Welcome December!

As you can tell by the pictures below, the tree is out, the house is decorated, and we're all set for the holidays.  This year will be another fun one, as it'll be Sydney's fifth Christmas and Corwin's very first (and my...um, twenty-fourth...he he!).

 

Sydney has been learning Christmas songs this year.  She's got Rudolph perfected, and with Frosty she gets about every third word and mumbles through the ones she doesn't know.  Unfortunately, she did receive her mother's overall singing ability.  Hey, I'm not much better, but I certainly can't hit those high-pitch ear-piercing notes, so it's a little more tolerable.  Plus I am conscious of my deficiencies, so I am selective about where I sing and don't sing, a quality Sydney has yet to gain.

Corwin is getting bigger.  He's already pushing 11 pounds, or the size of a small terrier to those canine lovers.  His sleep patterns are really anything but a pattern at this point...in fact they are sporadic as far as night time goes.  You just never know what you are going to get, and each night is like rolling the dice but hoping for the best.  Aside from that, he's a very mellow little guy who just loves being around us, staring at the Christmas lights, and living life (so we'll keep him).

 

We did a photo session with a photographer Karen knows, so we should have some fun family pictures to share soon.  In December Corwin will also have a photo session with Rebecca, who also took Sydney's very first professional baby picts.  We'll certainly have more photos than we know what to do with, but we want to make sure that Corwin (the second child) isn't left in the cold since it's typical for the second child to have less photos.  Of course, in this digital age, that is much less likely to occur. 

 

Well, we've been very busy with life and December will be another very busy month.  So, until the next post, have a great weekend!!!

One of his favorite sleeping positions!

 

Stimulus Plan Revisited

One thing is clear from Corwin’s first month of life…his arrival has helped to stimulate the economy. Almost four years ago, we thought having Sydney would be great for the economy. Just think of how many necessary items you need to properly care for a baby. OK, then multiply that by 20 to get an idea of all of the unnecessary items that are purchased for whatever reason. Put them together, and you have made a contribution to someone’s job somewhere (hopefully in our country, however unlikely). Although, they often make it seem that your baby won’t survive without the millions of gadgets that cave men certainly didn’t have.


We heavily supported the economy with Sydney’s arrival, but we always knew we wanted two kids. Although we liked supporting businesses, we wanted to be practical about ‘just how much we wanted to contribute.’ To that end, we saved most everything from Syndey. Tubs and tubs of clothes were stored in the garage. But, since we ended up having a boy, I think we’re onto the second stimulus plan. All of the pinks, purples, flowers, butterflies, and other girlie attire needed to be retired (via donation to friends or charity). It’ll slowly be replaced by other brand new things that are more rugged and manly, what every 5 week old boy needs to portray :).  I'm sure designs with flames and skulls, or chainsaws or heavy machinery are soon to come.

In real news, Uncle Nathan and the Family came to visit for an early Thanksgiving. This gave them all time to visit with the newest member of the family, as well as the most talkative blond member of the family…that’s Corwin and Sydney, respectively, if there was any confusion. This also gave us a chance to play with Lelend, who is coming up on his first birthday. All in all it was a great time, but as usual not enough time to do everything we wanted. Hopefully the next visit will come sooner than later.

With Turkey Day approaching next week, it’s good to think about things to be thankful for. And while I know I will be thankful for the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls on that day, I’m also thankful for having a large and caring family with great people.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!



"You know what I heard about Corwin?...
It's okay, he can't hear.  Anyway..."

"So, to initiate a sleeper-hold you must
put one hand here..."









Fun With Firsts

Since Corwin is relatively brand new, almost all of his activities are truly among his 'first' experiences. That includes this recent Halloween.   And while Corwin's first Halloween was experienced as an accessory (or appendage...take your pick) to his Momma, Sydney was sure she would give her third Halloween event every ounce she had to offer.  She excelled at portraying her Merida character, and she embodied the look, behavior, and passion for the Pixar beauty.  She worked the trick or treating scene heavily, and she was very successful in filling up her candy bucket (to the dismay of her father and to the excitement of her mother...we know where the candy will go!).  During the TOT event, Syd's costume actually came in very handy.  There was no way we could lose her in a crowd with those long, bright, curly red locks bobbing in and out of stores.


Nana works her magic and gets
Corwin to sleep.

Sydney is a very active Big Sister, and it is a title that she does not take lightly.   With great power comes great responsibility, and this is a new role she has relished.  She often helps with his socialization process...often reading to him, telling him stories, or singing to him in that awful off-key pitch she inherited from her momma.

Sydney is very helpful with Corwin, though, and sometimes more than we would like.  She functions as the wing-man at diaper time.   This usually means she hands off the fresh diaper, opens the garbage pails for the used one, and in general acts as a spotter.   While she would like to be more hands on, we do our best to keep her out of harms way.  Corwin does have a parameter that is designated as the 'hot-zone,' where random fluids can erupt unexpectedly in any given direction.  The trajectory is fiercely impressive, so we always approach this activity with great respect and caution.  Aside from her assistance during changing time, I recently let Sydney bottle feed Corwin for the first time.  She did great.  She kept the bottle in the right position, made sure his head was supported, and talked to him throughout the process.  It was a success, however it only took a few minutes for her to realize this was slightly boring for her endless three year old energy.


Syd feeds her bro for the first time.

Corwin's first restaurant
experience.

This was also Corwin’s first visit with Nana.  Nana made the trip from Montana to spend some time with the new little guy and his Big Sister.  She got to experience his very cool and collective nature.  While he doesn't cry much at all, he is prone to loud squeaks, grunts, and other random noises that perhaps only a yak would understand.  Sydney also got to enjoy making some cookies with her Nana.  Nana will return at Christmas, and I'm sure Corwin will have grown a bit and also improved his basic vocabulary, which at this point only includes English and a strange Italian dialect.

 

Happy Halloween!!!