Five Hours

Before becoming a mom I took sleeping for granted. Now, a solid 5 hours (in a row!!) seems like absolute heaven. My short term memory is shot, as evidenced by the fact that I seem to forget more than I remember. I've forgotten to bring clothes for Kendra, dates when friends said they were coming over, appointments... Hopefully sleep with help with that :)

I will say that Darian is the calmest baby ever. He literally never cries unless there is a reason - hunger, cold or discomfort. He's quite content to watch the world go around. It is really interesting to watch him; he is so different from Kendra. I don't know if it's because he's a boy, because he was full term or just a different kid, but he is so much more physically advanced than Kendra was at this age. He has a remarkable (to me) amount of head control, and last night he surprised us (and himself) by reaching out and grabbing a toy that was swinging over his head.

It would appear we are starting on another interesting journey :)

Brother and Sister Get Aquainted

Kendra loves holding and feeding her little brother - as long as he isn't crying. :) Her bad attitude is slowly resolving and she's turning back into her pleasant and fun self.

2 Week Check-Up

On Friday Darian had his 2 week check up. He's doing very well! He's gained almost a pound, and weighed 7 pounds on the nose (he was 6lbs, 9oz at birth, and just over 6lbs when we left the hospital).

We also had his kidney ultrasound. The pyelectasis has not resolved, although it is better than it was in utero. I thought his case was mild, but his pediatrician said it was actually measuring at moderate, and she'd like us to see a urologist as a precaution. Darian will also have to have a follow-up ultrasound in about a month.

Kendra is slowly adjusting to not being the only child, although she still acts up more than not. She's a good kid, but I'm pretty sure she's aiming to win the Oscar for a dramatic performance before the age of 3. She spent last night with a friend of ours, and it was a much needed break for us all. Dan got an (almost) uninterrupted night's sleep, I got to sleep in, and Kendra got doted on by our friend's daughters. Everyone was much happier as a result.

I'm mostly tired. I don't handle interrupted sleep well, and I've got a cold. Hopefully we'll all find our balance soon.

Family of Four = New Wheels

Dan swore he would never own a mini-van, and then we realized what a pain it is to deal with two car seats. The next thing I know we are researching the top ranked family vans and Dan is test driving cars after work.

Last Thursday we ran to the Honda dealer and came home with a 2008 Odyssey mini-van. It is fully loaded with grey leather interior (with heated seats!!), power doors, power lift gate, integrated navigation system, back up camera, DVD/rear entertainment system, sun roof...and other things I'm still figuring out. So far we all really like it.

Dan's parents have been in town this week, so we gave the car a new work out on Friday. We loaded up the rear storage area with a picnic basket and beach toys and headed out to enjoy some sunshine. It was a gorgeous day to be on the beach, and Kendra loved showing off for grandma and grandpa. I loved having space to toss everything (which was also coated in sand) in the back and not worry about it.

We traded in my Escape, and Dan's RX8. Yes, the 8 is gone and we are (essentially) a one car family. We still have the Jeep, but it won't hold an infant seat. We kept it as Dan's toy car since it costs very little in terms of insurance and gas. (We'd have to drive it more than once a month for it to actually use any gas!)

New Family

Catch Up

It's been a crazy few weeks!

On June 6 we welcomed our son into the world. Darian was three weeks early and came via a c-section. He weighed in at 6lbs, 9oz and 18 inches long. He did beautifully right off the bat!

It was such a different experience from Kendra's c-section. I wasn't on all the heavy duty drugs, so I was much more conscious and aware of what was going on. Since he didn't need to go to the NICU both he and Dan stayed in the OR with me. They walked back to recovery with me, and Darian stayed in the room the whole time I was in recovery. The only time he left was when I sent him to the nursery at night so I could sleep.

I was sent home on Thursday, and spent the next few days in our guest room with Darian in the playpen next to me. (The guest room is on the ground floor so I didn't have to walk stairs.) I'm still on pain pills, but feeling better. I'm now sleeping upstairs again, and we are all slowly finding our way as a family of four.

On Tuesday Kendra had her last day of preschool for the year. She and her class "crossed the bridge" into summer as the parents watched proudly with tears in their eyes.

Each child walked across a small bridge when their name was called. They were given a small backpack they had decorated earlier in the week, and inside was the notebook they colored in all year long, and the class yearbook.

More catch ups to come soon....