I'm continually reminded how lucky I am - when I look at both my healthy, happy boys, They light up my world every day. I don't think I've smiled or laughed so much in my life as I have in these last nine months.

 

Aaron is doing very well. He had his 4 month well-baby check on Friday. I went in thinking he's probably 18-19 lbs and sure enough he's just shy of 18. The doctor is very pleased. He is alert, followed the doctor's every move around the room. "Chatted" with him a little bit in the office. He was a champ for the shots. He of course cried and stuck out his bottom lip like he does, but it was short-lived. His doctor told me I'm fine to cut out the one feed in the night. Aaron has been sleeping 8pm - 4:30am and then waking up for a bottle. Since he's doing well sleeping so long, doctor said to let him learn to go back to sleep at this point w/o a feed. I'm not sure if it's Aaron's good-naturedness and obliging nature, or the fact that now that I've started to turn the heat on in his room at night (and it's toasty warm!), but the baby is sleeping clear through the night - not even moving to kick his blankets off like he normally would! I am in heaven. Everything with him has been scary easy. I am trying not to take it for granted because the minute you get used to something, it usually changes! :)

 

Here are his stats:

17 lbs, 14 oz (92%)

25.75 inches (74%)

 

He's becoming quite the flirt these days too. His sweet, quiet personality are coming out. He is usually pretty stoic but he'll catch your eye and then give a half smile. It's very sweet. It takes a lot to get him to giggle, but when he does, he goes on forever. He always smiles when he sees James. James loves to greet Aaron in the morning and run in his room and flip on the light. This is a shock to Aaron, of course, and he usually flinches a little. But he grins as soon as he sees us. James is quick to givce Aaron a hug and kiss after I've put him down in his carseat. Such good brothers.

 

Our morning and evening routines are going well now that I've returned to work. I try to get up first and get into my running clothes, contacts in, pop some toast in. Then I get James up, on the potty (potty training is going SO well!), and then dressed. While he's eating breakfast, I get Aaron up and dressed. By the time A and I are ready, James is done with cereal and we clean up and head out the door. I'm pretty impressed with the efficiency of it all. :) I have been able to get in a 30-35 minute run 3-4 days a week, after I drop the kids off at daycare. It's a god-send. If I wasn't able to do it in the a.m., I'm not sure when I'd get to exercise. I'm just 6 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight - hooray! But I have a goal of 15 more lbs. But I"d be satisfied with anything between 5-10 lbs.

 

Nighttime is usually pretty mellow too. Aaron falls asleep on the car ride home from daycare and stays asleep long enough for me to make a quick dinner, and for us to eat it. Granted I practically inhale my food so I can eat it while it's warm before he wakes up. I give Aaron a bottle while James finishes, and then it's usually time for a movie. Robots has been the movie of the month. :) I need to convince James to watch something else! I should feel guilty about letting him watch a movie at night, but we're both pretty tired from the day's activities that we both just want to relax. Aaron gets a bath, and then I bring James in for his. Aaron watches from his bouncy chair. At 8pm sharp, both kids are ready for bed. Aaron first, and then James. Aaron is awesome - I can lay him down wide awake and he doesn't fuss at all, and puts himself to sleep. Doesn't get any better than that!!! I remember having to rock and hold James until he was in a deep sleep. It would sometimes take hours. It still takes James a long time to put himself to sleep. I can usually hear him humming or sucking his thumb really hard for 45 min-1 hour after I've put him to bed.

 

James has been crawling into bed with me in the night again. I need to break him of the habit again but honestly, he's so soft and warm in his footie PJs, and such a good cuddler (albiet a bed hogger! I get about 5 inches of bed on the edge!). Most nights I'm too tired to worry about transferring him back to his own bed. But I know I need to do this soon before it becomes too ingrained.

 

This is getting LONG. I hadn't updated in so long, and this has been kind of a stream of consciousness post. :) I need to do better about every few day posts again.

 

I may have spoken too soon. I haven't seen Aaron suck his thumb except that day last week. Must have been a fluke. :) But he has been giggling a lot lately, which is probably the sweetest sound in the world. Yesterday afternoon Tammy called me just to hold the phone up to Aaron as he was giggling. Such a boost to my afternoon!! Last night, I had him seated facing me on my lap and was making "raspberries" and clicking my tongue and he thought this was just hilarious. It also startled him a bit too, which was funny. He'd jerk back each time I started doing either of these things and then he'd realize what I was doing and start giggling.

