A Fantastic 2011....Looking Forward to 2012

In lieu of sending out hard-copy cards, or posting an update to Facebook or similar social networking site, here is my recap of the year for inclusion in an ecard.

Most notably, 2011 welcomed a new addition to the family. Kate Clara Collins was born on February 22, in the midst of deep winter snow. With a middle name chosen to honor Kelly's maternal grandmother, Clara Drouillard, Kate's arrival was perfectly timed, with the mothers of both Kelly and I in Ann Arbor, and, except for Kelly, was the first daughter born to either immediate family in more than 40 years.

She is an incredibly vibrant baby, quick to smile, and has rapidly developed - she was eager to crawl and stand up. Thankfully, Kate enjoys sleeping and eating and has grown dramatically, to the 95th percentile in height! As I write, she is crawling freely and propping herself up on sofas; she is not far from being able to walk.

Jack has reached an age - 3.5 - where he is (mostly) a delight to behold. Naturally inquisitive, with a keen memory, his frequent questions make perfect sense and he loves to receive, and retell, stories (especially Tiddles the Naughty Cat). In the last 12 months, he has engaged in pursuits ranging from soccer and music time to gymnastics, and golf.

Milestones have included starting pre-school (two mornings a week), giving up the pacifier for nighttime sleeping, and generally wanting to do everything himself. Of course, he can shout, scream, and slap like a roller-derby queen, but those occurences are relatively few and far between! He has certainly taken to Kate, playing on the floor with her, kissing her goodnight, and soothing her with songs ("Open them, shut them, give a little clap").

Through all of this, Kelly continues to be an incredibly patient, diligent, and creative mother, providing both kids with endless opportunities to interact with other children, participate in learning activities, and assume new responsibilities. She also manages the household with a commitment to detail that would make an accountant blush.

Our family was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in England this summer, making for a more relaxed trip than the typical 7-day sojourn can offer. Even the British weather cooperated, offering relatively few days of rain. Next year, our goal is to take more family vacations with just the four of us, something that we didnt accomplish this year.

Life in Ann Arbor is really good. We added a deck to the back of the house - a process that seemed endless, given the extensive late summer rain, which, coincidentally, caused our basement to be flooded. That nightmare required new walls and carpet. At times, we had 2-3 groups of construction people wandering around our house, with no process for checking IDs or stamping time cards! Generally, though, all of the contracters were excellent and we are very happy both with the renovated basement and the expanded deck.

When not working on house projects, we went to Art Fair in the summer, have watched the USA National Junior ice hockey at the Cube, been to Hudson Mills park for fireworks, hayrides, and crafts, enjoyed breakfasts at Barry Bagels, and swims at the YMCA. A hectic life indeed.

We will spend the holidays here in Michigan, hopefully take a trip to Arlington/Richmond in January to see friends, and be in England in February.

All the best to everyone for a happy holiday and exciting new year!

Being Thankful

Jack was stalling tonight at bedtime and, after Mick had already told him a story, he asked me for one. I said no, but acquiesced that I would explain to him the meaning of Thanksgiving. (Always good to provide a teaching moment, especially when he doesn't know that's what it is.)

I struggled a bit with explaining exactly what was going on with the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. I basically said that some people from England got on a few boats and came to this country and discovered that only the Native Americans lived here; then the Pilgrims asked the Native Americans if they would share their country. I know that's not exactly how it went down, but I figured I could use this as a learning opportunity and reinforce the importance of sharing -- while leaving out all the nasty parts about how the Pilgrims and their buddies then ended up pretty much taking over the country and not treating the Native Americans in a particularly friendly way.

Then I got to the easy part where I told him all about how they had a wonderful feast together and we discussed all the different foods that were eaten (leaving out things that would give him nightmares - like deer/venison). He seems particularly excited about having turkey and pie.

