I am 1 Month Old!

It is my turn to tell everyone what has been happening in our house. My big brother told me about my parents tendency to put things off, but this is ridiculous. I am nearly 2 months old, yet here is the one month post!Well a lot has been happening in my little world. I got my first cold. I was only 1 and 1/2 weeks old, although it wasn't too bad. For my first few weeks out of the womb,I stared into space for quite some time in the brief moments I was awake. At about 4 weeks, I took a liking to staring intently at some gorgeous sights. I stared right past my mommy's face to look at things behind her, mainly the black picture frame against the tan wall. Oh glorious contrast!My Grandma V came to visit 2 times. She came when I was 2 weeks old and again over Thanksgiving. My parents were so happy to have her here. She cooked, cleaned, did laundry, held me for long naps so my mommy could do other things and play with my brother, and played LOTS of cars with my brother Wilken. My parents were so grateful to have her for the nearly 2 weeks she spent with us. We can't wait to see her again for Christmas! I got my first bath in my first month of life (4 weeks to be exact) and absolutely loved it just like my big brother did. I also like using a pacifier a lot when I am upset. I also spend lots of time trying to keep those fists and fingers of mine in my mouth. Its hard to keep up with those things. They keep flailing around all of the time, which is really annoying.

In the evenings, I tend to really give it to my parents. I have a witching hour most nights where I fuss and cry and unless my parents switch things up and make me comfortable. I really like bouncing with my mom on this big ball. My brother will occasionally take a turn to bounce with me. I sleep a lot during the day and like to stay up for long periods in the middle of the night. My parents are lucky to get 2 straight hours at night. I am really easy to put to sleep though. Usually, just sitting with someone with a little patting is enough to do the trick. When my mommy has time to pump, I do really well with a bottle. We all hope this continues so that my dad and brother can feed me sometimes too. Is this a smile? No. I actually am about to start crying. I don't like spending too much time on my back. My mom has broken all of the SIDS rules this time around. I sleep on my stomach during the day (for nice long stretches) with her checking on me every 30 seconds or so to make sure I am still breathing. I sleep on my side during the night, otherwise, it is spit up city. When I'm not laying flat, I only spit up a few times a day which is really great for the family's wardrobes. I really don't like the carseat much. I scream and holler until I get a pacifier (sometimes I am just too mad to take it though) or I pass out from wearing myself out. This drives my daddy and brother crazy (both of whom have hyper acute hearing...I think I do too as I startle at just about everything). My mommy usually becomes frantic to make it stop. I love to travel about in my Baby Bjorn though. Mom and I continue to try to figure out that sling thing.
I LOVE my big brother although I can't tell him or show him with my smiles yet. This Boppy pillow is fantastic.
Wilken has been spending a lot of time with his best buddy Rory whose mommy is laid up in the hospital on bedrest. We can't wait for her mom to come home and meet Rory's little sister. We really miss her. Rory and Wilken were pretending to go to the Pumpkin Patch and the Grocery store in this picture.
In this shot they are worn out after a day of play. Rory stayed at our house all day and decided a nap was not necessary. She was a happy little bug though, even without sleep. My mommy kept her awake for dinner and apparently she fell asleep on the way home with her daddy and didn't wake up again until the next morning! Even after looking so sleepy, they both livened up for a little dancing after dinner to Wilken's new favorite song "Yellow Submarine." See the Video at the bottom of this post.
Wilken wanted to steal some of my attention and have me show you a couple more pictures of him. As if he doesn't have enough blogs as the first born! Here he is at a street fair. He got a dragon painted on his face and loved it. You won't see any pictures of me out and about in public even though I have been out since I was a week and a half old. I am always covered by a blanket. As if that is really going to keep the germs out!

He also got a real miniature coffee cup which he likes to drink his hot chocolate from. By week four, he really seems more used to having me around and we have had some really good days with just my mom and the 2 boys. She was surprised to actually be getting a few things done around the house.

We'll check back for a 2 month update soon!

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Welcome To This Crazy World At A Crazy Time!

The wind was fierce that day my friends...

