Introductions

So, I've been putting off one very important development in our little household.

Blogland, meet Owen. Owen, Blogland.

This little bundle of joy arrived just as expected--almost two weeks after his due date.

Maybe someday I'll share the full birth story, but for now I'll let this piece of advice suffice; I do not recommend going from 5 cm dilated to birthing a baby within 30 minutes, especially with an epidural that did not take. Not recommended.

Other than that uncomfortable tidbit, this sweet baby's entrance was largely uneventful. And we are sure glad he's here.

Here's how all our kidlets' baby-hoods compare: Cambrie was a pretty good baby, if I remember correctly, but I was a brand-new mom. The transition was difficult, and I remember how hard the long nights and fifteen minute naps were (why wouldn't she just stay asleep when I laid her down?? :-) Fifteen minute naps are the least of my worries, now). But all in all, she was good--filled with wonder and watching. She was the most observant little baby I'd ever seen, happy in her own way, but always watching, soaking in the world around her. We had almost three long years to enjoy and appreciate our growing little girl without any other distractions. They were wonderful!

Enter the little firecracker James. I am not sure that I could have had a more difficult baby, barring any serious medical or developmental problems. Suffice it to say, he was a challenge. He is obviously much better now, though by no means is he some pleasant, docile child. Oh-ho-ho-NO. He if filled to the brim with...I dunno, gusto? Noise? Passion? Whatever it is can be just as easily manifested in shrieking giggles as in shrieks of indignant anger. When he is happy, he is HAPPY, and his grin is infectious; we could not imagine life without him.

Since baby number three apparently couldn't stand to wait around letting James have all the fun, he arrived just nineteen months after the birth of Mr. Terror-Baby, I mean, Mr. Kiddo Extraordinaire. Lucky for us, he made up for the kind-of-snug timing with the personality of an angel.

Little Owen Thomas is simply filled to the brim with sweetness. He looks a lot like Cambrie when she was a baby, but he is smilier (uh, did you get that? smile => smiley => smiley-er, ...whatever, he just smiles more readily than she did) and his grins are as huge as James' were. The nice part is he is happy and calm. Goodness knows we need a little of that in the house nowadays, between a four-year-old who won't stop talking and a twenty-month-old who won't stop running.

This tiny little baby will sit in his swing or lay on the floor and just be so good. He will watch, and he will take it all in, and then he'll doze a bit, then he'll wake up again, and then he'll doze into a deep sleep, and then he'll sleep so long I get antsy because he's supposed to be eating and I'm a nursing mama and I want him to wake up and eat, and then he'll wake up and eat all nicely-like.

And then, sometimes, he'll get a little hungry or tired or, the worst of them all, he'll have a wet diaper. And so he'll start a little whimper-y cry that sometimes escalates into a real, legitimate, loud cry.

But get this: I'll pick him up, and he'll stop crying. And I'll fix his problem, whatever it may be, and I'll look him straight in his face, and he will smile at me, just like that. And then he will go right back to being happy again. (Like I said, his big brother was a demanding baby. This little bundle of squishy-soft peacefulness is, well, the answer to a prayer.)

And don't worry, he's not some boring do-nothing happy kid. Owen may only be two months old, but since just a few days after his birth, we've seen that tiny seed of fun and personality that will help him fit right in with all us other crazies.

Just like with James and Cambrie, I love watching how these new siblings relate. Owen loves watching and listening to this madhouse. He loves when James and Cambrie come and (attempt to) smother him with all sorts of blankets, toys, and love.

The good news is that other than a little extra clinging to Mommy, James adores his little brother without any apparent jealousy. He may also currently be the biggest physical threat to Owen's life, but I think if I can keep the baby alive to at least his first birthday, he'll start to be able to hold his own (you know, kick James back when Mommy isn't looking). (NOT that I am condoning this.)

But just look at this, these little human beings that I've had the privilege to help bring into this world, and that, alongside my very best friend, I get to help raise. Talk about a task being daunting, and challenging, and thrilling, and humbling, all at once.

So, I'm glad I could introduce you all to this little ray of sunshine. It's always an adjustment bringing a brand new baby home, but after all our adjusting, I think we're in a wonderful place, all here together, now a family of (I am still in shock) five. Thanks for coming to join us, little one!