Dress Up: Part Two

Ok, confession, Wilson is not the only one who enjoys dress-up. Here is little butterfly Jane and her new abode. (For fans of the Soule Mama blog, you will see that I shamelessly copied her little girl's room).

The Butterfly and the Ballerina

Let the wild rumpus begin! Wilson has been asking to play with Jane for a while now (can I hold Jane's hands for ring around the rosy? can she crawl around the floor like a lion? can we do tubby (tummy?) time?). We found that dress-up was a good start. Wilson donned his butterfly wings and picked out the tutu for Jane. He's been sorting pink things for her for a while. Ah, gender coding.

Why do babies cry?

Much attention has been on Jane August lately, but our Wilson has also grown in leaps and bounds. It seems we have entered into WHY? territory, surrounding the baby and all living things. Why does the sun make it warm, Mommy? Our budding philosopher also poses us questions we are at a loss to answer, though John loves how it reminds him of logic. Why is Elmo, Elmo? Wilson firmly declares that Wilson is Wilson, Mommy is Mommy, and Daddy is Daddy, as if he is realizing the power of naming and the true essence of things (and people). Witness a recent exchange:

Wilson: I am a baby bird. You are the mommy bird.
Gretchen: What is baby Jane?
Wilson: A worm. She is slimy.

A Great Birth

We are home now, and all is well. Wilson is bravely entering new sibling territory, and adores holding his new baby Jane and asking tons of questions about her every move. I am just reflecting on the past couple of days, and feeling so lucky and blessed to have birthed this baby girl in such a peaceful and gentle way. The cesarean birth was calm and ever so speedy, and we were suddenly graced with this beautiful child. Jane is a champ at nursing, and just like her brother, has already figured out how to Houdini her way out of a swaddle to wiggle those active arms and legs around. On her second night, she was up from 1:30 to 3:30 howling whenever she was not at my breast. It seemed as if all the babies on the floor joined her chorus, and the next day we found out it had been a full moon. These little ones are so deeply connected to the rhythm of the earth.

Here are the pics!

Gretchen looking beautiful in hospital garb.



And a good picture of Jane being held by her lovely Grammy.



Wil doing an especially good job of holding his new baby sister, and a balloon.

Jane August Young!

Yesterday at approximately 3:45 p.m. Jane August Young was born. At birth she weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces, was 19 and one-half inches in length, and arrived with a nice head of reddish hair. She is beautiful. Pictures to follow once we get all of our camera parts in one place.

Laying on of hands

It is always inspiring to be around creative, strong women, and I count myself lucky to have just widened my circle of friends with fellow mamas from library storytime. Jen, Lynn, Ericka and Courtney (and kiddos) shared a beautiful morning outside, and then gave me a beautiful gift of a belly-cast. What a great memory for my little one. Here are some of the first-born getting ready to leap off a rock in our backyard, full of energy and life and seeming oh-so-big all of a sudden.

Julie comes in first!

Our lovely friend Julie just had a little one this morning. So her little boy and our little girl will be soulmates, since their mamas were pregnant at the same time! Here we are together just last Sunday. Here's to a close second! (I was up last night with little pains, but nothing to speak of, so it could still be a while). We just had an amazing morning/afternoon with a close circle of women and kids who shared sun, food and a belly cast, and I'm hoping the laying on of hands will trigger some REAL contractions.

Still Waiting...

I imagine that not all of you are counting the days at every moment, but we here in the Young-Hunt household are ready, ready, READY to see this new little girl's face! As Wilson put it yesterday, it is hard waiting for our new baby sister. Bags are packed, house is as clean as it will be (time spent outside in the pool is better spent than really nesting, right?), and we are well stocked with teeny-weeny diapers. Our due date is June 17th, a week from today, and I am scheduled for a cesarean birth on Monday, June 16th at 3pm. But this mama is crossing her fingers that I go into labor a bit earlier so that we can greet her even sooner. We'll post updates as soon as we know more...

Contemplations of a Soon-to-be-big brother

Wilson is really thinking a lot about the changes to come, and how he is very BIG. A recent conversation:

(Waking up from Cary's house when mom picked him up. Being carried out the door, he suddenly brightens up...)

Wilson: LOOK at the honeybees!

(Jumps down from mom's arms and bends to look at the flowers)

Mom: Yes, look at them getting the pollen from the flowers.

Wilson: Look at the big ones. They are my age.

Mom: Yes, they are big. Are they 2?

Wilson: Look at the baby ones. They are like my new baby sister. Watch out, mommy, don't get too close!

Mom: (Smiling) I won't.