Twilight Carniball

We take a quick break from all this cuteness to ask you to consider attending Twilight Carniball at the Children's Museum on February 25. What a GREAT event- and the chair of the Development Committee is yours truly!

This year's theme is France- and there will be a minifashion show, a Tour Eiffel, and champagne. Save your nickels and dimes and bid in either our silent or live auctions.

To find out more information or to buy tickets, click here...http://www.c-mor.org/events/twilight-carniball

Gil Martin: One Month Old!

It is so hard to believe that about a month ago, I was getting geared up for an epidural.

At a month old, Gil

• weighs 12 pounds and 4 ounces


• is 23 inches long


• eats every three to four hours


• sleeps as long as 4.5 hours at a stretch


• has great head and neck strength


• loves to look at the shiny lights


• is a VERY sweet and easy baby- only fusses when something is wrong.

Eric has about another week or so left of parental leave. My big news is that now I can fit into my fatso prepregnancy jeans. They are tight tight tight but they are on! Yippee. Mom and I packed up all the maternity clothes yesterday- starting to feel like a human again.

Vake and the Mail

Vake, like a lot of other two-almost-three-year olds, loves getting the mail. He's not particularly interested in the mailman, but loves to bring the mail inside of the house. He's especially excited when the mail is his "High Five" magazine that came from Grandma Sue- it's a super cute magazine.

So you can imagine his delight when a large package of mail arrived for him from Grandma Sue.

Here he is opening it. Needed a little help from Daddio to get it open.

And then everyone was very excited to see what was inside!

Weight Check

Eric and I swung Gil by the pediatrician for a weight check yesterday- 12 pounds 4 ounces at one month.

For comparison's sake, Vake was 11 pounds 7 ounces at the same age.

Vake's first balloon?

Guest post from daddy.

Alison & Vake walked to a nearby shop to buy a housewarming present for a friend. The 20-something clerk asked Vake if he'd like a balloon (obviously the answer was "yes, please!")

After the clerk handed it to Vake, Alison prompted Vake to remember his manners:

Alison: "What do you say, Vake?"

Vake (in his most reverent voice): "Oh, thank you. I've never had a balloon before!"

The clerk, of course, looked at Alison as if she were some sort of ogre - what mother would deprive her child of balloons?

How is Vake doing?

After questions about how much baby Gil weighs and how the labor process went, the next question inevitably is "How's Vake doing with the baby?"

The answer is that he is doing GREAT. Vake LOVES having a baby around- there's been almost no jealousy, and Vake just wants to kiss the baby, hold the baby, help change him, help give him a bath, etc., etc., etc. (to quote The King and I, which Eric and I just saw on Friday night and that was WONDERFUL).

In fact, the other day, Eric was taking a well deserved sleep-in on a Sunday morning and I had both boys downstairs- Gil was fussing and Vake dropped what he was doing, ran over and said, "That baby needs his big brudder" and started kissing the baby. It was just too sweet.

I have pics from the birthday party but of course I accidentally left my purse that had my camera in the car of someone who lives in Williamsburg. Awesome.

Three Weeks Already-Gil!

He's already so big. It is crazy that three weeks ago was such an eventful day.

Gil's super easy- as easy as Vake was, if not easier. Last night, he slept until 2 and then went back to sleep and I woke him up at 7:30 to eat.
The difference that I see in myself is that I am more confident in my abilities as a parent and a caregiver- I'm less concerned (or at least a little less concerned) about my ability to feed this child and to respond to his needs. (I found myself thinking, "Ok, whatever..." when our sweet young pediatrician was telling me that we needed to wake Gil up to feed him every three hours. I mean, does the child look like he's starving to you?)

I am much more appreciative too of how short this time is. It is going to be over before I know it. I love my toddler Vake but my goodness there is something about a baby!!!!!