my boys!

I drove home from work for the last time yesterday. I have happily suffered my last friday night, rainy weather, rush hour commute. Went into the office to clean out 4 and a half years worth of clutter. Showed off the bubs, and said my goodbyes. It's definitely bittersweet. I'm going to miss my friends, and the joy I found in resolving the complicated issues. But leaving is worth it, when I think about the stress, the commute, the long hours and being away from my family. Right now, the right thing for me is to be home taking care of my boys.

This is my happy face Dad!

I'm not the Swedish Chef?

Sesame Workshop

I am Cookie Monster. I can tend to get overexcited over the smallest things, but that's not always a bad thing. I like to live life at a frenzied pace and always have a voracious appetite for trying new things, especially if that new thing is edible.

Wondering which Sesame Street character you are? Click below to check out our Sesame Street 40th Anniversary interactive and take the personality quiz.

It was actually Elizabeth who used to collect Cookie Monster when we were growing up. I used to go back and forth between Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird. I even had an Oscar the Grouch bank. Can't wait to start watching Sesame Street with little dude!

Thanks for sending me the quiz Ann, this was fun!

Just the 3 of us...

I came downstairs this morning, and had the leftover coffee from my grandparent's early departure. They are headed down to South Carolina for Ben's graduation from Basic Training. Zach sent a batch of Benjamin's Breakfast Cookies, and I sent persimmons from my last Fruit of the Month delivery. I'm sure the cookies will be much better recieved.

It's quiet. Z is fast asleep in his sling, and it's just me and him.

But it won't be quiet for long.
Can't wait for Auntie Catherine and Poppa to come see us this weekend!

But for the days in between company, I'll enjoy my little family of 3.

That's how Z rolls.

Z's first walk with his Daddy was a great success. He smiled and cooed, and then fell asleep for the rest of the 2.5 miles.

Grandpa and I thought we would take him for another walk the next day. The weather was gorgeous again, and I'm more than ready to get some exercise and fresh air.

We made it past 4, maybe 5 houses before Zach started wailing.

My other baby...E!

Room to Grow

Crystal Ball

i think google ads are predictive of the future Z.

5 weeks (already!)

with My Pet Monster:
with Gunnar (the Gunner):

blame shifting

Z finds a delightful symphony of farts to be the perfect accompaniment to his dining experience.

He punctuates the score by unlatching just long enough to belch loudly.

And occasionally he slyly smiles after his performance.

But luckily, at 5 weeks, he already knows how to give the credit to someone else:

this is why I haven't slept in 5 weeks

This is Z at 3 in the morning:

Sometimes he just doesn't feel like going back to sleep. So I get to keep him company. It's not that he has his days and nights confused, because this is exactly how he is during the day. He just doesn't care that it's the middle of the night, and his Momma is tired. He wants to talk, and look around. I have heard stories about his Daddy being the same way in the middle of the night.

How do I convince Paul that since this is all his fault, he should have to entertain Z for 3 hours every night?

you've seen air nursing....

now Z shows off his air guitar skills!What song do you think he is playing?

Peace.

it's too bad these two aren't always this quiet!

that came out of me??

Over and over I have fielded the question, "I know Z is great, but how are you, Becca?"

And the honest answer...

I'm tired, and occasionally overwhelmed.
I'm very, very happy.

We are adjusting to life as a family of three, and I am recovering better than I had hoped. Paul is back to work, but the house has been full of visitors. Family coming to meet Z, and help us out during these first weeks.

Physically I'm doing as well as can be expected of any sleep deprived new mom. After weeks of bedrest, I appreciate all the little things I can do now. A trip to Target becomes an adventure. Making dinner with Paul, or baking a batch of Benjamin's Breakfast cookies, becomes so much more than just preparing dinner or dessert. I still wear out a little sooner than I'm used to, but I am feeling stronger all the time. Of course, just as I fatten up the little dude, I am definitely looking forward to the opposite for myself. Need to work on getting rid of this leftover Z-belly. Luckily, we're making great progress. =)

And of course, this makes it all worth it:

Trick or Treating

Hey Guys--this is where you put the candy!!!