After the story of Thanksgiving, I suggested that we name a few things that we are thankful for and I explained what "thankful" means. He asked that I go first so I said I was thankful for Jack and Kate and for their health. It was his turn next but he asked me to go again. So I said I was thankful for Daddy for being so good to us. Then his eyes lit up and he said he understood. So here, in order, are three things Jack is thankful for:

1. His "big, warm, cozy bed."
2. Being able to snuggle up with Hip-Hip (his stuffed elephant).
3. That Kate is such a "happy baby".

Pretty impressive list - the one about Kate really got me. I love when he is such a sweet boy.

Halloween 2011

This year for Halloween, Jack told me (starting back in July) that he wanted to be a horse. Hmmm.... a horse costume?!?! One friend told me he thought that was a great idea as Kate could be Jack's jockey. Funny concept but how in the world to manage a horse costume? First I looked online and found only one style of horse costume I could purchase and, frankly, it looked absurd. I'd love to fancy myself the kind of mom who can fashion a great kid's costume out of some felt, twine, a big cardboard box, and some craft paint, but alas that's just not my strong suit. I kept hoping that, being a child, Jack would be fickle with his idea and change it multiple times by late October, but of course he didn't. Lucky for me, our neighbor just happened to receive a horse costume from a friend that her daughter (thank you, Catherine!) didn't want to wear for Halloween. I was able to convince Jack that this horse could be worn over his clothes and it would look as if he were riding a horse. Luckily, Jack went for it! So, he was a "boy riding a horse" for Halloween (NOT, as he repeatedly reminded me, a cowboy as "there is no cow.").

Kate fit nicely in another borrowed costume (thank you, Kirsti!) and went as Piglet. Jack thought this was the perfect costume for her, as he calls her a little "piggy wiggy" when she eats. I liked the costume because, aside from being cute, it was big enough to accommodate some very warm clothes underneath (always a must for Halloween costumes in Michigan).

We were very lucky to get to spend Halloween again with Mick's mum who visited from England. I still don't think she's really embraced the Halloween idea, but she's getting better at getting in the spirit! This year she accompanied us to the museum of natural history's Halloween bash, the downtown library's Halloween story time, trick-or-treating downtown, and then handed out candy Halloween night while Mick and I took the kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.

Kate didn't last too long (it was a bit chilly out) so she ended up staying home with Grannie for much of the trick-or-treating but Jack did lots of walking and very bravely went up to about 95% of the houses by himself. I was a bit worried, especially as it got dark, that he was going to trip over his horse's legs when maneuvering up and down porch steps but every time I offered my hand to help guide him, I was met with "I am FINE, I can do it myself." Yep, that's my boy.


Jack already knows what he wants to be next year: a witch. When I asked him what a witch would wear, he thought about it for a minute and then said "a pointy hat, a coat, stripey socks, and black boots." That's a costume I can manage!

England Vacation

We recently arrived back from a 2-week trip to see my family and friends in England. For Jack, it was (amazingly) his 6th trip across the pond, while Kate was making her Delta debut. We had a great time overall, balancing family parties with opportunities to go walking and running outdoors. Both kids did exceptionally well on the 8 hour flights to London, sleeping much of the way there on the overnight flight, and taking full advantage of the seat-back video on the return leg.

Highlights included my step-mum's birthday festival (3 nights of fun), a sans-kids night away in Leeds for Kelly and I, and a couple of days in London (Jack loved the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History in South Kensington).

We drank plenty of beer, enjoyed copious sunshine, and knocked back a few curries (the one we had at Akbars in Leeds was possibly the best curry I've ever had!).

Here are a couple of photos.

Jack with his own seat on Delta


Jack and Grandad at Horse Guards Parade in London


Walking on the hills around Littleborough


Jack looking at the sheep and cows in Littleborough

Preparing for Pre-School

This week, Kelly took Jack to pre-school to prepare him for next Tuesday, when he'll formally begin attending school. Sandwiched between Economics, Middle-Eastern Geography, and The Classics were trucks, games, and painting. He did amazingly well, given his tendency to cling to one of us at all times. He played independently, made some pictures and toys, and seemed very excited to be there. We will see how he does next week, without Kelly in the room.

