Daniel went to daycare for the first time today. They have the kids ease in for a couple of hours a few days before they start for real. He was there from 8 to 10 a.m. this morning--long enough for me to treat myself to a pedicure. Too bad it's cold and dreary again-no sandal weather in sight! Anyway, Daniel did just fine--had a bottle and a very short nap, came home and ate again before settling in for an almost three hour nap. Sleeping is hard in a room full of busy babies, but amazingly, they do it. There were two sacked out in their cribs when I got there and two more playing on the floor. I remember being freaked out when Edward didn't sleep at first at daycare, but he got the hang of it and so will Daniel.

The picture above was a recent bath about which Daniel seemed to have a pretty strong opinion. I was in the other room getting ready to get him dressed and I heard John laughing uncontrollably. Daniel did not let go of John's shirt until we pried his fingers away to move him to to the towel.

My sister Nora captured this shot of me with both boys--definitely planning to get prints of this one for my desk at work! Edward would object to my use of the term "boys." When he hears me speak of them collectively, he corrects, "No, Daniel a baby. I big boy." Edward's verbal acuity took a turn against me the other day when he was not happy with my enforcing the time limit on playing Clifford games on pbskids.org. It was time for his nap so he had some juice and went whining to his room. As he climbed into bed he moaned, "I need paci, teeny blanket" (his two sleep aides.) Then he added, "I mad at my mommy." Wow, that's tough to take from a two-year-old! But he let it go and we had a pleasant afternoon after he woke up.

Daniel has been getting more expressive too--lots of smiles and some different cooing noises. It's so fun to sit close to him and watch him react to your changing facial expressions. He also appears to be on the road to thumb sucking. He often shoves his whole fist in his mouth and licks/sucks until the hand moves away. He is not yet aware that he controls that hand and could easily bring it back after it departs. John was holding him the other day and he was actually licking his hand like an ice cream cone (Daniel, not John--John wouldn't waste the energy unless there was actual ice cream involved.) We'll see if this all evolves to thumb sucking once he gets control of his appendages. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I love the idea of self-soothing. On the other hand, you can't tell a kid to leave his thumb in bed the way we do with Edward's pacifier. Time will tell.

Over the weekend, Edward enjoyed some TV basketball with the NCAA tournament in full swing. He doesn't pay attention long and soon was rooting around in the front closet, where he found John's basketball shoes and tried them on. He's surprisingly adept at walking in our shoes, and it never fails to amuse us.

We had a tragic event in town this week as a man killed his wife and four children before taking his own life. A member of a prominent local family, he was facing trial in April for embezzling more than half a million dollars from the bank he worked for. No one will ever know why he thought this was his only option. So many people are left grieving and wondering. Although we didn't know them, this story intersects with ours in a very small way. They were members of my church, and a funeral for the family will be held Saturday morning. We were supposed to have Daniel's baptism then. Since we have family (including Daniel's godparents) coming from out of town we couldn't just postpone a week, so we were able to arrange with the priest from the Newman Center at the UI to celebrate the sacrament there.

Happy Easter! This morning after church we managed our first family photo since the hospital. Not bad considering our living room light leaves a lot to be desired, and we had the camera on a stool with the timer set. It's a good thing we snapped it when we did, because within 15 minutes of this photo, both boys had to change clothes due to diaper failure--or, more accurately, overload. It was just as well, since it's a perfect day for lounging around in sweats--cold and snowy, just like the Easters of my childhood in which my new spring dress was almost always covered by my winter coat. Luckily, when I say "snowy," I mean only flurries, not the 14+ inches my sister and her family are digging out in Milwaukee. Honestly, I don't think I could have taken it. We finally have grass in sight, and even if it's a muddy mess, at least it's not snow!

My other two sisters escaped from Chicago's snow (not as much as Milwaukee, but more than here) and came for a visit on Friday and Saturday. We had a great time! Edward doesn't really understand about "going home" because he keeps asking for "Aunt Nora, Aunt Bridget." They were brave enough to come with us to the Easter festivities at the mall, which included live bunnies and an Easter egg hunt in the indoor play area. This is the "other mall"--the one that's usually much more tame. When we arrived, the line for the egg hunt was all the way down the mall corridor. We visited the bunnies first and then realized that the line was only because they hadn't started letting anyone in the store for the egg hunt. Once it started moving, it wasn't as bad as we had initially thought. The play area is actually a business, which consists of mini-golf, video games, and a huge play structure akin to those found in fast food restaurants. If I'd known how much Ed would love it, I would have gladly paid the $4 admission more than once this winter. Sadly, I didn't even know it was there. But yesterday, admission was free and they had two separate egg hunts, one for older kids and one for kids under 4. Edward "found" two eggs, but quickly discarded them when he figured out that holding them was impeding his climbing. Daniel, on the other hand, was unimpressed.

The Easter bunny visited our house while we were at church, so Edward arrived home to find this "basket" waiting. Why would a boy want a basket when a dump truck holds goodies just as well? Actually, this is part of my "nothing comes in the house unless it's disposable or consumable" mantra. This truck is meant for outside and will reside there once the weather cooperates. All but two of the eggs held 'Nilla wafers or Teddy Grahams. Leave it to Edward to pluck as his first choice one of the two that held jelly beans. After we saw what a mess this was creating, John subtly grabbed the other and spirited it away. Edward still dribbled his way through one egg full of jelly beans and then happily chowed on the other stuff. We think he's getting his two-year molars, as he's been a bit grumpy and walking around with his hands in his mouth all weekend. This also might explain (partially) the jelly bean slobber.