 

James is doing very well this week. We had some accidents on Monday but that's to be expected because we were in transit a lot that day and also took in a movie (Ice Age 3 again - it was playing at the cheap theatre by our house). He loved it again, but unfortunately was so engrossed in the movie that he forgot to tell me he had to pee. Thankfully it wasn't a lot. Bedtime seems to be getting easier these days. He doesn't fuss nearly as much about going to bed. He still "stalls" by calling me into cover him up again (after he's thrown the blankets off), or ask for water. His newest thing is "maybe later." I'll ask him if he wants to use the potty, or if I can have a hug, and his response is always, "maybe later." Haha! Boys can't be bothered with silly things like going potty or having a snuggle. ;-)

 

Saturday is our first of many jaunts to Eugene for UO Duck football games. I sure hope the Ducks have figured things out from last game. Or it's going to be a LONG season. I am sharing my tickets with Patrick's dad and brother this year. It will be fun to spend time with each of them while his mom watches the boys at Steph's house. Before long, we'll all get to christen Steph & Chris' new house with plenty of green & yellow-clad fans!! Can't wait!

It's about time! Aaron found his thumb today at daycare (the left one, same as James) and was going to town on it! Tammy said he was just so happy to be sucking his thumb and was making the cute slurp, slurp noises. He had a bit of a rough time yesterday - he was fussy and his gums seemed to be hurting him, so Tammy gave him some Baby Oragel. He must be starting to teeth. James got his first tooth at four months so it wouldn't surprise me if Aaron followed suit on that too. But he was back to his normal self last night, and evidently is having a perfect day today. Very happy, and maybe more so now that he's found his thumb. Hee hee.

 

James got his first bee sting today. Poor guy. Tammy called to make sure he wasn't allergic. Of course I didn't know since it's his first sting, but chances he is are slim. Neither Patrick nor I are allergic. Tammy told James that bees don't like little kids, they like flowers. James' response: "This bee liked me!" He cried for just a minute and thankfully the sting spot didn't swell or otherwise indicate any allergic reaction.

 

Work day three is going well. I managed another run this morning. I think I've found a good rhythm for getting all of our bags packed/ready the night before so that our morning send-off is smooth and quick. Of course, I'm also running around like a crazy loon doing this as quickly as possible so I can maximize my evenings with the boys. They are both going to bed at about 8:15 so that gives me about 2.5 hours with them to put together puzzles, read stories, color, bath & potty time, and of course snuggle.

It's come to this: I have returned to the workforce. I had an amazing 15 weeks of family leave with Aaron. He is a special little boy and is such a joy. I couldn't be any luckier! With his easy-going nature, he is transitioning well to daycare. And James is beyond thrilled that baby brother is going to daycare with him, and gets to stay all day! James will ask me, "Mom, are you gonna pick me up tonight? And Aaron too? YAY!" So cute. Tammy is in love with her new charge. They had a great first day. Aaron was smiling and cooing to Tammy as we were leaving to head home. I am thrilled to have her as our daycare provider for the boys.

 

My return to work is going well so far. My manager is on a much-deserved vacation for two weeks so I'm jumping right into things. Thankfully it's not super busy but there is enough to get caught back up on that day one, and this morning of day two, are flying by. There are also a lot of friends around the office to see  and visit with, too. :) I managed to get in a 30 minute run this morning before work - felt great! I hope to do this 3-4 days a week - fingers crossed!

 

James' potty training is just about mastered. He had a terrific day yesterday - no accidents, dry after naptime, and happy to hop on the potty when prompted. He woke up dry again this morning. Woohoo! So pleased that it's been a relatively easy feat to master.  

The last two days of potty training have been super! James is really catching on and is excited about his new-found skill. :) He has woken up dry from his naps yesterday and today, and was dry this morning when he got up. WAHOO! He's eager to sit on the potty each time I prompt him and went #2 for the first time today. He didn't want to, but I knew it was about that time of day. Despite some faux tears and whining, I let him hang out in there until I finally heard him call for me to see. :) He was so proud and happy. Good job, James!!!!!! A potty cupcake was awarded for this major milestone. For the most part he's stopped asking for marshmellows as his reward after each pee. I'm glad he isn't needing the bribe! He's now at Patrick's for the weekend and I'm confident the good progress will continue. :-)

Although potty training got off to a rocky start this week, I've decided to persevere. I got a lot of advice and what struck me most was the need to continue with the training since I've already started. It would confuse James too much to go back to diapers, and since he is such a strong-willed and smart kid, he'd probably figure out how to manipulate the system to go back to diapers. Despite the initial hiccups and hesitations, James is on board now!

