On July 29th we welcomed Bennett Hughes Gwaltney to the clan. I got a rare solo visit to Alabama to meet him and hang with the rest of the family.
He’s a precious “little punchy guy” as his older brother likes to call him, though truth be told he was not very punchy while I was around. My sister has been blessed with another baby who actually sleeps. Go figure.
I also enjoyed unprecedented one-on-one time with the Grahamster. Even made him a little video montage on the plane ride home. Great way to kill time on a long plane ride…and pretty fun when your audience is three years old. You can slap on all the cheesy affects and know they will love it even more!
Abby came into this world with very little fuss. Her temperament was calm and she proved resourceful from the get go–no problems nursing, no problems sleeping; she was content to join our family, accepting her place as daughter and little sister. Though prepared for newborn “battle,” we found the first few weeks with this little girl practically a vacation.
I can’t believe it has been a year. Much like my pregnancy, Abby’s first year has been a whirlwind. Throughout my pregnancy with Jack and for practically his entire first year, I wasn’t working and, of course as the first child, he did not have a pesky sibling with whom he had to vie for attention. For better or for worse, he got my undivided attention for a solid two and a half years. And for better or for worse, Abby is left with my attempts at undivided attention, attempts that are so often interrupted with the rest of life.
And yet, in many ways I am much more aware of every stage of her development because I know just how fleeting the moments are….In spite of my will to slow it all down, she weaned herself, she rolled over, she crawled across the floor, pulled herself up, took her first steps, and hasn’t stopped walking since. Throughout it all, she has cooed, smiled, laughed, and now babbles with a twinkle in her eye.
She adores her brother and seems fairly keen on her parents. I know this won’t last forever, so I’ll drink in the adoration now. She is a social butterfly with a smile and “hi” for anyone and everyone she passes. With all that said, she is no push over. She has joined the chaos of our lives and is a full fledged contributing member.
Her first birthday came and went. We celebrated, but it was a low key affair with what appears to be relatively little documentation. This blog, of course, continues to fall by the wayside. It would seem technology doesn’t make up for the second child getting the shaft in the baby book department, even if it is virtual. Today is Easter…much later this year, as I distinctly remember celebrating with Jack the day after we returned home from the hospital with Abby. I was once again struck by how fleeting time is and how much happens in this first year. And so…
Moeshé (pronounced Mo – shay) is three years old. He has all the same friends as Jack. He likes to do pretty much the same things as Jack. Every night we are asked to tell Moeshé stories such as “the one about Moeshé getting very, very, very, very angry with his friends.” Or “the one about Moeshé being very tired and getting very, very, very, very frustrated with his mommy.” Or “the one about Moeshé getting very, very, very, very, very excited about going to the zoo with his friend.”
I won’t even begin to try and do a catch up post on the happenings since it has literally been months. The state of affairs in the Cothenberg household is pretty good. Abby is cruising around the furniture these days, occasionally braving the “no hands” stand so I’d say we are pretty close to walking. Still a happy, smiley baby overall, she is beginning to exhibit our family’s trademark stubborn streak. Jack thinks she is sturdier than I would have given her credit for initially, which has propelled her into a rough and tumble bullying phase. Apparently she set out to maul all of the other kids (and a few moms as well) at story time this week at the library. What can I say? I intend to raise a tough girl! Meanwhile Jack is going all wussy, “Abby pulled my hair! Abby poked my eye! Abby pinched my arm!” he whines. Sheesh.
I know REALLY what people want are photos, so before I leave to pick Jack up from school (which he continues to LOVE), here’s a few shots of the kids at Train Town last month. We just uploaded new blog software so I am trying to figure out the picture posting again. You can click on these to enlarge.
Big slide got the best of Jack. Minor fracture, but a cast is still what the docor ordered. Last night’s visit to the ER resulted in phase one - a splint…
8031
Today we headed back to the hospital for the official cast. Jack was a little nervous but a real trooper.
