And baby makes... four

Alexander Nicholas was born very late Tuesday November 1 after a very long labor process.  The short version is that we went to the hospital at 2am Monday morning at an appropriate stage, especially considering that the doctors wanted to get two doses of antibiotics, 4 hours apart, before the delivery (long story).  Things progressed well towards that direction until about 6am when they came to a screeching halt... and then reversed a bit.  The kid started swimming laps (at 41 weeks!!) and got out of the perfect headstand he had been doing for the previous month.  We got kiddo flipped around and then had a couple interventions to help things along while he was still in that position.  Mom still had to do all the normal contracting and pushing and such, and she was absolutely amazing, and in the end we got a perfect little person.  It took nearly two full days, but we got him out eventually, which is all that matters in the end.
    Alexander is doing quite well (retaining weight, no jaundice, etc.) and literally gets more beautiful every day.  He started with a full head of dark hair like his mother, but there are already signs of it getting lighter (not surprising if you know my side of the family).  He has been observing every little thing since he first opened his eyes, and I swear he's already trying to figure out how to make a social smile.  On the downside, he fights sleep more than anyone I've ever encountered.  His brother is a master of fighting sleep, but I think Alexander could surpass him quickly.
    Mom is doing less well.  No major medical problems to worry about, but her legs haven't recovered from the stress as well as they did the first time, so she's having more trouble getting around.  But every day is better than the last, so I'm sure she will be almost back to full capacity, in terms of leg strength at least, by the time I go back to work.

First Haircut

After nearly 3 years, Andrew finally got his first haircut.  He was a little anxious about sitting in the chair and all, but once he got situated with lollypop in mouth and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the TV, the hairdresser could have done anything and he wouldn't have minded.  He definitely has his father's hair in terms of the back sticking up when it gets too short, so she put in some "product" to keep it down.  She also asked whether he wanted any color, and his response was predictable to anyone who has ever discussed colors with him in the past 6 months: blue.  He LOVES blue.  Coincidentally, his sucker was blue, so his tongue matched his hair.  He was a trooper, and he looks a lot cleaner cut, but I gotta admit I kinda miss my shaggy little boy.
   When we got home, we made some "ghost brownies" (it was a kit from Target, 70% off after Halloween), and Andrew was an excellent helper.  He measured spoonfuls of water, stirred very gently, and didn't get mad at Daddy for forgetting to grease the pan before pouring in the mix (Daddy remembered midway through and poured it all back into the bowl, greased the pan, and poured it again).  He also got himself and Mommy a brownie, without Daddy's knowledge, before we had a chance to add the marshmallow ghosts and frosting.  But it all worked out in the end, and we had a fun afternoon.  He is an amazing helper, and very good at sharing.  There are times that Daddy could learn some patience from his son.  Not a lot, but some for sure.

Still here

Sorry about the lack of updates, all you faithful fans of Andrew. It's been 2 months since our last post, and most of the summer has passed us by. We've traveled to Nana's house to see cousins (and Granddad run fast), had a week-long fever, and learned that "parents" means Mommy and Daddy. We've also felt the baby in Mommy's belly move a LOT, which makes me want to get back into the habit of blogging so we can keep everyone up to date as things progress in the coming months.

Andrew is super-excited about being a big boy, now that he has a big boy room and wears big boy underwear, so he is adamant that he is no longer a baby. He is, therefore, very willing to let someone else take that role. I think part of him wonders what will happen when the baby is outside of Mommy instead of inside, but most of his interactions suggest he will be a good big brother. When we ask him what we should call the baby, he invariably tells us "Andrew". It is a good name for a baby, but I think we'll go with something different this time.

Big Brother

While most people who read this are already aware, I thought I would make it "internet official" by posting it on the blog. Perhaps we need to change the name to the Bean and Monkey Blog now. Andrew is looking forward to being a brother, at least as far as we can tell. Then again he hasn't actually met the baby yet, so we'll see how long that lasts.