 

We began in earnest yesterday (Monday and Tuesday were just too busy to really have much luck) and it was a great first day! I put James in undies first thing and he held it during the early morning until we got home from my eye doctor appointment. I put him on the potty when we got home and left im to do his thing. When I came back in, the bathroom floor was wet - ooops, things weren't pointed south like they should have been. But I was still SO happy and proud. He earned himself a "potty cupcake" (a regular chocolate cupcake that I said would be his reward the first few times). Later we went to my work to throw a baby shower for a friend and he did very well until the end when he couldn't hold it any longer. He had an accident and didn't like his pants being wet (which is good, I was hoping this discomfort could be a motivator). We changed him and when we got home, he went on the potty again. Another cupcake was awarded. Since then, he's gone another three times and woke up dry this morning. That's HUGE! All told, he had three and a half cupcakes yesterday. We've moved onto marshmellows or Runts candies as the reward. Can't contribute to the national obesity problem!! Good thing he likes these just as well. :)

 

I'm feeling really good that we may have potty training mostly mastered by Monday when he returns to daycare and I go back to work. Fingers crossed! I'm so proud of him!

The countdown has officially begun - six days until I return to work. BOO! But it must be done. But first, I'm making this last week one to remember. James has been going to daycare fulltime this summer so that I could have undivided time with Aaron, just like I did when James was a newborn. But this week his daycare is closed (Tammy is taking a much-deserved vacation) and I have both boys home with me.

 

The fun started on Friday evening when I picked James up from school. He was SO excited to see Aaron and I after having spent the majority of the last two weeks at his dad's house. I had missed him SO much. He requested pancakes for dinner and I of course obliged. We spent the evening cuddling and playing teeball in the yard. He was hilarious - I would wind up before each hit (and say "spinnie, spinnie, spinnie") and after that he insisted on doing it too, and reminding me to do it if I forgot. Saturday he woke me up at 5:45 - WAY too early, but nevertheless, I happily got up because he was in such a good mood and I was still so happy for him to be home. We ate cernal (his cute mispronunciation of cereal) and read stories until Aaron woke up at 9:00 (what a bum - haha). We hit Metzger park and had it all to ourselves. I had planned for us to go see Up at the Avalon Theater that morning but James started acting up just before we were going to leave: a clear sign he needs a nap. He asked to go lay in his room and before I knew it, he was out cold. Aaron and I followed suit and also took naps (which was good because I was tired from the early morning!). We spent the afternoon dancing and singing around the living room (even though James loves to tell me not to dance and sing - haha) and playing teeball and catch. That evening we were invited to Rachael & Andy's for a bbq. The kids had a great time swimming and running naked around the yard while we adults enjoyed much-needed Coronas (well, Andy, Jesse and I did. Rachael is still breastfeeding and KT is the sole preggo these days). ;)

 

Sunday James and I spent the afternoon with Uncle Derek while Aaron spent time with Patrick. We wandered around Kalama and walked to the very top of the town, which has an amazing view of the Columbia. The four mile roundtrip hill jaunt took us about 90 minutes and we got a heck of a workout trading off pushing 37 lb James in the stroller. James was his usual jovial and spunky self and gave Uncle and I plenty to laugh about, making the time go by fast.

 

Sunday I also decided it was time to give potty training a heave-ho! I took James to Target to pick out big boy undies (Cars and Wolverine were the picks). He wasn't thrilled about them, and still isn't, but I'm doing what I can to be encouraging without being overbearing. I put a pair on him when we got home and he immediately wanted them off. I tried again this morning and he kept them on. However, about 20 minutes later when I couldn't find him, I called him and heard his voice from under his train table. When I asked what he was doing under there, he said, "go away mommy. I'm peeing." Sigh. The train table is in his playroom, which is where he's always gone to do his business. I didn't get upset but pulled him out and took him to sit on the potty. Nothing happened so I changed him and put him in another pair of undies. 20 minutes later, he had another accident. It's hard to know if I should persevere or give it a rest for now. The discomfort of having an accident doesn't seem to be translating. My thought was that we could get a good start on potty training while he's home from daycare this week, and before I go back to work. But maybe that's too big of an undertaking for my last week.