One month from today, on Saturday, April 19, Team Kenyon will be back on the move for the March of Dimes March for Babies. This is the new name of the event we've participated in for the last three years, raising both awareness and funds for the fight against prematurity, which has touched our family so deeply. Once again we'd like to invite our friends and family to join us in Iowa City or to find out when your own town is having its walk and lace up your shoes.

We're proud to walk each year in memory of Will and in honor of Edward and Daniel. We and the March of Dimes appreciate whatever support you can offer, whether physical (by walking with us or in your own hometown), financial (by making an online pledge toward our fundraising goal) or moral (by encouraging us to get up and get moving in preparation for the 10K walk.) Clicking on the Team Kenyon link above will take you to my fundraising page where, if you scroll to the bottom, you'll find links to donate and/or to register to walk with us or in your local WalkAmerica event. Each walker has to have his or her own page so John has a separate fundraising page.

I'm not kidding about the need for moral support. We'll need to do some serious training after being cooped up all winter. I took the double stroller out for a spin today, and it was definitely a wake-up call. We only went four blocks to the park, but I have to say it was a challenge to push 40 pounds of boys (plus the 20+ that the stroller weighs, even though I chose it because it was one of the lightest models available!) With any luck this weather will hold and we'll have some great afternoons for strolling in the next month plus a nice sunny day for the walk.

Here's a bit of Edward in action at the park; Daniel slept in the stroller the whole hour we were there.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2008!

I took a lot of grief in 2006 for this thigh-licious St. Patrick's photo of Edward. Daniel is no slouch in the thigh department, but I believe Edward wins the all-time prize.

This week marked a return to the great outdoors, as temperatures remained above freezing and even approached the 50s in the afternoons. Each afternoon, we bundled Daniel into the Baby Bjorn carrier and got Edward into his boots, and a few times his snow pants--not for warmth but for dryness. We took walks around the block that lasted up to an hour, and Edward spent a lot of time splashing in the puddles of melting snow. In some cases the puddles were so large and so deep it was more like wading. Even the boots and snow pants weren't fully up to the challenge. Wearing them enabled us to stay out longer, but he still had to change socks and pants when we came in. A small price to pay for a refreshing change of pace. Daniel didn't seem to mind, falling asleep for most of each excursion. Yesterday, John and Edward even went to the park for a little while. They came home muddy and wet, but happy. Or, at least Edward was happy!

For indoor fun, we recently took out the play mat that had been stored away since Edward outgrew it. Daniel seems to like it and since Edward can't fathom a toy in his living room not belonging to him, he has gotten in on the action a bit too. We have to remind him to be gentle next to Daniel and not to use him for leverage when he tries to get up. It's a work in progress. We also attached the aquarium activity bar to Daniel's bouncy chair, so that makes TWO toys that are Daniel's, not Edward's. We are trying to explain that there is no need to turn on the sounds when Daniel not sitting in the chair or is sleeping in it!

At Daniel's two-month check-up, the doctor asked if he was "smiling responsively." We've seen the occasional smile, but couldn't say for sure that we'd ever actually coaxed one out of him. She also asked about "vocalizations," but other than "he grunts when he's trying to poop," we couldn't answer definitively. What a difference a week makes. Grandma and Grandpa came for dinner Saturday night and Grandma had him smiling and cooing up a storm. It's hard to get a picture because of the camera delay, but this one gives a pretty good idea of Grandma's "baby whisperer" skills.

In other developments, Edward has started getting himself out of bed without waiting for one of us to come get him in the morning or after his nap. At first we thought we'd just adapt. After all, we'd had a four-month honeymoon since we moved him from the crib to the twin bed. It's about time he figured out he didn't need us to get in and out. However, we're reevaluating our "do nothing" approach after a 5:50 wake-up this morning when the doorknob rattled and Edward came toddling into our room from the office. Those who know the layout of our house will understand our alarm, as this approach meant he'd left his room, wandered through the living room, kitchen and office, and then found his way around to our room. We didn't hear a thing until he opened our door. So now we're working on reminders to "call Mommy or Daddy when you wake up" and we'll see where that gets us.

The shamrock shirts are washed and ready for the big day tomorrow. Whether we'll manage to capture photos before they are stained beyond repair is an open question. Watch this space and find out.

Turns out Daniel is not so sleepy after all. He woke up to eat around 2 p.m. and afterward was happy enough for his two-month photo shoot. For a glimpse of his life as the hand-me-down kid (as well as for brotherly comparison) check out Edward at two months. Clearly the chubby cheek genes are dominant in our families!

Daniel is two months old today. Where does the time go? He went to the doctor where he weighed in at 12 pounds and measured 22 inches, which puts him in the 58th and 26th percentile, respectively. He got three shots and an oral rota virus vaccine, which is new since Edward was this age. (He's only two and he can already say "Back in my day, we didn't have these fancy rota virus vaccines!") Needless to say the shots were not well-received, but he seems to have gotten over the affront because except for a brief feeding interlude, he's been sleeping since we got home two hours ago. The doctor told us to expect him either to be more sleepy or more fussy than usual. Fingers crossed for the sleepy reaction to continue!

