Baby Chatter...

some day it will be really chitter chatter of little ones as they play in the back yard... can't wait!

An OverWhelming Life

Lately I can't seem to get ahead on life...I mean it is a miracle to even get the necessities accomplished like the dishes done, groceries bought, kids bathed, bills paid, gas in cars, check email, blog, etc...Having our wonderful addition to our family has made things 6 times ( not 2 times as I had previously thought) harder to get stuff done. People warned me ---mostly my father-in-law--- that it would be rough and difficult but I never imagined that I would feel so defeated at the end of the day. Between nursing and then giving equal amount of attention to big brother there is not time to get other stuff done. Case in point, the floors in our house are DISGUSTINGLY dirty and need to be swept in a really bad way...I have been trying to get to it for a weeks now. I had forgotten how much time it takes to simply be a mom. Plus then you add in work, exercise, time for hubby, and wow that slice of the pie of time that used to be for me has gotten really really small. I miss me time...and hope that it will return in larger quantities soon. Olde and I have completely given up trying to get stuff done around the house when we are home alone with the kids and even though we are always apologizing for not getting stuff done to each other, both of use never fault each other as we know it is near impossible to even make a phone call when you are alone with the boys. And how Olde does it ---I mean being home all the time alone with the boys---I have no idea. I think I would go crazy. Maybe he does --although you would never know it---and that is why I come home to this some days...

BUT even though this is a hard hill to climb, I love every minute of it. Is that weird? I guess what I am trying to say is that when Young Old was born I did not know that part of my heart even existed.  I thought I knew what love was until he came into my life and that new way of viewing love was discovered. Once Old and I decided to have a second child, then I wondered how I would share that part in my heart with another being but what I have learned is that that part of my heart has gotten bigger instead of being split in two as I had expected---kinda like when the Grinch's heart grew when he was infected with the holiday spirit. Now if only time would grow longer to accommodate this new family dynamic.

So as tired as I am and sad that I don't have as much time for me I would never take it all back. This is my life and I love every minute of it! I mean look at him, how could you not?

check out the new skills in the bumbo chair

Goodbye Great-Aunt Betty Lou

I like the saying one soul arrives, another leaves...but that doesn't really make sense since our planet is now over populated thus making the saying seem really unreal. So I will stick with the idea that the stars twinkling above are the souls that have passed, making sure we are still doing all right---a story my own Grandma Betty told me once.

My Grandma's sister-in-law, known to us as Aunt Betty Lou, passed away this week. She had lived a very full life and loved to do many things outdoors and indoors but was especially fond of reading as she seemed to create libraries everywhere she went. She was a kind, gentle, and sincere soul, that was always easy to talk to and was thought of in our family as a sort of grandma figure.

Jasper always received gifts from her when she would come to our house---and not surprisingly books of course---as she really like the little man and even included a paragraph in her holiday letter last year about him. I am sorry to say that she never got a chance to meet Aram but I am sure she would have adored him as much as well.

I happy she is no longer in pain and my thoughts are with her family as the grieve her loss.

...so for now we say good bye to Aunt Betty Lou.

Here she is helping jasper put together his tent he got for his birthday last year---or maybe she is preventing him from stabbing her in the eye with the tent pole, either way she was always such a trooper with playing games and having fun with him.

A letter to my second son

Dear Baby Aram,
It is that time of year again when I have to go back to school. It is always a bitter sweet for me. I love what I do and it makes me feel that my life is whole but I will miss you tremendously...as well as, your Big bro and Daddy. It has been a wonderful 3 months together and I will cherish it as we go forward onto new adventures together.

I have really enjoyed learning the delicate dance of nursing and exploring your new world and watching you grow from infant stage of sleeping 90% of your day to becoming a baby where you start to explore your surroundings and fall in love with your family.

Although I will be gone most of the day, do not fret little one as you have the best care giver a son could ask for, your daddy. He is a great role model with kindness, fun, silliness, and best of all, a gigantic bucket of love for his sons. I will be there in the evenings to play, nurse, and to tuck you in at night.

You will also have a big brother to entertain you during the day. He is a great big brother and will look after you as you grow older too. Jman calls this part of the day the boy's bar---which I think his trying to say---boys only in the club. hehehehe.

So my second son have a great time at the boy's bar and know that I will be thinking of you A LOT while I am away each day.

Love your Mama

Rattle Time

It always amazes me when a new developmental stage is reached...here is one that makes life fun from here until infinity. Once a baby can grasp things, it is rattle time, finger grabbing time, and hair/earring grabbing time..you get the idea. J-man is loving that his little brother can now doing something besides sleep and eat and poop (although he loves helping change diapers) and tries to put things in his hands all the time. Time to teach Jman about appropriate toys for babies!

Aram has also started to put his fingers in mouth---or for that matter, any other fleshy thing that passes by his mouth. He will suck his pointer and middle finger to put himself to sleep even. The other night I was getting myself ready for bed in the bathroom before nursing him and putting him to sleep, and when I went in the bedroom, he was out, fingers in mouth and totally content. It is cute but man it might be a hard habit to break...not to mention a germy habit. ewwwww.

Other fun things that Aram is doing: watching every move Jman makes---this is especially scary when he is watching him have melt downs or when he is acting out  by hitting or kicking. I hope he sees the time out portion too. hehehe. He has also started noticing his toes and will spend time staring at them in amazement as if to say "where did those come from and am I making them move, wow!"

It is so fun to watch my little one grow but at the same time a little sad to know that I will not ever experience this again. So to all you soon to be mamas out there---you know who you are---my advice is, some how find a way to document these memories cause they will fade as each stage in your babies life is reached.

Smiles!

life becomes so wonderful when the baby learns to smile...here are a few of the first ones...

grandma oh oh....

About a month after Aram was born my mom came to town to help with baby and 3 year old...she had wonderful insights and abilities to lull a baby to sleep and entertain a 3 year old. Jasper noted that she always comes with gifts for everyone--- which is really important these days!

For lack of better words...she got mad skills!


in the following pictures...i really like how she beams with love and pride over her grandchildren...

maternal side of things...

so excited to be a g-ma

totally in love

babies and more, oh my!