A month of Jacinta

She IS adorable!



Just chillin'.

Cuddle time with Uncle Tyler.

And with Opa.

Little monkey.

Extreme close up!

Little fingers.

Loves her daddy.

Cute tootsies!

That cast was so awkward!

But now...Freedom!

Likes the bath, just like her sister.

Taking a snooze. Because being a baby is hard work!

A Comparison: 1 Month

Sister comparison, round two!

Veronica at 1 month: smile!

Jacinta at 1 month: smile! Kind of!

Definitely haven't seen any dimples on Jacinta. She's only had a couple of smiles so far though. Looking forward to seeing more!

Veronica at 1 month: mohawk!

Jacinta at 1 month: floppy mohawk!

Veronica's hair was a little longer at this point. But I think she may have started out with a little more to begin with. Jacinta is not quite as chubby as Veronica was either...though that could change pretty easily! Definitely sisters, but definitely different, too.

What has it got in its pocketses?

You may not realize this, but many men's shirts have a chest pocket. I'm sure that was a critical piece of information you were missing. You're welcome.

Since Paul wears men's clothes (surprise!) he occasionally dons a shirt with a chest pocket. And occasionally he puts his phone in it.

Veronica, always being interested in phones and where they are being kept, has noticed this phenomenon of the chest pocket. And since some articles of clothing have chest pockets, that must mean that all articles of clothing have a chest pocket, right? Irrefutable logic.

Thus, she has taken to putting things in her chest pocket.

What? Little girl clothes don't have chest pockets?

I beg to differ:

Veronica putting something in her "pocket."

Veronica trying to get something out of her "pocket." The smiley is there to protect the innocent.

Dresses can have "pockets," too.

Stuck!

In case you are wondering, the object she had stored in her "pocket" was her Zhu Zhu Pet. It was off, thank goodness. Or there would have been more concern (aka crying).

(There was another incident in which Veronica tried to keep an orange in her pocket. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of this. It's a tragedy, really.)

So next time you need a handy place to keep something small, don't forget about your chest pocket! This has been a public service announcement.

Veronica's Ventures: Chili

Last year I put this series of pictures together for my sister, who was in boot camp. They're from right before Veronica turned one, and it was her first time eating chili. Yum!

Exhibit A: Messy around the mouth, on the chest, and both hands. She is not yet sure if she likes it.



Exhibit B: The good taste of chili has been established. Feeding ensues.



Exhibit C: A state of fullness has been reached.




Exhibit D: The taste of chili is irresistible.



Exhibit E: The aftermath.



Exhibit F: Veronica stars in her own zombie movie. Brainssssssss!



Exhibit G: Clean up!


She's like a whole different baby!

You...you...Silly-head!

Today we made a trip to Last Chance in Phoenix to get some new shoes for both Paul and me. Our work shoes had deteriorated to the point of no return. We are lucky it doesn't rain here more often, because if it did I think I would have ended up with rainwater inside my shoes...from the soles.

If you haven't been to Last Chance, they are the final stopping point for all things Nordstrom. Now there are certainly some pretty awful things that make their way into that store, since they mostly end up with defective clothing. Or eyesores that just don't sell. But there are also some real gems if you can take the time to find them. But that isn't what I sat down to write about today.

After leaving the shopping center, we were driving down a busy Phoenix street toward the freeway that would take us home. Up ahead, I noticed two men jaywalking (well, running). They were trying to beat the traffic, but got stuck in the middle "suicide" lane.

"Those idiots!" I muttered.

We passed by them as they were still paused in the middle, looking for an opening to dart across to the other side of the street. At which point I realized that one of them was a priest.

Oh my God, I just called a priest an idiot! And I grew up being taught to never ever ever say anything disrespectful about a priest. Moment of fluttery guilt.

But after that initial reaction, I realized that being a priest doesn't make jaywalking a smart thing to do. I wish I had chosen better vocabulary...but "Those men-who-are-unconcerned-about-their-own-safety-and-aren't-acting-intelligent" just doesn't get the point across as quickly. I'll have to research better words to use in those situations.

Because Veronica is a little mimic. And you know kids...they file those things away for the worst possible moments. I can just imagine her cheerfully screaming "Idiot!" in front of Paul's grandma. I'd much rather have her scream something else, like "Silly-head!"

Or not scream at all. Either way.

Mother of Two

It's been a little over two weeks since Jacinta was born. Paul has gone back to work, which leaves me at home alone with two little girls. I'm outnumbered!

The thought was originally quite intimidating to me. How would I survive ALL DAY LONG at home by myself, and not only that, but God forbid I actually need to GO anywhere! Lugging around one child (and all the necessary accompaniments) is hard enough!

That's why on Monday morning, I planned a trip to the library (and CVS!) to prove to myself that I could handle toting around a toddler AND a newborn. And you know what? It worked out just fine. I used my wonderful, new double stroller (thanks Mom and Dad), with Veronica in one seat and Jacinta's car seat snapped in the other. Despite its size, it is really easy to push around, even among the sometimes narrow aisles of CVS. Naturally, getting two kids in and out of the car takes a little longer than just one...but that was really the worst of it. And Jacinta slept the entire time we were out, so that made things a bit easier.

So Tuesday I decided to try grocery shopping. This I knew would be a little different, because I couldn't really push a stroller and a cart at the same time. So using the stroller wouldn't be an option. I decided to put Veronica in the cart's child seat like I usually do, and put Jacinta in the sling. This also worked very well, since Jacinta slept like a champion again.

Now I'm sure not every outing will go quite as smoothly. In fact, I expect to get my fair share of store aisle tantrums, mid-shopping emergency diaper changes and the like. But at least I know that easy errands are also a possibility.

This has led to a kind of shift in my perspective, even at home. I think for the first couple of weeks since we've had Jacinta, I've been trying to define what my new role is as a mother of two. Amidst the sleep deprivation (which has gotten better), the attention-craving toddler and the messy house that I can't seem to quite keep up with, I had been focused on just figuring out what it takes to get through each day. But now that we've had some time to adjust, I've settled in to more of a routine.

But I don't think routine is even the right word really. That implies some sort of schedule, which I definitely don't have at this point. It's more of an attitude, or a frame of mind, where I get to enjoy cuddling Jacinta on the sofa while reading a book to Veronica (and hoping she won't accidentally smack the baby with it). Where, somehow, I wake up in time to take a shower while my girls are still asleep. And where I do find time during the day to pick up a few things here and there, to sit down and eat lunch, to catch up on the Pioneer Woman's blog, and (apparently) to write my own.

I'm not sure if I've really explained myself well at all, and I don't think I've even written what I sat down to write when I started this. But what it amounts to is that I think I've moved past that initial "What have we gotten ourselves into?" stage, and I'm more able to enjoy the fun little things throughout the day that go along with being the mom of two gorgeous little girls. And laugh about the not so fun things...after they are over.

Sisters

I wasn't at all sure how Veronica was going to react to having a new baby in the house. When we tried to explain that there was a baby in Mommy's tummy, she didn't seem to quite get it. In fact, after I would point to my belly and say "Baby Sister," she would sometimes point to her belly and say the same thing. Obviously a breakdown in communication.

Additionally, her recent streak of jealousy where I was concerned was not reassuring.

This is where my mom stepped in. Having her available to watch Veronica during our hospital stay was such a Godsend. She went home after Jacinta's delivery with a bunch of pictures to show Veronica. Now "Baby Sister" was more than just my over-sized belly. She was a real baby!

My mom did a great job prepping Veronica for meeting the new addition to our family.


To say Veronica was excited would be an understatement.


She's exhibited a variety of behaviors in the last week since we brought Jacinta home.


Camaraderie.


Curiosity.


Maybe a little too much curiosity sometimes. Poke, poke.


And even though she can get a little rambunctious and exuberant - I sometimes find myself holding Jacinta in one arm, while playing defense with the other - mostly Veronica has shown a real interest in Jacinta's well being that could be the beginnings of a protective older sister. Nobody messes with my sister but me!


It's sweet seeing the two of them together, and I'm sure as they get older it will only become more so.




Awww...puts a big smile on Mommy's face.

"Look at the baby sister!"

Hug.

Poke, poke.

A Comparison: Newborn

I thought it would be fun to compare Jacinta to pictures of Veronica at the same age. So take a look. In what ways do they look alike, and in what ways are they different? Hair color is an obvious one.

Veronica, the day after birth

Jacinta, two days after birth

Paul says Veronica's nose and mouth were wider, and I tend to agree with that assessment.

Veronica, 7 days after birth

Jacinta, 4 days after birth

Now I can't be quite certain yet, but while Veronica has always had dimples, Jacinta doesn't seem to have them. She's had a couple of sleep smiles and so far they are absent. So we'll be paying attention to that when she starts to smile on her own.

I'll try to remember to keep doing comparisons as Jacinta gets older. It's kind of fun to see the similarities and differences between the two of them. It really is amazing to consider the possibilities when a baby is born!

Babies shouldn't have to wear casts.

So Jacinta's delivery was incredibly easy. Easier even than Veronica's, which I had thought was about as easy as it could get. But Jacinta came out in just one push!

Unfortunately, somewhere along the line her right arm got hurt. We didn't notice at first, but the next day she wasn't really moving it at all. By her first check-up with the pediatrician on Thursday, it was noticeably swollen.

The doctor sent us for x-rays, but they couldn't see a fracture or anything. They sent us to a pediatric orthopedist anyway, just to make sure.

It turns out Jacinta has a rare injury which involves a fracture on the growth plate of her humerus, right next to the elbow. It doesn't show up on the x-ray because the bone in that area is not dense enough to be seen yet. But the orthopedist knew right away by the positioning of her bones around the elbow.

Normally they don't put babies in casts...

But with this particular injury, it's the best way to ensure the bones heal the right way. Poor baby.

Please say a prayer that Jacinta's arm heals quickly! We follow up on Wednesday, so we'll keep everyone posted.

Jacinta Marie Greene

Jacinta Marie Greene: born 7:34 pm, 3/30/10.



9 pounds, 8 ounces.



21 inches.



A pause in the crying.



Sweet baby.



Ready to get cleaned up.



But not happy about it!



Ah, that's better.



All clean...



And cozy.



Who's ready to go home? Me! Me!



Getting dressed in her first real clothes.



Waiting for the Baby LoJack to be taken off. Can we go already??



Sisters meet for the first time.



Veronica is fascinated.



She wants to play by "baby sister."



Showing off her new sister to her stuffed animals.



First hug, which Veronica instigated all on her own.



So excited!



She couldn't wait to cuddle her baby sister.



Sweet sisters.



Jacinta gets some cuddle time with Omi.



What a cutie!



Isn't she?