Is that smog in beautiful San Diego County? No, that would be smoke. On Sunday night (10/21/07) Elanor started having contractions around 10:00 p.m. So much so that she began timing them. She finally fell asleep around 12:00 p.m. and was awakened by the phone ringing at 2:30 a.m. by Becky (Rory's mom) telling her she could see fire outside her house in the hills. A short while later, a neighbor knocked on our door to inform us that fire could be seen from our driveway. Sure enough, the hillside overlooking our park was ablaze and the strong Santa Ana winds were stoking the flames like you wouldn't believe. With contractions coming closer and closer together and a reverse 911 call at 5:00 a.m. telling us to evacuate, it was quite a start to a Monday morning.Thankfully for us, Elanor's mom (Wilken's Bubie) was in town to help us pack up our pictures and important papers and head over to Aunt Traci's house. Unfortunately for Becky, Sean (Rory's dad) was out of town so she was on her own to pack her and Rory up join us in our evacuation spot. With Rory and Wilken both awake since 3-4 a.m., it took quite a bit of TV to keep them from melting down and help them wind down for naps (at 3 pm that afternoon!). Overall the kids were absolute troopers for the entire day. For some reason Elanor's contractions stopped, and appeared periodically, but not regularly for the rest of the day. We were able to return home later that evening.Monday night, Elanor's contractions returned and became stronger and more regular. We were up, showered, packed, and ready for action. By mid morning on Tuesday though, they became irregular and less frequent. After two nights of no sleep, we were all feeling quite frustrated and anxious as it seemed like the entire County of San Diego was about to catch fire during "Fire Storm 2007." Elanor's dad couldn't be left out of the action, so he chartered a tiny plane to fly him into Carlsbad to miss the mess on the highways just in case this baby decided to come and/or to help us get out of the increasingly unhealthy smoke and fire ridden area. By Tuesday evening more contractions were coming more regularly and more painfully. She decided to sleep through them.By early morning 10/24/07, Elanor's contractions were finally 5 minutes apart. Off to the doctor and after monitoring, checking (2 cm dilated), and an order to have lunch and walk around for an hour and a half it was time to check into the hospital. Unfortunately, the VBAC attempt was not successful. After days of contractions, having her water broken by the doctor, and hours of back labor, there was no progress past 2 cm. The doctor said it was time for a C-Section.Not Jack Bauer on "24," but Jake Bauer on 10/24! Jake Bauer arrived at 9:08 p.m. on Wednesday, 10/24/07 weighing in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long. He arrived into the world with the cutest and most original sounds made by a newborn. We lovingly referred to him as our baby Pterodactyl or baby coyote.Our newest little darling also arrived with the most delightful head of nearly black hair and very defined side burns (or chops). He nursed like a champ, around the clock, and loved to be held constantly, especially by his mommy.First family photo op, very off center, taken by our nurse.Dad and his newest son.
We were so grateful to have Bubie and Grandpa to help us through the time of the fires, the lead up to Jake's birth, and to take care of Wilken while Mommy and Daddy were away for 3 nights. He had a fantastic time with his grandparents. Bubie stayed with us for over a week after Jake's birth and Grandpa drove back for the last 4 days of her stay. They entertained and played with Wilken for hours on end, ran errands, cooked, cleaned, and provided so much support. Wilken holds his little brother for the first time. Halloween fell just a few days after we came home from the hospital so we scrambled to throw together a "Diego" (Dora's cousin from the cartoon "Go Diego Go") which he absolutely loved. He also was quite the trick-or-treater coming home with a huge bucket full of candy. Thankfully he forgot about his bucket the next day. His parents sacrificed for his good health and continue to enjoy his candy several weeks later. Despite our newborn, Ryan was able to have his "Halloween House" after all, so much so that our neighbors figured Elanor was still pregnant due to all the work that had been done outside to scare the trick or treaters.As Elanor's time is occupied a great deal with breastfeeding, Dad and Wilken continue to spend a lot of time together. Here they are on their favorite "Charger Sunday".
Wilken is working hard at adjusting to sharing his mommy's attention. While the transition has its share of sad moments, overall he is doing beautifully. He showers his baby brother with tons of gentle hugs, pats, and kisses and tells him frequently "I love you baby Jake."