Two Months

I feel silly beginning these postings because I repeat myself so very often. We love to celebrate it all. Zane is filling out fast. He weighs about 11 pounds. In fact, you could call him "Little Chunk" and it means something. :) I have to believe at this point that he's very laid-back but becomes hotheaded fast.

The boy pukes a ton. He'll overeat if you let him. He sometimes gags himself from slouching and his lazy swallowing or from leaning his head too far back. :) Three nights ago he slept for 7 hours straight. And I was able to take advantage of the second half and sleep myself. Wow! -- 4 hours of straight sleep! We're figuring out a routine.

Zane is much more alert these days. He loves to track things and will become so fixated on something that he twists his head as far around as he can and then screams out for you to turn him the rest of the way. He's very busy with his arms and legs. He has a great right hook. He now sometimes sleeps on his tummy and we're okay with that since he has the ability to turn his head and so forth. He's been trying to suck his thumb. He sucks the side of it.

He's grabbing and swinging at toys and learning to love his bouncer, swing and rocker.  He doesn't like the car seat, much in the same way Vanessa didn't. He likes to stay awake so much that he sometimes over stimulates himself, leading to a meltdown. He loves for you to hum a song. And he'll even rock out a bit. Still love to cuddle and doze with him. :)

No more eye crud from his overactive tear duct. Both he and Vanessa had one eye within a couple weeks of birth in which the tear duct opened early and would pour tears constantly, creating buildup in the corner of their eyes. We're finally done with that and now he's beginning to grow eyelashes.

It's fun to watch his personality develop. I can already tell he's a sweet one.

He'll move into his room tonight. :( We'll document it. I know I haven't shared pictures of the nursery yet, so I hope to do that within the next couple of weeks. We still have a few little things to do.

Appreciation

There are so many things we are so very thankful for. I can't even begin to touch on the list. But most importantly, we're thankful for our relationship with God, our dearly loved family and friends, good health, shelter and food. What else could we ask for?
This morning while watching dancers perform in the Macy's parade, Vanessa said, "I wish I could be crazy like them." I replied, "You are." Vanessa then said, "No, I can only watch."

As Vanessa and I talked about the significance of today, I went on to ask if she is thankful for her toys. Since she wasn't responding I pointed out that not all kids have toys like she does. Her reply: "But I have toys!" I think this holiday season we'll be sure to share toys with kids who don't have any.

Yesterday she was thankful for fairy tales:

And I imagine Zane may one day be thankful for all the football that's on TV on Thanksgiving. He was sure to dress for it today.

"Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that really continues to have a heart toward what it was intended for: thankfulness."

~Kim Wier

Don't Blink

These pictures are almost two weeks old and I have a sneaking suspicion that this boy has changed even more. He no longer fits in the newborn bathtub net. He's transitioning to size 2 diapers. (Can you believe that I've felt extra emotional as we move into each new diaper size. How silly am I?!?!) We need to adjust the belts in his carseat again. Newborn clothes have been packed away and 3 months fill his dresser. I know it goes fast, but really . . . ?! Please don't be in any hurry, little guy!

Wild at the Zoo

On one Indian summer day last week, before Wildlights at the zoo went underway, Vanessa and Daddy got wild at the zoo. It was Zane's first time, but of course, like any newborn, he slept the entire visit. :)

Fundamental

Tailgating . . .

At six weeks old, Zane tailgated for his very first time. He's only slightly older than what Vanessa was for her first time -- she wasn't quite 1 month old. We're thankful for the gorgeous day that allowed us to go down!

Zane woke up in time for a better second half.

He beget . . .

Spread the Love

"Zany Zane"

Vanessa has a habit of calling her little brother Zany Zane. I imagine him with acrobatic skills. He's definitely a follower. And he even amuses us quite a bit.

Uncle Andy and Aunt Jenni, thanks for capturing our favorite smiles!

*Outfit by Aunt Jenni & Pics by Uncle Andy

And I should've said thank you to Aunt Leah for the last photo of Vanessa and Luke . . . appreciate it!

Hand in Hand

Cousin Luke and Vanessa enjoying COSI.

Happy Birthday Joel!

                                     

I didn't want your blog wish to get missed with all the Election Day stuff. ;-)

On the "Farm"

Wondering what's going on our farm? We're good. Very busy. Mommy started back to work on her contract, and between daily living and that, our days are flying by. Vanessa is getting back to moments of playing by herself, and that helps a ton. Zane is busy healing a horrible and open diaper rash but is content other than that. (Diaper rash is perhaps a sensitivity to something I'm eating. I don't think we could change diapers any faster. The little guy is spending a lot of time with his bare bottom in the air, all cuddled on his tummy with blanket or towel covering his abdomen -- not a picture for the blog but he still looks very cute.) Our farm feels a mess with piles of laundry and mail and toys strewn about, sort of like trying to house wild animals in a barn. But I just try to close my eyes or stay in one room so I'm not as distracted by obsessive thoughts to pick up or clean. :)

Since uploading a picture with a statement or two on the blog only takes a moment, I'm sure we'll continue to keep up with posts. I didn't want those who need something to look at as a break from work to think we'll leave them hangin'. :) Plus, it'll be nice to come back to revisit these posts in the future since time is flying way too fast to feel we're making memories. :)