Best of Times, Worst of Times

Having two little kids is great and having two little kids is horribly difficult. Great - watching them interact, having two little ones on your lap, having a little baby to cuddle and a toddler to rough-house with. Difficult - getting out of the house on-time, finding time to shower, being up all night with one and all day with the other, handling jealousy issues, dividing oneself into two. We're surviving, though, and actually better than I thought we would. Isabella gets cuter every day and besides having an absolutely insatiable appetite, has been quite easy-going. Here's a few pics. Sorry I don't have time to write/post more. I'm going to bed during this brief moment when both are asleep simultaneously.

Benjamin helped Kelly fix the dishwasher the other day. He was so fascinated by the process. Why? Because of the water, of course! :) His water fascination has yet to diminish.


I bought new sunglasses the other day and of course, Benjamin had to try them on too.


Isabella is now 3 weeks old! She's working on learning to hold her head up. Other than that, she likes being held and likes watching Benjamin goof around. She has smiled several times seemingly in response to being smiled at, but one never knows at this age. Her smiles sure are cute, though. Also, she woke up two days ago without her umbilical cord stump, so we celebrated with a bath. The first picture is her in the tub. She wasn't very pleased by the experience, but she didn't cry. I call that a success. The second is Benjamin's attempt to share his favorite toy - the bubbles. I managed to get a picture before he decided that she obviously didn't know how to use the bubbles and took them back.

One Week Old

It's been a week already! How did that happen? God has apparently taken pity on me and is making up for sending me Benjamin The Whirlwind. Little Isabella is quite possibly the calmest baby I've ever seen. She just sleeps! All the time! I think she has slept more this past week than Benjamin has in the past 22 months. Even the night Benjamin was born he was up for hours. Isabella wakes when she's hungry and sleeps when she's not. That's basically it. I've been trying to get some pictures of her, but how many "this is Isabella sleeping" pictures do I really need? I am counting my blessings and enjoying this time immensely.


I also can't get over how good Benjamin is being with her. People tell me this will stop, so I'm making the most of it now. But I just have such a hard time believing things will change drastically when I see how incredible he's being with her. When people come over to look at her, no matter what he's doing, he'll run over to my side and stand next to me, glaring at them warily, as if guarding her against them. "Just try and mess with my sister! I dare ya!" He seems to say. We took him swimming yesterday and it took forever trying to get him ready because he was always rushing back to her side when someone I knew from work would come over to see her.


Today he brought her blankets, shared his toys, held her, held her bottle, and even held her hand and rested his head on her lap while she was crying for food on the way back from the playground, all without any request or direction from me. It was so cute watching him try to get her to play with him. He'd put the toys on her chest or face or head and stare at her, waiting for her to take them and play. He was also constantly shouting "Bella" and dashing into her room. Occasionally he'd close the door behind him and have little secret moments with his sister. I have to watch those carefully, though because there have been times when I've come in to find him handing her tools he snuck out of Kelly's tool bag or "tucking her in" by putting a blanket over her head. Most of the time, though, he'd just be standing at her crib-side, shaking it a bit, trying to wake her. He's also run to her for consolation after he's been scolded for something. "Bella!" he'll shout, sobbing, seeking someone to commiserate with over the cruel burden parents can be. He also loves to hold her hand, examining her fingers. Sometimes he'll just kneel beside her and stare at her, stroking her. It's adorable. They are going to fight, as all siblings do, but from what I'm seeing, I expect he's going to be a very good big brother and very close to little Bella. To all of you out there with multiple children, please refrain from telling me I'm delusional and all this will change dramatically very soon. I'm enjoying the honeymoon phase. :)

Benjamin the Giant!


Goofing off with my kids. :) I love how Bella's over there flashing gang signs.


My sweet little girl as she begins to doze off.

Our Little Girl

It's been so wonderful having Isabella in our home. I had forgotten how small newborns are! She makes Benjamin seem like a teenager. I honestly think he grew while I was away in the hospital. She doesn't even fit in her newborn clothes - they just kind of float around her. She also has such a quiet cry compared to what I'm used to. She sounds more like a cat than a human. She was squeeking last night and Kelly said to me, "Did you forget to let the cat out?" When you've had nothing but toddler tantrums, a newborn's "feed me!" cry is a delight.

It's hard to put my current feelings into words. Her presence here has had effects that I wasn't expecting. She has actually helped me appreciate Benjamin more, whereas I worried that he would become more difficult. I am more thankful for his ability to communicate and participate in things and I love his eagerness and curiosity. He's been surprisingly well behaved, all things considered. (Except for when I placed her in his bouncer seat and he threw a massive fit complete with throwing himself on the floor and kicking at her.) However, honestly, when I watch him in contrast to a newborn's behavior, it shows me again how far he's come and I'm struck again with how amazingly intelligent and physically adept he is. I love him more since I've had Isabella, which is something I didn't expect to feel. My love for Isabella, on the other hand, is something that's developing day by day. I expected to fall madly in love with her at first sight as I did with Benjamin, but it has been somewhat slower for me. I loved her instantly because she was mine, of course, but a true feeling of bonding has only come as I've spent the last three days with her. I didn't have that "Oh my gosh - she's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen!!" reaction to her that I had with Benjamin. However, each time I look at her, she becomes cuter, each time I hold her, I want to hold her longer. It has taken me more time with her overall. Tonight, though, as we did tummy time together, I felt really close to her and was so happy to have this wonderful little girl. I think maybe because Benjamin was such my all and everything that I am learning how to divide that attention a bit and it's taking time. However, I love being a mom to two kids. This afternoon I held Benjamin on my lap and cradled Isabella in my arms and we both looked at her and commented on her features and her size. I stepped outside of myself at that moment and marveled that his was really my life - two kids and me - together and doing well. I was filled with joy and wonder at my good fortune. I'm excited for our time ahead together.

Welcome Isabella!

After a long night of labor, we welcomed Isabella Katherine Dalton into the world at 7:01am on May 9th. She has been a sweet, quiet, sleepy girl so far - just what we need in contrast to Benjamin! We are all doing well. I'll be sure to write more later, but now I just want to get some rest. :)

Here's a few pics of our little newborn.