 

Today we had a terrific day in Lincoln City. My dad came with us and it was so nice of him to join us (and drive!). The weather couldn't have been better - 65 degrees, clear blue skies. The beach was crowded but not bad. James loved, loved, loved playing in the sand, jumping over the waves and playing in the "D" River (a very small river that has a few small ponds) that runs beside the beach we were at. Aaron slept most of the day in the baby bjorn and as usual he was so easy to have along. We had Tillamook ice cream on the way home. James ate his whole scoop and waffle cone (and these were not small!). It was a great day.

 

Aaron gifted me with two full night's sleep this week, in a row. It was amazing! I was drunk on sleep when I woke up each morning. I know I shouldn't brag but I can't help it. He has since returned to waking up once a night again (usually around 4am), but that's still not bad at all. He went through a bit of a growth spurt because he's not as rolly-polly as usual (still plenty of rolls but not as pronounced). He's smiley most of the time now, and oh so ticklish. His palms and bottoms of his feet are the most ticklish. And somehow I can't seem to leave those adorable piggies alone. :-)

 

I have one more week until I go back to work. It's been so wonderful to be home with Aaron the past 14 weeks. It was the perfect amount of time. I enjoyed being off the whole summer and walking nearly every day with Rachael, Shannon and KT. It's been our own little Pregnant Moms Walking Club. :-) I am perfectly content to be a home body if not properly motivated to get out. Meeting up with these good friends not only got me moving each day but ensured I got some adult interaction too! I'm still not where I want to be pant-size-wise but getting closer and I credit these good friends for the extra motivation! I will miss these walks (particularly KT's BIG hill) when I go back to work, but with luck we can still meet up at lunch a few days a week.

 

This past weekend, I hosted the 2nd Annual Friends Weekend for long-time/college friends Greg, Steph and Jen. We ate way too much delicious food, drank tasty adult beverages, told hilarious and embarrassing stories, and danced our hearts out. It was a fabulous weekend! Next year though, we're going to have to enforce a "leave your cell phone at the door" rule. :-)

Ah running, how I've missed you? It feels SO good to get back out and run, even if my pace is not yet where I want it to be, and if I'm winded long before I'd like to admit. But just being out there again pounding the pavement to some good tunes makes me incredibly happy. It's been since last summer that I've really run in earnest, and that's way too long of a hiatus.

 

Most mornings I try to fit in a short run w/ Aaron before we meet up with Rachael, KT and/or Shannon for a walk. KT's neighborhood is super hilly (I'm talking monster hills) so it makes for a great walking workout, particularly pushing a stroller. The other morning I offered to push the double stroller with Merin and Addie in it up the BIG hill. With Rachael just three weeks post-partem and KT in her seventh month, I was the obvious choice for the duty. And oh boy did it give me a workout. But I loved it. To me, there's not much point working out if you're not going to go full-board every time. Sometimes I'll only feel like doing 15 minutes but once I get into it, it's usually 45 minutes to an hour later when I finally call it quits. I hope to instill a love of exercise in my boys as they are growing up, and can't wait to have them riding their bikes alongside me - or better yet, running too - as I'm running. :-)

Seriously, I'm kidding. I love both my sons equally but I sure do love how easy Aaron is turning out to be. He's a champ at hanging tight while I'm busy with James, and is so mellow you'd think he had been drugged (again, kidding!). Not to say he isn't a ton of fun and energetic in his own way. I'm particularly thrilled about his bedtime routine. Lately he's been going to sleep around 8:45ish and not waking up until 3:30am or so. Then he wakes up for good around 6:45, which is perfect and about the time when I'm done getting James ready. And I can lay him in his crib awake and he puts himself to sleep. Seriously this baby is amazing and so good to me! (knocking on all pieces of wood in close proximity). He's currently fast asleep in his carseat following a small outing to downtown. Can he just stay this way forever?! :-)

James is an excited, happy and loving little person. He rarely has down moments. So it comes as no surprise that he's a terrific big brother to Aaron, and loves his little brother very much. Not a day goes by that he doesn't ask me about Aaron - "Mom, where's Aaron?" (In his room sleeping); "Mom, I think Aaron is hungry. Do you want to make him a bottle?"; "Mom, is Aaron coming with us?" (of course!). He gets very excited when he sees Aaron in the afteroon when we pick him up at daycare/preschool. He squeals in delight, "Aaron!! Aaron!! Mom, you brought Aaron!" and then runs over to give Aaron a hug. Likewise Aaron is always happy and excited to see James. He smiles often these days, but particularly when he sees James. I will often prop Aaron up on my lap so he can "talk" to James. He is starting to coo and loves to try to talk to big brother. James of course loves this: "Mom, look he's talking to me!" The other day I had Aaron on the floor for tummy time and James wanted to join him. I snapped a few shots of the cuteness that ensued.

