I'm too tired to think of a title...

But you get an update anyway. Or maybe I should say you get some pictures. So until I muster up the mental energy to actually write something that makes sense, you can feast upon these:

Silas in the sling today:


Owen enjoying the out of doors:






I don't even remember when I took these, but it was at least a few days ago:






P.S. Aside from being more tired than I ever thought possible, we are doing really well. I loved being a mother of one child, but being a mother of two children is even more incredible. It's a blessing that I can't describe to have another little one to love, and it's soooo sweet to see my children have a sibling. Maybe one of these days I'll actually get 3 solid hours of sleep at night and then you might get something a little more thought filled and eloquent!

P.P.S. (or is it P.S.S.?) I actually cut some quince branches to force bloom yesterday and made dinner 2 nights in a row. That might not seem like much, but to me it's refreshing...makes me feel like I'm slowly getting the hang of having two. Baby steps, right?

Today in the life...

Yesterday marked my first day of having two little ones to take care of with no help. Why the thought of that was overwhelming to me is a mystery...especially considering I was a nanny for infant twins who had a sister who is only 15 months older. But I guess the whole not getting any sleep at night thing plays into it a bit. Regardless, the morning was fabulous...the afternoon was a disaster and a half. I think the problem was, I had gotten it into my head that I would take a nap when the boys were down. And then reality happened. Owen threw one of the biggest fits of his entire life, and the minute he FINALLY fell asleep, Silas woke up. By the time C.J. got home from work, I was literally in tears. So today, I'm not even trying or hoping for a nap. Why set myself up for disappointment, right? It's far easier to just get through the day dog tired than it is to deal with the frustration of trying to take a nap and having it not work out. So instead, I'm blogging. At the moment, Silas is asleep in his swing and Owen is in his bed just gabbing away. To quote what I just heard: "Hey Monster. You ever seen a giant before?" Until he falls asleep and the littler one wakes up, you get an update from me. Lucky you! :) (Let's just ignore the laundry that isn't getting done and the toys that are strewn all over the house)

This morning, Silas had his 2 week check up. Remember how he weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. at birth? Yeah, a mere 2 1/2 weeks later he weighed in at a whopping 10 lb.s 8 oz. Tell me how that's even possible. And let's also hope that he doesn't continue to grow at this rate, or we might have a serious problem by the time he's 1.

In other news, Owen and I decided that it would be fun to play pretend "Kingdom" today. Here he is modeling the characters (Daddy was not too pleased about him playing the part of a princess, but the tutu is far too small for the only female living in this house. So who else would play the part?)

The King:


The Soldier:


The Princess:


And now I have a baby attached to me. Literally. So I guess that's all you get for now. Cheers!

Greetings from Lincoln City...

People, I am quickly realizing that my picture taking opportunities are going to be few and far between for the next, ummm, while. I'd love to show you a whole bunch of new pictures of Silas, but during the limited times I do have my hands free the camera is not really the first thing I reach for...more like a giant glass of water (as any woman who has breast fed can atest to). But, we have been at the beach for the last few days and I DID manage to snap a few pictures. I love my boys! Enjoy:

















Somebody looks more like his daddy every day:




P.S. Ryke, I posted these tonight especially for you! Miss you!

On having another child...(and some pictures, too)

I think every mother finds it hard to imagine what it will be like loving another child when all you know is the relationship you have with your first child. You wonder how on earth you'll ever love another child as much....but people, you do. Trust me. And every mother will tell you that. But what you don't know until you're there is how incredibly wonderful, natural, and instantaneous it is. Honestly, bringing another child into our family has been one of the most joyous things we will ever experience. Our family feels complete. Not that we didn't enjoy being a family of three, but there's something about our children now having a sibling that is SO precious. And for me, as a mother, it has been SO incredibly wonderful and natural to open my heart to another precious child. Before Silas was born, I was a little worried about what having him would do to my relationship with Owen. Honestly, I don't think it has done anything (well, at least relationally. obviously my time devoted solely to Owen has changed). The truth is, I still feel exactly the way I always have about Owen...it's kinda like your heart just expands and suddenly you have the room and capacity to love another child just as much. Kinda hard to explain, but to any mother out there who is wondering what it will be like to have more children....don't worry. It will be awesome. We truly feel so blessed and praise God daily for giving us the privilege and responsibility of raising another child. Anyhow, enough of the mushy stuff that I can't accurately describe anyway...

