This is how I feel 99% of the time

Some stuff we have been doing

Well, it turns out that it is really hard to get out of the house when you have a two-year old and a newborn. It seems like by the time I finish feeding Jack and getting us all ready to go it is time to start all over again. Luckily we have been able to sneak in a couple of fun trips lately.

The first was to a place called Flat Rock. Maggie has been (regularly) asking to go the beach. Sad, I know. She just doesn't understand that there is actually no beach here. So, we decided that she needed to at least have a chance to play in the water. Flat Rock is a portion of the river where the water is very shallow and passes over large slabs of slate. It is the perfect little swimming spot and only about 10 minutes from our house! Maggie had a blast wading in the water, throwing rocks, and standing on her hands while letting the current tug at her feet. Every now and then she would lose her balance and roll under the water. She would stick her hand up for help, stand up, wipe the water from her face and go right back for more. She really is a little fish!

Next we went swimming at Treman State Park. There is a swimming hole carved out by a waterfall. Even though it is very improved and you have to jump from a diving board instead of from the rocks, the water was cold and refreshing and the setting was beautiful! One of the highlights for me was  doing something marginally active (sad that I am that desperate to work out). Even though I only jumped  a few times it felt great to sneak in a little tiny bit of exercise. I am counting down the days (only 3 more) until my exercise ban is lifted.

Maggie'isms

I have started emailing myself (so that I won't forget) when Maggie says or does funny things, or things that just melt my heart. Here are a couple that I came across in my inbox recently:

While hustling around the living room and moving random things from here to there: "I need to clean this for daddy. It is so yucky in here." (No comment on whether this reflects my behavior or the general state of my house)

"Hi Jackie boy. You okay? I just playing soccer ball with Daddy. When you get bigger you play with me, okay?" (And yes, this did make me very happy).

I think she is a beautiful little girl.

A letter to my Jackie boy

Hi Jackie boy,

Little cutie, I cannot believe that it has already been almost six weeks since you came to join our little family. You gave us a few worries the first week when you became overly sleepy because you were not getting enough to eat. I was sick and the doctor told us that that I was not making enough milk. He recommended that we give you a bottle. No sooner had I finally convinced you to drink from a bottle then you promptly forgot how to breastfeed. This led to some stressful, stressful days, but finally everything resolved--I had enough milk and you remembered how to drink it. Here is a snapshot of your numbers during the first 4 weeks.

When, after about two weeks, you finally started gaining weight as you should, I was so relieved! Now, you are growing up too fast! When you were born you were the same size as Maggie's little baby doll. Your little legs were so scrawny that your skin wrinkled over your thighs. I joked that you didn't even have a bum--just a hole on your back. Now you have started to fill up your skin. Your arms and legs are just a little pudgy (cute too! and just like they should be). You have the sweetest little dimples by your elbows. You have perfect hands and feet.

You have a couple of little quirks that just make me laugh! Usually you keep your legs tightly tucked up by your belly. When you don't, you stick them straight up in the air (hardly ever just relaxed). You HATE having a poopy diaper. For the most part, you are a pretty mellow baby, BUT, when you have a poopy diaper, you let me know! You sometimes even wake up from a dead sleep and scream, and I will find only a tiny smear of poo, maybe the size of a dime and completely absorbed by your diaper. As soon as your diaper is changed, you return to being a happy, mellow, sweet little baby.

You make the funniest expressions. Sometimes you squeeze your mouth into a teeny tiny 'o'. As I am sitting here picturing that face, your little tiny 'o' lips remind me of a cheerio. I think they are about the same size. You have the CUTEST little sad face. At the end of each cry, you close your lips tightly into a little frown. Even though I hate to see you sad, your little tiny frowny face often makes me smile. Every time you sneeze, you ball up your hands and jerk them to your face. Then, after your sneeze, you  often make this funny little sound, kind of like a loud sigh. So sweet. I have been trying to catch it on camera, but those sneezes are hard to predict.

Maggie adores you. She often tries to share her toys with you (usually by piling them on top of you while you are sleeping). She also mimics the words that she hears us say. She says, "it's okay Jackie boy," when you are crying and "come here Jackie boy" as she tries to pick you up (we always quickly intervene before that happens!) Yesterday when you were crying Maggie turned on music and started to dance for you. You immediately stopped crying. You seem to really tune in to her voice. I hope that you grow up to be great friends.

Even though I am looking forward to watching you grow and to getting to know you better, everyday I snuggle you to my chest and try to lock away a memory about what your snuggles feel like because I know that they will be gone all too soon. I love it when you rest your head on my shoulder and drape your arm over mine. I love it when you lay on my lap and look intently at my face. I love it when you nestle your head into my neck.

I want you to know that your family loves you! Your Daddy, myself, Maggie--we all adore you. I feel so blessed that you have come to join our family.

Love,
Your Mommy

Some Newborn Pictures

2 Year Old Snapshot

Maggie Age 2
LOVES
playing in the water
blueberries
singing and dancing
Curious George
ice cream
talking on the phone to Grandma
counting
doing things "all my by-self!"
rocking with mommy