One Month Old!
Disclaimer: I started this post March 31st, really I did!

Well, he's not really a month old until tomorrow at 12:12 PM, but since I've got a few minutes, I'd better get this written now!! It sure doesn't seem like a month since Paul and I were wondering who loved us enough to welcome our 17-month-old at 3 AM (thanks, Kirk and Beth!) and what we should name this eager little boy. It also doesn't seem like a month that I've been sleeping in while somebody else gets up with Jay, feeds him breakfast, and keeps him busy for a couple of hours. But there's the calendar and the fact that my tiny baby is fitting in his clothes to tell me differently.

Like his brother at this stage, Isaac prefers sleeping on or next to his Mama, though he's had a couple of good naps in his car seat the past couple of days (but only because I was able to put him there without really waking him). Unlike Jay, Isaac does not doze off automatically upon being placed in the stroller. This came as something of a disappointment, though he does seem to cheer up a bit when we go outside (I only had to get that creative once).

I haven't been using the sling as much as I thought I would (or as much as I should, I'm sure), but Friday it served us well. We went to the Friends of the Library book sale members only preview sale, which is at least as crowded and hectic as it sounds. Having been there once before, I knew we didn't want to take the big stroller, which meant Isaac wouldn't get a stroller. No way we could set Jay free there. I let the sling out a little, since Isaac wasn't really fitting the other times I tried it (only Jay's midsection had to go in when I used it with him), and voila, I had a baby bag. I was even able to push Jay in the umbrella stroller while wearing Isaac so Paul could finish up (Jay was getting rather antsy- his brother was sound asleep)! It was a beautiful day, and I found a couple of Dr. Seuss books, a book about kittens, and one other children's book which I can't recall. All in all, a very successful outing, though I-Max woke up when I put him back in his car seat and cried the whole way home from Burlington. Except for when Jay was playing with I's canopy.

Isaac sleeps a lot, and stays pretty contented when he's full, except after about 10, when he seems to think we should all be in bed. Wise beyond his years- uh, month.
- posted by Lenise @ 9:02 PM |

 
Real Estate Update
So we have new porch decking and new, steady, non-steep porch stairs. They replaced the porch supports too, so the painted white rails look slightly odd against the green-tinted pressure-treated wood which comprises the rest of the porch. Not historically accurate, but the guy said we could paint the new stuff to make it look a little less out-of-character. After it dries for 3 months. At first, I thought he was saying that the paint would have to dry for three months, but thinking back on it later, I realized he MUST be talking about the wood.

My two favorite houses are under contract (the bungalow with the kitchen pantry and pretty variegated hardwood floors and the 1940s bungalow with the 1800 sf and the FR with built-in bookcases), which makes me think our best possibility is the vernacular (plain Jane) Queen Anne cottage (and I really wanted a Queen Anne cottage anyway) in Durham. I've done some research on the neighborhood, and it looks like they have an actual community there. That sounds very nice. In a National Register district with involved neighbors, maybe we could get some help and advice on house stuff. Our community in Mebane really revolves around our interaction in the commercial district, where lots of folks know us (especially Jay), but this still leaves some formality. It would be really fun to have a community where people were comfortable dropping by to borrow a cup of sugar or what-have-you. It just seems like it would foster deeper relationships.

Anyway, I may just give the HPSD a call in the morning and set up an appointment to see the house. That one photo has me wondering, though, whether we don't have this going on. Cedar shakes as a living room wall treatment? Wha...?
- posted by Lenise @ 9:56 PM |

 
Belated 18 Months
It's not that I forgot. I even considered starting an "18 Fun Facts" list on the 20th, but I just haven't had chunks of time which coincided with a productive state of mind (if you can count blogging as productive). Anyway, Jay hasn't really picked up any new words (though his "mum-mum-muh" convinced all the grandparents that he can say "banana") or developed any mad skillz in the last month. As far as I can tell, though, he's doing pretty well- he hasn't shown any overt signs of regression in the face of Isaac's arrival, just some heightened clinginess. And now I have a crying baby to attend to, if you'll excuse me. *Sigh*
- posted by Lenise @ 11:19 AM |