Sao Paulo

This week, I spent 4 days in Sao Paulo, meeting customers and spending time with one of our partner companies. It is my first time in Brazil and has been a great experience, both personally and professionally.

Sao Paulo is a massive city – 17 million residents and more cars than I think I’ve ever seen. The traffic is known locally as the city’s most famous tourist attraction; at almost any time of night or day you’ll be stuck in a traffic jam alongside hundreds of other small, noisy cars. No wonder Sao Paulo has more helicopters than anywhere else in the world!

The food was bountiful. I had two trips to Brazilian steakhouses, the first of which was on my own, due to my colleague’s work commitments. After a salad of haddock carpaccio and caviar, waiters began bringing skewers of meat to my table to carve – not being one to turn down well-prepared meat, I went through salted beef, sausage, steak, lamb spare ribs, baby pork, and chicken hearts! Needless to say, there wasn’t much change left out of $75.

Also had a massive sushi platter at Nakombi, where the chefs work out of an old Volkswagen Beetle-van. Was encouraged to try guarana, which is a Brazilian soda that is very sweet. Later in the week, I had an acai smoothie – the acai being a purple energy-delivering fruit from the Amazon.

I’ve picked up a few Brazilian phrases (“Bom dia” – good morning; “tudo bem” – I am good”; “Nao falo Portuguese” – I don’t speak Portuguese!) and try to use them whenever I can – I think it helped break the ice at some of the meetings.

The customer sessions seemed to go well and I look forward to the opportunity to spend more time with each organization. I also presented for two hours in front of our partner company - they broadcasted a video conference of the presentation to their executives in the Rio headquarters, meaning I didn’t get to spend any time in Rio.

The meeting this morning was with an airline company. One of their offices is in a hanger next to the domestic airport. We walked out of our customer’s office and stood right next to two executive jets waiting to depart. Then, a passenger plane rolled past, no more than 50 yards away!

Overall, it is an interesting place to come to; even though there aren’t many obvious tourist attractions and the city has a reputation for petty crime, the energy is hard to miss and the people I met were great to be with. It’s also impossible to believe that this sprawling metropolis is in the same country as the largely uninhabited Amazon rainforest!

Back to Ann Arbor tonight…

Peek-a-Boo!

Here's a great video I took while at my parents' house. I love that they interact so much now. Once Jack gets Kate to laugh, it becomes an endless loop where they both feed off each other's laughter. It's so neat to see!

Little Ray of Sunshine

Kate has been with us for almost 5 months and, while still not taking a bottle (grrrrr), has been a delight - generally sleeping well, enjoying car travel, and tolerating Jack singing his "Kate, Kate, Kate" song.

While her hair is starting to resemble that of a freshman math student, and she occasionally dons a puffy pirate shirt, her smile is just fantastic.

Like Father, Like Son

Without any pressure from yours truly, Jack has picked up a couple of daddy's habits. While guitar remains his first love (taking after his Uncle Chris), drumming is his life (a phrase from "Love Actually"?).

Not one to be constrained by the absence of an actual kit, young Ringo improvises, using pretzel jars as tom-toms.

When not keeping time to The Beatles, he can be found conducting research on lobsters - especially the ones that move before the others move their legs, the subject of several recent paintings.

Only another 9,950 hours and he'll be an expert!

Update on Arizona

Despite my best intentions, I couldnt shake the flu/fever that I picked up on Saturday and so we left the conference earlier on Tuesday than planned. We arrived home that evening and I've pretty much spent the last 2 days lying down.

The doctors think it could be pneumonia, and so I'm on various anti-bacterial drugs and cough medicine.

As expected, Kelly has been magnificent in taking care of me while handling Jack and attending to Kate.

