Of Grandma Soup and Mommy Sleep

My mom and dad may have gone back to Belgium, but the memory of their visit is still fresh in Jonathan's mind. Any time we propose an adventure or a surprise, he asks if Grandma and Grandpa will be there. He doesn't get upset when we tell him no, we really had a visit to the park in mind instead, but he clearly believes that if he asks often enough, one day Grandma will come.

The first few days they were gone, we had lots of leftovers. Jonathan loved drinking his "Grandma soup" for lunch. Grandma cooked up a wonderful chicken noodle alternative to Campbell's for our soup-loving little boy. He dubbed it "delicious" and even enjoyed eating the bits of "onina." So in my latest foray to the grocery store, I was happy to discover some special noodles that would make Grandma soup even more spectacular. They were whole grain letter and number shapes in four different colors!

Yesterday, Jonathan had a bit of tummy trouble, and I thought some chicken noodle soup would be an excellent remedy. I diced the carrots, onions and celery and cooked them in a little butter. I poached the chicken breasts, cut them up, and added them to the simmering broth. And then I boiled the noodles. Within a few minutes, I had a whole potful of alphabet waiting to add to the soup.

I wedged Jonathan into his high chair (we're going to need to find an alternative awfully soon) and dished up a bowl of soup. He was delighted to dip his spoon in and come out with a "R", a "K" and a "V." He made sure to show me each one. Then he'd blow on the soup and carefully ladle it into his mouth. It seemed as though it would be a slow meal, but ultimately a satisfying one.

Then, disaster. Chris had been bouncing Alex on his shoulder in the living room, watching the first half of the Maryland game, when Alex decided it was time for him to eat as well. Unfortunately, this meant Chris was banished to the kitchen to watch over Jonathan, while I sat in the recliner to feed Alex. Chris was a little distracted, trying to glimpse the action through the window in the kitchen, while Jonathan yelled for his attention. Each letter needed to be acknowledged before Jonathan would eat it. He went through two bowls, letter by letter, while Chris was reduced to calling out letters at random and hollering for updates any time the game appeared to be exciting.

And how is Alex, besides wanting to eat at inconvenient times? Well, like most things in life, it depends on your point of view. An optimistic person might say that he's such a loving baby that adores being held at all times. Someone writing a blog who's not had more than three hours of sleep at one time in the last three weeks might have a different take on things. We have noticed that this blog didn't start until Jonathan was three months old, and frankly, Chris and I have lost all memory of the first desperate weeks. So we are not sure if it's normal for newborns to insist on sleeping only on Mommy or Daddy's chest.

Tonight we are making a little progress. I took Alex for a long walk outside in the Baby Bjorn, to get him some fresh air. He's very well fed, and he got his first tub bath. He seemed to really enjoy it - a little protest when the clothes came off, but Chris had the tub filled with water of the perfect temperature, and Alex was very quiet and content as we washed him off. He gave a huge yawn as we dried him, and I quickly swaddled him and put him in the bassinet. It's been almost an hour and he's still sleeping there - a record! Keep your fingers crossed - I'm off to take a nap.

Two week checkup

"Wow, he looks so tiny. I guess I'm just used to seeing his brother" said the nurse as she ushered us back. Well, Alex is doing his best to catch up. Dr. Quillian came in trailing a medical student. They spent some time going over Alex, who appears to be in the pink of health. She mentioned to the medical student that, at two weeks, babies are expected to have gotten back to their birth weight, which in Alex's case was 7 lbs, 12 oz. And he now weighs? "Hmmm. . . Oh my. Eight pounds, eight ounces!" She paused for a moment and then said "Oh, yes, I remember seeing Jonathan around. Okay. Well done!"

Man things

Already, there's been a definite shift in the testosterone level at the Kwon house, now that 75% of the inhabitants are male. The four of us managed to all leave the house together today for our first family outing. We went to the mall for burgers and some time at the playground for Jonathan. Chris carried Alex in the Baby Bjorn. We still haven't entirely figured out the Maya Wrap, and in any case, I think Chris finds the straps and buckles on the navy blue Bjorn a bit more manly.

Afterwards, everyone settled down for naps, and then we all convened in the living room about fifteen minutes before the start of the Maryland-Clemson game. Alex sent forth a number of burps from his bouncy seat in the dining room - he went through five outfits today. Jonathan marshalled an impressive collection of cars and trucks on the coffee table. Chris picked up the remote ("Daddy's mote") and clicked through for a little pre-game warmup.

Jonathan's been starting to get the hang of televised sports. He will generally shout "football" or "basketball" and be correct about 80% of the time. He knows to bump fists with Daddy and say "Go Terps!" when prompted. This time, however, Chris happened on a NASCAR race, and Jonathan rapidly proved that there is something inherent on that Y chromosome that lies dormant, awaiting activation.

He instantly lit up and said "Cars! Race cars!" The camera angle shifted to a wide view, showing the whole field. He said "Tiny cars! Round and round!" There was another shift and we were now looking through a camera mounted on the hood of one car as it jockeyed for position. Jonathan looked over at us and asked "Crash?"

There you have it, the essence of NASCAR, grasped by a two year old in under fifteen seconds. Alex gave us another burp, Chris opened a beer, and I realized I'll be living in a fraternity house for the next eighteen years. Send something pink and frilly, please.

Introducing Alexander

We are proud to introduce someone who will figure prominently in this blog in the months and years to come. Alexander Soon-Won Kwon was born Monday, February 5th, at 6:19 pm. I had gone to the hospital the night before for an induction, since we wanted to take advantage of Mom and Dad being here as long as possible. The first twelve hours or so were very slow, but once my waters were broken, things moved very fast. So fast, in fact, that I took everyone by surprise. I had started to feel sick to my stomach after my epidural was topped off, and I spent about an hour lying on my back. Our dear friend Tedra stopped by at the end of her work day, and I managed a feeble hello. The nurse came in to flip me on my side, and as soon as she did, I insisted it was time to push. I had only been four centimeters dilated an hour earlier, so the nurse was not entirely convinced. Still, the intern came in to check, and lo and behold, she told me I was right. She went to get Dr. Redick, the attending, who told me with about twenty or thirty minutes of pushing, we should have a new baby.

Six pushes later, Alex was born.

We had a lovely time holding him while he yowled furiously. Chris cut the cord and was the first to greet Alex by name. Then they took him to the nursery to get weighed and get his eyedrops, and we called Mom and Dad, who were home watching Jonathan. They got excited and wanted to come see the baby, but I didn't feel up to giving directions to the hospital. So they found our phone list and called Tedra, who, needless to say, was kind of surprised to hear I'd had the baby twenty minutes after her visit.

Mom, Dad and Jonathan wound up visiting the next morning. We had carefully choreographed the first introduction of the two brothers. When Jonathan came in the room, Mom was holding Alex, and I was all ready for a hug from my big boy. He took it all in, asking for a hug at first, and getting lifted up onto my bed. Then Alex started to cry, and Jonathan started spitting in disgust. Grandpa had to take him out for a walk around the hospital. The toy bulldozer, however, was a big hit.

It's been a week, and Jonathan is much more likely to want to kiss Alex or make sure his hat is on. He has had a lovely time with Grandma and Grandpa, and we are most heartily sorry to see them go back to Belgium. Alex is a night owl, but we hope to get that sorted out soon. And we have been overwhelmed with email and calls and visits from all our friends. Thank you all for giving our son such a warm welcome to the world.