We should not be surprised at Daniel's expansion, for regardless of the delivery method, he greets each meal with gusto. He's been spending more time awake and enjoying his playmat, which is great because it apparently makes him tired enough at night to carry through a six-hour stretch. We don't always get that much time between feedings, but it's good to know he can do it.

Daniel took his first road trip this weekend to Chariton, Iowa, to meet his great-grandparents. He was a very good traveller--sleeping in the car (about two hours each way) and being alert but not fussy while we visited. Edward was also very good on this trip, providing a running commentary on the various types and colors of trucks on the Interstate (he refers to semis without trailers as "broken trucks") and also the number and color of cows and tractors on the rural road between the Interstate and Great-Grandma and Grandpa's house. He insisted that Great-Grandpa sit next to him at lunch (during which he ate mostly jell-o.)

We're looking forward to some 50-degree days this week and hoping to say good-bye to the snow. A walk around the block before dinner last night demonstrated that only two stretches of ice still impede the path. It may soon be time for the bike to emerge from the basement, and I'm guessing we'll have a few muddy park excursions as soon as the snow clears. (At least once when John has told him it was too snowy to go to the park Ed's response has been "Daddy shovel it!")

Yesterday the mercury topped 50 and John and Edward went out to splash in puddles, build a snowman (who would promptly melt) and throw snowballs (which Edward continues to think is absolutely hilarious--especially when John faked being knocked over by the ones Edward threw at him.) We also had several dump trucks and diggers in our neighborhood working to scrape the impacted snow/ice from the street, but John said Edward didn't want to watch. I think perhaps it was too loud and too close for his comfort. However, these city workers are our heroes for the day as they managed to clear the roads down to pavement, which we have not seen in several weeks. The thaw/freeze cycle had created such a mess that it was basically like driving on unpaved country roads.

However, our spring fever was short-lived as we knew that rain was on the way and would be followed by snow. The rain started just before dinner and included some lightning and thunder, which Edward wasn't too sure he appreciated. We tried to keep the mood light, repeating, "I like booms!" and reminding him that the lightning and thunder were outside and he was inside, but he was still uneasy. Later when there were more booms as John was reading his bedtime stories, Edward actually flung himself against John's chest and grabbed on tightly to his shoulders. I told him when he went to bed his eyes would be closed and he wouldn't see the lightning anymore. He immediately closed his eyes and continued clinging to John. He went to bed without a fuss though and must have fallen asleep right away because the thunder continued for a little while longer, but we didn't hear from Ed.

This weekend we took out the big box of the next size clothes for Daniel. This box contains clothes up to nine-month, so lots of short sleeves and shorts/rompers--a welcome promise of warmer days to come. But the 3-6 month clothes are still cozy sleepers and long sleeve onesies. These are still a bit big, but not for long. Some of the 0-3 clothes will soon be history, and while it's exciting to see Daniel grow so well, part of me is sad to say good-bye to these tiniest things. That includes the penguin hat, but no matter how far we purge and share hand-me-downs, that's an item that must remain in the family archives for the next generation.

On the subject of hats, we had some laughs with this one that Edward decided was not just for Daniel (who can't really wear it anyway since it doesn't fit in his car seat!) Edward needed quite a bit of help squeezing his big noggin into it, but luckily fleece is stretchy and he had fun roaring like a dinosaur. Actually, he doesn't need the hat to justify the roaring, but it was a good combo.

Roaring is part of one of Edward's "songs." Actually, it's about the only part we can understand. He sings a few unintelligible words then says "dinosaur, RAARRRR!" Sometimes he just sings the "dinosaur, RAARRRR!" part. Sometimes he wakes up from his nap and sings to himself for a little while without calling for someone to get him up. This is highly entertaining. He has learned a few songs in a Kindermusik program that is offered at his daycare and will spontaneously burst out with one of them at any given moment or mealtime. Since he only sings some of the words, we're often left guessing and can only offer abstract praise. Singing along is impossible. I did pick up on one of his fragments though and recognized an song we used to sing in day camp, "Bringing home my baby bumblebee." As you can see in the video below, Edward is mostly into the "OUCH! He stung me" line. Something vaguely approaching "Won't my mommy be so proud of me" occasionally goes with it.

We've been trying for a few weeks to capture video of Edward singing his ABCs, but he won't often do it on command. Last night at dinner he started singing and the camera was in reach from the dino hat photo shoot earlier so I just grabbed it and hoped he'd keep going. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that he liberally edits the alphabet--ironically, skipping 'E' most of the time. Lest anyone accuse us of being hyper-academic parents who think early childhood skills lay the groundwork for future Harvard admission, I have to say that we did not teach him the ABC's. We read Dr. Seuss's ABC's and he has several toys that play/sing the song. Maybe they also do it at daycare, but we did not sit and drill him. Harvard is out of the question anyway--there's no way we'd ever be able to afford it!

Shortly after Daniel's birth we were boasting of his luscious locks. Now the chicken is coming home to roost as it seems there is less and less of it every day. Top, sides, back--it's all thinning and in some cases disappearing. We were pretty sure this would happen, and, frankly, I'm not sad to see it go. I love bald babies! Plus, look how much it saved us in shampoo and haircuts for Edward to be bald for his first two years.

