The Joy of Nursing

There are two things I cherish the most about motherhood because of how they personally connect me with my child. It is a form of communication that only a mother can have with her child. The first is the feeling of movement in the womb, the sudden jab or roll, a sign that for me meant that my little one was safe and healthy. The second is nursing. Hearing the long gulps and gratifying sighs of a well fed baby while still latched on. You pop them off the nipple, wipe away the dribble of milk and bubbles, and stare in awe over the blistered nursing smile that tells you thanks for nourishing me.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

Soren celebrated his 3rd birthday with a tiny bash that consisted of friends that have been in his life for most of his short 3 years. The pictures above show the first hour and a half into the two hour party when all was fun and festive. Then came time to open his gifts and that is when all the tears broke loose. There wasn't a single toddler in the house who in that last half hour didn't melt into a crying frenzy. Tears poured over who got to open the gifts, who got to play with the gifts and who got to keep the gifts. As traumatic as it was for the young ones, the parents at least got a chuckle over the pure drama of toddlerhood.

Mr. 3 Year Old

Happy Birthday dear one - we love you!

Sevi Sweetness

Christmas Wishes

Soren has yet to grasp the concept of Santa. On Christmas Eve I tried to use Santa as a bribe to get Soren to fall asleep. Soren then said "Mama, call Santa on the phone and tell him not to come." Well, Soren did go to bed and Santa did come. While Sevi slept through most of the day's dual family activities, Soren was in present heaven. In his eyes he scored twice as much by acting as Sevi's official present opener. All I know is that I was blessed early this year by the gift of a 5 week old infant that sleeps 8 hours in the night. Yes, there really must be a Santa!

Rock And Roll Is Where It's At

The Cedar Cultural Center was the venue last Saturday for the debut of the Bunny Clogs new children's album by local singer Adam Levy (from the Honeydogs). This was the first rock 'n roll concert for both Soren and Sevi. Soren made it up on the stage (on the far left of the pic) for the Midtown Greenway song, grooving with a packed stage of toddler hipsters. Local themes kept everyone entertained during the clever and surreal performance.

Gingerbread Cookies

As of last year Soren has a holiday tradition of making gingerbread cookies with his Nana Anne. This year we surprised Nana with Soren having his own gingerbread man apron to wear for the festivities. I think Soren's favorite part of the whole process is the eating of the cookies and what body part to chomp off first. Thanks Nana for the great tradition.

Happy 1 Month Old Sevi!

Sevi @ 3 weeks

Gingerbread House Decorating Party

Working on a gingerbread house while eating at least half of the candy decorations.

And we have it, the First Smile

Kid's Workshop, but with a little help from the parent's

The first Saturday of each month Home Depot offers a kid's workshop providing wood toy kits that kids can build. This past Saturday the kit was a wagon, so we jumped on the opportunity. Aprons are handed out along with the necessary tools but the real treat is the popcorn. This is a smart move on Home Depot's part to help keep the kids occupied and happy while the parent's ultimately finish up the work.

Baby, Baby, Blah, Blah, Blah

It has been two weeks with Baby Sevi at home and we are often asked how is Soren adjusting. Here are a few scenarios to clue you in to how Soren is handling the role of Big Brother. The morning after our first night at home Soren announced that he wanted to throw mama out in the garbage. Then, while at the Dr for Sevi's check-in, she asked how Soren liked having a little brother. He responded loud and clear "icky". Add to this sudden outbursts of screaming, hitting and biting, luckily only towards Randy and I. With Sevi eating, sleeping, & pooping like a dream baby - we hardly notice he is here. The terror of Soren is what we didn't expect and where we find all our energy is going. The thing that makes us the most sad is that comparison of the two boys already. It was once Soren that was the true angel, so cuddly and innocent. There are times that we want to tune out the tantrums and drink in the quiet sweetness of a baby. But this is the time when one has to dig deep into parental patience and unconditional love and know that this phase of jealousy and anger will pass. That when Soren smiles and wraps his arms around our head whispering "I love you" that his sweetness is still there, just tucked under some layers of need and confusion. So if you drive by and happen to notice Randy and/or I lurking out by the garbage can, throw us the peace sign along with an encouraging smile and we will be reminded that this is a temporary phase, right?!?!?!?!?!