And on with the rest of our update. Honestly, we are doing REALLY well. I have to say, adjusting to a second child is WAY easier than the first. Aside from being extremely tired, life feels so normal (which I am very thankful for). After we had Owen, I kinda felt like I was living in some foreign cloud for a while. Not this time. And it has been such a treat to watch Owen with his little brother. I'm not kidding, he probably comes up and kisses Silas on the head at least 20 times a day. When he wakes up, he's sure to ask where his brother is. It's adorable. He is going to be one heck of a big brother, that's for sure.

Oh yeah, I just realized that I never really shared any info about the actual labor and delivery. So here goes: we got to the hospital at 6:00 like we were supposed to in order to get started on the pitocin before the nurses' shift change at 7:00. Well, there were apparently lots of other moms who had something else in mind because all the rooms had filled up overnight. So, we waited. Finally at about 8:00 I got hooked up to the pitocin and we were on our way. I really wanted to have the baby by 6:00 in the evening, because being New Year's Eve my doctor had dinner plans. And I didn't want her to have to cancel her plans but I DEFINITELY wanted her to deliver him. I mean, she is the best doctor ever. Anyhow, at about 10:00 she came in and broke my water. Now, considering the fact that with Owen I got pre-eclampsia, I was expecting labor to be absolutely horrid. I mean, it was the first time around so it probably would be the second time, too. What I didn't know is that going through labor without any complications is not that bad at all. Seriously. I didn't realize how HORRIBLE it was to be on all the crappy medications for pre-eclampsia until I had Silas...and it was a gazillion times better this time. It probably helps that he was almost a pound lighter than Owen, but still. Anyway, I got the epidural at about noon and cruised along blissfully until 3:00. I then started having some fairly brutal contractions and by about 4:30 decided I kinda needed to start pushing. So the nurse called the doctor and she said she'd be over at 5:00....to which I thought, "5:00???? I don't think I can wait that long before I start pushing." So, the nurse said I could start gently pushing to relieve the pressure if it felt better, but she didn't really want me to push full out until the doctor got there. About 5:05 the doctor showed up, checked things out, helped me push through a few contractions and said, "OK, you've got some pushing to do. I'm going down the hall to check another patient, I'll be back in about 10 minutes." So, she left for a few minutes. Well, that was all fine and dandy until the nurse and I figured out that I was pushing wrong. And then I figured out the proper way to push out a baby. And suddenly, in about 3 pushes that little baby was on his way out. Problem was, the doctor wasn't back yet. And the nurse didn't want to deliver him without her there. So, she says to me (as his head is like half-way out), "wait, hold it, don't push." Yeah freaking right. Like any woman who has half a head sticking out of their you know what is going to just stop pushing. So, our precious little baby was born....right into the arms of the world's best nurse, Jean. Seriously, she was amazing and was such a blessing to us. And then, about 2 minutes later, my doctor walked into the room and kinda shockingly said "Do we have a baby in here????" Poor girl. She felt really bad. But to her credit, it would have taken a LOT longer if I had continued to push like I was pushing when she checked me. Anyhow, that's how it went down. And guess what....the very best part is, I didn't have to have one single stitch. Not one. It doesn't get any better than that, folks. God took care of us, that's for sure, and we praise Him for it.

Ok, that's enough for now. Owen needs to eat dinner so I should probably call it quits. Just wanted jot some of this down before I forget it. Until later, you can enjoy a few new pics:










In about 40 years, my back will probably look like this, too:






Somebody loves his little brother:

Our new baby boy...

Here, people, is our precious little baby boy, Silas. Unfortunately I don't have many pictures yet because, you know, our hands are slightly full, but you can see these two. He's crying in the one above...oh well. And the pic below: the most beautiful day I could ever imagine to have a baby. It was so incredibly cozy and beautiful. I'll update with details when I get more time...until then, you get these stats:

Silas Craig
December 31, 2009
5:22 pm
8 lbs 7 oz, 20 3/4 in long
Labor was WAY WAY WAY better this time around, which I am extremely thankful for. Details to come. WE LOVE OUR NEW LITTLE BOY!!!!