This week I ventured out into the world again as Daniel and I reached that six-week milestone. I started taking Ed to daycare and even ran a few errands with Daniel during the morning hours. After the first day, when I was ready for bed by 8 p.m., I sighed to John, "It's exhausting to leave the house!" Well, not just leave the house, but to do so with an infant and toddler in tow and a thick layer of snow and ice over every walking surface.

Today it's above freezing and the sun in shining, so we're seeing quite a bit of melting. We're not dancing a spring dance though as three to seven more inches are possible by Tuesday morning. That could vault us into the top five or even top three snowiest winters of all time for our area. Daniel believes the only way to survive is to stay home and fatten up. He hit his six-week growth spurt right on schedule and has been eating nearly every two hours during the day for the last few days. Luckily he does not deem it necessary to maintain such a schedule overnight. In fact he occasionally has gone as long as five hours between his evening meal and his middle-of-the-night snack. Usually it's closer to three and a half or four though.

Yesterday the timing worked out that I was able to feed Daniel and then leave him home with John while I took Edward to burn off some energy at the mall play area, all before the mall even opened for business. (It's open for mall walkers before the stores open and I believe this is the only time the play area can be tolerated.) He is so active there, constantly running, jumping, sliding, swinging (from the handrail on the wheelchair access ramp!) It will be so fun to see how his park play has changed since fall. That is, once we can get back to the park!

Daniel isn't quite up to that level of activity, but I took some video this week just for our archives. This is about a minute of baby grunting and arm waving--not exactly Oscar material--but we know how easy it is to forget these early days and want to be sure we can jog our memories in the years to come.

In this photo Edward is responding to instructions to "play peek-a-boo" in the book Just like Mr. Croc--a Christmas present from Uncle Joe and Aunt Brenda. However, he could just as well have been trying to shield himself from the impending doom of this forecast, with which we greeted my brothers visiting from D.C. and Phoenix this weekend:

Saturday night: A chance of freezing rain and sleet before midnight, then periods of rain or freezing rain. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime ice accumulation of 0.3 to 0.5 of an inch possible. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Sunday: Periods of rain before 9am, then periods of snow and freezing rain between 9am and noon, then periods of snow after noon. Widespread blowing snow after noon. Temperature falling to around 27 by 5pm. Breezy, with a north wind between 16 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of around 7 inches.

Sunday Night: Areas of blowing snow and scattered snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as -2. Blustery, with a northwest wind between 20 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

The only silver lining was that they weren't trying to travel in or out during the worst weather, however the roads were still in such poor condition on Monday that they had trouble getting to the airport and almost missed their flight to Chicago. I think maybe we should restrict ourselves to three seasons for guests. Iowa in the winter just doesn't hold a lot of appeal.

Despite being confined to the house, it was great to see both of them and we're so glad they braved the forces of nature to spend time with us. Edward loved the extra attention and is still asking, "Where Joe go? Where PJ go?" Geography is a tricky concept! Daniel also benefited from extra arms for cuddling. Both PJ and Joe put in some "chest time"--that is, sitting in a chair or laying on the couch with Daniel asleep on their chests, an extra layer of warmth.

Edward also got a Brio train lesson from the master. The inspiration for this Christmas gift was my brother Joe, who spent endless childhood hours constructing elaborate transportation systems with train tracks and blocks. I was hoping Edward would also enjoy that spark of creativity. I think he's still a little young, but we'll see what happens as the collection grows over the years.

On Sunday I asked Edward if he wanted mac 'n' cheese for lunch, and he responded enthusiastically...until it was in the bowl in front of him. Then he acted as if I were trying to make him eat a dish of mud-covered worms. He threw a fit and refused to take even a single bite. Reminding him that he liked it and had asked for it did no good. (He does like it--he recently ate four helpings when it was served at daycare.) I finally asked him what he wanted, and he said "I want broccoli." Huh??? I pursued this further and he insisted that he wanted broccoli so I heated some up and sure enough, he scooped it up with puzzling gusto. Can't wait to pull that out of the archives some day when he refuses to eat his vegetables at dinner!

In recognition of his expanding girth, Daniel graduated from "newborn" to size 1 Huggies this week. Concurrent with this shift, though most likely unrelated, he has decided that such business is best handled without a diaper, having peed on John three times (including at midnight and 3 a.m.) in the last 24 hours and on me twice. When this happens there is quite a bit of collateral damage in the form of laundry since the changing pad cover and all his clothes generally need to be changed. He also is spitting up a lot more lately, adding to the laundry mound. Looking at him now, peacefully sleeping away the afternoon, it's hard to fathom the damage potential, but let me tell you, he packs a punch.

This morning, John grabbed a sweatshirt for Edward, who rejected it saying he needed his "red sweatshirt." I don't think he has any conception of today being Valentine's day, but it's interesting since he almost never registers an opinion regarding his wardrobe. I didn't even make the connection until my sister sent a photo of her girls in matching Valentine pink. A photo so cute, by the way, that it prompted me to look for something red for Daniel to wear in an attempt to capture a sibling moment of our own. Unfortunately, our photo session didn't go very well. Each boy's best shot was an awkward moment for the other. The first photo here is sort of a compromise.

