Ben and Caroline's Blog

Here is a video from our play date yesterday with Addison and Watson. I think it is so sweet. However, one of the moms in my bible study group brought up this week how blogging and facebook can make things appear much different than they really are because moms will only post the good stuff. So in the interest of full disclosure I will give you a description of how the play date really went down.

Emily woke up from her nap right after I sat down to nurse Mark. I can't remove Emily from the crib while nursing Mark so she just had to wait. She wasn't happy when I finally got her out. Addison and Watson arrived shortly thereafter. Emily got very upset as soon as Addison started playing with her toys. I had to pull Emily off of Addison numerous times. Picture Emily crying, saying "mine, mine, mine" while maintaining a very firm grasp on Addison's hair and/or sweater. Then of course there is her signature move which appears to be a hug but is really just her way of going in for the kill. Johanna and I both have to get really close to determine if it is a hug or an attempted tackle or bite. Towards the end it was just hugs - we think. Emily eventually warmed up and decided to share her toys but by then Addison had apparently gotten more comfortable too because she decided that she no longer wanted to wear pants or a diaper. So Johanna then spent some time chasing after Addison. Amidst the chaos there was this really sweet moment and Johanna caught it on video. I guess it's just much easier to take a photo or video when things are going well. After all, no one has a free hand when Emily's WWF alter ego comes out to play.

Here are some pics of Emily doting on Mark. She is a great big sister as long as I am not nursing. We are still working on that:) Some days are really hectic and exhausting around here but we are finally getting into a reliable routine (with the occasional "what the heck happened" day.) Mark has not slept through the entire night again but he is consistently sleeping through one of his night feedings so I usually only need to get up once to feed him at night now. He cried here and there last night but only needed to be fed once. Yay Mark!! Getting enough sleep is everything when you have a toddler and a newborn so I am very excited about these longer stretches. Mark's 8 week appointment is next Tuesday and although I dread the shots I can't wait to get his progress report.

We went to a super bowl party with our friends at the Kummer's house last night (thanks so much for Hosting!) We had a great time seeing our friends and the house was swarming with cute babies. Mark and Emily had a good time hanging out with their friends too and Mark was alert and happy the whole time. We left at half time so we could get home for bathtime and bedtime. I fed Mark at 8:15 and then he was asleep by 9. And then he slept until 5am. Yep, that's right, my 7 week old just slept through the night. Here is a picture of us taking Mella for a walk before taking Emily to school. It's going to be a great day!

Emily goes to preschool on Mondays which means Mark gets some undivided attention. I snapped this pic while Emily was at school. I'll let the picture speak for itself.

The last few weeks have gone by so fast and I have a few exciting milestones to report. Mark has been doing really well and so far I would say having a newborn is easier the second time around. Of course things are significantly more hectic and demanding with two kids than it was with just one - but the baby part itself is easier this time.

So, my first bit of exciting news is that Mark is now sleeping for 6-7 hour stretches at night. (just the last two nights but I'm optimistic) Hooray! The next exciting news is that Emily is starting to be potty trained. She actually asked to sit on her potty lastnight after her bath. Mark was in his bouncy seat in the next room at that time screaming through the bath so I went to get him soon as I could. By the time I got him Emily was running around diaperless so in the rush I forgot to check her potty. I didnt notice until later that she had completed such a big milestone. So sorry Emily! But she did it and I'm very excited about the possibility of a repeat performance soon!

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We had kind of a rough start to the morning, but then I discovered Mark likes the carrier and everything is much easier now! And the sun is finally out. Hooray!

The weekends have been a little more low key since Mark has arrived on the scene. But we still manage to have a lot of fun. We're looking forward to heading to Austin soon to see the family there and the new member of the Ingle's. In the meantime I promised some great grandparents fresh pictures to tide them over. Here's some shots of us playing inside since the weather has been so bad. Looking forward to some sunshine soon, hopefully next week...

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It's been two weeks since Mark was born and I'm pretty sure some day things will slow down enough for us to catch our breath. This has likely been the ultimate crash course in multi-child parenting. (Exclusive of anyone who has been blessed with multiples; may God have mercy on your soul.) While it has been very busy and somewhat hectic at times I can definitely say that we have enjoyed it all. And I can say that because I'm not the one getting up every few hours to feed the little one. Caroline has been amazing as usual and I continue to be awed by her toughness and devotion to our family. Mark and Emily are so lucky to have her as their mom.

Since getting Mark and Caroline home from the hospital on Wednesday the 22nd we have been going non-stop. Thursday Mark went to his pediatrician for the first time, all good there. The next day we had my parents and Great-Grandma Lesem over to our house to celebrate Christmas and then went to Christmas Eve service at The Journey while Caroline's parents watched Mark. We celebrated Christmas Day with Caroline's parents and brother. Carol always makes our family Chrismas's together incredibly special and this year was no exception. Even with all the time she spent caring for Caroline and Mark she still made sure that Christmas day was perfect for the whole family.

