Orion's Corner

Orion got to take some photos at the end of the photo shoot. Unfortunately for him, Jules was already done.

Photo Shoot

Which photo is your favorite?

Silly

Happy

Downward Dog

Teddy

Cute

Silly Brothers

Super Silly Brothers

poll by twiigs.com

Shhhhhhh...

The boys are sick so we had a lazy day at home today. Orion painted a picture.


Jules played in the Jumperoo.


Then it was lunch time. Err... nap time? How about both?

Wrap but don't re-wrap!

Here is a video just for Susie ;-) and all my other baby wearing friends out there. If this is as clear as mud, just let me know and I'll try to clarify. I didn't really prepare what I was going to say so perhaps I missed something. ***Warning*** I'm a fast talker!

On a related note...
Apparently you cannot make a video with a three year old in the room. In the first take, Orion decided to cross in front of the camera to go to the sink for some water. Then he sat down next to the camera and started singing. In the second take he started talking about the birth of Jules, since the tripod was set up in the tub where Jules was born. During the third take he started talking to Jules. For the forth and final take he was kicked out of the bathroom :-)

Haircuts!

Orion's hair was getting in his eyes so I decided it was time to cut it. I made the mistake of doing it while I was alone with the boys. Jules was napping so I thought I'd go ahead and give Orion a haircut. Then Jules woke up. I was covered in little bits of hair. I got Jules back to sleep and came back to finish the cut. Suddenly I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish before Jules decided to wake up for good. So I asked Orion if I could just buzz the whole thing. He agreed. It actually didn't save me much time since his hair lies so flat it wasn't very easy to buzz. I didn't like it much and neither did Orion, but now I think he looks cute. I love his cowlick. Orion would tell people, It's too short, but it will grow. It took him a week to realize that it wasn't going to grow out very fast. He wants it longer in the front because he likes pushing it back.

Anyway, here he is talking on the phone to a grandparent. It is really fun to listen in on his conversations and watch his facial expressions.

I got my hair cut, too!

My hair was down to my butt. I had it all chopped off and I will be sending it to Locks of Love. I now weigh a quarter pound less.

What do you think? I am quite pleased with the results. Perhaps next time I will be even more daring. Haircuts are fun!!!

Side view.

Julesey Poolsey

When you name your child Jules, there's no need for a nickname, but they happen anyway. I started calling him Julesey, then Julesey Poolsey (pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry). Then Orion decided that we were the Berenstain Bears and that Jules was Honey Bear. (If you haven't read the Berenstain Bears in a while, they eventually have another girl cub.) When we aren't the Berenstain Bears, then we are trains, except for Orion who is Mr. Conductor. I get to be Henry, Isaac is Gordon, and currently Jules is James Percy. (They are all friends of Thomas the Tank Engine. James and Percy are two separate engines.)

Jules sleeps pretty well. He is is having tummy time. No, wait! He is napping. This is his first spontaneous nap. Orion didn't do this until, hmm..., December 24, 2008. (See the last post.)

Jules talks whenever he can. He loves to babble and we love to listen to it. All you have to do is look and him, say a few words and then give him a chance to respond and off he goes. He seems to understand how conversation works, so if you keep talking then he stays quiet. He doesn't want to butt in.

EC is going well. We are only fastening the diapers onto him when we are away from home. Even Isaac has relaxed about the whole nakey butt thing. It helps that he gets virtually all of his poops in the potty. (At this age babys tend to be obvious about when they need to poop. We'll see what happens in a month or so. That's when Orion stopped being obvious.) Pees are hit or miss; it depends on how much attention I give him. I have learned the art of positioning a baby over a diaper, so that when I miss his cues we don't get a mess. Right now the game is communication, because without it we will not do so well once he starts crawling.

Happy 2009!

We started off the holiday season by trimming the tree. Orion enjoyed helping this year. He likes to cluster all the ornaments in one spot. Isaac prefers them all equidistant. It was a constant battle that Orion was completely unaware of.

It just isn't a holiday without sharing it with friends. We had the Lambies over for the first night of Hanukkah. Our dinner was a success, but the jelly donuts were a bit raw in the middle. We had over Isaac's work friend, Dr. Dennis, for Hanukkah a few nights later and finally got the donuts right. We also tried making our own latkes and they were great, too. Ooh, and the homemade applesauce was so yummy. Next year I want to add pretzels to our Hanukkah fare.

