Welcome to the world Melodie

Melodie Margaret was born on December 1, 2009 at 10:48 am (two minutes later than her brother). A big girl at 8 pounds 8 ounces and 20.5 inches long and lots of dark hair. My attempt at a VBAC was successful which I am very happy about.

Miles was excited to meet his sister. "Baby came out!" he repeated for the first few days.
Most of the time he is very sweet with her and seems to like having her around. He is learning to be gentle with her. We have to remind him many, many times to be gentle, quiet and careful with her.

It's already been three weeks (already!)and I am happy to almost be fully recovered from the birth. We are adjusting well to our new dynamics and have already survived a family cold (so far Melodie has been spared, however even Bella is sick).

Melodie has been pretty easy going so far. She is sleeping well at night (3-5 hours at a time) and has gained more than a pound in two weeks. It all seems easier the second time around.

The first bike ride. Frank got this bike over a year ago at a yard sale. I remember thinking how huge it looked, and now Miles is already taking his first try. He is going to be cruisin' through the hood before long.

No baby Melodie yet. Today is her due date!

Before Miles has to share this space with his little sister (and everything else) I'll take this time to write some more just about him.

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Miles' transition into his new school has been surprisingly smooth. He seems to love everything about it and always has a big smile on his face when it's time to go and when we pick him up. It truly couldn't be going any better. I was concerned initially that we are making him go through too many changes at once (new school, new baby). He has been there for two months now and is very well adjusted to the new setting.

It's been fun to watch how much he is learning. He randomly starts singing a new song that he learned, new phrases, commands, etc. Things like "you are welcome," "I am sorry mama," don't push me..." He also plays school at home. They take naps on little cots, and lately he has been making a little cot at home with blankets and pillows on the floor pretending to have to take a nap. He tells me that I am "Ms. Chris " or "Ms. Diane" which are both teachers of his.

This morning we were getting ready to sit down and have breakfast. I was about to start eating when he said, "wait, don't eat yet." I put my plate back down. He put his two hands together and starting saying "Thank you for this fancy meal." He said this a few more times and then told me that I could go ahead and eat. It was one of those moments of disbelieve and I just stared at him wondering if he really just said that or if I am imagining things. Another one of those moments was when he caught me picking my nose (ahem) and he said "do you need a tissue?" Really? he just asked me if I needed a tissue? Who is the kid here?

This morning we sang "happy birthday" together for Frank. I hope Melodie heard it too. She has about 15 more hours to share the same birthday with her papa.

This Turkey is stuffed!

39 weeks and 3 days.

Currently

• I am 38 weeks pregnant.
• Getting over a cold.
• Miles woke up with a fever and is resting on the sofa next to me

• It's finally sunny again after a week of constant rain.
• More baby clothes are waiting to be folded and put in their place.
• 1.5 weeks of work before Thanksgiving and Melodie's arrival.
• Hoping that everyone get's healthy by then.
• Enjoying the urge to nest.
• Sitting in a freshly cleaned rocking chair that's been sitting on our front porch for the last 1.5 years. Now back in the living room ready for soothing a baby.
• Feeling a mix of excitement, anxiety and disbelief of the impending changes in our life.
  
  
• Consciously living each moment as a family of three, knowing that it's all about to change.
• Giving Miles as much attention and time as possible.
• In the mood to bake.
• Wanting time to slow down and hurry up at the same time.
• Being grateful.

Elephant out on the loose!

He knew exactly what he needed to do....

"Trick or Treat!"

All of a sudden he started to actually walk like an elephant...



The rest of his crew.

All in all it was a perfect Halloween.

This weekend was cold and rainy the whole time - a good weekend to relax, organize, cook and stay at home. It was cold enough to make the first fire of the season. Half way through October already which also means that I am 34 weeks pregnant.....it's getting closer!

And congrats to Ginny who is expecting her first baby in May!

Sound of Music

Marie was here last weekend and carved this nice pumpkin for us. Miles seemed a bit confused at first when she started cutting it up thinking she was messing up his pumpkin. But now he really likes it.

We spent many hours at the Richmond Folk Festival both Saturday and Sunday hearing music from all over the world - Korean drumming, Indian slide guitar, peruvian sounds, blues, etc.....It was a great time.

Inspired from all the music, Miles got busy with his own drumming back at home. Marie showed him some nice beats.

A little music man in the making.

Big Boy School

Miles started his new "school" this week. He has adjusted well so far. He is most excited about his lunch bag that he gets to take every day. Supposedly he wouldn't let go of it the first day and insisted to taking it into bed during nap time.

Rewind: mid-August

Drove down to Charleston, SC, to visit family back in August - the last time before baby Melodie arrives. It was the first time all the little cousins on my side of the family were together: Alicia, Antonia, Louise, Violette, and Miles. It's a special occasion since half of them live in Germany.

Miles closely observed what the big girls were up to.

Miles met some big fish and other sea creatures at the Aquarium.

Sleep interrupted

I realize that stress impacts sleep and that being nearly 30 weeks pregnant doesn't help. The frustrating part is that I wouldn't be as stressed if I could just get a full night's sleep. I wake up consistently every night and can't go back to sleep for several hours - last night 3. During those dreaded hours I stress out about that I am not asleep and how tired I will be the next morning. My mind just won't shut up. Argh. Hopefully that will pass once this big work thing is over. I have also read that it's the body's way of preparing for the newborn infant sleepless night stage that I will be facing very soon. At this rate, I should be very prepared.

In other news, Miles has graduated to a big boy bed. A twin mattress on a wooden platform his papa built. The transition has been surprisingly smooth. The first couple of mornings, he would still call out our name, as he used to do when sleeping in his crib, letting us know he was awake and ready to be picked up. I had to remind him that he could now get out of bed himself! By now he happily comes out of his bed in the morning and walks over into our room. The only difference now is that he likes to keep the light on when he first falls asleep - but that might be because he can reach the switch to the lamp near his bed which he couldn't do before. He definitely likes to do everything himself "my did it" (his way of saying that he wants to do something himself), which is everything. He is 2.5 years old afteral.

Rewind: early July

Earlier this summer, gramana, came to visit. We went to visit Thomas Jefferson and his mansion together. Amazing place. He was quiet the gardner.

Taking notes for our future vegetable garden.

Admiring the vineyard.

Exerting all that toddler energy after studying the Declaration of Independence and the house tour. The rooms in the mansion are very small (maneuvering through the rooms with a stroller was a real challenge. We almost had to trade in Miles when Frank bumped into a 18th century door with the stroller, the tour guide didn't like us too much). Jefferson had many children (I think 12 total) and it was hard to imagine them all hanging out in these small rooms together.

Once in a while I get to be in a picture too.