We grow them BIG in Minnesota

And you all thought that Sevi was a big baby. Check out this MN couple here

Chillin' Bro's

Mirror Image

Sevi


Soren

We are often asked who we think Sevi looks like. That is hard to answer, as I see both Randy and I in him. But I also see alot of Soren, and there are times that with Sevi dressed in the same clothes I do a double take. As the home nurse said yesterday "looks like you cooked up the same recipe".

It's a Boy!!!

We Joyfully Welcome:

Sevien Rupert Murrill Lewandowski
Born November 17, 2009 @ 5:10pm
9 pounds 6 ounces
21 inches

All are fantastic and healthy!

The Tortoise and the Hare

We have been laughing about how different the two pregnancies have been, especially this grand finale. They have come to be known as the tortoise and the hare. Soren was like the hare, arriving on the due date with a fast labor and delivery. Baby #2 is like the tortoise, taking it's sweet time. Every day Soren talks to the belly, telling the baby to come out, he wants to meet it. He also did a little role playing in the tortoise shell last week at the Children's Museum, silly little hare.

Gemini Horoscope

Today's Horoscope (Randy and I are both Gemini's) read as the following:
There's no need to rush. Everything happens in the perfect time for you. And your wise to let others go at their own pace, too.
Ahhh, sage advice for one that is at 41 weeks. Yet - tomorrow is the new moon.......

Still Waiting.........

Puppet Show

Not a day goes by that Soren doesn't ask for his favorite thing: a puppet show. He is in charge of the props and Randy and I are in charge of the storyline, though he adds his own imaginative diversions during every performance. You can't imagine then how excited Soren and I were when I found this puppet theater along the side of the road yesterday morning. Along with fostering my child's creative play I have taught him the value of a great dumpster dive!

Speed Boy Racer

It didn't take Soren long to master the art of two-wheeled (four if you count the training wheels) cycling. The bike was a craigslist $10 steal that he received for his birthday last winter. He couldn't wait to hit the road this summer and was a very happy cruiser, often meeting up with his buddy Max for a cruise around the block.

Yard work turns exciting with the right size tool.

October and November in Minnesota seemed to have their weather patterns mixed up this year. October was cold and rainy and now November has been sunny and warm. We spent the weekend catching up on yard work with Soren testing out his new rake. At this stage of his life, Soren is all excited to help with anything and everything. I know all too soon that we will have to drag him out to help do his share of yard work - you can already see it in his pout.

Apple Pie

Soren calls Nana Lewandowski Nana Pie since he has been spoiled with her delicious homemade pies from birth. This summer she shared her pie making secrets with him. Rule #1 - bring your own rolling pin. Rule #2 - Lot's of laughter and taste testing.

Rockstar

Yesterday we took Soren to the Minnesota Children's Museum where he had a blast rockin' out in front of a blue screen to various music artists. The video was taken off a TV monitor on my point and shoot camera, so the quality is less then optimal but the enthusiasm is well captured.

The Poser

Practicing some senior picture posing.........

The Expansion of Love

I have noticed an interesting correlation between the expansion of my belly, tied in to the decrease in the size of my lap, and my anxiety over loosing the quality 1:1 time I have with Soren. Soren has adapted to physically squeezing around the oversized pumpkin that was once my lap. I am the one hung up on the psychological squeezing in and expansion of how can one spread such great love between two children. I am often asked if Soren is excited about the baby's arrival and all signs indicate he is. But the reality is that I know there will be a lot of adjustments that will need to be made by all of us and that all of our hearts will grow with love. There is still something about that loss of individual attention a first child is blessed with by the arrival of a sibling that pulls a string of sadness in me. So I have been soaking up the moments of love and attention that Soren and I share, the quiet snuggles and toddler questioning that has taught me so much yet makes me excited in sharing this bliss with the baby.

Magic Painting Elves

We have been working hard on transforming the upstairs into a bedroom/playroom for Soren before the baby comes. I don't have any "before" shots but imagine dark brown walls and cream ceilings - basically a very dark space. We had some wonderful elves who spent a lot of time and energy painting the room. The magnetic chalkboard wall is a huge hit and Soren transitioned into the new room without a glitch. We are so thankful to all that helped, we couldn't have done it without you Nana Pie, Nana Guitar, Uncle Jeff and Matt!