 
Confucius Say...
So we went out for Chinese after church on Sunday at one of our favorite Sunday lunch spots. I think we got a new waiter (at least new to us) because he kept telling us how cute the boys were. At the end of our meal, he brought 4 fortune cookies and after dinner mints and handed one to each of us (leaving Isaac's in the check tray). I don't remember what the fortunes were, but the "Learn Chinese" word was interesting. One of us got bean sprouts, another water chestnuts or some other edible. Isaac's was "boss".
- posted by Lenise @ 11:13 AM |

 
Mmmmm-
Harry and David truffles! Thanks, Cathy and family!!
- posted by Lenise @ 3:06 PM |

 
Sad and Beautiful
Mom and Dad, you need to take a look.
- posted by Lenise @ 10:16 PM |

 
Fun!
This one has photos now! I really like the family room with the built-in bookcases!
- posted by Lenise @ 8:14 PM |

 
Good Thing I Have a Sense of Humor
My realtor just made a point of sending me this listing. I realize that it SAYS everything's on the first floor, but you don't have to look too hard at that bedroom photo to see that it's not. There's also a listing agent comment about the first floor bath that might clue you in. At least the listing says the house is 1.5 stories. It's possible it could work if there's only one bedroom on the second floor, but from the room dimensions, I'd guess two of them are. Guess I'll have to ask my realtor. Ha ha.

UPDATE: I was right. Only one BR on the first floor. And another one bites the dust!
- posted by Lenise @ 1:16 PM |

 
Cordless
Isaac can finally bathe in the baby tub! Won't he just love it? Well, SOMEday he will ;)
- posted by Lenise @ 12:43 PM |

 
Now for the Good News
We took the boys in for Jay's 18-month appointment last Thursday. I wanted to have Isaac weighed, because although Jay gained weight really well the first week, he hadn't gained anything significant when we went back for his one-month appointment. And Isaac had actually lost an ounce in the week and four days since his post-discharge appointment. Jay, on the other hand, had gained maybe half a pound since Paul took him in last Monday with his stomach virus, and had shot up a couple inches since his 15-month appointment, reaching the 80th percentile for height, which is more in line with his weight (95th pctl- lucky me!)

So Isaac was instructed to return Monday or Tuesday of this week to make sure he wasn't continuing to lose weight. Paul and I both had appointments Monday, so we didn't make it out with Isaac until yesterday. Paul took him in the afternoon and returned with the triumphant news that Isaac was, in his words, "as big as a convenience store". From 7-3 to 7-11 in five days is pretty good! Yay, Isaac! No formula for you =]
- posted by Lenise @ 9:59 PM |

 
Good Thing They Told Us
Because without "prospective buyers" we wouldn't know that our house was cluttered and messy. Thanks, y'all.
- posted by Lenise @ 9:58 PM |

 
Just a Quick Note
Hmmm.
- posted by Lenise @ 10:23 PM |

 

This one speaks for itself
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:29 PM |

 

Big Brother Kostya
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- posted by Lenise @ 1:29 PM |

 
Instead of a Two-Story Brick House
in Mebane, maybe we could have a 1.5 story brick house in Hillsborough? Not nearly as pretty, though =[

It's got a basement as well.
- posted by Lenise @ 1:34 PM |

 
Looking Back,
I realize that I didn't even gloat about my skepticism that Isaac was going to wait around for his due date. I had pointed out to the OB I saw on Feb. 28th that certain things were happening which hadn't happened the first time around, but as I mentioned in my post from that day, he didn't give them much heed, and was, in fact, very cavalier about my suggestion that the baby wouldn't hold out until the 20th. And that very night, well, Isaac decided the time had come. I realize that going into labor by any definition is an unpredictable thing, but it seems like the professionals I deal with could be a little more sensitive to my gut instincts. Dismissing my hunches has made them look not so smart, to say the least.
- posted by Lenise @ 2:07 PM |

 
Well That Figures
The gorgeous Dutch Colonial is already under contract. Two days on the market. Must've been quite a steal. *Sigh*
- posted by Lenise @ 1:47 PM |

 
This One's for You, Mom & Dad!!
Walked by with Isaac this morning. Absolutely beautiful house. Probably too many stories for me, but I'd sure like to take a look! Missing one pane of glass in the front door, but the bricks looked good. I'll see if I can get a photo or two for y'all!

