John William- Two Months!

Two Month Stats

11 lbs. 13 oz.

22.5 inches long

 

My little angel boy is two months old!  When did that happen?!  I held a brand new newborn the other day and I swear compared to her, it felt like John should have tennis shoes and a backpack and be headed off to school.  He's growing too quickly!

I think since I know that this is may last baby, everything is going triple speed.  Or, it could just be since I have three kids that things are going triple speed.  Whatever the reason, I am acutely aware that the days of a tiny little baby perfectly snuggled in the crook of my neck, are numbered.  And although I know that it's how life goes, it is horribly sad so slowly be leaving this chapter of life behind.  Suffice it to say, I am trying to enjoy every single millisecond with my baby John.   All the while, dreaming of a time machine to slow down time.  (Although truth be told, there are a few days we could just fast forward right through- due in part to the two dramatic toddlers going on teenagers in our house.)

These days John is smiling up a storm and melts all of our hearts when he does.   He's a happy little guy.  He tracks us with his eyes well when we come into a room, and definitely hears his sisters voices.  He grasps our fingers and my hair or the collar of my shirt while I am nursing him.  He is strong, holds his head up well, and turns it from side to side. He is starting to be awake more and more now and when he is awake he is very alert.  He also loves to snuggle, and I love that he loves to snuggle.  He really prefers to be held all the time if he could, but he tolerates his swing for small periods of time when we can't hold him.  His sisters lived for that thing, John more just tolerates it.  He naps swaddled in his swing, however.  And he'll sleep like for a few hours. 

John loves to be swaddled- it's pretty much the only way that he'll sleep.  So we swaddle him for naps and at bedtime.  The longest he has slept at a time was 8 hours and 15 minutes, which was an amazing night and would have been even more amazing had I gone to bed when he did.  Up until this week, he would go to bed around 8:30 and sleep until 3 or 3:30.  But all of the sudden this week he's up again at 1:30.  Still, he's regularly up only one time at night, so I can't complain about that.  And he eats, and then goes back to sleep.  He is able to put himself to sleep awake, but drowsy, as long as he has a full belly and has burped.

Jason and I think he's a perfect angel, and his sisters definitely agree.  The newness of him hasn't worn off to them yet, and I hope it won't until he's totally assimilated himself as "one of them".  I can't wait to hear them all talking to each other, and watch them all running through the house together.  John really is a good baby.  And he's our sunshine. 

oh no... i'm about to cry!

Emilie- Two Months Old!

Two Months Stats:

11 lbs. 8 oz.
23 1/2 inches

Two months have gone quickly by, and yet, it's hard to believe that Emilie has only been in the world for that short of a time.

She's all smiles these days, and I wish I had a good picture of her sweet smile for this months chair with the bear photo, but she just wasn't totally amused by my undressing, redressing and posing her this afternoon. Emilie is a happy little sweetheart, and remains to be laid back and go with the often crazy flow of our lives. She loves to swing in her little swing, bounce in her bouncer and go for walks in her buggy. Much like Marin, she loves music, always quieting down when her soft musical toys are played. She loves her mobile in her crib, smiling up at the moon and stars as they go around and around. She still spends the night sleeping with us in the bassinet in our room, but she slept through the night for the first time last night (woo-hoo!!) so once that becomes consistent, she'll probably move across the hall to her room.

We love to give her sweet little snuggles, and she especially likes to snuggle in close to our chest and curl up her little legs. She ends most of her days on an incline on daddy's lap, and many nights, this puts her right to sleep. She loves to watch Marin and Norah, and likes to be right with all the action. I think we might have another party girl on our hands! :) Lookout world!

Marin's First Photo Shoot

Over Easter weekend, our friend and photographer, Valerie, met us at my in-law's house and snapped some pictures of Marin. (It pays to know people :)) I once told Valerie that I wanted to have children just so she could photograph them. This is proving to be true. We love the pictures, and had to share a few. Thank you SO much Valerie!

Rockin' my childhood hat

You can check out more of Valerie's work at www.vwcphotography.com

Two Months Old!

Marin was eight weeks old on Sunday. She is now smiling up a storm!

Two months old means only one month until I have to go back to work. Ugh. Jason has now committed to taking the train with me the first day. I think mostly to make sure that I actually go. :)

We have found childcare for Marin when I go back to work. We were going to get a nanny, and in the meantime we joined a parenting network and through that found out about an opening at a day care near our home. So, thanks to a family who is relocating to New York, we visited the day care, checked the references, discussed it to death, and decided to enroll Marin. She will be going to a woman's home. She has a staff of 6 all of whom have early childhood experience, she herself has health care experience, and has run daycares for longer than I can imagine. She has raised 3 very polite children (all of whom we met) one of whom is a violinist at the Chicago Youth Orchestra, and comes to play for the children once a week for "music day". She comes with glowing reviews from all of the parents we spoke with; she is clearly loving and enjoys children; she has tons and tons of toys and activities for the children to play with; they take field trips to the park, and the library and the Old Town School of Folk Music; the other children she cares for looked happy and engaged. She wants to know all about Marin's favorite toys, her pets, her friends and playmates..... She's a lovely woman, and it's a good place for Marin to be during the day. But I still hate it. And for the record, the woman's house is a little too unorganized and crazy for my liking. A lot actually. So there; take that!

But Marin will be happy there. I really think she will be. And that is what is important. Now I have just four more weeks to convince myself of this.

To be or not to be a working mother (out of the home) is the hardest decision I have had to make to date. Anyone who has had to make this choice knows the pains exactly. For some, I imagine it is an easy decision. But for others of us, it is seriously difficult. And the kill of it is- there is no right answer. And I may never ever know if I made the right choice. If only I could have it all. If only I could smuggle Marin to work with me in my pocket.

Maybe I'll work on that in the next few weeks just as a back up plan. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my last 30 days of the good life. Of all Marin, all the time... all along getting paid.