I should also report that Daniel is doing very well with the bottle. The last three nights he's sucked down four ounces without a fuss and so far has had no trouble going back and forth between bottle and breast feeding. Hooray!!

Check out the cheeks in the one-month photo in the last post. Daniel comes by those honestly, through dedicated effort in milk gulping. He weighed in at 9 lbs. at yesterday's doctor's appointment, two ounces short of two full pounds growth in the first month, boosting him to the 30th percentile in weight. He also gained about an inch and a half in length, which puts him in the 44th percentile. Strangely for a Kenyon with half Geraghty genes, he remains in the 12th percentile for head circumference. I expect that to change in the months ahead!

He is awake more these days, usually a few hours first thing in the morning and then again in the late afternoon/early evening. This timing works well because it means I get some one-on-one time with him in the morning and then he's also alert when Edward is playing after his nap and when John comes home from work. In between he takes some power naps and packs in some power meals. In the next few days, we'll see how adaptable he is when John introduces the bottle as an alternate feeding method. This is essential to lengthening the tether between mom and baby.

As Mary reported earlier this week, we received a lot of snow on Wednesday, and that, coupled with some cold temperatures (it's 3 degrees as I write this) has meant a lot of inside time for the Kenyons. Mary and I can find things to do, and Daniel mostly sleeps, but Edward is a restless ball of toddlerhood. That has meant a lot of diversions, creative ways to play and other ways to kill time and burn energy.

On Saturday, that meant a trip to the mall for Edward's first real haircut. Some might remember our "de-mulleting" of Edward last fall, but things had gotten beyond our parent-with-scissors capabilities. So, we took him to the cheap haircut place at the mall for his first time in the chair. He did great, sitting patiently while his hair was sprayed with water, combed and cut. The only time he caused problems was when the stylist was cutting the hair in the back because Edward kept wanting to turn around to watch, a physical impossibility that made it somewhat difficult. Overall, he was declared one of the best first haircuts ever and sent on his way.

He was rewarded with an hour at the soft toy playland, where he and about 50 other kids ran around like crazy, jumped and slid on the various big, plastic toys there. He absolutely loves the place (it's a free, open spot at the mall where parents can let kids burn off steam during a shopping trip), and while it's noisy and a bit nerve-wracking, I think I could sit and watch him play there all day. The video at the end of this post has a clip of him there.

From there it was home for a quiet day. I spent an hour shoveling out our driveway so we could use our garage for the first time in a week, and that proved to be the extent of the Kenyons' time outside for the weekend. Today, we've tried many different things to keep Ed occupied, from an improvised game that involved him carrying his various balls across the room to drop in a laundry basket to breaking out some Play-doh (that smell is primal... I felt like a preschooler again just taking a whiff) to make animal shapes (both documented in the video). Then again, the most fun we had was in watching Edward acting silly while carrying a ball through a game of "chase," making strange sounds as he made his way through the living room.

Through all of this, Daniel quietly celebrated his one-month birthday today. It's hard to believe a month has passed already, though in some ways, we've settled in so well as a family that it feels as if it has been longer. We're steadily figuring out how to balance the needs of both boys and still have some time for ourselves, and having a lot of fun watch Edward love (though at times "maul" might be a better word) his baby brother.

Eleven inches of new snow yesterday brought Iowa to a near stand-still yesterday with schools and many businesses closed. Even the university canceled classes, which is a rarity, though it's the second time this winter. John had to work or there wouldn't have been a newspaper for readers come Monday morning, so the boys and I saw him off and then had a whole day ahead of us. Normally I would have been prepared for a day off from school with ideas for things to do and perhaps even a field trip planned. But my limited activity log and Daniel's unpredictable schedule left me without the proper resources for toddler entertainment. We spent the morning alternating between happy playtime and total meltdown. We sang verses to "The Wheels on the Bus" that I didn't even know existed. Edward practiced his "ABCs" (he liberally edits the 26 letters, skipping from L to P in one incoherent mumble.) He dumped toys all through the living room and kitchen. He was happy to watch "Thomas the Tank Engine" while I was feeding Daniel. But four times before noon he was in hysterics, laying on the floor to scream about some perceived difficulty. At least once, I didn't even know what set him off.

I hate to admit I was counting the minutes until lunch time, since that immediately precedes nap time. But even after he went down for a nap, there was a looming dread, since I knew he hadn't had nearly enough morning activity to sustain his usual three-hour nap. Luckily, John came home early from work, arriving just as Ed was waking (an hour earlier than usual) and the two of them were able to go outside to shovel and play.

By dinner time, having heard his sassy "NnnnnO!" more than I could tolerate, I actually turned his chair upside down and told him he couldn't sit in it for dinner until he picked up all the bowls and other plastic containers he'd strewn about the kitchen. This achieved the desired action, whereas asking him five times and even getting down to "help," showing him what I wanted done, had not.

In contrast to our whole day of togetherness, today he went from daycare to Grandma and Grandpa's and didn't get home until 6 p.m. when John picked him up after work. I really missed him and was grateful that my halftime work schedule allows us more time together than just post-work until bedtime.

So I'm not winning any parenting awards this week, but I don't think I've created any permanent psychological scars either.

