…on the eve of turning 1 month old.
This past week Kyle and Owen have been in Soccer Camp at Lehigh (click here). This was a one-week mornings-only day-camp program for 4-5 year olds. The boys have loved it. It is kind of sad to see the week end. Given that this was a “sports camp” for such young kids, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We were shocked by how much real soccer they actually learned/played! It was a great week for K & O. Kyle, especially did really really well. He loved learning a new sport, mastering the rules of the game, and gaining some real skills (this stuff is right up his ally!!!). Owen loved it too, and is obviously an incredibly naturally gifted athlete (anyone who’s ever witnessed the boy do anything physical can attest to this about Owen), but Kyle… Kyle really really really excels at the following-directions/practicing skills/participating in team-sports kinds of parts of sports. Kyle is quite athletically gifted/talented in his own right and he has the drive/determination/focus/attention-span to really take it one step further. Coach Larry, the head coach, had the boys pegged by day 2. Among other things, he told me that he’s “coached many boys throughout his years, and these two are all boy” (all I could do was nod in complete agreement with that one). He also told me that Kyle is really good at soccer and will “probably go real far” with athletics because he’s “so incredibly coachable.” These are things that we, of course, already knew about our boys. But it was interesting to hear the perspective of Coach Larry since this was K & O’s first real exposure to team sports.
Our family does not do well being housebound for long. We go a little stir crazy if we’re cooped up for even a day. We’re just not the sit-around types. But it is hard to get out with a newborn. Nonetheless, we’ve had a few outings so far in our short little (four week long) life as a family of five. We’ve gone out for dinner once, out to lunch twice, and run a couple errands. Our best outing, yet, though, was the Sunday before last. We went for ice cream (of course Kyle still chooses a milkshake and Owen still chooses the messiest ice cream cone possible), and then the boys ran in their favorite fountains. Meera was, as usual, quite unimpressed with the boys’ fountain jumping tricks (see her yawning in photo below).
Hey, y’all –
That includes Braydon, Heather, Kyle, Owen and Meera Grace . . . . it was spectacular to see all of you this last weekend. The arrival began with gang tackling by the Boys, and softened by the joy of the introduction to the “small person” by Braydon and Heather. It brought back to me the powerful emotions of the welcoming of new people into the world. And the joy on the faces of the new parents, coupled by the power of the five of them as a family, was wonderful. There are times in one’s life, unfortunately too few, when one is stricken by what is just right, and this was one of them. Added to that was the arrival the next day of Sabrina (“auntie Sabrina”) who stepped in as parental support and looked perfect for the part.
Here’s a little side-light from Kyle and Owen. As we were sitting at dinner eating Lasagna, Kyle looked at me secretively and held out a small piece of broccoli. Asking me if I liked it, we exchanged a couple of whispers away from the table, and I acknowledged it was not my favorite. After that, whenever Kyle came across a dab of broccoli, he quietly placed it on the edge of my plate, and we swapped knowing glances. And, as if food times were a focus, the next morning Owen insisted on sharing with my shirt the syrup from the AM French toast. I thought being a grandfather to the boys was wonderful, but now there is even more for me to love and care about.
Thanks for inviting me and thanks for a wonderful visit.
Love,
Grandpa Robert
There is something about this photo that takes my breath away. And right now this photo is so perfectly symbolic somehow. For the past four weeks, since their baby sister was born, these two have stuck together like the strongest glue. These guys have always been tight — and I mean, super cemented together tight. But in the past few weeks they’ve weathered quite the storm together; what a huge transition to add Baby Sister to our mix. Our dynamic has shifted; their center of gravity has tilted; our life as we knew it has been turned upside down. We’ve had our high’s and low’s these past few weeks, for sure. But these two boys have stuck it out and have done it together. Yes, they fight like cats and dogs. But they play for hours on end like the bestest of buds — no, not even the bestest of buds can compare… they’re twins of the very best variety. They are bonded like none other. If I weren’t so exhausted I’d go on and on and on about it. But instead I just have to let the photo do the talking. I didn’t think they could get any tighter, but my terrific twinados are tighter than ever.
I’ve been wanting to post this but haven’t because I was afraid people wouldn’t believe me. But yes, I do know the difference between an infant’s “real smile” and an infant’s “gas smile.” And I know for absolute sure that my girl is smiling real smiles. She first started smiling at me when she was 2 weeks old. Over the past two weeks I’ve had confirmation that I’m not crazy from several people who have come to visit. But now, with my mother’s affirmation (she’s visiting/helping this week), I have the guts to post this. My newborn Meera Grace is smiling up a storm… and she has been since Week 2.
As of today, Meera Grace is four weeks old. It seems cliche, but so true: in some ways it feels like the past four weeks have just flown by — as if a blur, as if not even real… and in other ways it feels as if Meera has always been here — hard to imagine we ever had life without her. Things we’ve learned about Meera Grace~~ she loves going for outings in the car/carseat; she likes to burp a lot; in the evenings she’ll only sleep when being held; she loves the Bjorn. Things we’ve learned about the Big Brothers~~ they still love holding her; they still love giving her ooey gooey open mouthed kisses; and they love dressing her (with accessories too… the other morning I left the baby on our bed for a minute while a ran to the bathroom and when I returned I found the boys carefully putting two of my watches onto her wrists). Here are some snapshots from the past week.
