The Nitty Gritty

What the parents have learned about Van: He eats every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours during the night. He likes to give a loud one minute wail before he falls asleep. He loves to take a real bath instead of a sponge bath. He likes to be held when he's awake and loves to stare at our faces. The other day I looked down while I was holding him and he was looking right at me with a big smile. So cute! He can hardly fit into newborn size clothes anymore. He hasn't been able to wear some of William's clothes at all because he's too big. He is a very sweet baby. What Will has learned about Van: Van likes it when Will clicks his tongue. Van doesn't like to be bounced really hard in his bouncy seat. Will knows his brother's name. Sometimes he calls him "Baby Van" instead of just "Van". Van likes the song "Itsy Bitsy Spider" Mom and Dad don't like it when Will puts his shoe on the baby's hea...

Van Walker Bickmore Born Sept. 17 at 11:10 am 8 lbs. 10 oz. 21 in. long The family is doing well. I've tried four times to upload pictures of this cute chubby baby but the connection is interrupted every time. Sorry! There are pictures on facebook or you can pay the baby a personal visit. Just let us know. We'd love the company.

My official due date is Sept. 20th, but I thought I would go at least a week early since William was 10 days early. I predicted the baby would come yesterday but he is just as content as can be in the womb. I have a doctor appointment on Thursday so we'll see if there's any progress. In the meantime, William and I are enjoying our last few days together just him and I. Some of my favorite things he's done lately are: When he does something on accident or on purpose he immediately says "I saw-ee. I saw-ee" Last night he held my belly and said "Hi Baby bruher." Then he put his ear on my belly and said "Puh pum puh pum" to imitate the heartbeat because that's what the boy does in the book Hello Baby . He lays on the ground and says "I tired." Music to my ears. Today he pulled out the lids to the pots and pans and played with them while I was fixing lunch. When I said "Will your lunch is ready!" He picked them up and pu...

You sleep with a heating pad alternating heat on your lower back, shoulder, arm and thigh. All you can do when your sick toddler is crying and saying "Mommy hold you!" is rub his head or sit down and hold him in your lap, working around the giant bulge. Not fun. You cry at least three times a week. You have to delegate easy household chores to your husband like sweeping, making the bed, putting clothes in the washer and dryer, and vacuuming and then ignore it if it doesn't get done. Your stomach protrudes like a watermelon when you have a Braxton Hicks contraction. You begin to lose your appetite because there's not much room for your stomach to fill up. Your sister has to clip and paint your toenails. Your friend surprises you with dinner and proceeds to clean the entire kitchen and play with your toddler while you stay camped out at the dinner table and wait for your husband to come home from his late night class. Thank you so much Natalie!! Your doctor tells you yo...

This weekend has been full of celebrations. Friday we celebrated Grandma Bruiser's birthday with lots of yummy food and trivial pursuit. I think the best part was Sophie beating everyone in an arm wrestle. Saturday we celebrated an early birthday for Will because I didn't want to throw a party right after having a baby. Can you blame me? It was a Thomas the Tank Engine party. The bash was fun and tiring. It was too bloody hot outside to enjoy the sunny weather and there were not enough happy cousins to play my Thomas the Tank Engine games. So we chit chatted inside where it was cooler and enjoyed yummy chocolate cake and a Thomas carrot cake. Well, most of us enjoyed the cake--Will did NOT! It is the craziest thing. We have tried giving him brownies, ice cream, and now cake. Instead of at least tasting it, he scrunches up his face with this look of disgust and shakes his head back and forth when you hold it up to his mouth. I was all excited for him to finally eat cake and ice...