Third Shift

Kelly watches Eva so Mommy can get a break

The night before Kelly left our home after a week of cooking and cleaning and holding baby and playing with Sam, the three of us sat at the dining room table eating delvery pizza.

"I'm going to be sad when Kelly leaves," I said. "She takes such good care of you and Baby Sister."

Sam used his teeth to pull the cheese off his pizza and started to talk with a mouthful,

"Her take care of you," he said.

Amen.




The week Kelly spent here was the longest time we'd lived together since our trip to Kauai a decade ago or our two years sharing dorm rooms in Kronsage Hall in Madison back in the mid-80's. And a lot has changed in both our lives since then. But some things haven't changed including our love and respect for each other and our genuine enjoyment of our time together. I probably slept less than I should have because Kelly and I spent hours just talking while Sam was at daycare and Eva slept on one of our chests, but it was a week I'll never forget, a week for which I will always be grateful, and a week that Sam will probably continue to talk about for years.









In the car on the way home from daycare a few days ago, we were looking for ducks on the water when Sam announced out of nowhere, "I'm sad that Kelly leaved." And then we talked about when he might see her again. Soon, I hope.

See more photos here.

Second Shift

Second shift. TT took over caretaking duties for my second week of recovery. Sammy loved having a new baby sister, but he really loved having his TT here for an entire week. Trips to the store and around the block and to the children's museum while Mommy spent time trying to get Baby Eva to eat.

More photos here.

Spiderman's Night Out

Eva Comes Home to Big Brother

I'm sure you will all understand if my posts are short. I'm remembering what it's like to type with one hand.

In the hospital Sam was more interested in the buttons that moved the bed and the diggers outside the window than he was in Baby Sister. But by the time Eva came home on Thursday Sam was looking at her feet and touching her hair and kissing her head and telling her she is his best friend. (Auntie Annie had told Sam that Zachary and Sarah are best friends.)


Our world has definitely changed in a good way, but having Ann here for the transition was absolutely wonderful. She cooked and cleaned and entertained big brother Sammy and held Baby Eva and changed diapers and did laundry and dishes and scooped cat litter, and basically just gave me time to recover from surgery and focus on getting not-so-little Eva to eat. Eva came home to a clean, organized household and a gentle, sweet big brother who loves to help.


TT arrived on Saturday and we were all together for a short time before Ann had to head back to Florida. Sam is very excited that Auntie Annie will be coming back for Christmas and bringing Zack and Sarah.

More photos of Eva's first days at home here

Eva Arrives

Introducing Eva Therese

Born 10/18/10 at 12:12PM
9 lbs 10 ounces
21 1/2 inches

Eva Therese and TT get acquainted

Sam finally gets to meet Baby Sister

Auntie Annie, without whom none of this would be possible

Eva and Mommy


Eva adores her Auntie Annie

Our Last Weekend

Watering the trees while still in our jammies

Two weeks ago Sam and I left Jamie's Play Palace at 4:30pm on Friday and we entered into perhaps the longest, most challenging weekend of my life. Combine the physical exhaustion and heartburn and insomnia of late stage pregnancy with a defiant 2 and 1/2 year old who is used to a Mommy that runs and wrestles and climbs with him, and you're asking for trouble.

Thank God this past weekend, our last weekend alone, was completely different. It's not that the exhaustion is gone or that I am suddenly finding a way to quiet my bladder (or my mind) to get more sleep at night. But I entered this past weekend knowing that this was it, our last full weekend alone with just the two of us. I took lots of deep breaths and let the dishes pile up and didn't spend any time on the To-Do-Before-Baby List.

We created blanket forts in the living room. We built a Sammy Sam Clubhouse that rivals Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse. (Secret password to enter is "popsicle.") We made cookies. We made cake. We ran around the yard looking for holes left by the family of ground squirrels that pop their heads up when we're watching from the dining room table. We played with diggers in the sandbox. We picked flowers. We chased ladybugs. We killed bees and then studied their yellow legs and yellow eyes. ("Where his eyes, Mommy? Where his eyes?") We filled buckets with water and made pools and sand sculptures in the sandbox. We watched movies and ate popcorn ("Can we make MORE popcorn, Mommy?"). We wrestled and tickled in my bed in the morning, playing our little game where our hands are spiders that can talk to each other. Sam's little hands crawl up my leg or along my arm and he lifts a few of the fingers and says "Hi. What you doing?" or "Can your spider come play with my spider?" We blew big bubbles on the back porch, and every fifteen minutes we raced out to move the hose soaking the rootballs of the new trees we had planted last week. ("I beat you again, Mommy.") We inhaled fresh buttery acorn squash that Sammy says "tastes like candy." We talked about Baby Sister coming and how TT is going to take him to the hospital. I asked him what we should name Baby Sister and he said "Baby Sister. Her name Baby Sister." I asked him if we should name her Eva or Theresa. "No!!!!!! Her name Baby Sister!" We sat in the rocking chair at the end of the night and talked about our days and counted the days until TT will be here and the days until Auntie Ann will be here ("When Sarah's mommy here, Mommy?") and the days until Baby Sister will be here. And we both said I love you spontaneously a hundred million times. It's hard to imagine loving another child as much as I love this little man who has completely transformed my life (and my heart), and I know that these moments alone together are going to be so rare starting next week. But I feel so incredibly grateful for this life and this past weekend and the moments we've had together that I will treasure forever.

Sammy's TT

During a cool morning walk, Sam collects "tickleweed" to bring to TT.

Sam helps TT make the best potato soup she's ever made... must be all the love

Sam's last weekend of not having to share TT with a sibling. The next time she comes to visit, he'll be a big brother. Sam and TT had one of their Saturday morning adventures, which, of course, included candy and some new toys.



The pure joy on his face when he first "drove" TT's car was priceless. It reminded me of how much I loved to sit on my dad's lap and "steer" when we coasted down Balsam Way and into our driveway when I was 7 years old.

Fall Sunday

Nothing like Sundays in the fall. We spend all day outside but crank the radio so we can hear what Aaron Rodgers and the boys are doing. Here are some videos from halftime last week...


Sam uses Mommy's gardening gloves to do some landscaping...




Why I'm an exhausted pregnant woman...




Sam loves to fall backwards onto pillows...