The Heat of Summer

As the 90 degree days drag on, we have made some necessary adjustments to our days. We are drinking more water to stay hydrated, Travis has switched to working nights instead of afternoons, and, most traumatically, I refuse to take Noah to the park to play between the hours of 11 and 4. Of course the buzzing of mosquitoes, the burning heat of the plastic slides, and hair soaked with the sweat rolling off his head means nothing to Noah, who insists that we should allow him to tempt heat exhaustion in pursuit of fun. We try to placate him with trips to the library and short adventures in backyard gardening with popsicle breaks. This only works about half the time.

Indoors, we are cleaning the house, moving around toys, and generally trying to prepare for the new baby who will arrive in a month. It has started to really sink in that going from one child to two is more than just having another baby...the struggle will be chasing Noah and taking care of him at the same time. It seemed hard enough the first time!

My friend Brande threw us a baby shower the other weekend that was greatly appreciated and it was a lot of fun to have time with friends before I dive head-first back into the haze of caring for a newborn. Of course, we do have some things of Noah's that will just be passed down, but new diapers and gift cards have been a great way for us to concentrate our money on the big things that we will still need, like another car seat, another set of furniture or dresser for the baby's clothes, and providing for all those other things that Noah can't pass down just yet. At less than two years apart, it almost seems like planning for twins in some ways.

The shower was also a wonderful break in a very busy time. Though I am still writing my thesis and will have to prepare for comprehensive exams in the fall, I have managed to get caught up on writing papers for the classes I fell behind in after having Noah. This time around I am taking some time off instead of plunging right back in...but I know keeping busy won't be a problem.

Our First Posting - An Open Letter

Time is moving quickly for us. With Noah at nearly 19 months old and his baby brother due in less than 2 months, it seems we have little time to sit still...and we expect even less from the coming year or two. All this activity leaves us with so much we wish we could tell friends and family about what is going on in our lives while making it difficult to communicate with everyone individually.

For example, Noah is already at a 62 word vocabulary (something Travis tallies daily) and has become our little parrot. And since I am 7 months pregnant (Melissa, not Travis), his growing independence has become a welcome blessing. Our most impressive feat so far as parents may be getting him to go to bed and take naps on his own. All it takes is a book and a drink of water and he's ready to be in his crib where he lies down on his pillow and says "bye, bye" as you leave the room. Of course, for any family, these things are relative, but as Travis said the other day, "If you would have told me that he would be doing this a year ago, I would have just laughed at you." However, we must admit to still letting him have a pacifier as he goes to bed...but sleep has been a first priority in this house since November 2005. The pacifier is our next battle. We move forward with "toddler steps."

With so many developments and requests that we send pictures (which we know we don't keep up with enough), we have decided to start this blog for you, our friends and family. Now, when we're busy keeping up with two boys, 20 months apart, you may have a better chance of keeping up with us. Then, with just a few spare minutes out of our week we can keep everyone up to date and not lose any sleep over our poor correspondance skills. Heaven knows, we will already have enough keeping us awake.