Braydon and I had been waiting for this moment for a long time! I’m not sure why, but there is something about the idea of giving a newborn her first bath that was just really really big for us. Maybe in part because we never had a newborn before. It just seems so… so special somehow. They are so tiny. So precious. The whole fitting right in the kitchen sink thing. The whole first time in water thing. Something about it. It was just a big thing for us. So we were waiting and waiting for Meera’s umbilical cord stump to fall off so that we could give her her first bath. Sunday afternoon her umbilical finally came off to reveal her cute little belly button. Sunday night after the boys were in bed we gave her that dreamy first bath. We wondered how she’d do with it. She loved it! By the end I was actually holding the faucet over her head just letting the water pour all over her head/face/body. She was cooing and content and calm and just loving it all. Our prediction: she’s ‘gonna be a water bug just like her big brothers. Perfect! She fits right in with our family!!!
Saturday Meera wore a dress for the first time. Turns out she loves dresses! She loves to have her legs and feet free to kick kick kick. From Day 1 she’s hated to be swaddled or tightly constrained. She’s a free and liberated young woman! So dresses are a good thing in her book! (Good thing since she has about 100 in her closet — all precious baby gifts received — just waiting to be worn!!!)
This past Tuesday Meera had her first bottle. We’re committed to pumping (even though I detest it!) so that the boys (all three of them, but Braydon especially) can feed the baby. Braydon was on cloud 9 feeding his girl the other night. Luckily she took to the bottle just great and was happy enough to go right back to nursing for her next feed a couple hours later. She’s had a couple of bottles since. At age 4 weeks, Meera is still eating every 2-3 hours round the clock. A bottle here and there is a welcome relief to all involved!!!!!!!!
This past weekend Braydon’s side of the family — Auntie Sabrina, Grandpa Robert, and G’amma — all came to visit (see G’amma’s Guest Blogger Post below). They met Meera for the first time, entertained the Big Brothers, and cooked/cleaned for Braydon and I. Here are the top three pics from what was a beautiful weekend.
There really aren’t any words that adequately describe the joy of meeting a new grandchild, especially one as beautiful and wonderful as little Meera. Of course I’m biased and presumably most grandparents feel the same way. Still…..
And the boys are as amazing as ever. Honestly, how many just four-year-olds do you know who can hit a ball all the way across the yard (both of them), steal bases (Owen mostly—pretty funny), execute nearly perfect dives (Owen), practice the crawl (Kyle), and be incredibly gentle with a tiny baby? Perhaps just as remarkable, sit quietly in the back seat while grandpa and grandma spend over an hour lost in the countryside, never complaining for an instant? And then thanking us for taking them?! No kidding.
There was only one troubling moment while in a convenience store paying for cookies and encountering color negativity. Fortunately that was offset by distinct approval on the part of one who asked about the boys’ parentage and was told about their adoption. We can hope that seeing these boys with their parents sets such a good example that it will change the way some people think.
I simply don’t know how Heather and Braydon manage everything and manage with patience and grace. It is truly incredible. But I do know that it leaves me more determined than ever to continue working toward a sustainable future for all of them.
Meera turned three weeks old last night at 10:21 p.m.
These are some photos of her from the past week.
She is changing everyday.
What a joy to have a newborn!
These are some photos of her from the past week.
She is changing everyday.
What a joy to have a newborn!
There are lots of baby sister thoughts, feelings and activity going on these days. Lots of baby holding, lots of trying to get her to smile, lots of worrying why she is crying, lots of diaper changing, lots of worrying how it’s all going to get done.
Meera is pretty good about sleeping at night, although not without challenges, of course. She eats around 10 PM, then again around 2 AM, then again around 4:30 AM. She’s pretty much text book on the clock 2.5 hour feeding. Rocking it. Does not always go right back to sleep. Not rocking it.
I have never been much of an early morning person, as my parents can attest and Heather can certainly attest. But after the 4:30 feeding when she is ready to hang out and not sleep, I get up and we hang out; Heather tries to get a little more sleep (since, even though she is recovering from a c-section and nasty cold she gets the least sleep of everyone in the house). So now we even are starting to have a little routine!
M and I go downstairs, and she gets into her bouncy bjorn chair. It’s like a big man’s lay-z-boy but for the under-1 set. We watch the light get brighter outside. We get up, go outside and watch the sunrise. We talk politics, shop, burps and diapers. It’s a little one sided, but like the rest of our family, Meera is no slouch when it comes to making herself and opinion known. Inside we go, play a little “wheels on the bus” and sometimes the bus gets a little sidetracked.
Then when she is tired around 6:00 AM, it’s down the basement to shield the rest of the family from her loud crying and my cooing to help her fall asleep. Sometimes by 6:30 she is asleep, sometimes not. At 7 she goes up to Heather for breakfast, and typically the boys are up and raring to go.
This morning Kyle was up first and he and I had a great breakfast. We chatted it up. That kid has the most amazing memory. A few months ago I casually remarked that he was going to lose his teeth and get new ones (yes, I did say that, I know – what was I thinking???). He, of course, asked when and I said when he is 7. Never came up again. This morning, after talking about how when he’s 5 he gets to play golf (particularly important since Tiger just won the US Open with a bum knee), he says: And When I am 7, I will lose my teeth and get new ones! Big ones Papi? Yes, big ones. Big big big grin.
Big grins all around when it can be like this.
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