After being lavished with attention from Gram and PopPop this weekend, Edward and Daniel were supposed to bask in even more with a "Superbowl party" at Grandma and Grandpa's. (Daniel was clearly ready for the occasion--check out his "Heisman" pose!) I use quotes because the game was actually not the central reason for our plans, as it would have been for most people planning parties for this evening. But alas, more snow kept us from making even the short cross-town trip to their house. The forecast called for the possibility of two inches this afternoon. Instead it looks like we got about five or six and we were right in the thick of it when we tried to leave for Grandma and Grandpa's. We only got three blocks from our house when we realized we were being fools and turned around to head home. Cars were slipping and sliding all over the snowy streets, snow plows on Sunday being few and far between. We were even bigger fools for braving the snowy alley again in an attempt to get the car back to the garage. Once again we ended up crosswise and had to get help. Luckily, our neighbors were home and willingly came out to help John push. I steered the car onto our neighbor's blacktop where it now sits awaiting the freezing rain that is due to follow our afternoon snow. We've never had so much trouble with our alley in winter. The problem seems to be that those three ice storms we had in December created such a thick layer that it remains despite several different thawing days. When the tires spin the snow away they meet the ice and that's the end of the story.

Someone once told me that people should only be allowed to complain about one weather extreme--either excessive heat or cold, but not both. I've always been on the heat end of the weather hatred spectrum, but this winter is challenging my long-held belief that heat is more paralyzing than cold. I must remember that this has been a record-breaker both for cold temperatures and snow and that if we make it through, we likely won't see another like this for five to seven years. (This year is being compared frequently with the winter of 2000-01, the last time we saw so much snow and cold.)

The snow did bring good things for Edward though. Gram and PopPop got him a sled and took him out to play this morning. Yesterday's fresh inch provided the perfect new layer on our old accumulation and he defined glee as he "sped" down the mild slope at our neighborhood park. After each trip he proclaimed "I like it!" as PopPop caught him and then turned back to the top of the hill to shout, "I like it, Gram!" When they got home he and PopPop "threw" snowballs for a while and we could tell from inside how hard Ed was laughing. Wish we had an audio track of that one. PopPop made the snowballs and handed them to Ed who then basically just dropped them, but with a slight throwing motion. Not sure who had more fun, but they stayed out more than an hour.

Today is Daniel's official 40-week due date. Although we know he would have benefited from a full gestation, we're just as happy to have had him with us these last three-plus weeks and to have some of the initial hurdles behind us. And given that he was more than seven pounds at 36 weeks, I'm not sorry that I didn't have to carry him while he gained up to a half pound a week for four more weeks!

Will's early birth established that we would always be parents of premature children. The c-section I had with him required that all subsequent births be c-sections scheduled around 36 weeks to avoid the dangerous possibility of going into labor. Of course prematurity has meant different things for each our three boys, from Will's medical roller coaster to Edward's surprise Christmas arrival to Daniel's eating and jaundice issues. Other families we know have had different experiences with prematurity. We remain active with our local March of Dimes chapter and hope that in some way our efforts will lead to answers to the many questions we all have. Right now spring seems eons away, but I just received notice this week that Iowa City's March for Babies (the new name for the March of Dimes annual walk) is Saturday, April 19. We'll be there with a double stroller this year celebrating life and cherishing our memories of Will. We'll have more details later this month and next for those who would like to join Team Kenyon.

On Tuesday, Daniel surpassed the 200 diaper mark--pretty impressive for a kid who is just three weeks old today! In addition to just how tiny a 7-pound baby is, one of the things we'd forgotten about a newborn is what it's like to change 10 or more diapers daily. We're not really counting--I just noted the 200 milestone because I realized I was opening the sixth package of Huggies Newborns and there are 40 in each package.

Not too much to report. We're back in the deep freeze, and Daniel and I haven't left the house since Sunday. I'm going a little nutty on the post-surgery activity restriction. I feel completely fine, but have to abide by the "no lifting" restriction for another 1 to 3 weeks--the standard discharge instructions say four weeks, but my doctor said six. John is the enforcer and he thinks we should go with what the doctor said.

So Daniel and I stay home for such exciting activity as arm waving and head lifting. This is much more exhausting for a three-week-old than a 34-year-old so after a performace like the following, he usually requires a few hours sleep. I'm a fan of the nap myself, but usually only once a day.

The banner headline on our weekend reads:

KENYON FAMILY SLEEPS IN
Brothers snooze until 7:30 a.m.; parents luxuriate in post-dawn wake-up

Of course "sleeping in" and 7:30 a.m. really don't belong in the same sentence, and I'm not sure it counts when you've been up three times since your bedtime. But we take our victories where we can find them and this one meant we actually felt fairly well-rested for the first time in two weeks. We're not sure what made Edward sleep that long. If he keeps it up, we could be in trouble on weekdays, since that's the time he and John are supposed to be heading out the door. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it tomorrow.

In the last few days, Daniel has shifted to eating every three hours or so rather than every two to two and a half. This means three to four fewer feedings per day, including one fewer in the middle of the night. A welcome sign of growth! He also has more awake/alert time during the day, which is good for "playing" on his new blanket from Aunt Janet--warm and soft on our cold floors. Tummy time is more comfortable now that his umbilical cord stump has fallen off (as of yesterday.)

