A boy and his dog

Yikes... two weeks since our last update. Sorry, kids, but things have been typically N-V-T-S-NUTS around here lately. Those of you with kids can relate. Those without simply can't. Sorry. We used to think we knew what it meant when people said "your life is about to change." We nodded and acquiesced, but we didn't KNOW. I didn't know for sure until I found myself secretly hoping, when the Red Sox were down 3-1 to Cleveland in the ALCS, that they would lose so I wouldn't have to stay up and watch any more games. Petty? Mabye. Emblematic? You bet your ass.

Meanwhile, Sam continues his climb up his own personal ladder of realization. These pictures are actually from about two weeks ago and document his first legitimate awareness of his older, hairier, 4-legged brother. (More recent pix will come this weekend for sure, something I can promise because for the first time since we got home from the hospital, we have no houseguests!)

Anyway, the evidence, starting with "The Sniff":


"The Lick":


"The Reaction":


"The Reconciliation":


and finally, "The Latch":



Yes, Sam did actually attempt to feed off Finn's nose, something that was much more amusing before Finn was diagnosed with giardia. But so far everyone seems to be holding up fine, so maybe you pretend I didn't share that tidbit and no one calls the Dept. of Child and Family Services on us, OK? OK.

I think we now have one of everything

People love buying things for babies. We are delighted that our friends and family have proven themselves no exception to this universal truth. As you can see from the above photo, gifts we've received have ranged from the sublime (not pictured) to the ridiculous (pictured); the utilitarian (not pictured) to the frivolous (you think?); the traditional (um, no) to the bizarre (oh, yeah).

So first of all, THANK YOU. We thank you, Sam thanks you, and even Finn thanks you because there is now so much more to investigate. He particularly enjoys the stuffed animals. You are all amazingly wonderful people, we love you, and we love that you love Sam.

Now stop it.

In purchasing our first home, we opted for location over size. This means that Anna (and now Sam) has a neighborhood to explore and absorb while I'm off at work. It also means we are now completely bereft of storage space.

Sam has clothing to last until he's four, toys to occupy BOTH of his daily waking hours, a library of books, and all the tools of the baby-raising trade. But dammit, one more onesie and his closet is simply going to explode.

This is a happy problem. We are blessed, and we appreciate the avalanche of joy. We really do. He's a lucky boy, but I just think we're full up.

Until Christmas.

In the details

The tiny bits.





These are actually from two weeks ago, so he's less tiny now, but it's been tough to find the time to post. 4 weeks today. Can't quite believe it. You people weren't kidding when you said it goes by fast...

(P.S. Go SOX!)