New Year's Day

I didn't make it til midnight this last new year's eve. It was the first one since I was maybe nine.  That's a lot of new years' eves. And I didn't give a hoot. Which was very unlike me. Just too tired. Which, unfortunately, is very like me lately.

But, we did get to celebrate "East Coast New Year" at 9 pm with friends from church which was just as good, when one reaches a certain age.

Anywho, it was a fun evening, we got the kids to bed at a decentish time and we got a full nights' sleep.

Worth it.

And in the morning, I came downstairs to find...

my boys cuddled together on the couch, poring over their new brother book.

Over the "look how little you were" pictures.

And the silly faces we made pictures.

And the "I remember when we went there" pictures.

And the laughing together over the last few crazy face pictures.

And whatever it was he said that really meant, "You're sometimes pretty pesky, but I'm so glad to have you as my brother."

And his shooting his finger gun at his big brother which really meant, "I feel the same, bro."

And the silly faces that never end with this one.

Yes. I'll take all of it.

So anyway.

From all of us to you...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(It's still newish enough, isn't it?)

project 52, week 15

most of the time, i avoid the kids' playroom like the plague.  i can happily let many, many days slip by without ever stepping foot in there.  why?  because the kids' definitions of "clean" and "put away" are apparently very different from mine.  and it's very, very hard for me not to quickly lose my cool when i have to be in there for any amount of time and begin to see that every single surface in there needs to be reorganized, sorted through, put away properly, in essence completely cleaned out.  again.

and so my method of coping?  to simply shut the door and choose to look the other way.  and to shrug noncommittally when one of 'em come to me asking where such-and-such toy or piece of game or doll accessory went to. 

but one morning, before the girls woke up, i came downstairs to find this going on in the playroom.

two brothers quietly and contentedly digging through a drawer of the lego bin.

and enjoying the company of one another.

a scene that definitely warmed my heart.

but still not enough to make me step foot in there!  ;)

baby brother.

jonah is nine months old today.

huh?

apparently he decided this newborn business was old news and has moved on and left me in the dust.  he crawls, pulls up, attempts to climb up the stairs (mental note- time for the baby gates.  again.), has houdini-like skills when it comes to wrangling himself out of his feeding seat, and just in this last week has taken to trilling his tongue.  this is our first baby to do this and we all find this fascinating and hilarious in equal parts.

he does this tongue trilling thing whenever he's happy and content.  which is most often just after he's eaten.  or when we're all in the van and a quiet moment settles over us and suddenly a pleasant little "rrrrrrrrrrr" will emit from the the middle row.  like the sound from a sweet little bird.  and then we'll all burst into laughter.  which is then followed by jonah's satisfied-with-himself little chuckle.  which then causes more laughter.

it's a hoot, really.

and i keep meaning to catch him doing it on video.  along with a thousand other things i keep meaning to get to.  (assume that any correspondence i may owe you is also in that list. thank you.)

but the one thing that most strongly assures me that he has forever moved on from newbornity?

he went straight to table food.  just like lauren did.

i had spent a whole afternoon making him a bunch of baby purees and was all set with the cute little baby bowls and baby spoons and reasoned that starting at seven months wasn't that much later than the recommended six months.  only he kept turning his nose up at my cute little bowls of pureed love.

i figured he simply wasn't interested in food yet and was still happy with just milk.  keeping him a newborn a little longer?  who, me?  noooo, i just wasn't going to push him into something he wasn't developmentally ready for. 

and then one day, we were out to lunch at a curry place.  and daddy fed him bites of curry rice.  it was love and he's never looked back.

straight to table food.  again.

and my cute little cubes of baby purees?

languishing in the freezer covered with protective ice.

but never let it be said that mommy made baby food for all the others but not the fourth baby!  i think i shall save those cubes and send them to college with him.

aaaanyway, one of the few pureed foods he will eat is applesauce.  but only because he's seen the other kids eat it and has decided it's a kid food and not a baby food.

especially when big brother mikey feeds it to him.

he's his favorite.  (it applies both ways.)

mikey had been asking and asking when he could feed jonah and i kept putting him off fearing the mess that would ensue.  i needn't have worried.

turns out the big brother is quite a pro.

ever notice how everyone who tries to feed a baby will automatically open their own mouth wide as they pop in the spoon?  it's like sneezing with your eyes open.  it can't be done.

best big brother in the whole wide world.  this little brother certainly thinks so.

bromance.

assignment #26:  the bromance.

the big one has been waiting forever for this little one.  for a few years now, it seemed that it was going to be just him and his daddy and he'd say to me, "mommy, this house has too many girls!"  he's all about balancing the scales, you know.  but God in his kindness heard the small boy's prayers and answered him.  much to his parents' surprise.

now the little one is here and has only just begun to discover what a terrific big brother he got.

and i am blessed beyond measure to see this new relationship grow through the years.

so bring it on.

bring on the bromance.