Maestro

One of my favorite baby reflexes is the wide open arm flair. . . someone commented to me that it looks kind of like Frankenstein. We think Benjamin resembles a conductor more than a monster! Especially when he's in his "aqua lounger," conducting a symphony of bubbles, waves, and classical music.

Those fishies are pretty fascinating!

Sometimes big brother gets in on the conducting, but his version isn't quite as cute. He just likes to push all the buttons! Benjamin doesn't seem to mind, though.

Lesson Learned: Big and Little

I've learned several things since Benjamin's birth 2 weeks ago. . . first on my list: size, specifically, how small a newborn is and how big a 2-year-old is.

When Benjamin was born I spent so much time just marvelling at how small he was. I didn't remember just how tiny newborns are and I couldn't believe that Hayden was ever that size (actually, he was even smaller!).

As for Hayden's current size, friends had told me that when you see your older child for the first time after having the baby, he will look huge. They were right! Even before Ben was born, I was getting comments from people about how big Hayden was getting and that he must have gone through a growth spurt recently, gaining a few inches in height. When I did get to compare him firsthand to the size of a newborn, he really seemed like a giant!

It's pretty amazing what happens in the span of 2 years!

A picnic

We did make it out for a picnic on Memorial Day, afterall! When we got to the park Hayden had to check on Baby Brother and make sure he was okay. . .

Happy as a clam!

Then Hayden was off to inspect the duck that was looking for some lunch, too.

He offered to share some of his sandwich with his new feathered friend, who was very excited to gobble up some crusts.

Hayden came back to pose for a photo with Grandma and Papa. . .

Then we set out for a little hike (in Hayden's case it was more of a run) on one of the nature paths.

Like father, like son (spotting an airplane). . .

We even got to see some "wildlife"!

All-in-all we had a lovely time!

Just Hayden

Hayden is quite the chatter box these days. He's always been a talker, but in recent weeks his vocabulary and personality have really blossomed. I've been on a video binge trying to capture, document, and preserve just how he is right now. And I thought I'd share it, since it makes me smile!

Holiday Weekend Adventure

Since it is Memorial Day Weekend and all, I thought it was a good time to post these photos from our trips to the neighborhood park. Usually we spend this 3-day weekend hiking or camping or doing some adventurous trip. The playground is our version of adventure right now! And, actually, at only 10 days old, Benjamin has been there 5 times. That's pretty adventurous, right?

He's actually spent most of his time there snuggled up in his stroller while Hayden plays.

One afternoon, he did get a little tired of being shut in, so he took a little ride in the baby sling.

Meanwhile, big brother checked off his list of park must-do's: throwing rocks and sticks into the "river". . .

Trying to teach Maggie to fetch. . .

Going down the slide. . .

And requesting to go higher and higher on the swings. . .

Today, Grandma and Papa even came along, dutifully fulfilling their role as the grandparent paparazzi!

Maybe we'll get real wild and crazy before the weekend is out and have a picnic!

Benjamin: 1 week old

Just as I did with his older brother, I'm planning to take monthly photos of Benjamin with a special friend. I thought 1 week old was a good place to start the series, so here he is:

A second later, he wasn't quite so happy. . .

At 1 week old, we've already started learning some things about Ben. I must say that it's fun to have a newborn around for a second time. We're more laid back and we already know the basics of infant care (though we did have a few 2-person diaper changes until we brushed up on our squirmy-leg-containing skills!), so we can just enjoy our baby with so much less stress than we had when Hayden was a newborn.

At 6 days old, Benjamin had almost regained his birth weight. He was 7 lbs 5 oz at birth, dropped to 6 lbs 13 oz, and was already back to nearly 7 lbs 4 oz at his doctor check-up yesterday.

Our living room has turned into a disaster area. . . toddler toys, baby toys, the boppy, a collection of burp cloths and blankets. We also set up the pack-n-play to save me some trips up and down the stairs. I hope to transfer daytime sleeping activity to Benjamin's crib within a few weeks then we can take that down. And the day we came home from the hospital also coincided with the first thunderstorm of the season. Maggie is a complete wreck during storms, so we have to set her dog crate up inside. There's barely room to move in there!

Luckily I don't do much maneuvering in there--I spend most of my time just sitting on the couch! It's a good spot for Benjamin to eat, then we often just sit and snuggle with him curled up on my belly. It's funny, just over a week ago I was sitting in the same spot but Benjamin was positioned on the inside. . .

At this point, he mostly just sleeps and eats, but when he is awake he's so alert. He makes eye contact with you and he even intently studies the pages as I read him his bedtime stories (The Going to Bed Book and Guess How Much I Love You).

He's been a great sleeper, although I'm not setting any expectations for how tomorrow may go! So far, though, he goes to "bed" in his crib around 11 p.m., is up to eat at 2 a.m. then goes right back down to sleep. And then he's up for more food around 6 a.m. followed by more snoozing. Getting some nice chunks of sleep has been great for me!

He mostly only fusses when he's hungry or has a gas bubble right after eating. He also starts chewing on his hands when he gets hungry. He really goes to town on them. He's found his thumb a few times, but I'm not sure that I want to encourage that!

I got my first (inadvertent) smile from him yesterday. . . after nursing, I propped him up on my chest and he proceeded to fill his diaper, as a huge grin crossed his face for a split second. It made the fact that I was up at 2:30 in the morning much more bearable! I just want to soak in all those little facial expressions and squirms and yawns and coos, because I definitely know this time passes so fast. With Hayden, I've always been eager to see what was coming next. With Benjamin, I already feel sad for what he'll outgrow. I feel a need to document every single, tiny detail--that's fair warning to you for the next few weeks!

Homecoming

On Sunday afternoon we came home from the hospital with our precious bundle. It's crazy how tiny newborns look when you put them in the car seat and you pull the straps down as tight as they'll go and it's just barely snug enough. . .

Benjamin wasn't really a fan of his new ride until he felt some motion. . .

. . . then he fell right asleep!

We walked through the door just as Grandma was putting Hayden down for his nap.

He was so excited, I could hear him shouting, "Daddy! Mommy! Baby Brother!" from upstairs. He came down to meet us and the first one he greeted was Ben.

Hayden knew just what Benjamin wanted upon his arrival at home--his teddy bear, puppy, and truck and he ran to collect them for him!

After welcoming us home, Hayden did take that nap while Ben relaxed on the couch. . .

got acquainted with the pets. . .

took a snooze with Mom. . .

and, later, was introduced to one of big brother's favorite TV shows-- Curious George. . .

We're so happy to be home!