We had a great visit from Aunt Ann Thursday and Friday. Record cold temps were a good incentive to stay in and cuddle a snugly baby. Since Ann has two girls, Daniel thought she needed a lesson in parenting boys and managed to pee on her three times during diaper changes. He's also hit John a number of times. I had been feeling silently cocky, having avoided similar fate, but last night during a post-feed change, he caught up with me. Minutes away from heading back to bed with a full, dry baby, I had to detour to a naked baby, clean him up and dress him again.

Edward has a new tool for everyday life--a set of steps that allows him to climb in and out of bed and that gives him access to our tall bathroom sink. He loves to climb and is very proud of his new independence. Since I'm still on lifting restriction following my surgery, this also allows me to be home alone with him and not worry about having to pick him up. The independent streak is not as fun in other areas--we're experiencing an unwelcome bit of sass now and trying to nip it in the bud. Time-out works to some extent, but we think he's starting to think of it as a game in and of itself. Other tactics may soon be invented and employed.

Daniel weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. at today's doctor appointment--back to his birth weight and beyond at 13 days. Speaking of birth weight, we've learned that the grams to pounds conversion we were first given, and which we reported here, was incorrect. His actual weight was closer to 7 lbs. 2 oz. Today's doctors still thought Daniel looked yellow down to his waist, but since it's not getting worse and since he'd gained an impressive amount of weight (44 grams per day since Friday) they decided they didn't need to take any blood for a bilirubin check. They'll see him again in February for his one-month check up.

In other news, I am wearing pants that button at the waist! Granted they're a size bigger than I've been wearing the last few years, a relic from a heavier period in life, but still, no elastic. For around the house I'm perfectly comfortable in my sweats, but it's nice not to look like a total slob on my infrequent forays into the real world.

Timing is a beautiful thing. Today Daniel had a nice long meal just as Edward was going down for his afternoon nap. Daniel was out like a light after he ate (and burped) so I swaddled him and laid him in the crib and headed straight back to bed myself for a two-hour nap! This was much needed after Daniel's 5:30 wake-up call morphed into Edward's 6:05 wake-up call. Daniel probably had something to do with Edward's slightly early rise. John was changing him before I sat down to feed him and Daniel decided to launch his first open-air pee in Dad's direction. This necessitated a change of clothes before the feeding so he was plenty hungry (i.e. screaming) by the time he actually got to eat.

One more funny nap story: yesterday, Edward was so exhausted from his morning of fun with Aunt Nora that he was still sleeping at 4:30 after going down about 12:45. We decided to open his door a crack to rouse him. The door opening did not wake him, but a few minutes later John went to check and came out doubled over in laughter, beckoning Nora to come take a look. I was feeding Daniel and not in a position to get up. Edward was sitting up in his bed with his "teeny blankie" (a soft blanket about 1 foot square that is his required bedtime sidekick) over his head--just sitting there, not saying a word. John finally stopped laughing enough to go in and inquire, "Edward, what are you doing?" Then renewed the laughter when the response came:

"I hiding Daddy!"

I started this blog post on Thursday. It’s now Saturday morning, and I think I can get it done while Aunt Nora has Edward out on an adventure and Daniel sits peacefully in his car seat in a sunbeam.

Here’s the quick summary: we spent the week battling Daniel’s jaundice (hence the sunbeam), which required doctor visits every morning except Thursday. We’re now headed in the right direction though and we don’t have to go back until Wednesday for his two-week check up. Although I reported last Sunday that nursing was going well, by Monday afternoon Daniel had decided to become Bartleby the Breastfeeder (he "preferred not to") and it took until Thursday to get him fully back on track. In the meantime there were many frustrating attempts to get him to nurse directly so that I wouldn’t have to pump milk to feed him by syringe. Also early in the week, Edward, who is still very tender toward Daniel, decided that he did not have to interact with his parents in quite the same way. Several bedtime battles ensued leaving more than one member of the family in tears. But we think we’ve found a solution to that as well and haven’t had trouble the last few nights. We hope we’re back to his routine of post-dinner play time, bath/pajamas, a pile of books to read, a bit of juice and then off to bed with no fuss.

And for those who want the full report, here’s where I started on Thursday—skip this section if you’re squeamish about breastfeeding:

Daniel’s first week—what a whirlwind! Lots to report since the last post—the good, the bad, and the truly ugly. We took Daniel to the doctor on Monday for his post-hospital check up and he’d lost a little weight, but nothing alarming. He was looking a little yellow so they drew some blood to check his bilirubin level. They didn’t have us wait for the result because they didn’t think it would be high enough to warrant further treatment, but they called later that afternoon to say it was just below the level at which he’d need to be admitted for phototherapy (nothing invasive, just a therapeutic light—Will had this off and on, which was why he wore the purple goggles.)

So they decided we should have it rechecked on Wednesday instead of waiting until Friday to come back. In the meantime they reminded us that if he wasn’t eating well or was acting more lethargic/sleepy, we should call in and probably bring him back. Up to this point he’d been nursing really well, but this changed on Monday and into Tuesday morning. My milk really came in between Sunday and Monday, which would seem like a good thing for a kid who needs to eat, but it actually was too much. Even when I pumped to get things flowing for him he just wouldn’t latch. We ended up feeding him by syringe all through the night and we had to wake him to eat. So Tuesday morning I called to report that he was sleepier and not eating well, and they said to bring him back in. Luckily the bilirubin was not severely elevated from the previous day—just .3 higher, so no cause for alarm. Just keep doing what you’re doing and he’ll get back to direct breastfeeding.

