Zane = 1 Month

*Vanessa says our redbud tree is full of hearts.

Zane is 1 month already. He now weighs approximately eight and a half pounds. Can you believe it?! We can't. He's outgrown most of his newborn outfits. He's a determined little guy who wants to grow up way too fast. Unlike Vanessa, he doesn't like to be on his belly but he does like a pacifier. He's flipping himself over already, so forget safe cuddling on your chest. He's a heavy sleeper much like his daddy but nothing like Vanessa. He likes trying to leap up. He still grunts a ton. And one of his sounds resembles a horse neighing. It can be funny at times, just not so much in the middle of the night. :)

He is much more alert and shows many preferences. He loves to stare at the mirror on the wall, the ceiling fan in the playroom, and Mommy's curly hair when it's down. He's easily distracted when eating. He doesn't like to have his back turned to all the action. He plays while eating, making it a little hard to finish a satisfying meal. And the thing I love the most right now is how he rounds his lips and coos the softest and sweetest sound. He's relatively content, and other than a sensitivity to something Mommy is eating, he's doing extremely well.

Many often ask how Vanessa is doing with him and the changes in the household -- she's doing perfect. The girl didn't even mind Zane peeing on her before his first bath. She said "That's okay. Mommy will clean my pants. I'll put them in the laundry." This last week was a bit of an adjustment since Daddy went back to work. We're getting back into a more normal routine. The only time Vanessa has shown any frustration toward Zane since his arrival was on Wednesday.  As Mommy was in the restroom, Zane began crying. Vanessa is great to try and comfort him: "It's okay Zane. It'll be alright."  But this time I heard her saying "Go away! Go away!" As I reentered the room I saw her hiding under a blanket. I asked her what was wrong and she replied, "Zane won't stop crying! I don't want to be a big sister anymore! We need to put Zane back in your belly!" It was only for an irritable moment though, because a few hours later, she changed her mind and said we need to keep him.  And fortunately Vanessa is great to tell me when she thinks Zane needs a diaper change and/or is hungry . . .

Begging for Goodies

These four had a blast filling their pumpkins. It was cold, so Vanessa was wearing several layers. I'm just happy we got her to wear clothes! For several weeks she has had a list of things she's wanted to dress up as: a ladybug with "flapping wings" (and she wore what Mommy wore while working in childcare) and nails painted red, a butterfly (which she may dress up as tomorrow), a shoe (?), a "witchy cricket" (?), a princess (but she wanted to wear princess dress-up shoes and no layers underneath the princess dress -- she lost that battle),  a scarecrow, and I'm sure some other things for which I can't remember now.  She also made special requests for "Halloween presents." We advised her to save them for Santa.

Vanessa started the night "flapping" and flying from house to house. She wasn't scared of the scary things -- she would point out things that were scary but then giggle about them.  She listened well, showed her appreciation, and enjoyed her time with friends.

Iron Man and Ladybug battled it out. And Tiger and Ladybug compared paws and legs. Megan was running around like a chicken with . . .

Zane remained bundled and cozy in the carrier.

The Whole Nine

"Here you go, Zane. You can play with it. It's a number nine."

Not quite in pounds but he's at least a 9 in Vanessa's book . . .

And in eating and sleeping . . .

Skull and Bones

Oddly, my daughter is intrigued by skulls and skeletons. When shopping in various stores before Zane arrived, Vanessa would point out all the neat fall decorations, hanging and on shelves. Then she would find a skull or skeleton and announce, while fighting the urge to run off with it, that it was cute. I'm glad she's not scared of them but I also don't want her sporting skull and bones, to avoid strange comments and looks from others. :) So instead, we decided to turn her interest into an intro to anatomy lesson. I let her paint the skull first. And we discussed how our heads are made of skulls, hidden under meat and skin. Then the next day we used homemade playdough to create skin to see what the skull would look like with a face. We rolled dough for eyes too, but that part didn't last long enough for a picture.

Yes, I realize that many pictures of Vanessa doing activities in the kitchen are while she is naked. The girl loves her birthday suit!  

Going Above and Beyond

Vanessa has exceeded our expectations for adjusting to Zane. Every so often she needs reminded to be patient while waiting on Zane's needs to be met, but for the most part, she's very understanding. Recently a family friend asked Vanessa if she could take Zane home with them. While her eyes welled up with tears, Vanessa quickly replied, "No! He needs to stay here with us! He's my brother!"

"Perfect Pumpkins"

A little less involved this year, we still enjoyed picking pumpkins. While Mommy and Zane watched, Daddy and Vanessa enjoyed a straw maze, giant inflatables, and choosing pumpkins.