8035
He chose the blue:
8038
Happily, it’s a “walking cast.” It will take a while for him to get the hang of it, but I think he cuts a rather dashing figure, don’t you?
8041
(Click for images to enlarge. Experiencing photo uploading difficulties.)
O VERY MUCH is going on in life these days. This time of year is always hectic with the holidays and Jack’s birthday approaching at a fast and furious pace, that I have to remind myself to savor each moment. This year is EVEN more hectic with K’s sister’s wedding earlier this month and an upcoming Quincinera…both events with Jack in tux and “bearing” rings!
Abby’s on the move with a more than adequate commando crawl. She doesn’t seem to feel the need to lift her belly, and well, the floors are getting a nice cleaning as a result so we’re not going out of our way to encourage her! She has officially cut her first tooth, we are all still trying to get over a nasty virus that threatened to use up all the tissues within a hundred mile radius, and tomorrow is Halloween! The season of over-indulgence begins.
I hope to post pictures soon…but if I don’t get to it before then, VOTE on Tuesday, November 4! We’re a straight up Obama/Biden household–no surprises there, I’m sure–I’m happy to debate you if you’re not…or if you’re on the fence.
And if you are in California, Vote NO on Prop 8…don’t take away the rights of others, don’t split apart families, don’t promote fear and hate. Please.
It’s raining outside, the first cold rain of the season. I’m working from the back office (which still needs a massive organization and cleaning) but I can’t help but think, this is good. Life is good. And egads, it’s time to pick up Jack from school!
I made a significant amount of Jack’s baby food. At the time, I didn’t realize that would actually be the easiest time in his life to make him nice, balanced meals. Between toddler pickiness, my natural inclination to get in a rut, and a lack of time, I find it much more difficult now. So it is with great pleasure that I am able to whip up a batch of pureed sweet potatoes for Abby. Pop the extra in the little ice cube trays, and bam! food for weeks. Today’s meal: peas!
And to make things even better, it’s an activity I can share with Jack. He is really interested in helping out in general, and in particular he loves cooking. The simplicity of boiling insert fruit/vegetable and then popping it into the food processer. Button pushing, stirring, serving! Two happy kids–Abby because the child loves her food, literally shakes when she sees solids, and Jack because we’re hanging out and doing something that generally the grown ups reserve for themselves. Life is sweet.
…and Abby is fully awake. She’s been on a somewhat consistent 5 am kick lately. With Jack, that would have been a blessing, but considering she was sleeping until around 7, this is a pretty big set back. Combine that with the fact that K and I often work late in the evenings (ahem, K into the wee of hours of the morning at times), and 4:30 is just not going to cut it. I think, I hope, this is just a phase that she’s entered due to her new mobility. She’s not crawling with her belly up, but she can motor to wherever she wants these days. She also isn’t napping very well because she is just too intersted in the world. All of these things combined have made for a rather tumultuous schedule.
Anyhow, I kmow I’ve been absent lately. We open a show this weekend, and we’ll all be in MO for K’s sister’s wedding! After that, perhaps room to breathe along with an inevitableround of sleep training.
OK, so I’ve just discovered a stack of thank you cards. They were written forever ago and then sat around because I wanted to include a photo. Well, that took me a while to organize and THEN I discoverd that the photos did not fit in the cards (or their envelopes) so I had to get bigger envelopes. And THEN I decided that I should really label the photos because at that point they were getting a little old. I recall vaguely that something went wrong with the computer when I was trying to retrieve the date of said photos and I got frustrated and set them aside. Well, it appears that I NEVER mailed them. So if you are sitting around wondering whether or not Abby received your fantabulous gift; I’m guessing she did. And I’m guessing that I took a picture of her with it. And I’m guessing it’s in this here Peet’s coffee bag by my side. But I’m not even going to guess when it will actually get in the mail because clearly, I suck.