I hope to be well enough to at least enjoy the holiday weekend. Being sick for 5 days at a time is getting ridiculous...

Kate's First Vacation

On Saturday morning, Mick, Kate, and I set off for Scottsdale, AZ for a little vacation that coincides with one of Mick's business trips. Jack and Shergar went up north to stay with Grammy and Papa as we really wanted some time away to just focus on Kate. Jack was beyond thrilled to get some solo time with the grandparents, and to see his cousins over the weekend. I don't think he really cares that he's not with us!

Kate did really well on her first flight and didn't really have a melt-down until we got in the taxi to come to the hotel. She did seem a bit squirmier than Jack was the first time he flew but I realized that was probably because Jack was five-weeks-old when he took his first flight and Kate was twelve-weeks-old; that makes a big difference in terms of how alert they are!

We are staying at the Hotel Valley Ho (where Mick's conference is being held) in Scottsdale and it's a lovely location/property. It's very hip and the design aesthetics are really unique (think 1950s rat pack). The only bummer is that the pool area has not been particularly family friendly. We avoided the pool area on Saturday as there was a pool party there that seemed to attract every local 20-something with an attractive body as well as a bunch of meathead-type guys. There was a DJ and wristbands for entry and $250 cabana rentals and general craziness. Would have been fun 10 years ago. Now, it's just more of a nuisance and definitely not the place for a baby. (Plus, the pool water is cold (I guess they don't heat pools in AZ?!?) so Kate will be holding off on taking her first swim; I dipped her toes in yesterday and she wasn't a fan.)

Mick and I enjoyed a yummy lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Saturday afternoon after we arrived and then came back to the hotel to rest. Unfortunately, later that afternoon, Mick started feeling sick: fever, body aches, etc. He declined a swim Sat night (which confirmed for me how crummy he was feeling; Mick LOVES water and will generally swim anywhere in anything, regardless of how cold it is) and we had an early bedtime after a truly fantastic meal at the hotel restaurant. (Note: Rarely does hotel restaurant food deliver in taste, presentation, portion, creativity, etc. But after having two meals at Cafe Zuzu (Sat dinner and Sun brunch), I can say this is one of the best restaurants I've ever had the pleasure to experience. I kind of want to have the rest of my meals there rather than trying other places... I don't think I've EVER said that before when traveling as I usually want to experience different cuisines, chefs, etc. But this place is so good, I'm not sure that we could find anything better!)

Sunday night, we ended up canceling our dinner reservations as Mick still felt so crummy and just ordered take out. He's just headed off now (6:30 am) to his meetings and I felt so sad watching him walk out of the room. He just looks like he feels miserable and aches and he's alternating between sweating and shivering. I've loaded him up on Dayquil and Advil and given him cough drops and Gatorade, but what I really want to do is stand in for him at the conference. Jury is still out on whether we'll try to return early from our trip, though his presentation is tomorrow so it will depend on how he feels in the morning.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures I've taken thus far during our travels (click on picture to enlarge it):

Enjoying the big comfy bedOn the Old Town Scottsdale trolley ride

Chillin' pool side

Enjoying the sunGetting some quality cuddle time with Daddy

Growing Up

Both wearing their Beatles shirts during our visit
to Papa's & Grammy's

Just a few quick notes about Jack and Kate and how quickly they are growing up. (I've been meaning to post this for a while but keep putting it off... no more!)

A few weeks ago, my mom was here to visit while Mick was out of town. One day, I had to leave both kids with my mom while I attended a funeral. I thought I'd be home by Jack's nap time which would be good since my mom can't make it up the stairs to Jack's bedroom due to her bad knee (awaiting replacement). Apparently, Jack asked around 11:45 to go to sleep but my mom managed to keep him up a while so she could at least get lunch into him. Around 12:30, with me still not home, Jack again announced he wanted his nap. So my mom asked him if he could go upstairs on his own, climb in bed himself, and then say "goodnight" to her which she'd be able to hear on the monitor. Well, would you believe that little guy did just that. He put himself to bed! My mom said that when he got in bed, he said into the monitor "Grammy, I need a story!" so she told him to read one to himself. He replied that he couldn't read. So she told him to look at the pictures instead. Apparently, he did that and then fell fast asleep. I think my jaw hit the floor when I arrived home and my mom told me all of this!