This year Orion got to light his own menorah. He got some help the first few nights, but was doing it on his own by the eighth night. He also loved picking out what color candles to go into his menorah.

I had romantic notions of a Christmas Eve spent around the fire, sipping hot chocolate, eating cookies and reciting The Night Before Christmas. The fire got started a bit late, and when I came out with the hot chocolate I found a little boy with a chocolate mouth asleep on the couch. No waiting up for Santa this year.

The boys on Christmas morning. Jules's outfit reads My First Christmas.

My dad and step-mother arrived in time for dinner on Christmas and will be heading to the airport in a few hours. We had a great time with them and they got to see Jules for the first time.

The happy family on the last night of Hanukkah. Well, 3 out of 4 isn't so bad.

The boys and the guests are all in bed for the night, so Isaac and I are alone with Ryan Seacrest to bring in the new year. 2008 was great and we are looking forward to even better things in 2009. Happy New Year!

Front Torso Cross Carry

Susie from Magic City Slingers recently made and posted a video JUST FOR ME ;-) to demonstrate this carry, so I had to post a photo. It is strapless, so I'll be doing it more when the weather warms. I know, it just got cold. And windy. We actually had some snow here last night. Like one or two flakes. So anyway, I don't know if you can see it in the photo, but Jules was hanging on for dear life with his right hand. Of course he is completely secure, but he is a grabber. He can be hard to put down at times. I guess he doesn't trust me. Sheesh! I've only dropped him once so far.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for Jules, 2 months old.

We are thankful for Orion, 3 years and 7 months old.

Why can't they smile at the same time?

Heads Up!

Sometimes Jules lifts his head up really high.

Orion is really good at it.

I love this outfit.

Going for the hand again. This one is always hungry.

Jules - 7 Weeks

Holy moly! Where does time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was catching him in the tub? Now look at him. He is getting so fat! He was at 10.5 lbs a week ago. I'll need to step on a scale with him again soon.

I need to try to get some smiley photos of Jules. He really is a happy baby, he just hasn't started preforming for the camera yet.

Elimination Communication

It's also known as diaper free baby, natural infant hygiene, and infant potty training, or just EC for short. EC is a modern interpretation of handling your baby's pottying needs without (or with limited use of) diapers.

If you didn't already think I was crazy, you may start now. I thought EC was crazy when I first heard of it, but since giving it a try with Orion, I became a convert to the ideas of EC.

We started ECing Jules as soon as he was born. At first it was mostly observation. We kept a diaper on Jules for the first two weeks. The diaper came off during feedings and I held him over a potty bowl while he nursed. If I noticed him peeing I would make a pssss sound, and for poos I would grunt. Eventually we learned to understand one another. If he was squirmy he needed to go potty. If he needed to burp he would stick his tongue out. If he was hungry he would either chomp on his hand, or peck around with his mouth open in a little oval. (Sometimes we would call him chicken boy because of this.) Now at six weeks he is rarely in a diaper. If we are going out or if I am busy with dinner then he gets a diaper, otherwise he is free. Now that does not mean that we aren't using diapers. he lays on top of diapers and when we hold him there is a diaper under him, but they are not secured in place. The main reason is to make it easier to take him to potty at a moment's notice.

Since I am the main one handling Jules it has all become quite simple to me. I forget that handling a non-diapered baby is not obvious to everyone else. So, to help Isaac and other people around me, I come up with EC rules to help them.

EC rule #1: When the baby wakes up, pee him first.

Like really, who doesn't need to pee when they wake up? If you pick up a baby and don't pee him, he will pee on you, or at least wet the diaper you are holding on him. Or maybe both. Or when he starts to fuss and you hand him to mom to feed, he will pee all over her as soon as he latches on and she will look at you and ask, "so you didn't pee him?"

So anyway, Abuela was visiting and she thought the EC lingo of "peeing the baby" was really funny. On her first day visiting we had our worst EC day. I was peed on twice and pooped on once. I also got covered in spit up. I went through three outfits. My mom said, "wouldn't it be easier to just put a diaper on him?" The ECing went better for the rest of her stay. She even peed Jules a few times and I really think she got a kick out of it.

