From the Mouth of My Babe

We are starting to get smiles out of this guy.

A few things we've figured out about Nathan:

• He loves to eat, sleep, and dirty his diaper right after we change him.
• He is pretty easy-going most of the time, as long as we feed him when he's hungry and put him down for a nap when he's tired. 
• He is cranky most nights from 8pm-10pm, but if we put him in his swing, turn it on super-high mode, and blast the Andre Bocelli station on Pandora, he calms down and falls asleep. He seems to have an affinity for fine Italian music. 
• He LOVES to be swaddled.
• He loves to be snuggled, unless it's by Davis (still trust issues there).
• He is still the most popular person in our home, and the kids are still fascinated that something so small can move and interact with them. 
• His current nicknames are Nater (Davis gets confused and calls him "Mater"), Nate-Dog, and Goliath (last week he weighed in at 13 lbs, 4 oz! We are barely squeezing him into 0-3 month clothes)

Uncle Devin came to visit a couple of weeks ago and we took him for a humid trip around Yale's campus.

I overheard Maddie talking to a couple of her friends this morning: "I can't wait to be a mom, you get to eat candy whenever you want!...but it's also a lot of work."

Some Recent Photos

What do you mean, you don't play baseball

and garden in your swim suit and rain boots? Huh...

A photo of Nathan's daily torture session, aka tummy time. 

He's been spending a lot of time mostly naked as it has been super humid and hot around these parts lately. The boy loves the vibrate option on his bouncy chair.

We went berry picking last week and it turns out the kids are much more efficient blueberry pickers than they were last year. We ended up picking about 12 cups of blueberries. The kids were thrilled. I let them eat a few on the way home and we still came home with 5 and a half pints. Later on that afternoon I went upstairs to feed the baby, and when I came down, all 5 pints were gone! That's 10 cups of blueberries! A measly half-pint was all that remained, and the kids were working on it when I found them. 

Ryan had just come home when I caught the kids in the act. Without going into detail, let's just say I overreacted a little bit (Can't a mama just make some blueberry muffins? That's all I really wanted...)So much so, that Ryan now often jokes and says, "Is it as important as eating a couple of blueberries?..."

Maddie plays ball.


Isaac sings to Nathan.

Our Life Lately

Nathan's first time in a car seat, getting ready to leave the hospital last month.

I'm pretty sure Ryan thought we had enough things to keep alive this summer, but when I suggested a small garden, he willingly took over planting it with the older kids while Nathan and I watched. We are already taking advantage of the basil. Yum!

Nathan seems to have a few trust issues with Davis. Note the distressed look on his face and his kicking feet.

Honestly, though, can you blame the babe? 

The kids have something new to fight about--who gets to feed Nathan a bottle. 

Maddie got a butterfly garden for her birthday and we set them free a couple of days ago. The butterflies were friendly and the kids got to hold them for a few seconds before they flew away. As Maddie put it, "We got to keep them with us for a few precious days!"

• Our family seems to be adjusting well to life with 4 children. I am tired, but I will take tired over sick and nauseous any day of the week. I feel like a million bucks!
• Davis has pleasantly surprised us with his affection for the new babe. My biggest concern is keeping Nathan from getting smothered. It can often be heard, "Baby Nate needs some space...give baby Nate a little space, Dave!"
• I finally understand why people have 3 year gaps between children----it's amazing only having to buckle one child into his car seat, and everyone can put their own shoes on! While I love that I, M, and D are so close in age, it is certainly nice to have the older kids be a little bit more independent. It has made the transition to four easier than it might have been otherwise. 
• We have a family of skunks living underneath our front porch. Seriously? I have seen at least two babies, about the size of squirrels, and Ryan has seen the mother, the size of a dog! You can imagine how I feel about this scenario. Anyone have any surefire remedies for convincing skunks to evacuate?
• Ryan started his final year of residency yesterday. He is now in his 3rd year of post-graduate training. It's pretty awesome. I am really looking forward to this year and all that is ahead for us. I simultaneously never thought this day would come and can't believe it's already here. I hope we can make the most of this final year.
• Davis is fascinated with everything Nathan does. His latest comment (which he makes a dozen times a day on average) is "Wook, Mommy! Baby Nafan is eating and sweeping at da same time! I never eat and sweep at da same time!"
• Ryan and I celebrated 8 years of marriage this past weekend with falafel sandwiches and slurpees. We are pretty easy to please these days. 
• The first month with a newborn is always pretty hazy for me, but this time around has been the most clear of my four babies. I am really trying to soak it in as much as I can. I don't even mind the nighttime feedings so much--I know they won't last forever, and it's the only time I don't have to share his attention with 3 other smiling faces huddled over me, watching Nathan's every move. 

"Mommy, did jew know dat dogs scwatch der ears wif der feet, wike dis?"