A Rare Update

I feel like it's been forever since I've posted anything. I'd say the highlight of the recent weeks was my camel ride. :) We visited a local library that was hosting a traveling petting zoo and it included a camel ride. I couldn't pass that up. I've never even ridden a horse, much less a camel! I assumed Benjamin would chicken out once he got up to it, but I was determined to ride with or without him. To his credit, he got up on it without hesitation and rode like he'd done it a thousand times before. It was a lot of fun. And check out the guy leading it! He looks like he should be leading a tiger, not a camel! Total teddy-bear of a guy, though. My favorite quote of his was in response to a little boy's question of how he got this job - "This is what happens when you don't finish school. Go to college!"



Isabella turns 7 weeks old today. She's now sleeping anywhere from 6-8 hours at a time at night. It varies from night to night. It's been nice to get some longer stretches of sleep. She's just like Benjamin, though, in that she hates to nap. If I can get 20-30 minutes of sleep at a time during the day, I'm happy. It's the price I have to pay, I guess. It's worth it. Here's a picture of Benjamin's latest offering to the goddess Isabella. I'm just glad to see it's not sharp like the tongs.


It's been raining every day here and the downpours have been fantastic. I love Michigan storms. The rain falls so hard and fast. It makes the most amazing noise on the roof and looks so beautiful. Benjamin wanted to be the first to try out our new umbrella. I'm sick of my usual itty-bitty umbrellas that fold up and fit in your purse. Those are convenient and fine if you live in a desert, but out here (and with kids that need to fit under it), I needed an industrial size umbrella. So far this one has proven worthy as long as the wind isn't too strong. It got blown inside out yesterday. Less effective.

Where does the time go?

Isabella is already 5 weeks old. The days are packed and yet often as I fall exhausted into bed at night, I wonder, "what did I do today?" Often the only answer is "survive." I can't say I'm a fan of the infant stage - the round-the-clock feedings, idiopathic crying, and diaper blow-outs get tedious, but I must admit, she is getting really cute! To her credit, so far, she's had 3 nights where she has slept for six hours at a stretch. She's also started to smile in response to my smile. There is nothing more endearing than a little baby's toothless grin.

To speak candidly for a moment, this last month, the biggest challenge for me has come as I've tried my best to be a good mom to both my kids and play the balancing act as best I can between kids, home, and church responsibilities. There have been days (yesterday for example) when I've felt like I haven't fulfilled any of them very well. I was trying to prepare sharing time for primary and I had Bella in one arm as she screamed for some unknown reason, Benjamin on my other side urging me to read to him, and my computer in front of me, idle, because I didn't have a hand free to type on it. I didn't know where to begin. I finally pushed the computer aside and left sharing time for later, read one book to Benjamin while Bella cried, and then spent some time trying to get her to stop. Quite often, I've felt that I've neglected my kids, yet have nothing else to show for it either. That frustrates me terribly. I have tried to incorporate Benjamin as much as possible in the every day tasks regarding Bella and the household, but he also just needs time to play toddler games with me and she really needs time to just be with mommy being cuddled. They are at such very different places in life right now. I look forward to when their age-gap will no longer be so dramatic. Right now, no matter who I'm with, I'm feeling guilty that I'm not with the other. I don't want to wallow in misery and defeat. I know I'm not alone in this dilemma. Does anyone have tips how they balanced their attention between a toddler and a newborn and everything else life requires?

Anyway, we're honestly doing better than I had expected. I had braced myself for all out pandemonium here, yet so far, things look quite controlled, at least on the surface. :) Here are a few pictures of our recent weeks.

Help me! I'm the victim of a home hair cut by a sleep-deprived mother!



I'm constantly finding the oddest things in Bella's crib. Benjamin will hear her stirring and decide to share his "toys" with her. At this moment he'd been carrying his stuffed animal around by its tail with the salad tongs, so surely, she must want to play too.


Just hanging out on the couch.





Some cute Isabella photos:

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.

Let's go fly a kite!

It was a sunny, windy day on Saturday - perfect for kite flying. So Kelly bought Benjamin his first kite (shaped like a shark) and off we went. We had such a great time. Once the kite was assembled, Kelly handed the string to Benjamin and told him to start running. Benjamin has never even seen a kite flying, but he needed no further instruction. He took off, and the kite lifted into the air on his first try. He was thoroughly enthralled for as long as a 1 year old can be expected to stay interested in anything. Then the rocks, dirt, and nearby playground became more interesting. That gave me a chance to fly it too, though! I haven't flown a kite since my mission. There was one fun P-day when the son of our landlord decided he wanted to fly a kite, so we flew one from the roof of our house because there really isn't anywhere on the ground wide open enough to do any kite flying - gotta love urban sprawl. It flew quite well for a homemade kite!

Here's some pictures of our day. The first is how I initially thought our whole day would go. Those "easy to assemble" kites aren't always so. Luckily, I had a soccer ball in the trunk with which to entertain Benjamin while we waited. :)





This is what happened when Benjamin lost interest. Kite handles make good shovels too, apparently.