It looks a lot like this, but with a real porch on the first floor, complete with pergola. Ahh!
- posted by Lenise @ 12:42 PM |

 

Who is flashing bright lights at me?
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:40 PM |

 

Quality time with Grandpa G
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:40 PM |

 

Sacked out on the sofa
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:39 PM |

 

Playing through the pain
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:38 PM |

 

Is that enough rocking, already??
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:37 PM |

 

Rocking baby brother
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:36 PM |

 

Doing what we do best
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- posted by Lenise @ 5:32 PM |

 
And Because Some Things Never Change...
These two are back on the market. I've asked our realtor to find out why the deals went south so we don't have to learn the hard way.
- posted by Lenise @ 1:42 PM |

 
And Baby Makes Four
So, Paul gave you the highlights (though he didn't record his reaction when I woke him at 2:30 AM to tell him my water broke: a sleepy, stunned "No!"), but I'd like to point out that because we arrived so late in the wee hours, they weren't going to call anybody to come perform the infant extraction procedure unless I was in serious labor anyway, so the delay had nothing to do with my little snack. It was occasioned by the timing of the day's other surgeries. So there.

Jay's been learning a lot about getting his grandfolks to work for him and how to find a baby's nose. Apart from a bad crying spell the day we came home from the hospital, he's been adjusting really well. Of course, having a set of grandparents on hand at all times has been a huge help! Unfortunately, Jay came down with a fever which progressed into diarrhea, which progressed into vomiting, all with periodic ear grabs. He saw the doc this morning, and apparently there is no ear infection, so it's just a digestive tract thing. We've handled that before, though there was a lot more vomiting this time (using "was" hopefully). Still no fun to have a grumpy hungry child around who isn't allowed to eat much of anything. Good thing he likes bananas!

Isaac does look a lot like his brother, though he's very small by comparison. I was a little peeved, though, that they kept referring to him as a preemie. Technically, yes, but only by a couple of days, and at over 7 pounds, he hardly qualifies as a tiny newborn. Honestly, my pride enters into the equation more than it should. It's by the grace of God that Isaac was born healthy and strong, not because I did everything right. Let me repeat that to myself a few times, now!
- posted by Lenise @ 11:23 AM |

 

Sleeeepy close-up
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- posted by Lenise @ 11:45 AM |

 

Sleeepy in a fire truck suit
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- posted by Lenise @ 11:44 AM |

 

Sleeeepy in synthetic fleece
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- posted by Lenise @ 11:44 AM |

 

Showing little brother the ropes
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- posted by Lenise @ 11:42 AM |

 

Haaaappy with Grandpa
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- posted by Lenise @ 11:42 AM |

 

Sleeeeepy with Grandma
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- posted by Lenise @ 11:41 AM |

 

Sleeeeepy baby
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- posted by Lenise @ 11:41 AM |

 

Content and warm. Our little burrito.
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:15 PM |

 

In all his smeary glory
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:14 PM |

 

He's not happy, though!
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:13 PM |

 

He's awake!!
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:13 PM |

 

Proud Daddy- Again!
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:11 PM |

 

Close-up time!
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:06 PM |

 

Wooooah... Costa Rican salsa!
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:06 PM |

 

Oh, OK. I'm a grouch! =]
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:06 PM |

 

Jonah of Plus One during a recent visit
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:05 PM |

 

Who, me, A grouch?
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- posted by Lenise @ 9:03 PM |

 
Isaac Carlisle Baxter was born on March 1 at 12:12 pm. Lenise's water broke at about 2 am, so she woke me up. We called the Nelsons who finally woke up enough to answer the phone and were gracious enough to take John for us until we are available to get him again. Lenise wanted to eat some Honey Nut Cheerios on the way out the door, so they were unwilling to do the operation until those got digested.

Isaac is fine. He likes to sleep a lot. Doesn't cry much yet.

Lenise is doing pretty well. Not nearly as much pain and nausea as the first birth. We don't know when mom and son will make it home yet. Perhaps Saturday.
- posted by Gary @ 10:34 AM |