Cuddles

Lucas loves to hold Liam and Jesse, even when they're napping or nursing. He crosses his arms and squeezes his chest and asks in Spanish, "Hold baby?" He's surprisingly gentle each time. I love the third picture where he decides to reach out and caress Jesse to his right while holding Liam in his lap.

Nice Latch!

Brothers

From The Trenches

Again, deep thanks to all of you for the various ways you've shown love and support in this first week with our little Buddha baby. We took Jesse to the pediatrician on his 5th day, and like his big brother, he impressed the doc by gaining 11 oz.! Way to go, Jesse (and Mama)! We also figured that the original length recorded was a bit short (we had measured on a soft bed and at a diagonal), as he measured 21 1/4 inches instead!

Our first week together was like a mini honeymoon -- all four of us holed up in the house and on the couch or the bed while we played games on the computer or read books or stacked blocks (Papi and Lucas), snoozed (Mami), and nursed (guess who?) and waited for grandparents to arrive. Then Papi went back to work and Mami tried not to panic. :) We've definitely seen a shift in Lucas -- he dotes on (more like smothers) his little brother, but we are also hearing a lot more "No!"'s and are seeing some new night wakings and other regressions, like preferring that Mami feed him his food instead of feeding himself. We're trying to let go of the guilt of turning Lucas's world upside down after he had been doing so well and in a great groove for so long, but we also see how much he lights up when seeing Jesse and take comfort in that. We read a few books about preparing for a second child (one that we recommend, though it doesn't necessarily address this stage in the game, is Siblings Without Rivalry) and know that all this is normal and to be expected, so we're being patient. The biggest challenge seems to be Lucas learning to wait during Jesse's marathon nursing sessions that keep Mami tied down for so long. The couch area is fully armed with all kinds of toys so that we can all three sit together and play while Jesse fills the belly. Mami and Lucas are definitely missing each other. Sigh...

Yesterday was Jesse's original due date (interestingly, the ultrasound had estimated his due date at March 26!), and it's hard to believe that 10 days have passed so quickly. Compared to Lucas at this age, Jesse is so solid and serene and patient. Meanwhile, Lucas seems to have gotten so much heavier and taller and big-boyish than I've ever noticed before, and he's talking up a storm in the most amazing Spanglish you've ever heard! We're enjoying every minute, every breath and coo and poopy diaper and escaped urine stream and toddler meltdown. Time flies, and we don't care that saying so is the most cliche thing in the world...

And Jesse Makes Four...

He's here!

Jesse ("Gift of God") Miguel A-S was born Wednesday March 26, 2008, an entire 10 days before his due date, at 12:50 in the afternoon of a glorious Spring day, in our ugly pink bathtub, after 6 hours of labor! How's that for a run-on sentence?

Our little bruiser weighed in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. (Lucas was 7.2!) and measured 20 1/2 inches. We're all tired but happy. . . Mama is sore but relieved to no longer be pregnant; Papi is as solid and amazing as always; Jesse is a nursing champ and smells yummy; and Lucas ("Bringer of Light") has done nothing but impress us with how well he has received our new family member.

Thanks to all of you for the gifts in the mail and the phone calls and the countless gestures of love and support that remind us just how blessed these little boys are to be loved by so many wonderful people! Thank you also for those who live closeby who have fed us and taken care of us until the grandparents come. We love you all!

Thank you especially to our fabulous birthing team, our midwife Joan (the same one who delivered Lucas!) and her birthing assistant Tessa, and our amazing friend Becca -- all of whom left practically no evidence later that night that a baby had been born in our home and who continue to take great care of us in a myriad of ways.

And now, what you came here to see:

Above: Jesse was born covered in the thickest layer of vernix! Papa's holding him while Mama gets taken care of on the bed.

Above: Being examined by our midwife a few hours later. What a big boy!

Above: Dressed in the same clothing Lucas wore home from the birthing center.

Above: The brothers' first encounter a few hours later. Lucas came in and yelled: "Hi, Baby Jesse!" Then Tata came in with baby Liam, and Lucas exclaimed, "Oh, two babies!" Then he surprised us with a new word that Tata and Maquin must have taught him that day: "Jesse is cute!" And then finally, "Baby Jesse has a big face!" Finally, there was a lot of kissing and cuddling and telling stories of our day and a very slap happy big brother who fell asleep very early that night!

Above: Day 2

More photos on the blogroll to the right. We're creating a separate web album for the more gory details, but this album we're still rating "PG-13" because it includes photos of the labor, some skin and boobage, and a really cool placenta that we couldn't resist including. You've been warned. . .

Baby

Lucas's baby brother could come any day now; in the meantime, he's seemed to have fallen in love with a baby of his own. Baby Liam still gets plenty of gushes from Lucas, but we wish you could be here to see Lucas with his latest obsession because it doesn't seem to get much cuter that this. . .

Yesterday Amalia brought with her a lovely baby doll that she picked out herself just for Lucas. He's been fussing non-stop over "baby" (no real name at this point), handing him to me to feed him "leche de mama," then taking him back to feed him "leche de vaca" from a bottle, then pretending to change his diaper, them stating that the baby is cold and then covering him up with his favorite blankie. Just pure, gentle sweetness that makes us feel like the transition towards having a baby in the house might be possible after all!

