Mr Personality at 6 weeks

We survived (okay, I survived, everyone else flourished and did wonderfully) my return to work last week- here we are a the end of 2 week now. Next Monday marks my return to full-time.... it's all going so fast!

Thomas is loosing his newbornish qualities, though he still grunts and makes allll the newborn noises. Yesterday brought intentional smiles and occassional chuckles and he is making fantastic eye contact! While he still detests most diaper changes (though he doesn't always cry so hard he stops breathing), he has learned to love warm baths, especially with his brother.

Though we aren't sure, there is thought that Thomas has a dairy sensitivity- even through my milk. Until this past week, he's had pretty crazy tummy troubles in additiona to some serious skin issues going on. It's been dairy-free for me for about 2 weeks now and his tummy has been better since Monday. His skin, well...it started as 'usual' baby acne, but in the past 3 weeks it's become a pattern of rashy, dry, irritated skin that flakes off like post-intense-sunburn. I have no idea what to do for him....my mom has taken to calling him her "little italian bread stick" as we have been slathering him in olive oil for nearly a week now.

Any ideas or suggestions are GREATLY appreciated.

Good thing is his skin doesn't seem to bug him too much. And please, take a look at that giant baby and compare it to the newborn shots....in just a few weeks time, he exploded!

And finally, a little snippet of Thomas and his newborn noises, some eye contact, and the beginnings of a smile. And some Jaciob laughter in there, too!

Mooooo

I returned to work today; I'll work halfdays now through next week and then return to full days

in February. And with the return to work comes a close relationship with a breastpump...hence the title of the post. But, if you know me at all, you know i'll do just about anything to provide the best possible nourishment for my baby...even if I occassionally giggle as I consider the bovine similarities (and Jacob giggles at the idea of Thomas taking a bottle instead of nursing!).

But we're so excited to a) have a newborn who has a fantastic appetite and is willing to learn to eat from a bottle, b) begin returning to our 'normal' schedules at a slow pace, and c) have Ma here to help ease us all gently into the chaotic routine!

In other news, Thomas turned 5 weeks old yesterday. At his 1 month check-up last week, he weighed in at 10 POUNDS and measured 21.75 inches!! That is a 3.5 lb gain and 3 1/4 inch growth in 4 weeks. Unbelievable. He does eat every 2 1/2hrs...including at night...so, we're happy it's going somewhere other than diapers!

Crazy to think that this guy, smaller than Jacob in the beginning, is larger than Jacob was at his age (9 1/2lbs and ) and is actually in the 50%ile for both wt and length.

Speaking of Jacob, this sweet big brother continues to entertain and surprise us with sensitive insights. These past few weeks have been filled with puzzles, coloring, and painting; as seen below, orange is his preferred color though red and yellow suffice in a bind.

Bringing in 2011

With Grayson and Ma here to accompany us, we've taken a couple of trips to the Superstition mountains that surround us out here in Mesa, AZ. Jacob seems to love hiking and has been really careful about avoiding the cacti (phew); though this past time, he did seem to prefer rock climbing instead by bending down and using his hands to "climb" the pebbles along the way.

This Saguaro cactus was SO big, it didn't even fully fit into the frame! I heard somewhere that to even begin growing 'arms' the cactus has to be at least 75 years old...just imagine the age of this one.

And now, how about some Thomas pictures?
This little guy is nursing well, thus his skin wrinkles are becoming rolls- it's just too cute!

So far, he is sleeping much of the day (very opposite from his brother whom we had to lull to sleep even as a newborn). He has about 1.5-2 hours intervals of wakefulness; sometimes due to gas pains accompanied with crying, nursing, and burping; other times he is a calm and alert observer.

He's still rather young, but he appears to be more sensitive to his surroundings than his brother was. Thomas hates diaper changes and being naked but loves tummy time and snuggling- and even occassionally enjoys being swaddled....opposite Jacob much?

Jacob continues to be an angel with his brother, giving him kisses, hugs, pats, and generally doting on him whenever possible. He loves to discuss what Thomas is able to do or not do, explain what Thomas needs, or talk about how he is a big boy and Thomas is a baby. -And Thomas seems to quiet down and search for Jacob when he hears his voice/laugh/cry...it's quite precious.

Merry Holidays!

