Flying in time

OK, here is my first attempt at downloading a video here. Let's see how it goes.

Congratulations to Marcela and Pancho on the arrival of their little boy!!! We can't wait to meet him!

I am continually shocked now by the passage of time and I often find myself marking it by events, growth rates and holidays rather than days. Nicholas is now seven weeks old, and in the short span of time that has passed since his birth, he has learned so much. I had forgotten what it is like to watch a newborn explore the world. This little being resonates innocence and beauty.

He definitely has his own personality, and he knows what he likes and what he doesn’t. He hates riding in the car, for example. The minute we lay him in his car seat and prepare to strap him in, he screams. At times, he puts so much effort into his screaming that he forgets to take a breath, and ends up gulping for air and then choking on the gulps. However, I’ve also learned that he likes classical Christmas music. So I plop him in the car, hop in myself, and as soon as we’re rolling I turn on the only CD I have of classical Christmas music and usually he’ll calm down.

He loves being part of Matthew and Lucas’s “getting ready for school” routine, which takes place without fail from 6 to 7 ever weekday morning. This is the best time of day for Nicholas. He laughs at the boys’ antics, which encourages them even more. He’s content and relaxed, smiling and laughing, so I love that hour of the morning too.

His rash is apparently caused by the various foods I eat. After the first visit, the nurse told me to keep from eating any and all milk products. Have you ever tried to do this? It’s nearly impossible – there’s milk or milk powder in almost everything we eat! Yesterday we were at the doctor for his two-month check-up, and now she’s removed all almonds, chocolate (which I wasn’t eating anyway because it contains MILK) and gingerbread cookies from my diet! Three weeks before Christmas!!!! Ho ho ho!!!

Matthew and Lucas are enjoying the Christmas preparations. We’ve put up all of our Christmas things except for the tree, and our house has (in keeping with tradition) been invaded by our own “tricky elf”. Every night while the boys are asleep, this little elf plays a “trick” on them. This morning he put gingerbread cookies in their boots, yesterday he rolled out a roll of toilet paper all over the kitchen floor. Quite an entertaining little man from the North!