 

 

As evidenced by his terrific weight gain, Aaron is growing by leaps and bounds, but he's also full of smiles these days. He smiles at me from inside his crib when I greet him in the morning. I love that he is so happy to see me. Throughout the day he loves to look me square in the eye and give me a cute, crooked smile. He is finding his voice too and coos happily to me and the little bears that dance over his swing.

 

This afternoon, he and I spent the afternoon at a local Starbucks. Not so much to beat the heat; thankfully we have A/C, but I just really wanted to get out of the house. I brought The Time Traveler's Wife to read (for a second time :) but instead of reading, I propped Aaron up on my lap, facing me, and he and I had a grand ol' time chatting and smiling at each other. I swear he was saying "hi" back to me. At least with his twinkling eyes. After a while I started to gently massage and stroke his face and head, and this made him smile non-stop. His bright, sapphire blue eyes are irresistable, particularly when he smiles. :-)

Dear James,

Wow, I can hardly believe that it was three short years ago you joined us and changed all our lives in so many amazing ways. You are one of the two loves of my life. We had such a fun day celebrating your birthday yesterday. And it's not over yet - we have your party on Saturday morning at Westlake Park with the whole family and friends.

 

You woke up yesterday morning your usual happy-go-lucky self and immediately rushed to the kitchen ready for breakfast. When you saw the streamers, balloons and presents, you exclaimed, "It's my birthday! It's my party!" I couldn't have hoped for a better reaction to my preparations for your day. You loved your gifts but I think you loved the balloons I had blown up the best. You grabbed all three and raced around the living room with them. Oh, the simple things are always the best! When I asked you how old you were, you said emphatically, "I'm Two!" When I reminded you that you turned three today, you didn't like this one bit and reiterated that you are two. :)

 

We went to the Oregon Zoo with Grandpa M, Aaron, Rachael, Andy, Merin and Fin. It was such a fun morning/afternoon, and the weather was perfect. You and Merin had fun chasing after each other in the elephant overlook area. After a few good hours at the Zoo, we headed home for lunch and then cupcakes and ice cream. You were so excited to blow out your candle, and finally agreed that being three was pretty cool. :)

 

I look forward to keeping the celebration going through to Saturday. The streamers are still up and there's still ice cream in the freezer. I like celebrating you, and I know you do, too. :) I love you, sweetsie.

Love, momma

 

Aaron's first girlfriend has made her entrance into the world!! Rachael delivered baby girl Finlan "Fin" Aurelia Wallace on Friday morning, 7/17/09. She is beautiful! Aaron is smitten already. We are so happy for Rachael, Andy and Merin. More photos in the album below.

 

The last few weeks have slipped by so fast, thanks to a lot of fun activities with the boys and my family. Last Saturday we headed to Hood River to see Thomas the Tank Engine with my parents. This was our second year doing this, and James' reaction to seeing Thomas was just as excited, if not more so, than last year. He loved seeing Thomas, jumping to catch the bubbles from the bubble machine, getting a blue elephant balloon and of course, riding Thomas. I carried Aaron in the moby but it was a hot day so it was good for both of us to take him out during the train ride. James was a bit grumpy by the time we got on the train - he's not a fan of having his picture taken these days. He gets really upset, and of course we were wanting all sorts of photos of him doing this and that. :-) But all in all, we had a great time. 

 

Last Friday I took James and Aaron to see Ice Age in the theatre. James' first big screen movie. He really liked it. Aaron was a champ and slept the whole time - phew! I had forgotten how loud the theatre can be (it's sad that it's been more than seven months since I've seen a movie at the theatre) - I was worried it might wake Aaron up. But thankfully his newborn-sleep-through-anything phase is in full effect. We went to the movie with James' daycare lady, Tammy, and her seven-year-old son, Logan.

