Sidekick #2 - One Month

Yup, I was originally planning (and hoping) that we'd be able to do a monthly post update with S#2, just like we had with S#1.  Except we had two under two, and kids who hate sleep, and a flood in our apartment, and another move, and then the overtime from heck for HeroPapa, and then the new job for me, and blahblahblabbityblah.  Point is, I figured I'd at least do a massive update all at once.  Though we had to do that twice with S#1, jumbling together a few months together to cover the information, was I really going to be able to lump NINE MONTHS into one blog post??

I feel like S#2 deserves better than being lumped :S

So I am doing one month at a time!
BUT I'm hoping to do several a week till we are caught up!  I got the pictures organized, and just need to collage them and then write up a post . . . easy enough, right? :)

So onto the good stuff!!

Click for more (68) pics <3

 

^ Here's his first day :D  Poor thing was a bit bruised from birth, but that'll happen when you're 9 1/2lbs!  After a bit of an intense birth (thinking he'd get stuck!), but an awesome recovery - we got to go home a little early . . . and got ready to introduce him to his new big brother! <3

 

With Sidekick #1, we spent months teaching him about "babies".  We read big brother/little brother books.  We pointed out every baby we saw.  We watched YouTube videos, and countless Baby Story's on TLC (remember that show??).  He instantly knew what Sidekick#2 was, but he ended caring more about the new pacifier haha.  Above right, is Opa holding him, but he's not too comfortable with anyone else yet (get used to it quick kid, we're a big family!) 

 

Top left pic, makes me look too calm in this I-got-it-covered kinda way (pun intended?).  But the top right, is keeping things goofy, because really, I'm a mother of two little boys, and nothing will be calm again!  We used the teddy bear "leash" on Sidekick #1, in case he ran from me, and lunged himself down concrete steps, but no worries, he handled our walk just fine.  Eek, our first walk as a family of four . . . mind blowing!

 

I shared a bit of this when I announced our son's birth, but I should still write a separate post entirely of the NICU experience we had.  Top left pic, shows us waiting for his 2 day appointment, but because of schedules, we didn't get in till he was four days old, and thank God we went then!  Because it turned out his jaundice was so severe he needed to immediately be admitted to the hospital for treatment!  They thought he might need an entire transfusion, but luckily, we missed that level by a smidge and the lights started working!  29 - intense and scary - hours later, we were home safe and sound.  The bottom right pic shows the giraffe that we had actually been seeing a lot since he was born . . . just like we saw a monkey a lot after Sidekick #1 was born.  So now we have a lot of monkey and giraffe themes happening in our house ;)

 

All I wanted to do was take pictures of our little yellow baby lol . . . no more IV's, no lights, no incubator.  How precious to see him home safe and sound ~ though still healing from birth a bit, if you notice the burst eye vessels in the corner there.  Between that, the bruised face, and yellowed skin, we kept joking (gotta keep some humor during the stress right?), that he looked like a little zombie gnawing on me ;)

 

Within days though, he got trush . . . and because gentian violet worked wonders on Sidekick #1 when nothing else did, I used it on Sidekick #2 as well.  Except he insisted on nursing on me right after, and he ended up staining the entire bottom half of his face!  BUT what's worse?  He had thrush TWO more times in the next 6 weeks.  OI!  

But still, we were happy to have our new addition, but never one to downplay our first blessing, I picked out a brand new gift for him: his first train tracks.  Oh boy did he love them . . . and now Sidekick #1's favorite show is Thomas the Train, and he has 3 pajamas featuring Gordon ;)

 

Because I'm kinda crazy, and maybe too cooped up in the house, I took a long Uncle #2, and we headed to the Mall of America for lunch.  Sidekick #2 slept the whole time, and #1 had a blast looking at the people.  The leash was still on, but only because once again, I didn't want him making a break for it, and falling down escalators :P  Bottom left pictures show a recurring theme that month - me wearing the baby, and pushing Lex around in his Superman push cart through our apartment complex.  It was a great way for me to get out, but help Sidekick #2 sleep, and for #1 to explore.  Win-win-win.

 

Perfect example of 2U2 (two-under-two for those not into internet jargon) horseplay, is me getting lunch set up for #1, not realizing he was up to no good . . . while eating, I turn around and see that he stacked his train tracks onto a sleeping #2! D: (though since he didn't seem to mind, and slept through it, I took a picture for posterity sake).  And then the bottom is Sidekick #1 having his 18mo. well child check up - but he gets his own blog post on all his growth lately! - while Sidekick #2 is shocked about the needles/vaccines!  (Kidding, but isn't it a great caption-it-for-fun pic?)  Note the gentian violet mouth to battle another bout of thrush though! :P

 

Here's a great collage of us visiting the Como Zoo again - I love that place, and can't wait to go again soon :)  Of course #2 was a little too tuckered out to get much out of it, but #1 was older and just adored the monkeys, and the trainnnn :D

 

Most of these pics are from the middle of the month, when #2 was more like 2 weeks old, but I love the random ones . . . the above left pic is me letting people know I'm still alive lol.  While the bottom left row is #1 noticing #2's eye (and almost poking it out).  Top right, is #1 and me, while the middle is him all smiles over his baby brother, whereas the one beside it is #2 giving a great expression of "For reallll??".  Bottom right pic is one of my early favorites.  He fell asleep like this guys . . . I gotta a little model on my hands haha.

 

Well here's where we get into the crazy.  What, birth, NICU, 2U2 is crazy enough you say??  Ha, not in this house!  Our apartment started flooding (top right) . . . so there's #2 giving that same look of "For realll?" for us one more time, because it started when he was only 12 days old!  We tried to cope, tried to be patient, and prayed it was a one time thing.  Nope.  No suck luck.  We would end up moving out at the end of June, when both I and #2 were getting sick from the mold D:  But that's for another post! 

Back to the pictures, there's the top left, is me, and my boys posing as usual.  It's all familiar scene (one that I love!) of us cuddling and snuggling!).  Top middle is #1 riding a horse like a pro ;) (Can't wait to get him on a real one . . . though I hope we start with a pony, for safety reasons - just for the sake of my nerves, lol).  Bottom left, is the third round of trush/purple mouth :P  And middle bottom, is a cute moment between HeroPapa and #1. 

Such a crazy life, but so blessed none the less!

And that's that - the first month!  Only took me till he was nine months old D:
But now that the pics are organized, I think I can post the other months in quick sucession ~ fingers crossed :D