Isn't it messy? It can be. I mentioned my three outfit bad day. Most days are not like that. Actually, so far I think things have been less messy than they were diapering Orion. With Orion he would pee all over us during every diaper change. Every one. Without fail. I tried so many things to keep it from making a mess, but he would always wait for me to lower my guard before letting go. Once he pooped during a change and it sprayed the wall, curtains and a plant. And he would fill up a diaper with pee and we wouldn't have a clue until the diaper started leaking on us. His poos could explode out of a diaper getting all over his clothing, my clothing, furniture. Babies are messy whether or not you use diapers, especially with your first child in the early months when you are still figuring everything out.

Now, eventually Jules is going to start crawling, and that is going to bring with it some EC challenges. EC is not about avoiding these challenges. It is not about potty training your baby before everyone else. It is simply about handling the baby's elimination in another way. A way that is gentle and environmental. People who EC say that it is about the journey, not the destination. There will be bumps along the way. We may end up putting him in diapers much more often. Who knows where the road will lead us?

A Winner!

Jules got second place in the Halloween costume contest. I don't know how judges can award a prize to a sleeping newborn and not the excited 3 year old, but that is what happened. Luckily, Orion didn't seem to notice that Jules was the winner and not all of us. We all went home happy.

Southern belle was first place and OU cheerleader was third place. It sure is hard to beat a cute little girl in these contests.

Trick-or-Treat

Pirate Booty (i.e. Jules is Jewels)

Congratulations to my sister, Melissa, who figured it out just yesterday. Here is an excerpt from her email: I'm trying to figure out what you are in that photo- a treasure chest? Jules is jewels! I get it!

We still don't have a winner in the Only you, only I contest. Mel, Carly, Gpa Todd? Anyone?

We trick-or-treated with Brittany, Kasilof and Gwennie.

I Love My Mummy

After trick-or-treating we played Wii.

Happy Halloween!

So as you can see, we have a pirate theme this year. Last night we went for some kiddie trick-or-treating at our town park. Then we went for our third (yes, third!) hayride of the season. There actually wasn't any hay in the trailer. Anyway, we forgot Jules's costume, so you can still try to guess what he is going to be. I can't believe no one has guessed so far.

Tonight we will be trick-or-treating in Brittany's neighborhood. Then tomorrow night is the costume contest at the town park. Then Halloween season closes :-(

Only you, only I

Far from day, far from night,
Out of time, out of sight,
In between earth and sea,
We shall fly; follow me.
Dry the rain, warm the snow;
Where the winds never go
Follow me, follow me, follow me
To a cave by a sapphire shore
Where we'll walk through an emerald door,
And for thousands of breathless evermores my life you shall be.
Only you, only I,
World farewell, world goodbye.
To our home 'neath the sea
We shall fly; follow me.
Follow me, follow me, follow me.

Can you believe Jules is one month old already?! Time just seems to fly by. Not long after Jules was born, this song got stuck in my head. I sang the last verse to him over and over while we nursed all by ourselves during the night. Finally I had to look up the words online and found that I was not butchering the song all that much. Anyway, the song is from one of Isaac's least favorite musicals. Anyone know what musical? No cheating by searching online.

Photo Shoot

Jules had his first photo shoot:

Yup, that's a naked baby on my couch.

Look how high he holds his head up!

Uh, oh! He's hungry!

Sweet baby :-)

Clothes make him grumpy :-/

Big brother had to join the shoot, too.

Orion's Corner

Well, Orion says he wants to tell everybody nothing. He says he is waiting for Halloween. Here are some photos of Orion being paternal:


Here he joins Mommy and Jules at the couch. He didn't nurse the baby doll, but he did carry it while supporting the head.


He wanted to take a walk and when I told him yes he immediately got his stroller. He didn't want to bring his doll, though. He opted instead for a flamingo.


The main reason he wanted to take a walk was to see the caterpillars that are all around a tree down the street. He likes to poke them with a stick.


Here he is teaching Jules how to play peekaboo. Cute, huh?