In Other News

*Life looks so much better after a shower, a writing purge, a nap and some peanut butter popcorn.

I think I'm going to get that one stitched onto a pillow.  Now you can see in the pictures above that I did stop crying on that sad day my poor newborn was enduring his 30 hour fast.  And he has mostly recovered from the trauma of it... though he certainly wants to nurse quite a bit more frequently after than he ever did before.  I'm not sure whether to chalk it up to post traumatic stress or growth spurt, but either way I'm happy to sit on the couch all day and let him... and then give him a bottle after that if he's still looking around for food (probably due to my own post traumatic stress). Try to reteach those little brain connections that food is not a scarcity for our blessed life and that he can have as much of it as he needs.   *Phew* Let's hope we never have to do that again.


*Awesome things have been happening outside the hospital lately, too.

Even though it kind of seems to me like my life has been swallowed up in hospital halls and noises, I have pictures to prove that life has been happening outside the hospital, too.  And then I stop to think, really only 15 days have been spent inside the hospital over the past two and a half months, so... it makes sense to have other memories, right?  What is it with those hospital days and their insistence on swelling up in their spotlight to the point of blocking out all the other days?  Space hogs, I tell you.  Well, in an attempt to inflate those poor, crowded 'other days', I'll start giving them some attention and let you acknowledge their presence over the next few posts.  'Cause they need some acknowledgement.

*Miles looked at Timothy

 So, that was progress. 

*The other kids can't get enough of the little guy


McKenzie generally doesn't mind being put on Timothy duty... even when he's feeling a bit needy.  She especially likes it when he needs her after dinner, because then she is excused from helping out with the after-dinner chores.  Carson has mastered the Disappear-Into-The-Bathroom-For-Half-An-Hour trick during this time, and Miles is still a little too unhelpful to be helpful, so it's usually just Brian and me against the clutter storms from the day.  Which is really neither here nor there other than to say how rewarding it is to spend some time scrubbing dishes and then turn the corner to find a sweet snuggle going on.

He really likes this music, she said. 

She is one great little mama.  Until she deems him hungry, at which point she panics a little and questions my priorities when it takes me a few minutes to get there.  Even in this, I suppose Timothy's lucky to have such a good advocate.

And Carson's heart just bleeds love for Timothy.  Carson is a little more... bouncy... than his older sister, so he requires a bit more supervision while snuggling.  But even when supervised, he transports into his own little world with that baby.

One of my favorite moments of all time: Carson swaying from side-to-side singing Rock-A-Bye-Baby.

Such a sweetheart.

*North Carolina Weather has been... North Carolina Weather

From ice...

...to sun...

...to snow...

...I will most definitely miss these crazy weather months when we move.  I love preparing for the coming snow storms in 70 degree weather; and I love watching sheets of ice melt into puddles with the sun.  We love it all... but the snowmen sure don't last long.


*Carson lost a tooth

It was hanging on by a thread for a while... he insisted that I send no apples for lunch during that week. I told him I could just pop it out for him (actually, I told him that Daddy could just pop it out for him) but that was terrifying, so it didn't happen.  What did happen was a loud exclamation made by McKenzie from the kitchen island where the three kids were eating their breakfast.  "CARSON LOST HIS TOOTH!  CARSON'S TOOTH IS GONE!"  She's kind of a trickster, that Kenzie, so I didn't believe her at first.  "NO, REALLY!  IT'S GONE!"  Then, Carson turned his face towards me and his shy little smile confirmed the tale.  "Your tooth came out, buddy?!" I asked.  He nodded and Kenzie continued in her exclamation voice, "I SAID IT'S GONE!  LIKE, GONE, GONE!  WE CAN'T FIND IT!"  Further investigation led to more confusion.  Apparently, Carson had just noticed that it was gone, but he wasn't sure if it was gone when he'd woken up that morning or not.  I assumed that it had come out sometime during the night and that he had swallowed it in his sleep, but he seemed set on the hope that it had just fallen into his bowl of cereal and milk.  "Well," I cautioned, "make sure to chew slowly, and don't swallow until you're sure you've chewed through everything.  And, don't be sad if you don't find it in there... I'm sure the Tooth Fairy will come if you just leave a note explaining what happened."  Minutes later his hope became reality and he came proudly to show us his accomplishment. 

Well done, buddy... well done.

*Miles thinks he lost a tooth

But he didn't.

*Oldest two at a friends house, Miles watching an afternoon movie, Timothy sleeping...

Sounds like nap time for me!