The next day, I took Kate to the doctor for her two-month well visit (stats below). The plan was to go out to breakfast with my mom and Jack after Kate's appointment but I didn't leave any clothes out for Jack and he was in his pjs when I left. Again, while I was gone, my mom asked Jack if he could go upstairs and get a pair of pants out of his dresser. Sure enough, he did what she asked without any problem.

Then, as we sat at the restaurant having breakfast, my mom asked Jack if she could cut his pancake for him. "Yes, you can" he responded. About three seconds passed and then he said "I mean, yes, you may."

I wept a tear of joy for my son's grammatical correction! I've never even discussed the "can" vs "may" issue with him. What a genius! Now, if I can instill in him when to use "well" vs when to use "good" (which is, hands down, my biggest pet peeve) I'll be one happy momma!

Now, Kate's stats from her two-month well visit:

• Weight - 12 pounds (5.4 kg) -- 75th percentile
• Height - 25 inches (63.5 cm) -- Off the charts!

I had a conversation with her about what it means to be a tall girl. In a nutshell, I said "it will suck when you're in 7th and 8th grade and are heads and shoulders above the boys at your school dance, but it'll be GREAT when you go to your first concert and realize you don't have to jump up and down to see the band."

More posts (Easter, March for Babies, Potty Training) coming soon, so stay tuned!

The Royal Wedding

I've just finished watching the Royal Wedding with our Kate and (a bit) with Jack. I wasn't particularly bothered about watching it live... until I awoke around 5:30 this morning and it dawned on me that someday Kate might ask why I didn't watch the wedding of her (future) queen & king. So she and I curled up on the couch and watched. (Well, I watched while she slept soundly in my arms):


As Mick pointed out, "it's probably a good thing she's sleeping through it; avoids the awkward questions from her about why she's English but isn't a princess."

Jack woke just as Kate & William were leaving Westminster Abbey and he was beyond thrilled to see all the horses. Here he is, along with his elephant Hip Hip, enthralled with the procession:


Here are a few of his comments from our viewing time together:

"I like the horseys, and the men with the funny hats on."
"I think the horses are going to turn left and go to Papa's house."
"Look! A band! I love that band!"

Jack: "Where are they going next?"
Me: "To the palace."
Jack: "And what are they going to do at the palace?"
Me: "Have some food."
Jack: "What kind of food?"
Me: "Hmmm, I'm not sure."
Jack: "I think they're going to have some pasta!"

Golfin' USA

While in California last week to spend time at corporate HQ, I drove down to see Doug and Jodie, old friends from Virginia Tech. They, and their 8-year old son, Milo, live in Pacific Grove, a stone's throw from Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and many other championship courses.

Forsaking the high-priced golf, Doug and I played Pacific Grove (known as the "poor man's Pebble") and Monterey Park. Milo walked several holes with us and was nice enough to carry my bag for a while. Makes me look forward to taking Jack out on the course one day, if only to look for lobsters and ants.

Here are a couple of photos from Pacific Grove.

6 Weeks

Somehow, our little girl is six-weeks-old today. Where the time has gone eludes me. However, when I look at Jack, who has definitely outgrown his baby/toddler body and now really looks like a little kid, I know that the time will continue to fly.

Kate continues to be an absolute pleasure. Last night, she didn't wake up for a feed until 5:00 am, which was fantastic as I had last fed her around 11 pm. Mick gave her a bottle at 5:00 while I dozed - blissful! Mick's been fantastic about doing the middle-of-the-night feeding for me. While I don't sleep soundly through it, I do rest, and I love knowing that Mick gets some special one-on-one time with Kate.

Kate has completely outgrown her newborn clothing and one of my jobs for this weekend is to get out all of her size 3 month clothes. It is so bittersweet to pack the tiny things away as I absolutely love the baby stage... but when I look at Jack now, at an age I completely love, I kind of can't wait for Kate to grow and change and become her own person. Yet I don't want these times to end. Convoluted, I know.

Here are some pictures of Kate over the last few days. (Sorry the quality isn't great; I never have my camera with me so almost all of these are taken with my phone. You can click on the picture to enlarge it if you need to.)

Our first walk (outside) yesterday.

Alert & smiley

Bath time

All snuggled and cozy

As for Jack, he continues to (mostly) be a big help to me. Luckily, it's a source of pride for him to help so I am milking that for all it's worth. He's great at bringing me diapers, throwing dirty ones away, getting me a burp cloth or tissue if I need one, picking up his toys, etc.

The big news as related to Jack is that we've FINALLY had some success on the potty! I really want to get Jack into preschool in the fall (he'll be three in August) and he really should be potty trained before school starts. I had absolutely no energy to think about potty training while I was pregnant, aside from reading him tons of books and talking a LOT about the potty. But he showed absolutely no interest so, a few weeks ago, I ended up moving his little potty to the basement and figured I'd give it a real try this summer.

However, randomly one day last week, Jack told me he needed to use his potty so I dashed downstairs to get it, sat him down, read some stories, and lo and behold, he went! Actually, he then went four times in the space of an hour (of course, every time he told me he needed to go again, I doubted him because, really... four times in an hour!?!?). This so classically fit Jack's personality and it proves what I've been telling people all along: he'll do it when he's ready and no one can convince him it's time unless he actually wants to learn!

Very exciting - first go on the potty (note the stickers on the floor next to him, just waiting to be given as a reward!)

Wearing real underpants (and a sticker on his shirt)!

So of course, I made a huge deal about his success and how proud of him I was (as was Daddy and Kate and the grandparents and the aunts & uncles...) and then we promptly headed to Target for a some new underpants for him (he chose Thomas the Train). I now have a sticker chart going in the bathroom as well since he seems to respond well to receiving stickers as a reward (that was how we successfully managed the transition to the bed). I think I may give him a little something special (the dollar store is PERFECT for this kind of thing!) every time he fills a row with stickers and hopefully we can reward him with a trip to Chicago once he's fully potty trained. (He's been begging for months to go to Chicago on the train and it's certainly a vacation I think we can easily do as a family once the spring in finally here.)

Mick has tons of travel in April, so I was at my parents' last week with the kids so I could have some extra help (which was much needed & much appreciated as Jack was incredibly challenging the first half of the week). I will post pictures from our stay in the near future...

One Month!

It's hard to believe, but Kate has been here a month already... and what a month it's been! We've had visits from lots of family and friends and are working on adjusting to our new reality as a family of four. Kate continues to be an extremely predictable baby and a very good eater and sleeper. I actually get better sleep now with a newborn than I did when I was pregnant. Kate tends to eat around 11 pm and then sleeps through until 4 am or so, which I can definitely handle!

We went to her one-month well visit today and have the following stats on Kate's growth:

• Weight is 9 lbs 14 oz (4.5 kg) -- 68th percentile
• Height is 22.25 inches (56.5 cm) -- 85th percentile
• Head circumference is 14.7 inches -- 57th percentile

As you can see from these pictures, she really is getting a lot bigger... and a lot more alert! She coos a lot, has started showing interest in some toys, and smiles in response to us (especially Jack). In fact, just this evening as she drifted off to sleep, she actually started to laugh. It was such a sweet sound!