Tuesday was a really hard day for all of us. Toward late afternoon the lactation consultant called to check on us—good timing, as she had some helpful tips for getting feeding back on track and easing my discomfort. She noted that both engorgement and jaundice peak at about 5 days of life, making things extra difficult—the breast is too large and hard for his tiny mouth and he’s too sleepy to make the effort. Plus, she said, despite his general good health and size, at 36 weeks he’s still only “near term” which means he needs more time to catch up to full term babies. While extremely helpful, the tips she suggested made each feeding attempt stretch to nearly an hour, so not much sleep to be had on Tuesday night. And that’s how I came to be standing over the sink at 2 a.m. Wednesday washing bottles and breast pump parts with an ice pack strapped to my chest with the belt of my robe. (Remember, I said at the beginning that things got ugly!) But we had a major break through at 4:53 a.m. when he latched on and nursed for a good 15 minutes. I felt like dancing, but was afraid to move even a millimeter from the extremely awkward hunched over position perched on the edge of the couch that I happened to be in when he finally started guzzling it down.

Since then he’s been nursing well, though it was Thursday before he was equally adept at latching on both right and left. Because of that I still had to do some pumping to ensure continued production when he wouldn’t nurse directly. That’s how I learned that I am again in the “super producer” category, when at one point I pumped three ounces in less than five minutes. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand and right now he would only be demanding about an ounce or maybe two. The lactation consultant was quite impressed—or was it shocked?

Notwithstanding the cuteness of this photo of Ed playing with the Boppy pillow, Tuesday was also the day he decided to assert his right to be 2, refusing to let John change him for bed. He was screaming and rolling over on the changing table, making it impossible for John to get his diaper on. I ended up holding him down at the chest while John battled the kicking legs and finally got the diaper on. This battle became so emotional that two out of three of us ended up in tears and Edward went to bed without any stories because he couldn’t settle enough to be held and read to. I was beside myself that he was so upset and there was nothing I could do to comfort him since I can’t pick him up. I even laid down on the floor next to him trying to soothe him, but to no avail. He finally calmed once he was in bed.

The next morning, I invented the “magic changing blanket.” Since I can’t lift him to the changing table and he clearly was having some sort of problem with it anyway, we’re now laying a soft fuzzy blanket (thanks Aunt Janet!) on the floor and he willingly flops down to be changed—almost every time. I don’t delude myself that this is the end of it, but at least we’ve reached a temporary detente.

We had a day off from doctor visits on Thursday, but were back again Friday, where the combination of cold/flu season along with the arctic forecast and the Monday holiday had every nervous parent with a borderline ill child trying to squeeze in to see a doctor and avoid a weekend trip to the ER (we SO need an urgent care clinic for nights and weekends!!!) Our appointment was at 9:45. We arrived on time and took a seat in the “well child” waiting area—the hallway outside the clinic. We were the fifth in a row of infant car seats. People kept coming out of other offices along that hallway to see the “baby row.” Not a single person was called to go in for the first 30 minutes. I had the misfortune of having selected a seat next to a man who felt the need to maintain a constant narration of the world—sometimes spoken and sometimes sung—for his three-month-old, including such gems as “We’re at the hospital,” “Your brother has a cough” and “This is the university” repeated over and over and over until I thought I would throttle him.

Finally things got moving, but we still waited about 45 minutes just to get in the examining room. By then it was well past feeding time, so Daniel started chomping away just as the resident came in and wanted to check his yellow coloring. She did the best she could while he kept nursing. I was so mad about waiting so long I wasn’t in the mood to be accommodating. He finished nursing while she consulted with the attending doctor and they both came back to report that they wanted do repeat the blood test to be sure the bilirubin was decreasing. They thought he looked “less yellow” but it wasn’t obvious enough that they were comfortable going with their gut, especially given the aforementioned long weekend ahead. Also, even though his full week weight gain was within the expected range, he’d lost two ounces since Wednesday.

So back to the lab, where, for the first time all week, there was not a full waiting room of people ahead of us. It was our turn in short order, and we finally got out of there at about 11:30—just enough time to pick up some lunch for ourselves and then get over to the daycare to pick up Edward at noon. The doctor called mid-afternoon to report that the bilirubin level was indeed on its way down--a full point lower than it had been on Wednesday, so we'll hope that continues and maybe we won't have a yellow kid by next week. Which basically brings us up to date. Aunt Nora arrived shortly after Ed woke up from his nap and he’s been having a ball with her ever since—impressing her with his constant conversation and ability to count to 10.

My sitemeter report indicates that there were more than 500 hits on the blog this week—about double our usual traffic. I assume that’s multiple checks by the same people seeking updates. We’ll try to keep things current, but it’s amazing how fast the time slips away. John heads back to work next week—in the office in the mornings and at home (as much as can be accomplished amid the chaos) in the afternoons.

And to show that we did have moments of levity in this stressful week, here’s Edward’s attempt to remove his own shirt, for no apparent reason other than he discovered that it was possible: