minutes after he fell asleep. Silly me - - I actually ripped him out of bed so I could try it out. He never woke up, so I'm thinking that's a good sign. Now, all I can think about is how many things I can actually get done now. Yippee! For anyone interested, you can find the Peanut Shell at www.goo-ga.com . Here's Griffin, all snuggled up inside. Coincidentally, he is one month old today!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately, new baby and lack of sleep aside. We have tenants moving into our rental property on November 1st, and so there are just a few short days left to wrap things up next door. The floors have been refinished, the 3rd bedroom is almost finished, and the utility room is done. There is a ton of touch up painting to do, as well as a deep clean, and a handful of other odd jobs. Today I called Merry Maids and they'll be coming out on Thursday to give us a quote on cleaning the joint. Steve and his dad are next door as I type, putting a coat of poly on the bedroom floor. It is odd to think about that in a week, Steve will no longer have that house, weighing on his shoulders. Ever since we've been married, he's spend nearly every weekend working on something to do with that house. It will be so bizarre to have the weekend arrive and to be able to say, "What should we do this weekend?" I can't wait!
As you can see from the picture above, the boys took an afternoon off this past weekend so that we could visit the Berry Ranch and get some pumpkins. After that, we stopped at a local winery for their Harvest Festival. The weather was just perfect.
Griffin seems to have his first cold, I'm sad to say. Camden didn't get sick for the first time until he was 15 weeks old, so it breaks my heart to hear Griffin sniffing, snorting, and gagging, but I'm not completely surprised that he got sick. So, we are laying low right now, and I'm hoping in a day or two that he'll be feeling better.
I took this picture of Steve and Camden a couple of hours ago, when Steve got home from work. When I started preparing dinner tonight, Camden announced that he was going outside to "wait for Daddy". When Steve gets home at night, the first thing he does is play out in the yard with Camden. He's such a good father, and Camden loves him to pieces.

Be Careful What You Say to Chubby Ladies...

I believe I discovered the secret to post-partum weight loss yesterday. So I'm at the salon, having a very bad color job "corrected". My hairdresser and I are chatting happily, when she says, "Remind me again, when are you due?" To which I respond, "I had my baby three weeks ago." Her response? "Oh....sorry about that."
Nice.

Getting a Grip

I'm typing this morning with a sleeping 3-week-old in my lap, while trying to finish eating a lukewarm bowl of oatmeal and sip an already-reheated-in-the-microwave cup of coffee. Camden spent the night last night with my in-laws (they have a travel trailer out here), so I find myself with a bit of time to get caught up on a few things, and pull myself together. I'm still struggling a bit, trying to balance my time between a newborn who wants to be fed around the clock and needs me for everything, and a very active 3-year-old who misses his Mummy. I'm looking forward to the time where it won't hurt so badly. I really had no idea that it would be like this. I simply wasn't prepared for the emotional aspect of providing care for two completely different little creatures. I think the bulk of my struggle right now stems from the fact that I have been putting far too much pressure on myself these past three weeks to get everything done like I use to, rather than making adjustments where I need to, and create a new "normal".
I recently taped an article on the inside of my medicine cabinet, in an attempt to remind myself to calm down and let things happen as they are naturally meant to. It came from the September issue of Child magazine, and here is a small excerpt. It was entitled, "Confessions of an Imperfect Mother".

Looking back, I think my performance was mixed. In focusing on one child, I would often neglect another. What seemed like a good idea on Tuesday often proved to be a bad idea by the end of the week. I got tired. I was misinformed. Dare I say it? I was sometimes lazy. And scared. But now, 25 years later, with my children grown and raising children of their own, here is what I want to whisper in their ears.
Be patient. Nothing good you do for children is wasted. Some seeds simply take longer to germinate. Don’t be afraid. Your children’s success does not depend on you. It depends on them. This doesn’t mean you can retire to a bistro and watch their progress over an aperitif from a distance. But they want to come into their own even more than you want them to. Trust them more.