Admiring herself in the mirror during bath time

Intrigued by her activity mat

Sticking out her tongue and being silly

Granddad and Aunt Sarah Jane were able to visit for a week which was wonderful for all of us, though Jack was particularly thrilled with all of the extra attention. They were a wonderful help and it was sad to see them go; my heart always aches when Jack has to say goodbye to his family from across the pond. I cannot imagine how hard it is for them to see him so infrequently and then to get so attached during visits, knowing they won't see him (and now Kate) for another few months. I try my best to keep them involved in the kids' lives by sending pictures, videos, and keeping this blog updated, but I know it's no replacement for actually being with Jack and Kate. Here are a few pics from their visit:

Enjoying some (short-lived) warmer weather

Snuggling with Aunt Sarah Jane

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Jack had some classic observations/comments yesterday that are still making me smile a day later.

At music class, he walked up to another parent, who was wearing a black & white striped cardigan, and said "you look like a zebra."

Also at music, he thoughtfully observed another baby, maybe about a month or so older than Kate, and then turned to me, pointed at Kate in her car seat, and said "Mom, is this one ours?"

Then, while I was getting dinner ready, Kate started crying in the other room. Jack was in the kitchen with me and as he ran in to calm Kate, I heard him say to her "hang on a minute, sweetheart, I'm coming!"

Up-And-Coming Youngster Inks New Deal With Latics

Picked up my dad and sister at the airport yesterday. As a gift for Jack, my dad bought him an Oldham Athletic away kit, with his name on the back of the shirt. This is significant for a number of reasons:

1. The number 3 is equivalent to how many terraces our ground currently has, since the demolition of the Lookers Stand.
2. Given that the Latics have scored just 2 goals in the last couple of months, our squad numbers dont go any higher than 8 any more.
3. It is debatable whether any Oldham player will ever again score 3 times in a game. By the time Jack is old enough to play for the Latics (some 14 years from now), he might be that player.

Going Back in Time

It’s been 3 weeks since Kate was born and I’m beginning (albeit slowly) to recall what it’s like to have a newborn in the house.

While her older brother, Jack, can be challenging – anyone who has had to turn down his request for a “snaaaaack” or “sicle!” can testify – his schedule and sleeping patterns are so predictable.

Not so with a newborn. Kate is just beginning to adjust to her surroundings and while we know she’ll be alive-and-kicking from 8pm-11pm, she may also be fussy at completely random times of day. Kelly is handling this marvelously well, while I’m just trying to avoid making Kate cry.

We Survived!

I feared Wednesday this week. In a big way.

Mick's mom left to go back to England on Tuesday and Mick left around 7:00 am on Wednesday for a business trip to Chicago. I was on my own for the first time with two kids. And I was scared.

But summoning advice from friends -- including listening to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" and thinking of Béla Károlyi's "You can do eeeeet!" -- I embraced Wednesday with a positive attitude (and a healthy dose of fear).

Somehow, the stars aligned, as we actually had a really good day. I was able to shower and get myself and the kids dressed and out of the house by 10:10 - just ten minutes later than I wanted. Both of them were fed; I can't remember if I had breakfast but I'm sure I had a cup of coffee. Here's Kate hanging out in her swing while Jack had breakfast and then all dressed and ready to go:


I took Jack to Jungle Java, an indoor playground space just a few miles from here. We'd never been there before but I've wanted to give it a try as Jack has SO much energy and loves to climb and run and jump. He looked a bit overwhelmed when we walked in so I had to give him a little pep talk to remind him that I wouldn't be able to climb through with him as I was going to have to sit with Kate. I had no idea if it would be worth the admission fee, but Jack was off and running and climbing as soon as I got his shoes off. The picture below shows how much fun he had.

I decided to be a nice mom and buy Jack a slightly overpriced lunch from Jungle Java and then we headed home for a nap. I was certain he'd take a fantastic nap. Bad news is that he only slept an hour and a half (normal nap for him is 2.5 hours). Good news is that he woke up in a really good mood. Kate was up the whole time Jack slept so that meant I got no nap. Sad. I was a bit nervous when I looked at the clock when Jack woke to see it was only 3:00; how in the world would I make it another 4.5 hours until bedtime???

