« November 2008 | Main | January 2009 »
December 30, 2008
some thoughts on Cormac
Two kids might not sound like a lot, but when you think about the fact that I just doubled my brood, you might seem to get the picture. Unfortunately Cormac (aka "Little Bits," "Little C," "Peppa Pig," and Finn's contribution, "Banana") is getting the blogging shaft these days, because I don't have time--or more accurately, two hands--to type. I put him in the swing to write this out.
Cormac is overall pretty awesome. Most of the time, he sits there looking, beatifically, like the next Dalai Lama. When you're holding him. That bears repeating, because Little C really wants to be held all the time. He's no dummy--it's warm and cozy there. And it's very sweet for me to have such a cuddler. But then you want to do things like go to the bathroom in peace or, say, sleep, and he doesn't like not being a part of that. And he can protest quite loudly.
Although the sleep issue isn't quite as bad as it was with Finn, he's still getting up every two hours round the clock. And you must believe me when I say that this is an improvement. I recently read an article about sleep deprivation being used as a torture tactic, and am not unconvinced that Cormac isn't secretly working for Cheney.
Since I'm on maternity leave anyway, there's not much else to do than feed him and hold him. (Well, to be fair, there's plenty to do, I just can't seem to do it. Imagine trying to accomplish anything significant while holding your baby.) For a while I was watching really really bad TV when I was feeding him. It began to rot my brain and I found myself aware of individuals I never knew about before, like Lady Gaga. And heavens, Miley Cyrus. (That girl just freaks me out. My condolences to all of you with girls who will inevitably have to accompany your little one to a Hannah Montana concert.)
But now, I just watch C TV, which is basically Cormac watching me. Then dozing. Then smiling. (Or maybe pooping.) Then waking. Then watching the ceiling fan. I highly recommend it.
Posted by lisa at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2008
brothers
Posted by lisa at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)
another good one
Posted by lisa at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2008
and how cute is this Christmas elf?
Cormac is a simpler guy. Not seduced by the gift-giving aspect of the holiday, he was content just staring at the Christmas lights. I give that a year, if his bro is any indication.
Posted by lisa at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
I think he likes it?
Celebrating Christmas with a preschooler is pretty awesome. This was the first year that Finn really knew what was going on. The build up was extreme. In school, he was making Christmas crafts, and at home we were watching Christmas movies, reading Christmas books, and baking Christmas cookies.
On Christmas Eve, he was kind of going nuts all day-that night, we went over to the neighbor's (Delilah's) house for a celebration and every kid there was bouncing off the walls. In fact, there were about five kids who were literally running in circles over and over again when we walked in. Finn didn't miss a beat--he kicked off his boots and started running around right with them.
Santa ended up making a housecall to the party, which was totally cool of him, since he had so much to do that night. Santa was a hit, even if he arrived in a Jeep Cherokee and not a sleigh.
Finn literally screamed when he came downstairs and saw all the presents. This is the electronic racetrack that Santa left for him. (Shawn and I both had the same kind of track when we were kids!)
Posted by lisa at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2008
paging sean preston
Finn is walking around, singing Britney's newest single. I blame myself. At least he thinks the song is, "Woman-nicer, woman-nicer, you're a woman-nicer..."
Posted by lisa at 05:57 AM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2008
could Cormac be Wallace Shawn's love child?
hmmmmmm...?
Posted by lisa at 05:46 AM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2008
funny finn
This kid is fast becoming the funniest person I know. Some recent gems:
"Mommy, I love you 100 pounds." (Apparently, a large sum in toddler terms.)
"I don't want clothes for Christmas. It's too dangerous." (Again, here, I think he meant "undesirable".)
After seeing a street performer dressed all in silver, "Do you think his parents are silver, too?" (He asked the same thing about snowmen.)
"I love Mary, but she doesn't love me back because she won't hold my hands when we play ring-around-the-rosie." (About his preschool love interest.)
"I love everyone in our house. Including babies named Cormac."
"Look, Daddy! That guy's bald and he has hair!" (About a guy with a bald head but hair around his ears.)
When asked why he came home from seeing Santa with a brown stain on his shirt, "I saw Santa, and then freaked out and spilled my hot chocolate."
When asked under what circumstances he wet his pants at daycare that day, "I had to go potty really bad. But before I could get to the toilet, my penis did not behave."
Ah, the old "penis did not behave" excuse!