Placing baby in his car seat:

It was time to put baby to sleep, so Lucas climbed up on the couch and asked to cuddle with him:
Lucas looks at baby pictures of himself all the time and knows that he was often carried in a sling of some type, much like he sees Tata carrying baby Liam these days. So Mama made him a sling of his own to carry baby around, and though he got very serious when he saw the camera come out, I promise he's loving it:

"Wearing" his baby while he plays. Is this an Attachment Parented kid, or what?!

Thank you, Amalia!

Easter Eggs

Happy Easter!

Remember cutie Amalia? Her Mama and I have gotten some chances lately to play sans kiddos, but it had been too long since we've seen her Papa and since Lucas had seen one of his best playmates. As always, the two worked well together, sharing their toys, chasing each other to give/receive a tickle, giving hugs, and. . . dyeing eggs!

They didn't seem to care that the eggs were brown instead of white (oops!). They were just happy to get messy as they gave the eggs "a bath" in the colored water of their choice and placed stickers on them:

Teamwork: Amalia hands Lucas a ball...

...then Lucas throws it into the tent while Amalia fetches more.

The world from Amalia's perspective:

A fellow gentle soul, Amalia is good at mothering Lucas, but they also seem to like just being together:

Subway

Lately Mama has gotten lazy and has been more willing to take the subway to our destination than walk and push Lucas in the stroller. And since carrying a toddler in a stroller down and up the subway stairs is no longer an option, Lucas has been happy to walk along with me instead. The flights of stairs and long blocks seem to be a lot for little legs, but he loves getting to ride the trains big-boy style (and on rainy days like we've been having, to find every puddle between the station and home).

We've done this several times a week for months and yet you'd think each time was the first from Lucas's reaction. Below we're waiting for the 'Way Train, as he calls it, and bringing smiles to each face waiting with us on the platform. His hurried commentary letting everyone in the station know loud and clear what's on his mind goes roughly like this:

'The train is fast! And one R-train comes from that tunnel, while another R-train comes from that other tunnel in the other direction. And they're fast! And then the R-trains stop and the doors open and we go home. And it's the R-train! It's fast! Muy fast! And we're going on the R-train! The fast R-train! Through the tunnel! That tunnel. Fast!'

(And on and on...)

Of course, it's in total Spanglish, so what most people probably understand/hear is this:

"Fast! Tunnel! R-train! Fast! Tunnel! Train! Fast!"

He hears it coming...

It's often too crowded inside to take a picture, but on another wet day I had my chance:

Sidewalk Chalk

House

Toy Store

There's a newish small toy store in our neighborhood that offers a (free!) playroom in the back for the kiddies while the parents shop or hang out. Lucas and I sometimes visit when we want to get out of the house and the weather is frigid or rainy. The highlight for Lucas: a big table covered in train tracks and bridges and tunnels, and also a miniature piano and standing chalkboard easel.

Only problem is that it's located right smack next to our little grocery store, which when you can only carry a few bags at a time with a kid in a stroller usually means that we shop for food every 2-3 days.

Which means Lucas thinks he should be allowed to visit the playroom every time we pass by to purchase food. Which means no potty anywhere nearby for Mami's pregnancy bladder. Which means lots of sad excuses for why we can't go on this day instead of why we can. Which means a frustrating exchange, both for the Mama and a two-year old who just can't understand.

Which means, more often than not, an empty fridge and pantry...

Baby Talk

As we round the corner towards our last few weeks before baby brother arrives, we're trying to enjoy these final days of being a family of three while it lasts. We talk often with Lucas about the baby and how things will change when he's here. Lucas knows that babies get held a lot (because they can't walk), that they cry sometimes (because they can't talk), that they drink momma-milk, and that they are very small. He loves, loves his newborn cousin Liam and asks to see him most everyday. When he does see him, he showers him with kisses and touches him in a surprisingly gentle manner. For the last couple of months he's liked to pretend that he's a baby who needs soothing. I hold him in my lap (whatever's left of it) and call him my "baby bird" and he calls me "Mami Bird." He pretends to cry, and I tell him, "Don't worry, Mami's here." Afterwards, he says that he's happy again. We usually end up wrestling afterwards, during which Lucas sometimes pauses and looks at my abdomen and says "Mama is big!"

A while back ago, we were at a department store, when Lucas pointed out to me that he could hear a baby crying in a stroller closeby. I asked him what we should tell the baby to help her, and the translation to Lucas's answer was basically: "Don't cry, baby - Mami's here." I added to that, "And Papi's here. And Lucas is here." Ever since then, when he hears a baby cry, either on the street or in a playgroup or on t.v., he says, "Lucas is here, Papi is here, Mami is here - don't cry."

Having a baby in the house is going to turn his world upside down for a while, but we're getting some good glimpses that he'll make a great big brother. Agreed?

Owl's Head Park

Abuelo and Abuela (whom Lucas calls "'Lo y 'La", respectively) have been in town all week to help baby Liam's parents get through their second week. It's been a bit of a tease for Lucas to only get to see them here and there, mostly whenever we decide to stop by his aunt and uncle's apartment for a visit. He's been asking almost every day if we can take the "'Way Train" (subway) to visit "Tata" (Tia), "Maquin" (Tio) and "Baby Lee-ee"(Liam), and 'Lo and 'La's blue car. One such day Abuelo and Papi took Lucas to a lovely park closeby while everyone else slept/rested before dinner. Some pictures that Papi took while they all played with the soccer ball:

More Rainy Days

Actually, it was an icy, snowy day. But Lucas had gotten used to me bringing along an umbrella that this day he requested to hold his own "baby umbrella" to take along while running the usual errands.