From everyone here on the west coast, we hope that the Christmas and holiday seasons were/are still bright and joyous in your homes. Since we arrived, there have been so many opportunities to keep busy. We have found that even keeping straight what day of the week it is seems like work. I think that with the extra hands and eyes 'Ma' and I have made available, the Pugh house is a little bit easier to manage, especially with the new +1.

Daniel worked hard on preparing and eventually delivering a gorgeous sermon on Christmas Eve at church. Underneath his humor and charm (which both the old and young eat up!), he addressed the true meaning of Christmas as a celebration of birth, family, and the non-tangible gifts in our lives. Both Daniel and Ashley have done a great job making sure that Jacob recognizes Christmas as a special time to open presents, but to also be nice to each other and love what you already have. This year’s Christmas was special in that Jacob was able to happily and actively participate ,essentially this is Jacob’s ‘first real Christmas’, as well as Thomas’.
Ashley just recently checked her work e-mail, so she’s acknowledging the real world and getting back to work, but surely she's in no rush. Transitioning to work will be a tough adjustment after spending almost a whole year 'with child', but having Ma here will continue to be such a blessing. Both parents have been doing such a fabulous job balancing quality time and attention with Jacob and with Thomas. For example, I witnessed a morning where both Mommy and Daddy both wrestled Jacob on the living room floor. Post battle, they (being Mom and Dad) were both winded.
Ma, like Ashley and Daniel, is playing her tail off with Jacob, from the early a.m.- to late p.m. on a daily regimen. Meanwhile, I am holding Thomas, relaxing a bit, dancing, puzzle constructing with Jacob, and eating the TONS of pounds of desserts and goodies that Daniel brings home from work after the announcement of the birth of Thomas. Ashley and Daniel have minimal time to themselves, as most parents with a two year old and a newborn. The available time together is spent picking up, cleaning up, putting little ones to sleep, waking the little ones up, etc. As you can see, Jacob enjoys helping out in some daily chores. He's participating in a semi-nude/Risky Business kind of style.

The following is a synopsis of some of the fun(ny) things that we do here in our home:
-Jacob loves constructing his new, 24 piece dinosaur puzzle (almost mastering this alone), creating ‘snowmen’ and balls out of playdough, reading favorite books, playing with Mega Blocks (making towers and tunnels), racing the new Hot Wheels cars, playing the games Memory, Candyland, and Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Thanks to aunt Emily, we are attempting (on day 4) to continue to monitor the growth of a water growing alligator in the bathroom sink. Needless to say, we all have been sleeping whenever we get the chance. That being said, Ashley was napping with Thomas and apparently he smiled knowing what his diaper situation would be when Mom woke up.

-The weather has been quite enjoyable, on the chilly side, but by no means winter weather like the snowy south. One day, Ashley, Thomas, Jacob, Ma and I even got to go to the pool. For me, the ‘heated pool’ was still rather cold; the hot tub was too hot for Jacob; but the pool for Ma was juuust right. Jacob spent the rest of the time bouncing back and forth from pool to hot tub. Ashley and Thomas sat in the sun to stay warm. You know, it's hard to celebrate winter here, especially when I am spending time at an outdoor pool…
-At the dinner table one evening, Jacob and Daddy [accidentally] started a new game. Daniel was trying to get Jacob to understand that he has to make sure that everyone finishes their dinner before they can leave the table. Daniel insisted that Jacob ask everyone if they were finished before he dismisses himself. Jacob individually asked, 'are you all done?'. Finally, the round made it to Daniel and he joking paused and said, ‘…NOPE’. Jacob threw his head back and laughed. Jacob asked, ‘are you all done, Daddy?’. Again, Daniel continued to respond with pantomiming typing on a computer, texting on his cell phone, even asking Thomas, while Jacob continued to laugh as if it were the first time he’d ever heard it. Each and every day's little moments are what allow us to "keep on truckin' ".

The next day, The Pughs and Chells were so happy to welcome Uncle T-Bone for a much overdue visit. We all sat down, ate dinner, and then as slowly cleared our plates. Jacob then asked, ‘are you all done, T-Bone’. As we all burst out in laughter, I came to the realization that Jacob could possibly follow in Daddy and Uncle T-Bone’s thespian footsteps. I say this because Jacob was able to recall the whole scene from the previous night and remember his appropriate 'lines'...OR he could always just follow in Mommy’s footsteps and show interest in dancing. There is no denying it, the kid’s got moves. Just sayin’.


