It's a juggling act, people!

This picture says a thousand words about our family.

Have I ever mentioned I drink a lot of coffee?

PS. I was avoiding whining - I mean, saying - anything about it - but since someone was innocently confused about this picture, I need to clarify: I am NOT pregnant! It was my posture. And maybe a little (lot) of chocolate.

A girl and her baby brother

She loves him dearly.

The feelings are mutual. Really.

Hannah-isms and Adam-isms

Today, in one of our many what-will-we-do-next conversations

Hannah: Mommy, what are we going to do after our naps today?

Me: Mmm... we could go for a walk and maybe dip our feet in the pool.

Hannah, very politely: Any other ideas?

Recently in another what-will-we-do-next conversation

Hannah: Mommy, can we do 3 ounces of lessons today?

(Her "lessons" are workbook activities on the letters. We are currently working through one from the Target dollar bins.  She loves it!)

Just now:

Mark: Hannah, please go to the bathroom.

Hannah: Ok, Daddy! I will go pee-pee for 4 ounces.

Perhaps we should work on the proper context for "ounces".

Adam's new words, as of just today:

"Go"

"Agee-ah" (again)

"Boo-ah" (booger)

The sign for "cold"

Words he already says*:

Hi

Bye

Night-night

Daddy

Mama

Hot (with the sign, which is good because it sounds like "ahs")

"Ba-ba ba-ba" (belly-button)

"Day-ton" or "Day-day" (Ethan)

Nose, teeth, eyes

Juice

Book

Train

Car

Bus

Something like "helicopter"

Words that sound vaguely like all of the grandparent names

Mine

Signs for:

Me

Hot, cold

Milk

Please

Thank you (he is so good about this)

More

All done

I'm sorry (melt my heart, so sweet)

*There are lots of other words he has said on occasion which don't presently come to mind. These are the regulars.

This boy

... has my heart

He has captured it just like his daddy eight years ago. He has such a shy charm, a twinkle in his eye that says we share a secret joke.  He is the fairest of our kids, with porcelain skin and blond hair. He walks and runs from place to place with his arms slightly out and back and a determined, energetic step - thump, thump, thump, thump.

And Adam is a lover. When Mark walks in the door after work, Adam without fail drops whatever he is doing and runs headlong into Mark's arms (or legs) squealing "Daddeeeee!" He gives out hugs at random times. He snuggles and kisses me. He often insists on 15 minutes of cuddling after nap time.  

He plays for long stretches of time every day with his Ikea train set or looking at books. While I am nursing Ethan, he likes to run his toy cars over my legs and the couch as if they are roads and bridges. He knows lots and lots of words, but the regulars are "car-car", "train", and "Daddy". New favorites are body parts, like eyes, nose, and teeth.

Adam has adjusted well to not being the youngest. Like Hannah at this point, he already doesn't remember a time without Ethan. He is getting better about loving on Ethan "gently" but I still have to keep a very close eye on things. Good thing we have a small living space - nobody is too far from me at any given time :)

Oh so much...

Bigger!

Sweet Ethan is rounding out at about 16 pounds these days at 3 months old.  Actually this picture doesn't capture his total roundness as of today... I'm having camera issues* and grabbed this picture my sister took a few weeks ago from Facebook.

He loves to catch your eye and break out into a smile. His whole body responds - hands ball up and come to his face, legs bounce, and he gurgles and coos.

Check out those yummy round cheeks and rubber band wrists! And Ethan has total lack of neck. His head rests on at least two (there might be more hiding) fluffy, wonderful chins. Baby boy is not starving. I love me some fat babies.

*Camera issues: dropped the camera in a lake Memorial Day. Mark, with his sniper-like reflexes, yelped and threw himself into the water to rescue it as if it were one of our own children. It was very brave, a little terrifying, and hilarious. He actually rescued the camera. Then we let it dry out for a long time and it didn't work quite right (as most digital things are wont to do after going for a swim) Then it started to work! Fairly well, anyway. Then today, Hannah wanted to take my cute palmetto purse to a party we were attending and I let her and even stuck the camera in it, you know, so the camera would be handy instead of lost somewhere in my enormous black hole of a diaper bag. She nestled her stuffed hamster next to it. And then, of course, we left it at the party. Which, I am thinking, how random of the hosts to find? A cute little black purse with nothing in it but a camera and a very realistic looking stuffed hamster.