Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Today is my beloved wife's birthday. Join me in a round of "Happy Birthday"...

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to...

Hey, you in the back, no lip syncing!

At any rate, Amy is another year beautiful today, and I couldn't be more in love with her! I wish I could whisk her away for a romantic getaway with just the two of us. Oh yeah, and Peter, who can't be away from Amy for more than a few hours for nutritional reasons. Oh, and I guess Sydney wants to be included since Peter is along. And we might as well bring both dogs and maybe an in-law or two just for good measure, because that's just how much "Alone Time" we seem to be getting these days. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I'm just looking forward to a day when I can focus on Amy again and devote time to her the way she deserves.

Take this morning, for example. I woke up early (relatively speaking, given the thunderstorms which kept Sydney awake last night and Peter's erratic schedule) to make Amy breakfast. Amy of course was just finishing with Peter and was trying to get him to go back to sleep so she could grab another hour or so before starting the day. Before I could even get to the kitchen, though, Sydney woke up (a good hour early even if she hadn't been up in the middle of the night crying over the thunder). Fortunately for us, she is perfectly happy to stay in her room every once in a while and play semi-quietly. I tell her it's not time for Mommy and Daddy to wake up yet, and she seems okay with that...

So anyway, once I got Sydney settled and started breakfast, Peter made it known that he was also up for the morning and was having none of this "going back to sleep" business. Amy tried to quiet him and took him to our room to await the breakfast that I promised was coming...

I finally got breakfast ready and managed to get it all on a tray and into the bedroom, where naturally Peter was determined to be held and cried when we tried to put him down. I changed his diaper and held him while Amy ate and then she fed me my breakfast over Peter's fussings. I then let her take the first shower of the day while I got Peter to go back to sleep (he'd been up for an hour and was naturally exhausted... if only his schedule hadn't been shifted he'd have slept through breakfast...). By then, of course, it was 7:30 and Sydney was ready to come out and play, the dogs needed to be walked, and the whole house was in full motion for the day.

I can hear you all now thinking "Wow, what a romantic breakfast... not!"

But hey, at least there was leftover French toast and sausage for Sydney so we didn't have to work hard to get her fed!

This is an experience that I'm sure is common to all parents, but the memories of birthdays that started quietly at 9:30am instead of loudly at 6:30 are still fresh in my head. Can you relate?

All that to say, though, Happy Birthday Amy! I love you, and would do it all over again to be able to serve you breakfast in bed. Maybe next time we'll catch the kids sleeping...

Abandonment

I've been stricken today with a culmination of somber thoughts that have been forming and developing for the past few years. I'm not sure I can do them all justice, but you would probably be wise to continue only if you have the fortitude to consider some emotional topics.

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Peter’s First Month

Peter will be a month old in a few days, and the time is flying by! Below are photos of Peter at 5 days old and just over 3 weeks.

You may or may not be able to tell that he is starting to put on a little chub around the cheeks and chin, though his arms and legs are still (in my words) little chicken wings with no meat on them. He regained his birth weight before the 2-week mark and is continuing to grow, but every time I pick him up I am amazed at how small and light he is. He does seem to be growing, but I think it is mostly that he is stretching out his arms and legs instead of keeping them tucked in close to his body. Then again, my mother likes to remind me that I weighed 18 pounds by the time I was three months old, so he may take after his dear old dad and start really bulking up!