That Smile

That's the smile that makes me smile. That's the smile with the single dimple on the right side. That's the smile that I can get sometimes and Daddy can get sometimes, but Reeves can get all the time. Just this afternoon, he climbed into my lap and squished Bennett's feet. I was certain they were broken. But that's the smile that followed, so I knew all was well. That's the smile that Bennett gives whenever Reeves walks past or whenever Bennett hears his voice. I love that he already loves his big brother. That's the smile that he has perfected. That's the smile that I am always after. I finally got it on film.

I Will Love Him and Feed Him and Pet Him and Name Him George

So maybe it could be said that we're not animal people. Not that we don't like pets, we do and really, really want a dog. It's just that we're not really in a place right now to have them, and it is apparently affecting our son. After spending the weekend at the Aminal Kingdom, some of Toad's animal rescue instincts must have rubbed off on Reeves. He and I were outside "working" in the yard this afternoon, and the bulk of his duties consisted of picking up the huge seed pods that that plummett from the magnolia tree every day/night/minute/second. (Honestly, my hatred of them rivals my hatred of their cohabitating leaves because when these things get run over, they stain the concrete.) Most of them have already been scavenged by the squirrels, but every once in a while, one makes a break for it on its own. These suicide pods are usually young and soft, almost fuzzy, like, say, a kitten or puppy. After throwing several of the big prickly ones on the burn pile, Reeves came upon this precious little thing. He immediately started petting it. "Awwwww, how cute," I thought, expecting him to then toss it onto the pile. Nope. I turn around again to find my son sliding his seed pod down the slide, then having it climb itself up the steps to slide down again. The pictures and the story fall terribly short of truly depicting what happened. He would hold it up to his face and coo at it. He would show it to me and want me to pet it. So we brought it in and wrapped it up in its blanket. I guess we're getting to the "uses his imagination" stage.
Hmmm... Come to think of it, maybe it's not a pet he's after, but a little baby of his own. If that's the case, I am very encouraged to know that he gently played with it on the slide. Maybe there's hope for Bennett yet.

Bennett at Two Months

Well, Bennett Boy, we've reached two months. I am still amazed that you have been with us that long. It seems like just yesterday I was trying to convince Daddy not to call the doctor because these evenly spaced periods of immense discomfort I was having were nothing more than gas pains. Not so. It was you, preparing to make your two week early entrance into the world. You must know that as an early bird, you are the only one to carry that torch in this family. Oh, I try to convince myself that I am one, but the sad truth is that I want to be one and am working hard to be one, and compared to the others in our little nucleus, I am one, but it is you who must be the one to drive this family to be on time. I know that's a big responsibility for such a little guy, but I have no doubt you can do it, and, much to your father's frustration, I will be there to help you every step of the way.

At two months, you are amazing your father and me. We have no guage for infants other than your older brother, and compared to him at this age, you are a monster. You have gained weight like a champ from the beginning. Other than a slight bout of a latching on problem, you have been a terrific nurser. You eat every 3 or 4 hours, except in the later afternoons, when you would be perfectly content to hang on to me non stop, although I think I can honestly say, "It's not you. It's me." Despite the fact that you eat voraciously, I don't think that you get quite as much as you do earlier in the day. To be fair, and to reveal a secret, as long as Daddy gets home early, I am perfectly content to sit there and snuggle with you for as long as it takes. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen, but I treasure those times when it does.

You have really started to turn on the charm in the past three weeks. You are very generous with your adorable smiles. It warms our hearts every time we see that dimple appear. Daddy and I both have to make fools of ourselves to get you to smile, but Reeves just has to look at you or pat you on the head or tummy to coax a smile and a coo from you. You are beginning to fall in love with your older brother, and I am so happy to see that. Reeves, likewise, loves you, although he doesn't always show it in the most gentle ways. But you're tough and seem to be able to handle his "loving you". He has started to help me burp you which is cute, and, as you are not an easy child to burp, I actually appreciate his help because, like your smiles, you will give it up for him much faster than you will for me or Daddy. He must have some special touch.

For the most part, you are a predictable baby. You only (mostly) cry when you are wet or hungry or tired. In a mixed blessing, you are often wet. I say this because, given my family's history with kidneys, I am so thankful to see yours working so well, but a lot of times, they work so well that your diaper can't contain their productivity. I can't count the number of times I have picked you up only to realize your entire backside is soaking wet. And of course, there are the times you prefer to empty yourself without the benefit of a diaper. It is quite an impressive fountain. Just this week you made it up and over your head onto the floor. Needless to say, we have been doing a lot of laundry around here.

We are still working on your sleeping through the night. Three nights ago, you gave me a blissful 6 and a half hours. I was so happy and nervous about it that I didn't even mention it to anyone for fear that it would not repeat itself. Well, I should have screamed it from the mountaintops because these last two nights have not been so quiet. But you're getting there, and I really feel that once we can get Reeves permanently into his Big Boy Bed and you into your crib, I will again know the feeling of being well rested.

