Settling In

Tonight I write this blog on our first night as a 4-person family. We have been in the hospital and had company since Abe was born, but tonight, it's just us. So far, so good. Jed just went to sleep after talking and singing to himself for a while in his crib and Abe is happily sucking away at his pacifier in his bouncy seat. Chris is taking a well-deserved shower. I am sitting down to the computer -- which I didn't think I'd be able to do for quite some time. God is good. That is all I can say.

These days I'm in awe of how God takes care of our family. He sent my parents to help with the first few days -- extra attention for Jed, someone to hold Abe while I napped, some laundry and meals taken care of, a fix-it job on our kitchen island -- it's been such a blessing. Also, our church family has rallied around us with meals every other night until mid-March. . . woah! Finally, God gave us a miracle baby! Abe sleeps for 3-5 hour chunks at night, hardly ever cries, sits around happy and awake and doesn't need to be held -- though he likes it. If he had been my first, I would have wondered what all these new moms were complaining about. As it is, I just thank God every day that He knew in His infinite wisdom that we needed Abe right now. He is such a treat.

The other treat in our lives is Jed. He continues to be such a joy -- even in the midst of his 'terrible almost-twos'. He's been pushing buttons, but is learning and it's great to see him shutting off the tantrums on his own more frequently now. He's doing even better with that since Abe has been born and he still loves him so much. More about that later. Right now, I'd just like to share some fun pictures of Jed. He sure can make us smile!

Here he is after his bath trying a new kind of fashion statement. Honestly, less weird than most fashion ads I see nowadays.
And here we have Gene Simmons in a backwards fire helmet . . . no, wait . . . that's Jed again.

Yeah, I had to try it, too. Jed just looked so cool!


I can remember my little sister, Caroline, doing this very thing with her Mrs. Potato Head glasses . . . I guess it runs in the family

Bed Head Rule #1: If you're going to go out of the house like that, you'd better look as cute as this guy!
And when you get tired of the bed head, you can just cover it up with a lovely hat straight from the tupperware cupboard.
And here we are right before my parents left this morning. Jed couldn't be coaxed to take his eyes off his baby brother for the picture.
And here are Grandma Lee and Papa Jim right before they left. I think their grandsons love them, don't you?
Now on to some pictures of Abe, mostly. They aren't in a very good order -- give me a break, it's only been a week. But here they are nonetheless.

I'm pretty proud to be this boy's Mama.
Sleeping peacefully by himself. This is a familiar sight.
Dada and his boys. This trio is in for a lot of fun!
Papa and Abe. We have a picture of Jed just like this with Papa on the first day he came to see him. Look back in the blog and you'll find it. After seeing this, I think the boys look a lot more alike than I did the first few days.
Mama and her boys. I love this. Sure would be great if they always enjoy snuggling!
Dada and Abe. Tummy time! He already lifts his head up and pushes with his arms. He's one strong boy! He also has really long arms and legs compared to Jed's. They are built pretty different. Jed had a long, barrel-chest and short legs and arms. Abe has a thinner frame, but longer limbs and long, thin fingers and toes. It will be fun to see what they look like as they get older.

Abe awake and happy sitting in his bouncy seat. Thanks, Aunt Valerie! I can tell that this is going to be a favorite look-out of his.
Already finding his hands. He really likes to suck, so between feedings, he loves a pacifier or a finger.
The boys again. Living it up in the big chair.
One of my favorite moments so far: I was sitting with Abe in the recliner and Jed crawled in and said "song". I started singing the song I wrote for Jed, but he said "No, Abe Song". So I sang the song I wrote for Abe. Then he said "pray". I asked him, "Pray for Abe?" "Yeah!" So, Jed put his hand on Abe and repeated a short prayer for his baby brother. Then he asked for the song followed by a prayer two more times. If our sons get nothing else, I pray that they will love God and love each other like this!
And there they are. Jed asks to hold and kiss "Bady Abe" at least 5-10 times a day.
This is all of us at the hospital right before we were discharged. Yep, we were pretty excited to bring that little guy home!
And now that we're here, we're just happy to be together. Abe is starting to fuss and it seems like he's about ready to eat again, so I'll leave you with this video that I hope works for you better than it did for me. It's one of Jed and Abe singing their first duet together. God bless you all until next time!