Summer just isn't over for Caleb! It is a good thing that they put a gortex-fiberglass cast on his arm rather than the regular sort because he has decided even a very small pool is better than nothing on a hot and sunny day!


Things have been difficult with Joshua having his nights and days mixed up. And there have been a couple speed bumps with breastfeeding that are just starting to resolve themselves. But today is the first day that I feel confident that a psuedo-schedule was followed. That is an accomplishment all by itself, but I think that the schedule will allow even more to be accomplished in the future... predictable sleep patterns being at the the top of the priority list. So I mark today as the best day for schedules and consistence parenting. It gives me hope that I can handle this new life with two little ones.

We also had a wonderful visit from cousin Barb and her boys. Caleb really likes the boys and wants to be like them. It's almost like he is the littlest brother. They were very helpful by showing Caleb how to pick up toys after playing with them, which is a new skill we are trying to instill in Caleb. It was such a blessing to have Barb and the boys take time to drive down and see us. We had a good chat, and Joshua got a good nap in curled up with Auntie Barb.

This picture was taken last night, but it is a great one of my guys.

I just had to share this photo. It's one of many Caleb let us take.

Welcome. Please read and enjoy

Hello to the family and friends to are now reading this blog. In a conversation with my mother I made the comment that the boys are changing, interacting and doing new, funny or charming things every day and I wish that I could share them with her everyday. Long distance phone charges being what they are, it is cost prohibitive to share as much as I'd like; then it occurred to me, we've recently enjoyed Kristina's blog as a useful tool to keep in touch with her and life in general. So I thought, why can't I do that for those whom I don't have the priviledge to see every day?! So here I am. I will try to update this as often as having a newborn and toddler allow possible. I hope that you enjoy the stories and someday my little guys will have a good picture of what they were like as little boys.

As you probably well know by now... Joshua Peter was born in the morning on August 25th. He is very healthy and has personality traits that I can already identify. It is remarkable that upon birth they already have likes and dislikes. He hiccups when he is tired, just as Caleb did, but also when he has a soiled diaper, which he wants out of immediately!
Caleb has really warmed up to his little brother. At first he took it slow, and I was worried that he would reject Joshua or be resentful. However, quite the opposite has occurred; Caleb wants to be helpful with just about anything and wants to explain to me what the baby needs, and he asks frequently to hold him. I just love it when Caleb shows kind affection towards Joshua, I break out the camera and take pictures... which is getting really easy because Caleb has turned into a "look at me" kiddo. He wants to see himself in mirrors, pictures and in home videos. How silly, but joyful.

Today's laugh: Caleb came up to me and said "eat", to which I asked him if he was hungry and wanted something to eat. He said "no, baby". I thought that was cute in and of itself, and looked at Mike for a shared moment and smile about our sons... Caleb interrupted to say "now!" followed immediately by "I KNOW".
That's funny in my book.

Monday, August 29th

We had 2 doctors appointments this day. The appointments were at the same time just a couple blocks apart, one for each child. Good thing Mike and I planned a family that has even teams, we took a man to man defense approach and split up each taking a child.

Mike took Caleb to get the permanent cast put on. His arm has aligned perfectly and already begun to heal, Praise the Lord! Caleb did well at the appointment despite them being a tad rough and taking quite a long time. Daddy had to take the bull by the horns and speed them up little... consequently they were apologetic and in the end offered a cast upgrade to Caleb. This kind of cast they do only 6 times a year because of cost. So Caleb is sporting a cherry red Gortex-fiberglass cast that is completely washable and waterproof! We call his arm a "Super Arm"! And he waves it proudly when we talk about it! So he's adjusting well to the cast. It will be removed Sept 29th.

Meanwhile, Joshua and I took a trip to the Post-partum and Breastfeeding center. Long story short... Josh is great, I'm the one with the speed bumps. Josh's 3rd jaundice test came back passing even better than before, so he is out of the woods totally on that point. For weight, not only didn't lose additional weight after leaving the hospital... he GAINED 2 ounces in 2 days! He is now 7 pounds 15 ounces, healthy and feeding alot! For my side of things, my incision is healing well. My BP was a little elevated for my norm due to dealing with mending and pain, which is a typical occurrance. I have some predictable swelling in my legs that they would like to see go down, bot that is fixable with water, elevation and massage. And as for feeding, let's just say I'm painfully put of practice that will just take time to get better. But at least Josh is doing good!