We worked on getting you to hold you rattle this week. You did pretty well, and I think even realized that it was your arm movements that made it make noise. This lasted until you whapped yourself in the face with it. You weren't so interested in it after that. Thank heavens for your short term memory because we will be working on it again today.

You are pretty good at holding your head up and can go for almost a minute. We put you in the Bumbo seat. I think you liked it until the weight of your head exhausted you and you demanded to be out of it. I don't want to rush these precious early days, but it will be nice to be able to put you in that seat soon.

There's so much more to say, but my mind's awash with gushy feelings of love for you so I'm afraid if I go on, I'll just get too sappy, even for a mommy. In the weeks before your arrival, we were having so much fun with Reeves that I wondered how it could be possible to love someone else as much as we love him. I was dreading the first few sleep deprived months, but then you came, and my heart doubled in size. You are such a blessing to us. You have even made me love these first months, despite how hard they are. We love you so much and are so lucky to have you here with us.

Autumn?

I'm moving. It's October and it's supposd to be 86 degrees on Monday. This is ridiculous! I'm ready for fall! This happens every year. You'd think after 32 of them, I'd be used to it by now and accept it with some sort of impotent southern grace, but I don't. Every year I curse the humidity and elevated temperatures that accompany us long into October. If anyone needs me, I'll be amuck in the Pacific northwest, probably somewhere in Canada. I'm thinking Reeves will do great as a lumberjack, and Bennett will make a great hockey player.

The Mother of Invention

When your child is in one of his "Sunday Go To Church" outfits, and you forget to bring a bib, you make do with the next best thing. If only the life jacket had a little pouch at the bottom to catch the crumbs, it would be perfect. By the way, this stayed on for the rest of the day.

...Like Son

This is his new thing. He stands there with his hands on his hips, seemingly deep in thought. I thought he had gotten it from me because I catch myself standing like that all the time, but then I found this old picture and now I'm not so sure it's my genes he's showing off....

What a Day

Yesterday was one of those days that makes me so happy to be a mom. Reeves didn't have school, so we went to playgroup at the playground at Riverland Terrace. It was a nice cool, breezy day right on the river, and the shoes came off shortly after we got there. Reeves was in hog heaven because his current favorite person, Bose, was there. He is happy as a clam running around after Bose, trying to do all the things that this big 3 1/2 year old does. Whenever I mention playgroup, Reeves immediately breaks into a chorus of BOSEs and can't wait to see him. So, of course, this started the day off with a bang. In a bit, all the other chilluns got there. Their mommies had been JOGGING! I'm so impressed and hope to be a part of that once these inflatables go down some. Anyway, the morning was super fun, and Reeves even ate all of his lunch - quite an uncommon feat these days. To top it all off, Bennett slept in his carrier the whole time which gave me some time to take pictures.
When we got home, I fed Bennett, and Reeves played happily and quietly (relatively) with his trains. Bennett went down, then Reeves. He fussed some, but I went outside so I couldn't hear him. I was able to get another section of the fence completed and put in another post. I think this is a big part of making me feel like I have had a good day. If I can actually accomplish something at some point during the day, I find myself looking back, in the evening, with a wonderful sense of satisfaction. It's good for me; it's good for the boys; and it's good for Bryant because I am in a much better mood.
Reeves woke up from his nap in a really good mood. This doesn't happen too often. Usually it takes him a while to warm up to the fact that he is no longer asleep. Those 15 or 20 minutes are no fun around here, but yesterday we didn't have them. I now realize that in addition to my accomplishing something, Reeves had zero screaming fits yesterday. This was the most integral part of making yesterday such a great day. He was calm. He didn't scream when I reminded him that he couldn't throw balls in the house or told him it was time to go inside. It was pleasant, and both he and I loved it. The fact that Bennett slept and ate great definitley contributed to it. It was all around perfect.
And to top it all off, I went to my first PTO meeting. This meant that Bryant had both boys by himself for the gangrene hours. Luckily for him, Reeves continued his good behavior. Bennett, on the other hand, who had been quietly swinging when I left, apparently cranked up within about 5 minutes of my departure. Poor B! He gave him a bottle and tried to sooth him as much a he could, but sometimes, when they're this little, it seems like only a momma can do it. When I walked in, all I could do was laugh. There were cabinet doors open, the counter was covered with dinner's remnants and the day's mail, and there were toys and pillows all over the den floor. Reeves was playing, and B and B were in the recliner with the pacifier finally doing its job. I loved it. I loved that Reeves had continued to be good. I loved that Bennett was quiet. I loved that Bryant had gotten to have quality time with just him and his boys. And I loved that I didn't get mad that the house was a mess. This is a big step for me. I like things to be done my way - because, naturally, my way is the right way. But having two boys is teaching me to let some things go. I'm beginning to realize that just because Bryant doesn't do things exactly like I do, that that's OK. The result is, for the most part, the same, and that's the most important thing. I also realized that when you have as good a day as I had yesterday, it's easy to laugh when a tornado comes through your house because everyone's still alive and happy, and it's much better to be able to hug and kiss and tell your kids you're proud of them than focus on the messy negative.
Thanks, boys - all three of you - for such a perfect day.