A Big Brother's Excitement

I usually leave the kids with Amy when I make the trek to Newport for my monthly midwife appointments, but on Thursday, after an insane nap debacle and some scheduling conflicts, I decided to bring them along. I hadn't really explained much to Jameson except that we were going to visit mommy's doctor, that she was going to check on our new baby, and that he might get to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Perhaps a little bit more in-depth coverage was in order, because I sensed a certain giddy excitement in the room as I looked over at my darling little boy's face. We were sitting in the exam room waiting for Kathy to come in and he was absolutely beaming. When I asked him what was up, he replied "Mommy, I'm so excited!" When I inquired as to the reason for his sudden exuberance at the midwife's office, he replied "Because your doctor is going to come and open up your tummy and take my new baby out!" Woah. After some careful explanation about how babies grow in their mommy's tummies until they were big enough to come out, etc etc, he was clearly disappointed, but resigned to the fact that we would have to wait until May to meet his new sibling.

Kathy eventually came in, listened to the baby's heartbeat, asked a few quick questions, and sent me on my way. On the way down the steps on the way out, Jameson started to sing "Wooh Wooh Wish Wish...That's the song my new baby sang to me, mom. Her love me."

I was finally uploading the four hundred pictures on my camera onto the computer this afternoon and came across a few videos of Madelyn from this summer. She is such a ham!

Two Down, One to Go!

I was very fortunate a few weeks ago to have Madelyn literally potty train herself. It really was that easy and had absolutely nothing to do with me. She simply woke up one day and decided that she didn't want to wear diapers anymore. We spend a lot of time with Bodhi and Dharma, and although there are ten months between them, Madelyn insists she is a big girl like Dharma. It's pretty funny, really. She sits on the potty and pees and then nods her head difinitively, telling me, "Big Girl...Dharma."

It's really interesting to see the differances in my two kids, each one of them with their own emerging personalities, their quirks, their easy places, and their hard sells. I remember trying to get Jameson to use the potty and having such a struggle. I decided that it was time, and he fought me by peeing all over my house for weeks. It was a total disaster. I guess I prefer it when they figure things out on their own and I can step back and be their guide where they need me. I can't wait to meet this new baby and see how our family works as a clan of five.

Which Reminds Me...

Speaking of May, I just realized that in my blogging lapse, I forgot to make a bit of an announcement...ahem...We're pregnant! Crazy, I know, but our family of four will soon become a family of FIVE, and our new arrival is expected May 23rd. Both kids are absolutely thrilled, and have been going back and forth arguing about whether it will be a sister or a brother. Madelyn, oddly enough, wants two brothers, if only to argue with her brother, who wants two sisters. I'm about 12 1/2 weeks along, and am just starting to get over the morning sickness hump. Woo Hoo!

New Baby at 9 1/2 weeks

New Baby at 6 1/2 weeks

How Nap Time Got Foiled in the Russell Household

Well, I put both kids down for a nap yesterday and had these grandiose time-to-myself plans which involved a bubble bath. Jameson, as always, fell right to sleep, and Madelyn, as always, whined and cried and carried on for a bit. I filled up my bath and, just as I was about to slip out of my jammies, heard the pitter patter of little feet. I put on my stern face and went to give Jameson a talking to, but he was all snuggled up in his bed, asleep. A bit baffled, I checked Maddie's room and found her crib empty and a smiling little girl in the corner by her dresser. I popped her back in and went back to the bathroom, but within moments heard a big crash--Madelyn jumping ship for the second time in five minutes, except this time she has an enormous egg emerging from between her eyes. I think it's safe to say that there was no bubble bath, and without a crib to confine my jumping little monkey, I couldn't figure out how to get her to sleep! It's days like that when I want to pop the cork out of a bottle of wine and say "It's five o'clock somewhere," but I'm reminded by my nausea that it won't be five o'clock until about...May.

Today, Maddie's doing just fine--looking a bit deformed, but she'll live. We took down the crib last night and put up her big girl bed. Then, the most amazing thing happened--she fell asleep! Every single time I've ever put her in her crib, she has screamed for a minimum of twenty minutes. I put her on a twin bed and she told me good night and went right to sleep. I'm in total shock and hoping that this is the new routine, cause a girl could get used to this!