Cookie monsters

A few days ago, I made some sugar cookie dough with this, my favorite recipe for rolled cookies. I cut out some hearts and airplanes - they're boys after all - and made white, pink and red(ish) icing.
The boys had a great time decorating them.

The rainbow colored non pareils were the big hit.

And then...someone went a little crazy with the sprinkles, accidentally opening the "Pour" side instead of the "Sprinkle" side.

It was like dropping chum in shark-infested waters.

The boys went crazy licking their fingers, dipping them in the colorful dots, and then licking again.

It was a rainbow-colored frenzy.

Dipping, licking - more frantic now, since they're almost gone.

PJ probably holds the record for the most non pareils adhered to a person at one time


But Jack definitely won the award for the most consumed

and he got the last lick to boot.

Our little Valentine

Just a few pictures from Thomas's first weeks at home.


We are all enjoying little Thomas!


He's been doing a great job sleeping at night, and is very cuddly.


He's such a sweet little guy - very alert and content when he's awake. He's easy to read, and easy to console.

Jack and PJ have had colds for the last ten days or so, which has had me shooing them away from kissing and touching Thomas's face too much, but they love their new baby brother.


On the first night that we were all home with him, we had a little "birthday" party, which was really just an excuse for Mommy to eat buttercream frosting and the boys to blow out some candles.

He fits right into our family (as is evidenced by the above video).
Of course we have another boy.
How could we have thought otherwise?

Jack's first haircut

Patrick took Jack to get his first haircut this morning.

Not really his first haircut, but his first big boy haircut at the hairdresser's that Mommy didn't do.

I was a little apprehensive because I like him with hair that's a little on the longer side - not the clipper fade. But Patrick was excited to take him and knew just what he wanted.

Jack did a great job sitting still in the chair.

He's gone once before when Patrick was getting a haircut, so he was able to reassure me on the way out the door, "Mommy, she's weewy nice - not weewy mean!"

And here's my handsome boy with his new 'do.

Enjoying his post-haircut congratulatory lollipop.

My little man is getting so big! For fun, I sometimes ask him if he'll stay this big and not get any bigger so I can always hold and cuddle him. He usually giggles, and says, "Mommy, I have to get bigger bigger bigger like Daddy so I can touch the ceiling!"

(Not all daddies can touch the ceiling, but Jack's can!)

Yesterday, he said "Mommy, I'll still be able to give you hugs and kisses when I can touch the ceiling."

*sniff*

It's a BOY!

We still can't believe it.

I went into the hospital on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m., and

Thomas Christopher was born at 5:24 on Wednesday morning, January 27th.

I am stunned at how big he was. I was positive he was smaller than the other boys.

I think maybe I was just smaller this time.

Ask me how it feels not to be pregnant anymore.

Go ahead - ask me.

That's how.

(Whoa, look at those eyes - I definitely didn't get much sleep that night.)

Patrick is one proud papa - and a little in shock.

He was pretty convinced it was a girl too.

But no - here's our little puffy-faced boy a few hours after he was born.

Jack and PJ had been staying at my parents' house for a few days, since I had had more than a few false alarms that had me thinking I was in labor.

When the doctor gave us the okay to head in to be induced, I called Jack there and told him that the baby was going to be coming out that night. I promised I'd call him the next morning and let him know whether it was a boy baby or a girl baby.

At 7 a.m. that morning - just a short while after the baby was born - I did just that.

Here's how that call transpired:

Me: Jack, it's Mommy. The baby came out today!
Jack: Already?
(!?!?!?!?!?)
Me: Yes! Daddy is holding him. And guess what?
Jack: What?
Me: It's a little boy baby!
Jack: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
(Screaming, sobbing, dropping the phone and continuing while walking away)
I want it to be a little girl baby!

So...that went well.

I hoped that when he met little Thomas, things might be different.

I was right.

First, he saw that it was indeed a tiny little baby.

