Results

In case anyone was wondering, here are the results for the poll in my "one month old" post. The pictures on the left are Joseph, and Darren is on the right! Here is my favorite picture of Joseph taken that same day! I love how big that smile is!

We are SO in trouble!

This week, Joseph learned how to roll over. The first time I saw him do it, I think I was in denial. But then this morning, he did it 3 times in a row, and I could no longer deny his capabilities. In case anyone else is in doubt, just watch the video - we have proof! When this video was recorded (this morning) Joseph was 4 1/2 weeks old, or one month and one day - way too early to be rolling over! If he learns how to do other things this far in advance, we are so in trouble as he gets older!

One Month Old Already!

Joseph is officially one month old! This month has gone by really fast! We love him so much and are so glad that he has come to join our family! He's a pretty good baby - a bit more fussy than Darren was, but still really good. He has just found his smile (other than when sleeping), and will coo on occasion! He's really starting to get to the fun baby stages! As per our tradition, I broke out the camera on his one month birthday, and his pictures seemed very familiar! So, I pulled out Darren's one month pictures, and I discovered why! So, just for fun, let's take a little poll.... which pictures are Darren, and which are Joseph? I'm refraining from posting my favorite picture of Joseph, 'cause if I do, it will give away who's who! I'll post it on another day!

Brothers!

Now that the baby is here, I think one of the questions I get asked the most, is "How does Darren like his new little brother?" I think these pictures answer that question. He is always asking me to hold the baby and is always very concerned whenever he cries. I love it and think it's super cute! I feel very blessed that Darren is so good with his little brother!

Brothers!
Darren loves giving Joseph kisses!
Darren wanted to feed Joseph the very tail end of a bottle!
A happy and proud big brother!

Sleep!

I just uploaded new pictures onto our computer, and I knew I had some updated ones of our family life. However, when looking at the pictures, there seemed to be a recurring theme... sleep! But, you will notice that I am not in ANY of these pictures. That can mean one of two things - Moms never get to sleep, or these pictures show what happens when Dad is left in charge for awhile (I love you Matt!). Maybe it's a combination of both!

I love that they're in the same position!
This is apparently what happens when I go take a shower! This is a very rare shot- Darren has NEVER actually slept on the couch before!
Matt, attempting to get both boys to take a Sunday afternoon nap with him. It wasn't very successful. Darren wanted to "sleep" next to the baby, and share the baby's blanket.

Life with 2!

K, so Joseph is now 2 weeks old, and we've had a little time to adjust to having 2 kids. Although, the real adjustment won't come until Matt has to go back to work on Monday. Anyway, so far, it's been quite interesting. Matt's starting to get pretty good at playing Mr. Mom, and Darren is learning to be soft and gentle with the baby. Darren still pokes Joseph in the eyes on occasion, but it's mostly out of discovering that the baby has all the same body parts that he does and not from being mean. Most of the time, Darren gives baby Joseph hugs and kisses, calls him "Babies" and climbs into the crib with him when he wakes up (unless we get there first). He also tries to share his toys and snacks with him - which is great, but not yet... so we need to watch him carefully. But, overall, he's turning out to be a pretty good big brother! I'm very proud of him! With all the time I have to spend nursing/taking care of the baby, poor Darren gets bored, so I still have to think of constructive things for him to do when I'm busy. Any suggestions?

Joseph is a pretty good baby for the most part. He's a lot more vocal, and less patient when he needs something than Darren was. He also doesn't like being put down - he wants to be held all the time. He nurses practially non-stop (Matt calls him my little attachment), and is still sitting at 10% below his birth weight, which isn't good. Joseph has a tied tongue, and we have to get it clipped (which is happening next week), which should help him be able to nurse better and more effectively. A tied tongue basically means he can't stick his tongue out, which affects his ability to nurse. I get gummed to death and consequently am in pain most of the time while nursing. Not fun! So, while having a tongue clipped also sounds quite painful, it's brief, has an instant recovery period, and it will help him to eat better now, and allow him to eat ice cream cones, etc. in the future!

I am recovering pretty well, and feeling pretty good. I'm not 100% yet by any means, but I definitely have more energy than I did the last few months, which feels really good! I still have to be very careful with my incision, etc., but I'm doing really well. Anyway, here's a few pictures of baby Joseph and our life the last 2 weeks! Enjoy them!

Story time!
Father/Son time!
Joseph's first bath (mostly a sponge bath) - he didn't like it at all.
Darren giving Joseph a kiss!
My handsome boy!
Deep in thought.......
So alert!
Jazz hands!
Karate Kid!
What a pose!

A Little Dinner Music!

Although my parents tried desparately hard to teach me good manners (to include no singing at the dinner table), some things I just never learned, and therefore, neither has Darren! Tonight during dinner, we had some music playing in the background ("Polovstian Dances" from "Prince Igor" amongst other things), and Darren, after hearing the song only one other time ever, proceeded to sing along! We thought it was funny, and had to play it again and pull out the camera! So, here you go! He's a boy after my own heart! Oh, and you may want to stop the music first (on the right) so you can hear!