Monday's Child

Peter turned one month old yesterday! I took him to his doctor's appointment, and I'm astonished at how physically similar he is to Benjamin. He weighed in at 11 lbs. 4 oz., measuring around the 86th percentile. At 5 weeks, Benjamin was 11 lbs. 7 oz. We've been looking through Benjamin's baby pictures of him at Peter's age, and their faces are even little copies of each other. But As similar as they are physically, their personalities are totally different. Peter just seems more like a baby to me than Benjamin ever did. He's a sweetheart.

I'm not sure one month old pictures will happen though, at least not here. Monday's (induced) child is not so fair of face right now (Question: if a baby is induced, does the little rhyme still apply?). He has really bad baby acne, plus I think he has some sort of rash going on from our dryer sheets. He also has cradle cap flakiness all over his ears and eyebrows and scalp. Poor kid. It looks pretty miserable.

Benjamin is Friday's child, and legitimately too. He has been very loving and giving these past few days. I think he's gradually becoming less hot/cold and getting back to his normal self. He has been saying some of the funniest things lately. When I put him down the other night, he said to me "I want some... golden... golden... bread." Not really sure where "golden" came from, but he's also used it to describe the kind of "DOY-moke" (soy milk) and juice he wants.

I'm a Saturday's child, and I always felt gypped that I'd have have to work hard for a living. I had this old book when I was growing up, which is why it is so beat up. I lucked out when my Mom passed it on to me, even though I'm sure my seven brothers and sisters loved this book just as much as I did.

I looked up Paul's birth day of the week and his was Sunday. It makes sense. Paul sure is blithe. And winsome. And happy and gay. He makes me happy!

I know, I know...

You've all been dying to see more pictures of the cutest baby on the planet. Well, here you go.

"I gotta get me some more of that!"

Thoughtful fellow

This kid has pears hanging off the sides of his face! Oh, those are his cheeks.

Woof.

"He made his first look!"

Hey! What's the big idea?

I love this mohawk!

"Get that corn outta my face!!!"

A Few Pictures for the Grandmas

Peter is three weeks old already! Hard to believe. The time has flown, and yet it seems as if we've had Peter with us forever. We've now been on our own for a week, and so far no toddler casualties...many close calls though. Benjamin has had some pretty trying moments, especially on Sunday when we got home from church around nap time. When he really wants a reaction out of us, he knows to jump on the bed around Peter's head or poke his eyes or soft spots. But he still says he loves him and gives him gentle hugs. I think this picture is funny. Lots of two-year-old attitude.

Here's his Halloween costume. He picked a dog costume this year at a second-hand store. He really enjoyed trick-or-treating in our mostly elderly neighborhood. There weren't too many other kids to compete with for the good stuff!

Devouring the spoils.
"I ludd a baby brudder!"
Three weeks old.

Benjamin was releasing some creative energy tonight. Here's my three boys!

Life With a Newborn: Take Two

I have to say, life with a newborn isn't nearly as hard this time as I expected it to be, and it is SO nice to not be pregnant anymore! Granted, we've been totally spoiled this time with Paul's Mom coming to stay with us for the first week, and my Mom is here for ten days, but we're doing great. I've found I have less patience with Benjamin than I used to, but overall, he's done well at adjusting to life as a big brother. The key differences this time? First, Peter is a very chill newborn. He sleeps a lot, eats well, and has most of his quiet, alert periods during the day. I keep him in our bed, so most nights he sleeps, fusses a little, I feed him, and then he goes right back to sleep. So in the morning, I actually feel rested! I didn't think it possible to feel rested after a night with a newborn. And thanks to our Moms, I'm able to rest throughout the day and not worry about the house and cooking so much. Second, I'm less paranoid. I've been so much more relaxed about everything this time around, so I'm not constantly on the verge of tears. Nursing? Piece of cake. Bathing him? Not nearly so scary. Going places? Do-able. I feel so empowered having done this before!
Third, I have a two-and-a-half-year-old Benjamin around this time. This initially scared me, taking on two kids, but it's been nice (I should add that my Mom is still here, and takes him jogging every morning and reads to him, plays with him, and takes him places, so I'm probably speaking too soon). I'm not bored. I don't feel guilty about not engaging Peter every minute he's awake, and I have a cute little helper who actually responds when I talk to him. He's still adjusting of course and testing our limits, but overall he's been a sweetheart. He still gives Peter kisses constantly and tells us how much he loves his baby brother. His more trying moments usually come when he's over-tired or hungry (big surprise!), so we're trying to make sure his routine doesn't get too rocked. So life is good. It really is fun being Mommy of two.

