"You grow 'em big . . . "

Something we've heard quite often since Bennett was born is, "you grow 'em big!" As if we'd just harvested a crop of pumpkins or something. I guess it's true, though. Our boys are both pretty big. Last night, our small group was over for dinner and Ina and Maria were talking about an 8 month old who was already 24 pounds. And I sheepishly reminded them that Jack was 20 pounds at 4 months and 23.5 pounds at 6 months. Yikes.

That said, I'm so curious to see how much Ben weights at his one month visit on Wednesday. He was bigger than Jack was when he was born and was back to his birth weight faster . . . so will he be heavier than Jack was at one month?

Ben is finished with 0 - 3 month clothing and is wearing mostly 6 month stuff because 3 month and 3 - 6 month leaves him with a bare midriff or forces him to keep his legs bent because they won't stretch out all the way. Just typing this evokes tears and makes me think about how quickly his first day of junior high is approaching.

He has become really fun to play with and will smile and coo at us pretty much any time he has a full tummy and a clean diaper. We don't have to work for it as much anymore, and he's even smiling at Jack now . . . which I have to give Ben credit for because I don't always smile at my sweet little two year old when he's shrieking and roaring an inch from my face.

Ben likes to sit and look at things dangling in front of him and his hands have just started to catch his eye. Every so often, he holds it out and just kind of stares at it as if to say, "WHAT IS THAT THING?!" We've caught him sucking his thumb a few times, but mostly just sucks on his fist while he's waiting for a meal. He's not a fan of tummy time, but made it a full four minutes on his belly before he started fussing this morning. I consider that to be a huge success.

We've switched to disposable diapers for a little while because the cloth ones were causing MAJOR chafing and peeling on his legs and tummy, but we're hoping to be able to switch back soon. I need to devote an entire post to that some time . . .

We're beginning to settle into a new "normal" but we still have a long way to go. I'm really liking being back at work a little bit each week and Ben cooperates for the most part. Jack really likes having Kelsey come play with him three times a week, too! It's good for both of us.

I must confess that I thought having a second child would be much easier than it is. I figured, I've done it all before, it should be easier this time right? And I guess it might have been a tiny bit easier than it is now, but this time around, I also have a two year old. And I own a business. I often find myself wondering what I would have done during all the time Jack slept right after he was born if I hadn't gone back to work right away. I guess I'll never know.

There are so many similarities and differences between Jack and Ben at this age, but I spend a lot of time saying, "I have no idea if Jack did that." or "I cannot remember what we did with Jack in this situation." This blog has come in handy for remembering some things and more often than not, we're dealing with new situations that arise as a result of being at home more than we were when Jack was born. Jack hated being swaddled and didn't like the pacifier much. Ben won't sleep long unless he's swaddled and uses a pacifier to go to sleep. Then again, I'm much better at swaddling this time around. Jack would always fall asleep in the bouncy seat as long as we kept it moving but Ben won't fall asleep unless we're holding him or unless he cries screams himself to sleep in the car seat. Jack hated the swing and Ben does as well, so we're wondering if maybe the one we have isn't that great.

Christmas card season is in full swing and I had no idea how much fun it would be to work with return customers! It's like getting together with old friends. THe other day, I had not had A SINGLE SALE by 8 PM which gave me a lot of time to catch up. I thought it might be my first day without a sale in more than 15 months, but when I woke up the next morning, I had sold three designs before midnight. So the streak is still going.

Anyway, life is good around here. How are things with you?