Easter Weekend

It was a fabulous weekend! Benjamin had 3 Easter egg hunts!! I don't remember ever having that many on one day. What a blessed little boy!! By the third hunt he had shown much improvement in his hunting abilities and had developed a keen eye for those little plastic eggs. He enjoyed Easter so much that the next day he said sadly, "Mommy, Easter is over". But the good news is that he still had plenty of candy so that the joy of Easter can last for a couple more weeks :) Evan got some presents too, but I don't think he was very excited about them. I'm sure he will be ready to go next year.

Heads Up

This is one of the first photos of Evan with his head up. We have had little time for Tummy Time since Evan usually does not like it one bit. Since his moments of happiness are few and far between, the tendency is to avoid anything that will send him into a downward spiral. Nevertheless, the doctor has said that he needs it. He seemed pretty happy during this recent session. Perhaps a trend?? (pllleassse)

Come on Mommy, it will be fun!

It has been a little too long since my last entry! Things have been pretty busy due to our plans for the yard makeover and Evan being very fussy lately.

Benjamin has had his ups and downs since the last post. I am happy to say that we are currently in an up phase! He has been so sweet and cute. He has recently been encouraging me to join him in his play by saying, "come on mommy, it will be fun!". Yesterday he was hugging me and said, "my little mommy". It was such a warm moment, erasing all of the frustration that I had felt with his misbehavior last week. He also set the record for his longest sentence at 14 words! I think it went something like this: "I want to bring my flashlight outside so we can find our way home". Pretty soon he will be giving lengthy speeches!

In Evan news, we are still hoping that he emerges from the crankiness of the "fourth trimester". There have been moments when it seems like those days are gone, but only to be followed by a very difficult few days. More than anything, I think we just want him to be happy. We did get a few beautiful pictures of him smiling at our recent photo shoot. Those pictures will be posted in the upcoming weeks.

This weekend continues the major transformation of our yard and really marks a new phase in the overall project. I call the new phase "shock and awe". This phase coincides with my exponential increase in enthusiasm for landscaping/gardening/study of botany. I have been obsessed with picking out plants to go in our new landscape. I can name most of the native plants with the exception of trees, although I am quickly increasing my knowledge of the larger of our green friends. From this day forward, this blog will also include gardening. I will describe the progress on our landscape and successes and failures with the various plants. So stay posted!

(by the way, if you scroll down you will see Lance and Benjamin applying corn gluten to the yard. Just FYI, IT DIDN"T WORK!!!!)

Spring is Springing

Well Spring is approaching and with it, Evan's personality. Just yesterday he started to be noticeably more alert and interactive with us and the environment. He has been awake and not cranky for longer periods and is beginning to really coo at us. I am so excited to get to know him as he emerges from his newborn phase. He seems to be a very conversational and talkative baby. Lets see if this holds up as he gets older! If so, we are in for some real fun!

In other news, the gardening season is at hand and I am stoked (in Lance's words). I can think of about 100 types of plants that I would like to procure, but I must reign myself in a bit. I think I can narrow it down to like 50. The thing that seems to get in my way is the weeds, which drives me crazy! I have contacted a professional lawn care company and they are coming out on Wednesday to give us an estimate on replacing the grass. My heart soars with giddy anticipation of a weed free life. I am realistic and I realize there is no such thing as being completely weed free, but I am also prone to dreaming. Check back here in a few weeks for possible pictures of a completely new lawn. Buffalo, I won't miss you!

Evan is 2 Months Old!

Evan turned 2 months on Wednesday! And, yes, I caught a smile on camera to mark the occasion! What a beautiful smile he has! When he is calm after a feeding, Evan will now engage with me and smile when I talk to him. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it is so sweet and so rewarding. It really feels like we are finally communicating in a meaningful way. He almost seems to laugh when he is really getting into our communication. At Evan's 2 month appointment he weighed 11 pounds, 12 ounces and was in the 50th percentile. He is right on target with his weight gain and that makes me feel great. I don't have to worry about not having enough milk.

This is the first time I've had to sit down and post a blog entry about Evan's milestone. My friend Becky was visiting for the last couple of days. We had a great time going to the Brazilian Steakhouse and to Fonda San Miguel. Although I will say that I don't think we changed Becky's mind about not having children!

Reflection

With Evan's 2-month birthday approaching, I'm thinking that it is time to reflect on my/our new life here at the Vaughn home. Not so much for others to read but to look back and to remember what this time was like and to capture it before it slips away. I find myself trying to remember how things were with Benjamin at this age and kicking myself for not writing it down. We have so many pictures and videos but no words to capture the thoughts and feelings of that time. It is true what they say, it goes quickly, and once it goes its gone.

Life with a newborn seems like a continuous cycle of feedings, changing diapers, soothing, and putting down for naps. I'm thinking that it seems that way because that is how it really is. I have been wishing for the day that we can do more with Evan than just the basic survival routine. I know, they all tell you not to wish it away because he is only a newborn for such a brief time. Well, that is fine for them to say, but frankly its not always fun. I try to capture those moments when he is lying on my chest and I can smell his sweet, milky breath. I do savor those moments but they seem to get lost in the minutia of daily life. No sooner do I experience that amazing feeling that I am holding my new son, a new personality in our lives, then it is time to do something else. It is time to burp, time to wipe, time to change both of our clothes that are covered in spit up, time to change Benjamin's diaper, time to get Benjamin's milk (well, you get the idea).

The great news is that its feeling a little easier than I was expecting when he first got here. During those first few weeks I could not imagine how I could possibly take care of Evan and still have time to meet Benjamin's needs. I am now at the point that I can do both and feel fairly competent doing so. Oh, and I can also fit in a shower and putting on make up for myself. That is where the feeling of competence ends at this point. I'm still not sure how we will make it out of the house, how Benjamin will get his social needs met, or how I will ever have exercise a steady part of my life. Did I mention that I would also like to make gourmet meals, garden, and be more active in our church?? Rather than feeling overwhelmed about these things, I have tried to see it as a challenge. Like, "ok now I can do this, let's see what it is like to add on one of these other things". Feeling this way right now indicates that I have probably gotten a good amount of sleep!

So there you have it, a reflection on the mommy of two experience at 2 months out. I'm pretty sure that I have a few very insightful, almost poetic statements to add but I do hear Evan calling!

More "No Balls" Mommy

We had snow in Austin yesterday!!! It snowed really hard for an hour or so in the morning and at various times throughout the day. We even had about an inch of accumulation. Benjamin got to play in the snow for the very first time! I showed him how to make snow balls and he kept saying "more 'no balls' mommy". I could not get him to come inside for lunch, he was having too much fun. Daddy also got to come home early because of the snow. We had a great afternoon together and even had hot chocolate with marshmallows! Now Benjamin knows how cool it is when it snows. If only we had more snow days in Austin......