Welcome Home...

...Peter Julian Cannon!

He is a wonderful newborn. He only cries when he is cold and will soothe himself by sucking his thumb.

Benjamin was excited to greet us when we came home from the hospital!
Here is Benjamin Wilcox Cannon holding his new brother, Peter Julian Cannon. I think they're both good, strong names for good, strong boys.

Benjamin repeated over and over again, "I like a new baby brother! I like Peter! I LUDD a baby brother!" As he mauled him with kisses and love pats. He says Peter's head feels like a caterpillar. We'll see how long this brotherly love lasts...
I couldn't resist putting this last picture in of Benjamin when he was barely born. I'm not sure this is the best picture to show resemblance between the two, but they do look a lot alike. The nurses kept commenting on how cute Peter's red hair was, and I was confused because I don't see it as red compared to Benjamin's. I guess it's a pretty auburn color. But he sure does have a lot more than Benjamin did!

It's A BOY!!!!!

Well we're pleased to announce baby "tbd," Benjamin's new baby brother. This will just be a quick post with a couple of pictures, because we're still busy doing the new parents thing. We were greatly blessed that Grandma Cannon could be here to make our visit to the hospital worry free. Benjamin loves grandma and has been having a good time.

Sarah and I went called into the hospital early Monday morning and arrived just before 8:00 am. They began the induction around 10:30. Because she was being induced, Sarah thought she'd opt for the epidural. She did try to progress as long as she could naturally prior to getting the anesthesia; she was a rockstar. After the epidural I felt pretty useless, so she slept and I watched Cash Cab for a while.

Around 6:00 pm the nurses checked out how things were going and thought it was time to get the Dr. in fast. The baby was born at 6:40 pm after less than 5 minutes of pushing. Way to go Sarah.

"TBD" born 10/20/08 at 18:40

A whomping 8 lbs 12 oz.

We'll get back to you with the name ASAP.

Final Countdown

I got a call from the hospital this afternoon, and it looks like they'll most likely admit me early tomorrow morning. Paul's Mom is here, and I think Benjamin understands a little too well what that means. She came in last night after he was in bed, so when he woke up and I told him she was here, he told me the was baby coming. He's been telling Paul and me to go away all day. We feel loved. :) No, we couldn't be happier that Grandma is here! She is wonderful with Benjamin, and they'll have a great time while Paul and I are at the hospital.

So in light of the fact that Benjamin could care less about my existence at present, I am posting a few pictures of the past week for your viewing pleasure!
Benjamin went shirt-less for a memorable spaghetti dinner. I accidentally dumped too much fennel in the sauce, and so we enjoyed picking out the 40 or so seeds from our plates. It wasn't one of those meals you could just hurry and eat!

One morning before I could even get out of bed, Benjamin had somehow climbed the shelves in our pantry and gotten out the yellow paint. He had poured a good deal of it in his paint tray, with only a couple drops on the carpet... We weren't too thrilled with him of course, but after breakfast, he got his wish, and we went outside and painted a big cardboard pumpkin with nice fall colors.

On Saturday morning, we went up to Grant's Farm. It's owned by Anheuser Busch, so all along the nice train ride through the historic grounds that were once owned by General Grant, were plugs for the once all-American beer. It also had an interesting variety of animals to see along the way, and of course near the entrance were the stables with the giant Clydesdales. The train takes you to a petting zoo area, so we thought it would be a lot of fun for Benjamin. I guess I should have anticipated a Halloween theme, but it was really creepy- especially for a toddler. There was even scary music playing throughout the park. Benjamin was uneasy the whole time, and begged to get back on the train. So we didn't stay long.

Our next post should bring some exciting news!