Posted by lisa at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2008
welcome gus elliott lee-jesitus!
Nope, that isn't Cormac--it's our friends Dave and Wendell's new baby, Gus! Born just around the time of Cormac's birth, Dave and Wendell got a phone call that Gus' birthparents had chosen them to be his adoptive parents. Within two days, Gus was home with his two dads! Although they have been going through the adoption process for a year, I can't imagine having a newborn with two days notice!
Congrats to both! How I wish Wendell and I could be on maternity leave in the same city together! :)
Posted by lisa at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2008
Cormac after his bath
I'm typing this with one hand because baby will not let me put him down. But these photos were too adorable not to post. Here's the boy after one month!
Posted by lisa at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2008
Return of the Doppelgangers!
Featuring Cormac the Plumber! Like Joe, he desperately loves attention and he's not really a plumber!
(Check "Lookalikes" below right for all Finn's entries to this category.)
Posted by shawn at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)
"and another thing, Santa..."
Here's Finn detailing his wish list on Santa's lap. I love how he was caught with his finger up and mid-sentence. It pretty much blew his mind to see Santa, but after a few minutes, he wasn't afraid at all and got down to business.
Posted by lisa at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2008
Suckin' up to The Big Man
Here we see Finn's Santa Claus impersonation. It's a loving homage to the man who, in Finn's own words, "is gonna bring me LOTS of presents because I'm going to be good from NOW ON."
We'll see...
Posted by shawn at 05:46 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2008
big and little
Cormac looks so much like Finn as a baby, that it's hard to remember that this isn't just Finn revisiting us in baby form. We've been trying to figure out just what Cormac is like, but newborns are different every single day. (At least this one is.) Just when we think we have him figured out, he surprises us again. Is he active? Sleepy? Fussy? Mellow? It all depends on the day. The only constant is that this guy REALLY loves snuggles.
Now that Cormac is (almost) a month old, it's amazing to see the change in him. He's so much more alert and engaged. He will sit there and stare at you, wrinkling his forehead and trying to get you in focus. He's grabbing at things more and cooing back when you talk to him.
The fact that he is more engaged is really exciting to Finn. When Cormac is awake, Finn will proclaim "Babes is awake!" and then start talking to him and giggling. Although this transition with the new baby hasn't been easy on Finn, I do give him credit for being consistent in his love for his little brother. I had heard horror stories from friends of their kids being openly aggressive with the new babies or waiting until the parents' back was turned to get in a whack. Finn does seem to really love his little brother. He even told me that I am allowed to call him "honey" too.
Posted by lisa at 05:36 AM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2008
Finn's not the only Obama fan in the house...
... and just because the election is over doesn't mean that the enthusiasm has waned. Here's Cormac in an Obama onesie given to him from my wonderful client, Sara Paretsky! It was actually used in a skit she did where she dressed up as Sarah Palin and field dressed a moose. (I didn't ask how.)
Posted by lisa at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)
December 03, 2008
a visit with Gramrene
The day after Nana left, Gramrene arrived and stayed through Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, we didn't get many photos while she was here, so we'll have to make do with this one. Its' all of us in our pajamas, stuffed after Thanksgiving dinner at the Joneses. It was great to have two grandma visits in one week!
Posted by lisa at 07:35 AM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2008
a long overdue update!
Good heavens--do you know how hard it is to keep up a baby blog when you have a newborn and a three-year-old? Poor Cormac is never going to have the opportunity to read about every diaper change from his early days like his big brother did. Cormac wants to be held constantly--which is totally sweet because he's a snugglebug. But trust me, trying to get anything done while toting a squirmy 8lb. snugglebug is not easy. I'm a little out of practice and can't type one-handed.
So, here's a posting frenzy while Little C sleeps. (The baby swing should buy me 10-15 minutes are so.) Here are some photos from my mom's visit. Nana cooked us a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner while she was here, and was gracious enough to hold Cormac as often as possible. (Which was always.) It was great to see Nana, and a welcome help, as we had hit the two-week wall by that point. I especially love the photos of Nana holding Cormac.
And please note that I am not sanctioning all the photos of myself here, in various sleep-deprived, unshowered states. But I'm too lazy to go in and delete the photos from Flickr. At least it's an honest depiction!
.... looks like the swing bought me 7 minutes! Baby is crying. Photos from Irene's visit in a moment!
Posted by lisa at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)