 Vanessa jumping around inside a great big pumpkin.



Zane snoozing and staying warm on Mommy's chest.

 Vanessa climbing out of the tail end of a caterpillar.

 Choosing the perfect pumpkins.

 Lookin' cute among the mums.

 Enjoying the lumpiness of some pumpkins.

And showing Zane the pumpkins Vanessa chose.

Harvest

We didn't plant very much this year. And for what we did plant, it was hard to keep up with. We're way beyond needing to pull up the spent plants to mow over what is left. Our beefsteak tomatoes didn't do well, going from really wet to really dry. Our cherry tomatoes did great, along with our cucumbers and green peppers. Vanessa enjoyed picking from the garden and counting the number of things we'd harvest at each pickin'. And we enjoyed the harvest of others -- corn on the cob, berries and so forth from the farmers' market and others' gardens.

2 Weeks

Zane has had two very good weeks. At his first well visit last week, it was noted that he gained 12 ounces in 5 days. He continues to pack on the ounces. He's had his nights and days slightly turned around, but the last couple of nights he slept, nursed, and went back to sleep a few times, all swaddled and lying on his back in the cradle by our bed. (Vanessa wanted to sleep on her tummy and she hated being swaddled.) For several days he has been giggling and laughing in his sleep and he already gives lots of smiles. (And Vanessa seems to be able to elicit many from him.) At times he doesn't like complete darkness because he wants to look around and study things. Other times, he complains that it is too bright. Daddy is certain that he inherited his sensitivity to light and we should invest in some cool shades soon. (No Oakley sunglasses for years, though.)

He's a noisy little guy with his almost constant grunting, cooing, squeaking, and sighing, much like Gizmo the Gremlin, which makes it all quite cute and enjoyable. He clears his throat a lot like Vanessa did. He's practicing motor skills by doing push-ups and trying to grab at things. We're still trying to figure out the color of his eyes.

*Thanks to Melody for these sweet pictures.

We're trying to sleep when the kids sleep. Daddy is a huge help. Although I'm behind on the thank yous, we've been blessed by prepared food and other indulgences, all of which are making the transition easier . . .

The Grand Life

The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. ~ C.S. Lewis

So yes, Zane.

That's how the Buckeyes do it.

We knew tailgating would be too much for a newborn and recovering mama. So after the game and a nap, we opted to take a short and easy trip to the park to play, where Daddy could chase Vanessa while Mommy and Zane could sit in the shade. Our first trip out? Almost. We made a short visit to Grandma and Grandpa's last evening -- that was our first trip out. (Our visit to the doctor doesn't count.)

Eager Meager

We were eager for children. Vanessa took a little time. Zane took no time. In fact, Zane was full of surprises from the very beginning -- news of his existence, news of his vitality, news of his timing, etc. He was eager to get here. But even with our confidence and lack of worry, his meager size makes many concerned -- legs like sticks and his newborn clothing hanging loosely. We are confident he's a healthy growing boy and much like his sister, he'll make up for his promptness and size in no time -- he's an eager eater and takes in ample plus amounts of milk, the size of his head is not meager by any means, and his alertness makes him seem very thoughtful and observant in the things going on around him, like he's eager for any challenge we throw at him.

Holding his meager body makes it hard to put him down. He's like a doll, making us eager to cuddle and hold him nonstop, before his eagerness won't allow us the privilege anymore . . .

Thank you, Lord, for our precious, eager meager baby boy.

Then There Were Four

September 30 will now always be extra special to us. In 2010, Zane and Mommy woke early to the idea he was going to change the day forever. He did . . .

Daddy and Vanessa quickly jumped in on the plan . . .

And before we could realize, we became a family of four . . .

We'll always think back to this day -- Remember when . . . ?

I'm a BIG SIS Now

Vanessa is adjusting really well to being a big sis. She'll say things like "Let me see that cute little guy." She kisses Zane and touches him gently. She describes to him the things that are going on around him. She told him this evening "Daddy went bye-bye, but he'll be back. It's just you, me and Mommy." She tells him that she loves him and gives him night-nights. She likes to hold him and she loves to share toys with him. She put Snow White on his lap this evening and explained to him who it was. She then asked, "Would you like to hold him." She put Snow White in his hand and said "You can borrow her to play with. Mommy, Zane likes Snow White. Look, he's holding her." She worries when he cries but is learning that often it just means he wants to eat: "Mommy, he's hungry. It'll be alright, Zane." What a great little girl . . .

Of course she does other things that are quite funny. Vanessa was never really into a pacifier, but now she asks for one and will walk around the house showing it off: "It's my pacifier." I figure indulging her a bit won't hurt, and like all things, this will pass really fast.