I can't believe it's been a month. It feels like so much less time. I think that's due to several things. One, you know what you're doing a little bit better the second time around. It's not all brand-new-test-out-different-strategies-as-you-go because you know what works/what worked before, and you start out trying those things instead of starting from scratch. It certainly seems like we fell into some semblance of a routine so much earlier this time around.
Two, you have another wee one (or not-so-wee one--seriously, your former baby looks SO enormous compared to your newborn!) who demands a lot of your attention and energy.
It's not all sitting around, napping/being bored while the baby sleeps. There is certainly a part of me that misses the amount of napping I did when Kieran was a newborn, but it is nice to have someone fun to play with when I'm not tired, and Kieran is a great playmate! 
When I am exhausted, though and can't muster up the energy to be a fun mom, he is certainly content to hone his newly acquire skill of using the mouse on the computer to play games online at PBS Kids. 
He can navigate the site really well and flits from game to game. His current favorites are Curious George (of course...), Super Why, and Word World. We figure that learning to use the computer will be a valuable asset in the future, plus it's educational (hello, it is PBS Kids, after all!). He works on letter, number and color recognition, among other things. We'll need to take a video of him using the computer. It's amazing, not to mention a big help when I just need a few minutes of relative calm...Yesterday, however, I was feeling pretty good, so one our activities was that we made cupcakes for Valentine's Day, and Kieran had a blast. (Remember what his smile looks like...)
He loves using the "mickie" (aka mixer) and shouts with glee every time we use it (It is second only to the "wack-youm"--aka vacuum--in terms of the amount of delight it elicits from Kieran. Clearly he is my child--a clean house and yummy baked goods top his list of the simple pleasures in life...). 
You can see how much he enjoyed making the cupcakes! 
And, yes, I had to quell the panic I felt rising when I contemplated how much stain treating I was going to have to do to his clothes. Next time we make chocolate anything I'll dress him more appropriately, like maybe in one of David's t-shirts with holes in the armpits that he REFUSES to allow me to remove from his closet...oops, sorry dear!I do think, though, that part of why Kieran likes using the mixer is because I let him sit on the counter while we're using it, and while my attention is diverted elsewhere he can into all kinds of things that he otherwise doesn't have access to.
All I have to say is that it's a good thing that I remember to always move the knives when we're baking!Now, where was little miss Teagan while we were baking? Why, snug as a bug, asleep on momma's chest.
I mean, who wouldn't fall asleep when you're nice and cozy and have such a cushiony place to rest your head. I sometimes wish someone would carry me around like that! (any takers???)Kieran alternates between totally ignoring Teagan (she DOES sleep like 20 hours out of the day...) and loving on her.
He does test the water occasionally, though, to see what we'll do or say when he does something to her that he knows he's not supposed to do, like swat at her. I don't think it's any big surprise when we tell him that's not okay, although he is very intrigued by the idea of burping Teagan. Sometimes when he hits Teagan and we tell him that's not okay and that it can give her pain he'll respond with "Bee-Ats burp" (Baby X burp), and then I need to explain that we only pat Teagan's back to burp her, not her face or belly or arm... I think they'll end up being good friends, though. Kieran seems to love Teagan more often than not. :)As for Teagan, she is growing like a weed!
She went for her one month check-up on her one-month birthday, and she weighed 12 pounds even(!) and was 22.5 inches long. That's the 96th percentile in weight and 76th in height. Remarkably similar to her brother's one month stats. 
Obviously we needn't worry whether or not what we're doing is working... :)
In other big Teagan news, she started smiling a couple of weeks ago.
Not just "I'm gassy" smiling, but really smiling at people, especially mom and dad. 
She has the best smile. 
Our camera doesn't do it justice. (Don't get me started on our overpriced camera that only takes good, non-blurry, non-washed out pictures when you're outside in the daytime--Not so good when your kid is born in the middle of winter in the frigid, frozen prairie...) You really need to see it for yourself. I could look at it all day. (Wait a second, I DO look at it all day!) Seriously, if you could bottle her smile and give it to unhappy folks the world would be a happier place. 
As you can also see, her eyes are looking super blue these days. I was thinking that they might be green like David's at first, but they look more and more blue every day. I also think she looks a lot like my sister, Elizabeth, although David and Diane (David's sister) think she looks like a Ferguson. I suppose she could, it's just that I only know what Ullrich babies look like, and she looks like one to me...Well, I think that's all the news that's fit to print at this moment.
We're looking forward to visiting with "Aggie Becky" (my sis) for the next few days. She arrives tomorrow for a little visit and to meet the newest family member.Hope you all had a good Valentine's Day and were able to spend it with the ones you love!
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