Happy Mother's Day!

I just want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to my mother and to all of the mothers in my life. Mother isn't just a noun, but also a verb defined as "to watch over, nourish, and protect". I'm grateful to all those in my life who have mothered both myself and my little family.

Getting in a little brother snuggle time before leaving for church this morning.

Hi Peter!

Eliot and Peter are continuing to charm and delight. Last week Peter started giving us genuine and very intentional smiles. His eyes light up, he kicks his little legs, and coos. Just adorable. Eliot is pretty impressed with his little brother and enjoys helping out. He rocks the car seat when Peter is fussing, bounces him in the bouncy seat, tosses diapers in the trash and greats him with a friendly "Hi Peter", which he picked up from me. Having a two year old certainly makes you a lot more self-aware. It's like living with a talking mirror.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Our's was lovely. The Easter Bunny visited our home and we had our friends, the Van Ormans, over for dinner on Sunday. It was a beautiful day so we took a walk around the neighborhood to get some fresh air into the little guys (Eliot, Peter, and the Van Ormans' son Gus). Spring is starting to really bloom here in Toronto and it's been fun getting out with Eliot and Peter to look at all the flowers and the new little leaves coming out on the bushes.

Eliot didn't know why he received a basket full of fun and treats, but he sure wasn't complaining.

Playing with Cydney and Gus.

Helping Mommy make quiche.

Peter is focused on being a little snuggle bug, and he's doing a very good job of it I must say. At his one month check-up he weighed in at 11 lbs.

Eliot playing in his "tent" in the living room.

Bathing Little Peter

Peter has graduated to the kitchen sink for his baths and tolerates them fairly well. His favorite part is having his hair washed. I always wash it last after he's been dried, diapered, clothed and swaddled, and he seems to find it very relaxing. I love how fluffy and soft his hair gets after it dries. I'd forgotten what a production baths can be for these little guys. But it's also such a tender time.

Happy Birthday Mr. Eliot!

When Eliot returned home at the beginning of the month we had a little belated birthday celebration for him. It's not every day that your little boy turns two, and though the actual day came while he was in Milwaukee we still wanted to express our love for him and all that he is becoming. It's amazing to me how much he has changed in the past two years. We love you Eliot!

Brothers

The Eliot/Peter Fan Club has officially lodged a complaint with Can-Am Youngs. Eliot has been back in Toronto for over a week now. Where are all the pictures? All I can offer in my defense is the crazy time we've been having finding our new groove. Not getting back into our old one, but forging a brand new path. When Eliot pulled into town with my parents on April 2 he was not really in the mood to humor us. He was coming home with a cold that included a low-grade fever, had just ridden for about 12 hours in his car seat, and was up about 2 hours past his bed time. He was satisfied to simply look at his new brother and then go to bed.

As the days have passed, however, he has become more and more interested in this new little person in the home.

He can say Peter's name better than his own (he pronounces "Eliot" as "Ette") and is fascinated with everything Peter does.

He likes to help with diaper changes and is very skilled at tossing the old diaper into the trash.

All in all, things are going really well. And as they both continue to grow and develop it will be fun to see them become even better acquainted.

Smiles

Just thought I'd post a few more pictures of little Peter. He smiles a lot for such a new little guy. I know that the professionals chalk these smiles up to gas or some such non-emotion, but what do they know :)

Reading with Mommy.