Max just loves his little brother (much to our relief). He really is so cute with Sam, giving him kisses, caressing his head, and helping me pat his back during burp time. Whenever Max hears Sam grunt or cry, he'll say "Uh-Oh-- Sam--fiyuh" and point to his little brother--indicating to Paul or I that we need to give little Sam his pacifier.
The visit from my parents has been one of the things our family has been looking forward to for quite a while. It was exciting for us to show them where we live, and for them to see our two beautiful boys. But mostly, I have missed them and it was so wonderful to have them around, especially when I really needed the help and the company.
Max just loved Papa and Gramma Jill. He had to show them his horse collection (I think he might actually have more horses than Papa), and his motorcycles. And they introduced him to football--he was having quite the good time watching the opening weekend games with them.
They were both so great with little Sam. Max occupies so much of my time that I feel like I can't hold Sam as much as I would like. My mom was more than eager to fill this void. He was actually kind of crabby the day they left since there was no one around to hold him and play with him the way they did.
We did a lot of nothing for most of my parents' visit, partly because it rained so much and partly because it is such an ordeal to take a newborn and toddler anywhere (and partly because there were so many football games to watch on TV). But, we did take a drive into downtown historical Philadelphia where we visited Benjamin Franklin's Grave, Liberty Bell, and saw Independence Hall.
Max absolutely detests riding in the stroller and complains and struggles to get out the entire time he's in there. Consequently, he either walked very slowly and occasionally would hold someone's hand, or one of us had to carry him (and he is heavy).
We also made a drive into Amish Country. It was quite interesting to see the horse drawn buggies alongside the road and see the way this culture lives--like a step back into history. While we were driving around we saw a train carrying passengers and thought that not only would Max love this (he has acquired quite the fondness for Thomas the Train), but it might also be a great way for us to see the spectacular countryside.
This turned out to be a great idea as--unbeknownst to us--Thomas himself was actually one of the trains at this attraction. Max was ecstatic to actually see "Tommy Choo-choo" in real life. We didn't end up riding on the Thomas Train, as this ride was relatively shorter with longer lines and cost more money; we rode the regular train instead (and Max didn't even know the difference).
Paul took this picture of Max while we were waiting for our train to come. My camera battery died shortly after so we didn't get any shots while on the train.
Needless to say, when the day for my parents to return to Utah came much too quickly, I was beyond sad. Max was trying to figure out why mommy was crying so hard, and, as hard as I tried to hide it from him, there was no holding back. Everyone who knows me knows how emotional I am anyway, and couple that with postpartum hormones and you get one very teary Ginger. Probably the saddest part about their departure is that I don't know when I will see them again. It is hard for them to just up and leave their ranch for any length of time. And the thought of me flying for over 4 hours with two little ones during the height of flu (and swine flu) season doesn't sound so appealing (especially since I haven't even figured out how to efficiently leave the house to run minor errands with the two of them in tow). So, hopefully somehow or another I will get to see someone in my family very soon.
In the meantime, since we brought Sam home we have been trying to do a lot of fun things for Max. My sweet little guy--his entire world has been shaken up. He has been the center of Paul's and my universe for almost two years and to have to share the spotlight has been a little difficult for him. We don't want him to feel too neglected or resentful of Sam, although at times-- especially at feeding time--this seems rather difficult. He is very cute with his little brother, but he is also demanding a lot more attention and being a lot clingier than before little Sam forced him to share his mommy and daddy.
We went to a place called Linvilla Orchards--about 20 minutes from our house--where they have a lot of animals and a great playground.
However, once he spotted the tractors it was all over. He was so upset that he couldn't ride in one that we had to load up and go home.
We also went to a very mediocre zoo in Wilmington, DE. We chose this zoo instead of the bigger one in Philadelphia because it was so much closer to our house. It was so tiny and had few animals, none of which were very exciting.
Here is my new double stroller. It is so long and heavy. Hopefully, if Max will oblige, pushing the two of them around will help me lose my pregnancy weight.
Max wants me to carry him and hold him all the time now. Since he is so heavy and since I often need both my hands, I will just deposit him right on the kitchen counter so he can see what I am doing. I was making him a sandwich the other day, and I turned my back on him briefly to check on Sam. When I looked back at Max, this is what I saw...(and it was so cute I had to grab my camera)...
Now, he has no interest in a PB&J sandwich--he only wants the jar of peanut butter. Hopefully he will forget about this soon enough as these sandwiches are one of only a handful of things he will actually eat these days--and giving him a jar of peanut butter is much too messy.
Max has a new book with a picture of an ice cream cone in it. He really didn't know what one was, so whenever we read it we pretend that we are licking a cone and even make a silly sound to accompany it. The other day I decided to buy some cones and he knew right away what they were, so I gave him his first ice cream cone. He looooved it!
And I created a monster because now he always asks for one, using the cute little pretend licking motion and sound we use during our story. It's so hard to say 'no' to this smart little guy sometimes...
Max has also discovered a love for bubble baths. Every so often we will let him bathe in our big tub with bubbles.
He has so much fun. Even though he has no clue who Santa Claus is, he puts the bubbles on his chin and says, "Ho-ho-ho!"
Since I am no longer pregnant, we decided to have Sushi for dinner the other night. However, instead of hauling both kids to a restaurant, we decided we would enjoy it more if we ordered it "to go".
Max actually tried a few bites, but mostly he enjoyed trying to eat with the chopsticks (and oh what a mess he made).
Love this little guy. He is growing up so much. It is funny--before I brought Sam home Max was my baby. I thought he was just so little. And now, after holding little Sam, Max is a GIANT. His hands, his head, his diapers...I am so sad that he is growing up so fast. But, he just keeps getting more and more fun.
Little Sammy is growing really fast, too. He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz when he was born, and just 2 1/2 weeks later weighed a whopping 8 lbs 14 oz. He is just the sweetest, most mellow baby. He rarely cries, but he does this little "grunting" thing all night long--like he's trying to tell us, "Hey--I'm awake! Let's play!"
Even though Max is really cute with Sam, sometimes he is not as gentle as we would like. So, we put Sam on the table--out of harm's way, or so we thought...
1 comment:
Your little guys are so cute!! I'm sure it was so nice to have your parents come for a visit. You're looking fantastic as usual! :)
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