The answer: Meijer... both to see the lobsters and to get some things for dinner. We left the house a bit before 4:00 and I braced myself for what could easily have been a horrendous trip to the store with two kids. I think Jack was about 5 weeks old before I ventured out to the grocery store with him for the first time. Again, Jack was excellent and Kate slept the entire time!

The only problem was that I forgot about the logistics of fitting groceries in the cart when I had a car seat in the big part and Jack in the front seat part. Luckily, Jack was okay holding a few items while I piled the rest on and around Kate's seat.

As we were ready to leave the store, I realized I had nothing for Jack for dinner. So, I did what any tired mom does: I suggested some fast-cooking, easy, unhealthy (yes, I admit it!) food. First I suggested his favorite: pasta. He said no. Then I pulled out the big guns and suggested a deli pizza. No again. "Well Jack, what do you want then?" Um, he wanted a rotisserie chicken. Seriously. Were there any though? Nope. So I asked how long it would take for more to be ready. Seven minutes. UGH! I just wanted to get out of there. But we waited because I wanted Jack to eat a good meal. And did he ever! Four helpings of chicken... so I guess I can't complain that he turned down pasta and pizza. Here's Jack enjoying the horsey ride at the end of our Meijer trip. It costs a penny so I can't turn it down!

Presumably not every day will go so well but it was nice that our first go at it turned out so nicely so at least I know it's possible!

Kate's First Weeks

It's hard to believe, but Kate was two weeks old on Tuesday. The adjustment period has gone well so far; much better than I anticipated it would. No doubt, that is due in large part to the grandparents who helped immensely in keeping me taken care of and keeping Jack entertained. My parents left on Sunday; my mom had been with us for 2 1/2 weeks (since Jack was in the hospital, which seems like a lifetime ago!). Mick's mom left Tuesday after visiting for just over two weeks. Jack was crushed to see everyone go and I don't blame him. He had a fantastic time with them and got LOTS of attention!

Kate continues with thrill us with her (generally) easy temperament. I kind of expected to have another baby like Jack because, while I know you shouldn't compare kids, he was all I had known. But while Jack was a very lively newborn - eating every two hours like clockwork, taking forever to fall asleep after nighttime feedings, struggling out of his swaddle and thrashing all over the bassinet - Kate is extremely placid. The first few nights home, I actually set my alarm every three hours to get up to feed her. She just seemed too lazy to me! She is a dream to get back to sleep at night (I don't really have to do anything - she just nurses and then sleeps), she only wakes once to eat (around 3:30 am), and she stays completely still in her bassinet - swaddle and everything!

Kate went for her two-week visit to the doctor on Tuesday and we found she's up to 8 lbs, 14 oz. That's a massive gain (19 oz since birth)! She's gaining at the same rate Jack did - double the average. And she's a quick eater, like her brother was, which makes things quite nice for me... especially as Jack likes to climb all over me to get to Kate and give her kisses when I'm nursing. She does have a bit of a fussy time in the evening and so it's been trial and error to figure out what she likes and what calms her (loud "shushing" in her ear coupled with holding her under her armpits n a bit of a sitting/slumped over position). Last night, Mick gave her her first bottle, which she hungrily gulped down around 10:30, allowing me to sleep on the couch. Today, I was able to pump 6 oz of milk in record time (for me): 9 minutes! Everything has to happen a bit more quickly these days so I can accommodate two kids' needs.



So far, knock wood, we haven't had any major behavioral issues with Jack. He's shown nothing but love & wonder toward Kate. As soon as he wakes, he wants to see her and he's constantly rubbing her head, stroking her cheek and saying things to me like "I love my baby sister! I made her happy!"

Photos from her first few weeks are in our photo album. Enjoy!