THE GREEN(wald) HOUSE … (growing rosemary & raising a little wolf)

Wow - my boy is big! We weighed him at my midwife’s office yesterday- 16 lbs exactly when completely naked!

Check out that big body! Of course he got oohed and aahed over - and is just the most perfect cuddly chunk of a baby.

Here is the reason for my big healthy boy - the way he spends most of his awake time - his favorite treat - mama’s milk! How appropriate is that shirt? (thanks Aunt P!)

He is such a happy baby - and shows it off now that we have entered the wonderful smiling stage…

He has been smiling in his sleep from the beginning - dreaming of who knows what - but they always seem to be happy dreams…

Now we are finally getting the awake and aware smiles - recognizing my face, giving me looks of love and big gummy grins…
I found out that the best way to get him to smile right now is to gently squeeze his cheeks- moving his full lips into a semi-pucker - while making kissy noises - Is is so amazingly cute!

Look at those dimples! It just makes me want to melt into a big gooey puddle of love…

And check out these blue eyes - I hope they stay that color…

Sam is a very strong baby - he has excellent head control and loves tummy time and lifts his head up and looks around - sometimes he pushes up with his hands and gets his whole upper body off the ground… he is also getting close to rolling - he can go from lying on his back to almost all the way over on his side…

Most of the time he loves his big sister (and vice versa)…

But there are times (like when she wants to poke him in the eye) that he gets a little annoyed with her…

And I still feel a little guilty for not being able to be there for Sam the way I was with Rosie. There are times when I am trying to calm a 2 year old tantrum and Sam has had to fuss and cry for a few minutes before I can get to him- and it always tears me up inside - wishing I could be in 2 places at once…

Luckily, Sam is still a sweet and mellow baby for the most part. He sleeps for sometimes up to 4 hours - wakes and nurses - has a little alert time, needs a diaper change - and then repeats the cycle… His alert time is getting longer, he just sits and stares and is starting to coo and smile and really enjoy his surroundings.

Things are pretty great around our house. Rosie usually gets up around 7am - and Joe gets up with her while Sam and I sleep for another hour or so - then we get up and have breakfast - play a little and maybe watch Sesame Street (or Dora, Diego, Wilbur, Maisy, Curious George - or whatever show Rosie is currently into). Lately we have also been trying to do a little yoga - I help Sam do some baby yoga, and Rosie and I do some poses together too - she LOVES it! Then it is lunchtime, and then naptime somewhere between 12-2 (hopefully for that long) - and if they both end up sleeping at the same time (which rarely happens) I try to lie down for a bit too- but most of the time end up cleaning up or doing dishes or something. After naptime I have been trying to get out of the house while it is still nice - either just in our backyard or to the nearest park for some fun climbing and sliding, or running errands. Then home to see Daddy, make dinner, and bathtime/bedtime around 8pm. After Rosie is in bed, I try to lie down and nurse Sam to sleep, and then we usually barely have enough energy to just lie in bed and watch a couple West Wing episodes on DVD (best show ever!) And then as soon as I turn off the light to go to sleep - Sam wakes up and wants to nurse again - I swear it happens every single night without fail!
And that is my exciting day! I would like to be getting a little more sleep (mostly because I am a light sleeper and I wake up to Joe’s snoring and every little movement or noise that Sam makes)- and have the house be a little less messy (I feel I spend the majority of the day cleaning - at least when I am not nursing)- but other than that - life is great!

I am loving being a mommy of 2 - I love saying “the kids”. I love having a son and daughter. Sam and I had a good talk the other day and I told him he would always be my little boy - a mama’s boy - and he is always going to want to take care of me. At least I hope so…