Finally Christmas day came! Ma and I woke up to Jacob cracking our door in a ‘here’s Johnny’ thriller/ adorable kind of way, with a loud tone saying: ‘Grayson and Ma, wake up, it’s Christmas!’. We walked out into the living room where our stockings were. For those of you that do know Ashley, know that one of her favorite part of Christmas IS the stocking. Knowing this, Daniel went on a mission to obtain the largest stocking he could. Use your imagination- the stocking itself could swallow Jacob standing up (and Thomas for sure).
Later that day, we all went over to Didi and Yaya’s house to eat and open presents. It only took 4+ hours, through wrapping paper and laughs, but we accomplished it all. It was a great time had by all, for sure. Thomas may have been the best present that was...well, present. He made his rounds and everyone got to hold the bundle. I understand the lyrics, "the warm and fuzzy time of year" a little better now. New baby Thomas and Jacob are, as of now, the only men in my life that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

It is hard to imagine that ‘Ma’ and I have been here for two weeks now. Thomas is getting bigger each day, literally, while Ashley is adjusting back to some normalcy in her body. Daniel continues to leave the family early in the morning to go to work. The rest of the group runs little errands to stay busy and feel accomplished. On Daniel's day off, we were fortunate enough to take a family hike. Most of the gang made it to the peak, while Ashley and baby Thomas decided to take a little breather.

It is hard to imagine that we are soon approaching the New Year. This got me thinking, " if you can't be with [all] the ones you love, love the ones you're with...". Hope y'all have a safe and happy beginning to a new year.

Planning a Visit?

Many people have asked if they can come to see baby Thomas. Rather than going back and forth with people for visitation dates, I thought I'd just make a calendar so that people can see when our spare bedroom is free.

Obviously, not everyone will be able to make the trip out to the desert, but for you avid blog-readers, now you will know who is behind the camera or in the pictures if you check who is in-town that week.

If you are planning a visit or would like to come visit, let us know.

Settling in...

Just keeping things up to date: this week has gone quite smoothly as we've tried to grab some sleep here and there while keeping things on the fun side for Jacob (bored preschooler with new sibling may just be a toxic situation).

Thomas has a great sense of humor, what with pooping/peeing on us mid-diaper change or waiting until the middle of the night for his most wakeful period (like every newborn out there!). He is really quite an expert nurser at this point- on Thursday he was down only 2 oz from his birth wt (down to 6lb 4oz w/ a diaper on)!

After crazy flights, Ma and Grayson made it to us here in Mesa....and Jacob is in heaven (and of course, Daniel, Thomas, and myself are loving them here, too)! Really, look at Thomas smiling up at his Aunt Grayson. So far, Thomas tends to smile if he's getting massaged...it's really fun. And absolutely precious.

How about these cute Christmas elves?

Jacob, this is your (and your brother's) life

Today was the much anticipated greeting of Jacob and Thomas. When Yaya picked up Jacob from school, she told him that he was going home to see his brother. But by the time he got home, I think he forgot. When we opened the door and Jacob saw his brother for the first time, his face lit up. He looked like a kid on Christmas. The next couple of minutes he went through a flurry of thoughts and mental processes. He said things like, "Thomas is not in your tummy, Mommy" and "Let's see him walk" and "he's crying" and "He needs to nurse, Mommy and my personal favorite, "Don't worry Thomas, I love you so much." I have video of all that, but the best video is what happened next. Brothers side-by-side, Thomas kicked Jacob and Jacob laughed the kind of belly laugh as if to say "well, he's family."





It has been an interesting day for us all. I find myself interacting with Jacob from a completely different angle. Rather than treating him based on his incompetencies he now looks competent, even skillful to me. He came home singing the days of the week in Spanish (it took us a few listens to hear what he was saying considering he now knows more Spanish than us). Jacob looks huge, and that is reflected in the protectiveness he already has for his little brother, as if a security guard for a high-profile celebrity. Then again, after emails being sent out en masse from Our Saviors Lutheran Church, the Bishop of the Grand-Canyon synod, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, and Trinity Lutheran Alameda, combined with the coverage on facebook, this blog, and picture messages, Thomas is kind of a celebrity. We have had a great first night together. We await the arrival of Ma and Grayson, and Jacob has a couple more days of Christmas parties at preschool before being home for two weeks.

Being a father of two has the disadvantage of never being alone, but it also has the wonderful advantage of never being alone. I can't say how thrilled I am to be this proud Papa.

OK, one more picture, just because he's so cute.