I think he equated a boy with another little brother the same size as PJ.
And Jack's a baby lover!

Then, this happened.

(This picture makes me cry a little.)

Then, he was thrilled to hold his baby brother.

PJ, also a baby lover, just went straight for the cuddle.

Then he was excited to see his little eyes and nose.

Some quiet time with my little guy this morning.

I love this one - the boys brought in some "Boys Rule" stickers for everyone and we put Thomas' on his bassinette
(though I have to admit the perfectionist in me wonders if they couldn't have asked someone with a little bit nicer handwriting to fill out the card).

Getting ready to head for home.

We are all doing well. The boys will spend one last night at my parents' house and give us a chance to settle in with Thomas. Then Patrick will go pick them up in the morning.

I can't wait to have all of them home together.
We are so blessed!

Due date

Well, here it is - yet another due date on which I am still pregnant.

The boys were both late, but this is different. With them, I didn't have nearly as many false alarms - hours and hours of regular contractions that ended up fizzling out, usually as soon as I call a neighbor or my parents to come and stay with the boys. This is infinitely more frustrating, mostly because so many more people are being affected.

From all the drama this little one has caused to date, I'm definitely thinking pink.

I appreciate all the votes for an early arrival.

I appreciate the vote for the due date arrival.
(Did I vote for that one myself? I may have, hoping beyond hope that this child
would inherit my own affinity for promptness.)

The day is still young...but this little one seems to be pretty darn comfortable in there.

And that's okay.

I won't be pregnant forever.

(Right??)

Misters Potato Head

Just some silly pictures of one of the new favorite things to do - put on Mr. Potato Head's glasses.

Super boys!

I have two days until my due date, and, for obvious reasons, we've been looking for ways to have fun around the house.

This morning, Jack asked me to tie a blanket around his shoulders so that he could be a superhero. He's never asked this before, and we don't watch too many shows that have superheroes in them, so I'm thinking it must have come from seeing Super Grover on Sesame Street.

Anyway, we tried a few times with a blanket, but it kept falling off, so I got a couple of pillowcases and some rubber bands and made them each a superhero cape.

I have never had more fun watching the two of them play together!

This superboy needs a little rest from all the running around and helping.

Guessing game

With nine days to go until my due date, I figured it was about time for another guessing game.

You know, the kind where you take a stab at when the baby might make an appearance, and how much s/he might weigh and I promise to write your name in a fancy font if you win!

How can you resist seeing your name posted online in a fancy font like I did for Aunt Devon when PJ was born?

You can't, right? I know!

So I posted a little poll over there on the right for the due date. Both Jack and PJ were latecomers (10 and 7 days, respectively - both were running on T-Time right from the start) and so I think I'll just be happy if this baby shows up in the month of January at all, but I have had lots more Braxton Hicks contractions than I did with PJ, so maybe this little one is planning to take after his Mommy and come on time or even a little early.

As for the weight, Jack was 8 lb. 5 oz, and PJ was 8 lb. 8 oz, and I have to say, I think I'm actually a little smaller this time around. I definitely don't weigh as much as I did when I was at the end of my pregnancies with them, and I didn't gain very much - only about 12 pounds according to this morning's OB visit. Which, I must say, is another thing that has me thinking pink.

So take your best (anonymous) guess at when the baby will come and leave a comment with your guess of the weight. I'll post the weight winner once s/he makes an entrance!

In a fancy font and everything!

The due date is January 24th, by the way.

Hard work

First vacuuming. Now this.

Me: Jack, what are you doing, fixing the gate?
Jack: Uh, yeah. My job.

(Like DUH, Mom!)

He loves using his tools to help. Tightening a loose screw here.

Hammering the same screw with the utmost precision there.

(We'll go over the difference between screws and nails some day.)

"PJ," he says, "fixing the gate is hard wook (rhymes with book) - come help me!"

PJ's only too happy to oblige.