Phyllis Theroux

In other news, the rental next door continues to come right along. We had inquiries all weekend from potential renters. Steve and Dev sanded the floors, and will seal them next weekend. Our contractor arrives bright and early tomorrow morning to finish the third bedroom. We are right down to the wire, but it looks like it should be ready for tenants by November 1st.

I'll pick Camden up around 11:00 this morning, and then I think we'll head into the city for story time at the book store. Maybe we'll even stop by Daddy's office for a visit. I'm happy to report that after nearly a week of waking up every 1.5-2 hours during the night, Griffin slept for a nearly 5-hour stretch last night, so I feel like a new woman today. I am feeling badly for my husband and boys as they have had an unfit wife and mother the past few days. It is scary what severe sleep deprivation can do to a girl.

Time to get to some bill-paying and assorted paperwork.

Story Time

I had to post this picture that I took last night of Steve with the boys. Griffin looks as engrossed in the story as Camden does. You may also notice that Camden is in his Superman costume/jammies again - - he is knee-deep in a "costume phase" right now, and it is next to impossible to get him to put on actual clothes each day. He'd much prefer to wear his jammies all day long. We are currently rotating between Batman, Superman, and Spiderman.

All's well on the home front. Griffin seems to be entering a growth spurt and wants to eat all day long. I'm pretty sure our sofa is going to have a permanent imprint of my butt, because it seems that all I do is sit on the sofa 24 hours per day, nursing. Phew! This morning I am really feeling the effects of not enough sleep last night, but I'm pretty sure I'll live.

Tomorrow we have an appointment with the pediatrician to check Griffin's weight (he needs to be at least 7 lbs.), and for Camden to get a flu shot. I'm dreading that part of the appointment, because Camden isn't crazy about going to the doctor anyway, and I'm afraid a flu shot will throw the poor boy right over the edge. Wish us luck!

Still trying to fall into some sort of routine and I think we are slowly getting there. We've been out walking the past few days, and have been scouring the Treasure Valley Family magazine for fun things to do this month. I cannot believe how many great (and free, for that matter) activities there are for preschoolers. I think we'll also join a Mom's group, which will be good for me.

I don't often find (or make) the time to read, but when I was breastfeeding Camden, I read a ton of books. So, I'm happily reading again, since I spend so much time each day, sitting on the sofa! I recently finished, Still Me by Christopher Reeve, and it was really good. I learned so much about him and his accomplishments as an actor, prior to his accident. The real eye-opener for me was learning about his everyday life after his accident, and what it entailed. Now, I'm reading The Confession by James McGreevey. You may recall that he is the former governor of New Jersey, who resigned in 2004 after announcing that he was gay. He was recently on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and was so interesting. I really recommend his book - - I'm only about a third of the way through it, but he really is an amazing man, and a good writer.

Time for Camden and I to do a craft project, while Griffin is still snoozing.

Pictures

Here are some pictures that I wasn't able to post a couple of days ago:

Camden, shaving with Daddy

Griffin's first bath

Griffin loves his activity mat

Nana, Superman, and Griffin

General Update

My folks left early Saturday morning and we sure do miss them. We had such a great visit and I'm so glad they were here when Griffin was born. I just wish they lived nearby because I know we would spend a ton of time together. I'm already looking forward to our next visit - - I hope it is soon.

Yesterday, my sister-in-law stopped in for a visit, along with our nephew, Banzer. He's grown so much! I see him about once per week, but it seems like he changes so much every few days. He's full of smiles and has the longest eyelashes I've ever seen. We thought it would be fun to line the boys up for this picture. We are creating quite the little posse, I believe! Around this time next year, when Griffin and Banzer are starting to walk, we will really be in trouble! Later in the afternoon, our friends Chuck and Debi stopped by for a visit, with their kids, Aaron and Georgia. Aaron brought his old "big boy bike" for Camden, along with some hand-me-down costumes, which was right up Camden's alley because he is all about dressing up in costumes right now. They also brought us a brand new, never-been-used Baby Jogger double jogging stroller. I guess they got it a few years back when their daughter was younger, but never used it. It is gorgeous and is sure to get lots of use at our house. Yippee!!