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Our new baby boy, Mark McCraw Lesem, was born on Monday December 20, 2010 at Methodist hospital in Houston. Mark weighed 8 lbs 1 oz at birth and was 20.5 inches long. Mark had a very strong cry for a 1 minute old baby. He impressed the nursing staff with his volume, and his grandmother who could hear him from outside two doors and down the hall.

Caroline is a champ and is swinging back into infant mode quickly. I am as well and have already regained my ability to sleep through nearly any noise or emergency. This newborn's arrival has had it's own challenges but overall has been a much smoother experience the second time around. (Easy for me to say, I'm sure.)

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I had my last OB appointment this week. We had a size scan done to get a best estimate on Baby Boy's size. Emily was 8lbs 6ozs at birth and although everything worked out in the end, the delivery was less than optimal. According to my doctor my pelvic arch is very narrow for a large baby so in order to avoid a difficult labor this time my doctor thinks it's best to induce at 39 weeks before he gets bigger (Emily was born at 41 weeks). The ultrasound this week put Baby Boy at currently weighing somewhere between 7 lbs 13 ozs and 8 lbs 7 ozs. That is a pretty big spread to account for the margin of error, but either way it is pretty big for 38 weeks! Babies typically put on about 1 oz a day at this point in the pregnancy so we add another 5-6 ozs for his projected weight for Monday. After much consideration, we have decided that I will be induced this Monday, December 20th at 5:00 am and will try to avoid a csection. If baby boy turns out to be too big to pass through the pelvis we will just do an emergency csection at that time. My doctor and I both think that he will be on the lower end of the estimate and my doctor also thinks I should have an easier delivery this time because it will be my second labor. I am a little nervous but mostly just very excited to meet our son. Emily is still not fully aware of what is about to take place but she has a lot of practice taking care of her baby dolls so I think she is ready for her little brother! We will be sure to post pictures and an update as soon as we can after the delivery. Until then, we hope you all are enjoying the Holiday Season!

I am very proud to announce that Emily ran in her first official race this morning. The HARRA Just For Kids Fun Run took place at Memorial Park and had races for kids 12 and under. Emily ran in the "Toddler Trot." There is a track right by our house so we've been training for the race - she loves to run, I swear I'm not forcing this! Here is a pic I snapped from my phone before the race. We took lots of pics and video on our real camera of the race and of Emily having a big time on the bounce houses they had set up. But, we are currently having computer issues and I can't download anything from the camera - hopefully we can get that up soon. Emily was a little nervous at first but broke from the pack about 10 meters in. It was a 25 meter race for ages 3 and under and I think Emily was one of the top ten finishers. She was all smiles and determination once she got out of the chaos. Way to go Emily!!

We just got a new camera, the Sony Nex-5, and so we went crazy taking prictures this weekend. The quality and options on the new camera make picture taking so much more fun! Here are a bunch of pics from our weekend.

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This is video I shot on Halloween at the Kummer's great party during the parade. It's a little chopped up, I was really just splicing together the best shots I got. Somehow they were all of Emily, curious.

I'm now using youtube to host the video files. Let me know if you have any problems playing the video.

Emily and I stopped at the park on our way home from Mother's day out. Emily likes going down the slide the most but throws a fit if I try to help her climb up to the slide or if I hold on to her as she slides down. It is pretty nerve racking for me but I guess I can't always hold her hand. Her teachers at school told me that she is "fearless on the playground" but I already knew that! Here are some pics. I would have more of her on the slide but I was too busy making sure she didn't break any limbs.

We had a great Halloween! Our friends hosted a party at their house with a great view of our neighborhood's Halloween parade. A lot of Emily's little friends were there as well as a lot of newborns that our son will get to play with when he arrives in December. It was fun to get together with everyone and see the kids in their costumes. Ben and I took Emily trick or treating later that evening on our street with Mimi, Grandy and Will. Ben got Emily a little Elmo candy bucket and she had a great time walking down the sreet with Elmo and her entourage. When she walked up to the houses she handed them a piece of candy from her own bucket instead of taking one. Ha! She'd never had candy before so I guess she didn't know what she was doing. She eventually got the hang of it. By the end of the night she also figured out how to say trick or treat but it came out more like "treat or treat". Smart girl! I tried giving her a piece of a crunch bar but she was uninterested. She loved answering the door later that night when the kids came to our house. She would hand them a piece of candy and say "thank you" and "bye bye". Ben videotaped most of the evening so hopefully we can edit all the footage and get some more video posted on the blog soon. Here are some pics from the evening courtesy of our friend Jean who did a great job capturing lots of shots on her camera.

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