 

Aaron turned six weeks today. He's doing so well. He's becoming quite a chunky, rolly-polly baby - the best kind! He continues to be a good sleeper, eater and mellow baby. He's started to fall asleep at 9pm and sleep clear through until 2 or 3am. Hooray! He smiles a lot these days in response to me, James, grandma and grandpa, Tammy (he knows and likes her already from the time they spend together when I drop off and pick up James). He does NOT like to be in a swing, bouncy chair or anything other than my arms. I love that he wants me and I love to hold him close - he's so soft and warm. But sometimes I do have to put him down and he will let out a cute little wail. It doesn't last long. He is so laid back that he must figure a little complaining is all he needs to let me know his view on things. :-) He does great at tummy time and is getting very strong. He can lift his head for 5-6 seconds, and doesn't seem to mind tummy time much. He's an all around wonderful baby and I'm having a ball with him. So much so that I asked to extend my leave from 12 weeks to 15 weeks, and my manager graciously agreed. YAY!

 

I posted new pictures in the June album below (note: the Thomas pictures for some reason bookend the album - some at the beginning, some at the end).

Happy week everyone.

This last weekend brought a big milestone and the best reason to celebrate - my mom and dad reached their 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday!! Their modest request to celebrate was to get the immediate family together for a lunch or dinner. With four kids, it's not always easy to do this, but of course everyone blocked the day to be there for mom and dad. We organized a simple but abundant brunch spread, and a delicious cake from Beaverton Bakery. There were few leftovers of any of the food! Mom and Dad cut the cake together, and also fed each other the first piece of cake. It was very cute. And of course it was also Father's Day! Mom and Dad really enjoyed the day and kept telling us that it was the best anniversary and best father's day ever. :-) My mom and dad are amazing, and I am so proud of their long commitment to each other. I can't wait to plan the 50th party!

 

I posted the photos of the party, and some new photos of the kids (June 2009), in the photo albums.

Rachael has worked her magic again and captured some great photos of Aaron at three weeks. She also managed to get James to sit still long enough for some feet and hands shots w/ baby brother. They're saved in the Aaron photo album.

Right after I finished the previous entry, James did the funniest thing. He got a whistle out of the treasure box at school on Friday. It's since been around his neck and in his mouth constantly. Just now, randomly, he blew his whistle and exclaimed, "Keep an eye on me, guys!" Followed by a "Mom, I'm talking to you!" Good grief, where does he come up with these things? I couldn't help but look over at Steph and wonder if she just heard what I heard. :-)

 

James is always going to make sure he's the center of attention.

Wow, I'm absolutely amazed that Aaron is nearly three weeks old and that I've been on leave nearly a month. How did that happen? The days go by sooo fast. But we're having a great time. He's such a good baby. I'm so lucky. I not only have the sweetest, funniest and most charming nearly-three-year-old, but a newborn who looks to follow in his older brother's foot steps on all these fronts, too!

 

Aaron is doing the newborn thing and sleeping "through the night" in two-hour intervals, waking up to feed. It's definitely tiring getting up every two hours, but for now he's being a good son and going right back to sleep after the feeding. I know better than to think this will last. :-) He and I spend most of our days napping and studying each other's faces <g>, broken up by a mid-day walk with Rachael, and then various household chores (getting dinner prepped before going to get James, etc). I'm shocked at how fast the hours fly by. But we get plenty of "visiting" in throughout the day. He is a big time grunter and has a very expressive, handsome face. Lots of newborn "smiles" and "giggles", along with what I have coined as the "Cheerio O" face. His head and neck are getting stronger and he practices lifting his head off my chest, and off the floor during tummy time.

 

James is a very thoughtful and attentive big brother. Whenever Aaron makes a sound, James proclaims, "Aaron is hungry. He needs a bottle." 9 times out of 10, he's right. ;-) He's quick to help hand me things I need for Aaron and seems not to take too much offense when I am not able to respond to his needs immediately. I try not to point out that Aaron is the reason I can't help James at a given moment - don't want him to feel resentment toward baby brother. So far, this seems to be working. But brothers will be brothers, and eventually I'm sure it'll be "game on" for Mom's attention.

 

Aaron underwent the knife this week and was circumcised. He did great. I didn't watch the procedure, but the doctor said he didn't cry at all. We had to stay in the doctor's office for an hour after the procedure so the doctor could see how it was doing. During the time, I guess the pain caught up to Aaron because he was not happy. Poor guy! But in the days since, it hasn't bothered him (I'm sure he'll love to read later on that I've shared this with all of you...haha).

 

We're enjoying a visit from Steph and Chris this weekend, and I'm taking advantage of extra morning sleep-in time and an extra afternoon nap. James loves to play with his "auntie" and "uncle." XOXO to them. :-)