Today I found myself feeling quite a bit more human. My dear husband saw to it that I got to sleep in for the past two days, which was wonderful. It really helped a lot. I was also able to get out for a walk with the boys today. I think pushing 50 lbs. worth of boys in a double stroller was a bit much, so tomorrow I'll stick to the treadmill, but it was great to get some fresh air just the same. This afternoon, Steve took us on a scenic drive, and then we stopped off at the river so Steve and Camden could do a little fishing and rock-throwing.

Earlier in the day, Camden informed Steve that he needed a shave, so of course Daddy obliged and "pretend" shaved Camden's face. Camden thought that was about the best thing ever.

Per usual, I have a few more photos to post, but Blogger won't let me, so I'll have to do a separate post for pictures.

Griffin is calling, so this is all for now!

My Boys

Thought I would post a couple of pictures from today. Griffin is having a hard time staying awake at all during the day...the poor boy wakes up long enough to eat and then goes right back to sleep. Unfortunately, around 9:30 at night, he decides it is time to be perky and alert. Last night, he actually slept for a 4-hour stretch (from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.), but unfortunately, Camden woke me up about 2 hours through that stretch, so I wasn't able to enjoy it!
I'm finding the most challenging aspect of this adjustment is that I struggle to find a balance in being sensitive to Camden's needs while he adjusts, and keeping his naughtiness in check. I'm very proud of how well he has handled Griffin's arrival, but he is beginning to show signs of possible jealousy over the fact that my time is now divided. I'm sure it will get easier with time, but right now I hurt for Camden.
Time to get supper started. Steve was able to get an earlier flight home from Arizona, so he should be here before I go to sleep. I really missed him this week and can't wait to see him.
Tomorrow we'll clean house and do some baking, and on Saturday, my folks head back to Maine. I wish they could move in! We are going to miss them so much!

One Week Old

Well our boy is one week old today. He is such a sweet little thing - - I just can't believe I'm the mom of these two wonderful boys. Camden has been great - - he loves his little brother and is constantly asking, "Where's my baby?" whenever he enters a room. He hasn't shown any hostility to speak of, but is having a bit of trouble in keeping himself from constantly poking Griffin in the face, or worse yet, on the "soft spot". I had to take Griffin to the pediatrician today because he was looking a bit yellow (turns out he is fine, just slightly jaundiced), and asked our doctor for some advice in dealing with Camden's constant poking. Hopefully it will work! Griffin has gained 3.5 ounces in 3 days, so he's up to 6 lbs., 14.5 ounces, from 6 lbs., 7 ounces when we brought him home. The doctor was pleased with how quickly he is putting on weight. As you can see, Griffin has the "family chin" - - very round and small, with quite a dimple in the center. He's as cute as he can be.
Yesterday, I had all of my staples removed, which was a great relief. They were pretty uncomfortable. This c-section has been much harder to recover from than my first. I think it might be that I was so exhausted and "drugged out" the first time that I didn't feel much pain! This time though, it has just been a little harder. I am feeling much better today though, so I'm happy about that. I even went for a short walk with Mum and the boys, and it was great to be outside.
Camden had a blast, sliding with Nana. Nana sure was a good sport, going down the tube slide over, and over, and OVER.
Steve is in Phoenix this week at an Army class, and we can't wait until he comes back on Thursday. Steve and my dad painted the old house this past weekend, and today my dad spent most of the day working on the trim. The house has always been white and didn't really stand out at all from the other houses on the street. We decided to paint it yellow with white trim, and then have dark green accents. It came out so nice, and today we got some compliments from two of our neighbors, so that was great. Things are really coming together on the old house, and hopefully we'll have it rented soon.
I have to say, things are going really well. I'm not getting much sleep at all, but I couldn't be happier with my boys.