Not much longer

I had my 38 week ultrasound today. I loved getting another chance to see my little girl. (They confirmed that again - thank goodness or this boy would be wearing a lot of pink!) At 38 weeks it's a lot harder to see what's going on than at 20. She's so squished up in there that much of what I was looking at was just a blur to me. However, I could make out her head and hands and spine and could tell she's doing well. That's always so reassuring. Also, I've been having frequent contractions and cramps for over a week now and they're apparently having some effect. Dilation and effacement have begun - unlike Benjamin where they didn't begin until after my due date - so things are moving along well. It's exciting. After my baby shower I gave into my nesting urges and went full blast. All clothes and blankets are washed. The curtains, rug, sheets, bumper pad is ready. Bottles and breast pump have been cleaned. Car seat is cleaned. Bag is packed. You name it - it's done. I'm feeling much more at ease now. I hope that she doesn't come before my mom gets here, but I've been overwhelmed by the number of people who have (of their own accord) come to me and offered to be the person to get woken up in the dead of night should this baby pick an inopportune time to arrive. It's very comforting knowing I've got back-up.


In the meantime, Benjamin has been filling his time with all sorts of out-door fun. He just can't get enough of soap bubbles, ducks, playgrounds, pinecones, and puddles. He's in little boy heaven whenever he's outside. His vocabulary is also expanding. He's now saying "bye" to everyone and everything and today he started pointing to things and saying "mein" meaning "mine" in German. I guess, since they're said the same way, it's anyone's guess which language he's really speaking, but he started saying it after he drew all over the kitchen table (rather than the paper I'd given him) and I angrily took the pen away declaring in German that it was now mine. From then on, everything related to paper or pens was "mein." I'm not sure if he thinks that's how you say pen or if he gets that it's a possesive. Time will tell. His other obsession is the sprained ankle Kelly got playing basketball. The cast, bruise, and ace bandage wrap intrigue him and so at least 10 times per day, whether Kelly is around or not, he declares out of the blue, "Owie dada" with a really sad tone of voice.


I've had a few requests for pregnancy photos, but honestly, I'm still not so sure I want to do that. This being my second pregnancy, the charm of watching my body expand just isn't there. It was all so exciting and new with Benjamin and now I just look in the mirror and feel heavy and huge. Not a look I'd like plastered on the internet.

We love sunshine!

I am so happy that Spring seems to finally have come for good. We've been having a good time. There's just only so much you can do indoors and I get really sick of it after a while. Outside the time just seems to go so much faster and I love the smell of fresh Spring air. Sometimes Benjamin's energy level exceeds my ability to keep up while carrying this heavy belly around, but we've been spending a lot of time at play grounds and parks. There are many days when I really miss just sitting and reading and I would give anything to have a child that is better at self entertaining, but that's not Benjamin. Even pulling a book of mine off the shelf elicits a wail and a frantic "all done" sign. So, when I just can't chase him any more, we go out in the back yard and blow bubbles. At least that's something I can do sitting down! But only three weeks to go until Isabella is here (unless she's a procrastinator like Benjamin). Then my mom can chase Benjamin for a while! Yay! :)

Here's some pictures of recent adventures. I have gotten so tired of my maternity clothes! So, I borrowed some from a friend. When I was trying them on, Benjamin insisted that he get to as well. Who says you need a girl to play dress up? Of course, being a boy, he also had to play around with the cd player while we tried on our clothes.


This is Benjamin's best "can I please look at the pictures now?" face.


Spring and sunshine mean new sunglasses! I didn't think he'd actually wear them, but he really loves them.


I keep trying to get action shots at the playground, but the minute he sees the camera, he poses and then runs to see the picture I took. So, nothing flashy, but cute none-the-less.



There are ducks in a stream by one of the playgrounds we frequent and they were so exciting to him until one thought Benjamin's lunch was its lunch and came right out of the water towards him. After that, Benjamin kept an eye out behind him at all times.



The tough issue we're dealing with right now is Benjamin's tendency to hit, kick, or head-butt me. All day long I'm getting beaten up by a one-year old. If he doesn't want his diaper changed or his shoes on, or if I tell him he can't do something, or that he did something inappropriate, I get a firm whack or kick. If I'm holding his arms or legs, his head comes flying at me. Time outs seem to have no effect and I'm starting to run out of patience with this abuse. The other day I told him to stop throwing toys and he threw one right at my eye. I still have a bruise! I'd say the "terrible twos" have begun. He's definitely better than some kids I've seen who throw themselves on the ground and kick and wail for what feels like forever, but I'm at a loss as to how to deal with this physical punishment he doles out. I hope it's just a phase that many energetic boys go through and he'll eventually stop if I just keep consistently doing what I can to stop it.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

I just wanted to wish my sweet hubby a very happy 29th birthday!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with plenty of cake and cream puffs. :)