Reflection Time

Today finds me reflecting on many things that have changed over the past 3 months. On one hand, I am not pregnant anymore (woo hoo!) and on the other hand, I am savoring my last day of maternity leave before returning to the "real world" on Monday (boo hoo!). I have been blessed with 2 wonderful boys and feel so grateful for the time that I've had with them at home. As I shed tears for the change coming my way, I wanted to share some pictures of the precious boys with everyone. I am sure you understand how much I will miss them, especially when you see these shots.

On a side note, Owen "celebrated" 3 months on Tuesday! He has even rolled over a few times recently... with only a tiny bit of help from us!

New Photos

It's been a cold month of January so far in Ohio. We had almost 2 weeks where we were stuck inside all day because temperatures didn't reach 23 degrees. We had fun, though. Here are some shots of the boys. Colin being a good-cleaning-big-brother and Owen growing faster than we care to admit.

On a side note, Owen has started sleeping better at night now. Of course this comes at a price. Mommy has to work hard to keep him awake during the day. But the increase in sleep has been much-appreciated by Mommy. Especially since she has to go back to work soon. Boo!

A Look Back

I was looking back at photos of Colin when he was Owen's age (2 months). I cannot believe how much they look alike. Colin had more hair, but other than that they look so similar no one will ever deny they are brothers. Have a look for yourself. These are 2 pictures of Colin when he was just over 2 months old. The resemblance is striking!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all! We hope you've had a wonderful holiday season, we sure have. It was so much fun having the boys both around for Christmas, what a special time. Here are some photos to share. Santa was very good to us this year and brought Colin so many presents he still asks once in a while whether tomorrow can be Christmas again. He built an awesome gingerbread house with Daddy on Christmas Eve. And for Owen, he got a great Jumperoo that he enjoys. And as only babies can, Owen managed to fall asleep on Daddy's shoulders. After all, Daddy's head makes a great pillow!

Owen is Two Months Old!

Owen will be two months old the day after Christmas. Hard to believe, actually. He had his checkup with his pediatrician this morning and he's weighing in at 11 pounds 5 ounces and is now 22 inches long. His weight puts him just about the 50th percentile. We think he's anything but average...

We also had our first measurable snowfall last weekend. Colin was eager to go outside and built an awesome snowman in the yard with Daddy. Frosty didn't stand a chance, though, as Colin enjoyed knocking down the snowman even faster than he built it.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo

He doesn't realize you're not supposed to cross the barriers...



We took the boys to the Columbus Zoo this week for their annual Wildlights display. The entire zoo is decorated with LED lights and the sight is something everyone should see. http://www.columbuszoo.org/events.aspx?eventId=275. We saw a sign that read there were over 3 million lights to be seen! Amazing! We had a warm evening and that made it much more pleasant to walk around. Colin's favorite part was riding on the carousel, something he also greatly enjoyed this summer when we visited as well. We purchased a zoo membership this summer and we're really looking forward to enjoying many visits in future!

There are also a few other pictures to enjoy, Colin posing by the Christmas tree and Owen doing his usual stare down.

Some New Pictures

We are busy preparing for the holidays and "still" trying to get Owen to sleep a normal schedule! Here are some recent shots of the boys. In one you can see Colin helping Daddy stack the firewood we had delivered this week. Owen is growing fast and has gained significant control of his head in the past few weeks. He's smiling and cooing now (when he's not crying), so that's been fun. Colin is a great big brother and only occasionally doesn't recognize his own strength when helping out with Owen.

Too Cute!

When Owen isn't crying, he's quite a cutie. Here he is enjoying some tummy time!

Master Colin, Brewer in Training

Colin has become quite the little "junior brewer" around our house. He gets very excited about Saturdays and brewing with Daddy. Benj even admits that he's actually a little helpful at times, fetching things for him when needed. I know it's only a matter of time before our 3 year old is brewing his own batch of beer...

Here are some photos from the latest brew this past weekend where the annual Christmas ale was being brewed.

Owen is One Month Old!

It's hard to believe Owen is a month old now. To be honest, between the sleepless nights it's hard to think about much of anything anymore. Owen had his month checkup at the pediatrician this week and he's grown to 9 lbs 5 oz, gaining more than an ounce a day since his last visit at one week of age. His head is now 15 inches and he's grown an inch and is now 21 inches long. He's got quite the pair of lungs on him, usually choosing to exercise them during the evening hours. He's also got an uncanny ability of being WIDE awake after his nightly feeding at exactly 11pm. Frustrating for a mommy trying to get some much-needed rest!

Colin is dealing with his baby brother and his crying in stride. We've explained to him that this is how Owen talks and Colin proclaims almost daily how he used to talk when he was a baby, implying that he actually used words instead of crying. Somewhere we must have a video of him screaming, probably time to get that out.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are thankful for our healthy sons, each other, our family and friends and our health among many other things!

Owen: Week 3

Here are some new photos of Owen and Colin this week. Everyone is doing great!

Owen's Second Week

Here are a few of our latest snapshots of Owen and Colin this week. Owen has spent more time awake, more time feeding and more time crying. Colin has weathered the storm well and has been a great big brother, and learning every day what he can and cannot do with Owen.