1 Month Old

It's hard to believe that it's already been a whole month.....

Into the Baby Groove

Jude is slowly getting used to the idea that Levi is here to stay.... Here he's trying on the Bjorn. He has a baby doll that he likes to put in Levi's swing and such, but putting him in the Bjorn was proving to be a bit much.

Sweet Sigh of Relief

What a relief.... Levi happily took his first bottle on Wednesday evening! Jude never took a bottle... he was strictly a breastman. We're both keeping our fingers crossed; we may be able to go on a date sooner than 1 year from now.

Brotherly love

Jude has been so excited lately to call himself "big brother". We thought we'd take advantage of the new-found (semi) acceptance of Levi and try a picture of the kids. Jude seemed to want to hold Levi. So here is the outcome.





By the way, I love my paternity leave!

Contrary to popular belief

You can enjoy the New Hampshire coast in the fall!

It's never too cold to go in the buck! Clothes are optional, right?

New family photo

We finally had a chance to for a few family photo ops.

Reinforcements

So you'd think with a 2 adult:2 child ratio would be ok. I certainly thought so. To say we're overwhelmed... well, let's just say we're exhausted. Grandma and Papa came to visit from MI for a few days to provide some much needed support and Jude-shadowing.

But first came some belated birthday presents. "New present!", Jude shouted. Finally, the long awaited trains arrived. And more presents...

Grandma and Papa settled in nicely into their support roles. They got up early with Jude; made Playdoh; stickers; played endlessly with cars, coddled Levi, played more with Jude; took Jude on outings - the ocean, playgrounds and children's museum; lunch/snack for Jude; changed diapers; baths for Jude; night/nap time with Jude; yard work; and helping out with all of the other nuts and bolts of the day. Here's a glimpse of their working "vacation". I don't think they got much help. It is quite a workout keeping up with Jude all day. Thanks for the help!


And for those of you who don't know, we bought this house with an ueber manicured lawn - lots and lots of flowers and plants, many of which we have no idea what they are. So my dad took a bit of time away from relaxing and ball with jack to help us identify the as til now, many unidentified plants in our new yard. What a treat this place will be next spring and summer. Though now, we have concord grapes... what should we do with those?

Tummy Time

This may have been a coincidence...but a couple of nights ago, as Levi was getting a workout on his belly, he rolled from tummy to back. At three weeks old he's showing us that he's a strong little fella. Levi just may give us a run for our money....

Falling Behind

So, we've been asked for "more pictures please." It's been a busy couple of weeks.... Levi's been going through a bit of colic. The past couple of days have been relatively scream free....we're crossing our fingers that it was just something that I ate that didn't agree with his tummy. (Unfortunately, I think it's coffee...even the decaf.) So here it goes, a bunch of outings all in one blog post.

We were lucky to have Dan and Christian come visit last week. Christian made a delicious pesto Stromboli for dinner followed by a scrumptious strawberry shortcake. We're so lucky to have had such great neighbors and friends..... Thanks so much guys!

After nap Jude loves to take a quick trip to the ocean. Lately he's only been lasting 30 minutes or so by the water... Here we are at Wallis Sands. Jude decided to crawl up on the bench by Levi. It's a rare moment when he wants to give his little brother the time of day.



Because the beach hasn't been on the top of Jude's priority list, we decided to head to Great Island Commons. This park has great views, a beach, and a wonderful playground. A little slice of heaven for us all.... Jude's been getting so brave lately, even trying the once forbidden (by Jude) slides.




This afternoon we attempted to get Jack out for a swim at Wagon Hill. Unfortunately, it was too busy by the water to let him off leash. Jude enjoyed playing with the jewel weed before heading across the street to Emmery Farm. Jude scooted quickly through the petting barn to get outside to all of the riding toys. Most of the time Jude the place to himself....he went hog wild.



Joel and Jude have been hitting the mountains about once a week. They are having a fabulous time bonding while singing songs, making up silly words, and pointing things out along the trails. Here they are atop one of the mountains in Pawtuckaway State Park. (This was the fateful trip that Jude tripped and landed on his forhead....pictures to follow in the next post.)



It was about time.... finally the umbilical cord fell out. We got to give Levi his first bath since the hospital. This night he wasn't too sure about the process...but since he has really started to enjoy and relax in his tub.





Great Island Commons Playground