Eastereastereaster!

These people, the Jexies, came to visit.

I don't know how people keep track of 2 kids, let alone 4. But they do in fact keep track of them and we all had a grand old time.

I loved Jude getting more time with his cousin, Baby I, born 10 days before him.

About to leave for target. Have I mentioned my son hates the carseat? Oh, I have? 50 times? Well here is the unimpeachable proof. Jude's car beef is working wonders on our gas bill. I don't go anywhere unless it's absolutely necessary, because his automotive meltdowns are going to drive me to drink. I laugh at this picture because Baby I is like, "Don't ask me, I don't know what all the fuss is about."

We went to an Easter egg hunt put on by a friend in my ward. While the adults were hiding the eggs, many of them in very conspicuous places, the clueless toddlers couldn't help themselves and started picking up some eggs. My older nephew was incensed. "Aunt merzy. They. Are. Picking. Up. EGGS!!!!" He's a little Nazi. :)

Baby I is so sweet and mellow.

I am trying to be supportive here because Niece S is actually great with babies, loves them to death and is Baby I's biggest fan, but I am just a little paranoid. It was really cute to see her take initiaive with the wee ones, though, soothing them with her eggy little voice, bouncing them if they fuss when her legs barely are long enough to get off the couch, and her expert knowledge of when they need a binkie. I love all my little lambs.

Happy (late) Easter one and all! Next time Jude will be walking. Yipeee and yikes!

P.S. Like, 50 times a day, I have to suppress the urge to text, email, call everyone I know and yell, "I LOVE MY BABY!!!!!!!!" You know when you look at your baby and just want to do a cartwheel? We love him.

Happy Easter

He may need therapy later for his mother putting him in pink ears, but for now it's dang cute.

After much searching we found a "lovey" for him. Lovey Monkey. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Looks good

Really digging most of the casting for the movie that they're squirreling out of this book. I can't wait.




-- Post From My iPhone

No words

2 Months: Gettin Fresh

Yesterday we celebrated 2 months of livelihood with Jude. Wildman Jude. This one does not keep still. He kick kick kicks, waves his arms, and looks around constantly, is pretty good at holding his head up (a Hayes thing), and is already wearing 18 month onesies! Nevermind on the last one, I misread the tag. His penchant for drooling he got from moi; he leaves a wet puddle behind after his naps.

He's sleeping a 5 hour stretch at night now (knock on that wood!), the colic is getting a little better (knock harder!!!), and he gives smiles away like candy (to me and Jeff and sometimes Lisa). The smiles are like shots of a chocolate/paxil elixir sent straight through an IV to my mommyhead system. Loves his bath and loves his dad.

We left him for the first time last Friday to attend a wedding reception. Mimi and Grandpa loved it. I packed the diaper bag a la brim so he'd be covered if a meteor hit the backyard. He did OK. My arms felt strangely loose the whole time.

He really holds onto those many burps.

Lisa and I put Jude and Lyla next to each other on the couch and the saucy lass instantly turned toward him, claiming the opportunity to make her intentions known. Blurry camera because we could not stop laughing.

He is the most charming addiction. I can't wait for more.

Meeting Loads of Fam and Hangin with the Ladies

First of all:
2 of my dear friends, Lisa and Lindsey, had babies 2 and 3 weeks after I did. Both sweet girls. We get together and put our babies in a clump. Hmm, can you guess which baby is the ticking time bomb of the clump? I must be his mother because I think he's cute even when he's screaming.

Second of all:
We sped our booties to Vegas last weekend so Jude could meet his grandparents, his Reynolds cousins, and his Jex cousins. I never gave much thought to how fun it would be to watch my son be so loved and adored by his extended family, but believe me, it warmed my heart to a boiling puddle. He didn't have a second without someone cooing over him, and we watched Conference and played at the park and talked and the kids played Angry Birds. So fun.

Love

Love Love

Love Love Love

High School Musical came on tv.

Love Love Love Love

Love Love Love Love Love

Third of all:
We got back Sunday night after 8 hours in the car. Geez, this roadtrip was all shades of horrible. On the way there we made good time, but J hates the carseat. HATES IT. He screamed for 2 hours straight. I didn't know he had it in him. We fed him bottles as we drove, too, so he was not hungry. He just hates that piece of Britax like a Rihanna song. Then we got there and he slept for 5 hours straight, totally wiped out.

The way home was worse. He did end up sleeping for a while in the car, but traffic was awful, and when we would come to a stop Juju would wake up and commence to scream the scream. I was so happy that the agricultural inspection could slow us down for miles and wake up my poor baby all so they could wave us through. Does anyone else turn into a sweaty, heart racing mess when your baby is screaming and you know you can't do anything for him because you're in a traffic jam on the I-15? Buh. I don't want to do that again until he's old enough to take Benadryl. There are a few other unsavory anecdotes but I'll spare the internet and you.

Fourth of all:

McOmber cousins were in San Diego on Monday and I hauled me and baby to see them! This time when I started buckling my baby in Jude was like, "Oh, this thing again? Whatever. Goodnight." He slept pretty much the whole way there. Relief! I don't have any pictures (alas!), but my dear cousins, aunt, and uncle and I lazed about in a beautiful villa and chatted. In the order of families sticking together through thick and thin, we all shared in the experience of J's first blow-out diaper. I do mean blow-out. Margaret even rinsed his onesie and put it in a ziplock for me. That's love.

And now Jude has gone from meeting 0 members of his extended family to meeting about 30. I love it. We are so very lucky to have each other.

P.S. When I'm standing up now, even when I'm not holding J, I sway from left to right, left to right.

And 2 pictures in parting: My favorite things. His big blues and the lips that ate Texas.

Law Widow Resources

When I'm a Law Widow at night, I

1. Watch an episode of this for the millionth time (a period piece, a great media trial for Jeff to endure),

2. Watch THIS for the millionth time (a SNL sketch that creeps Jeff out but always makes me laugh my head off). You'll have to watch it on Sarah's blog because it wasn't embedding on mine.

And a picture in parting:

First Family Pic

Stream of Merzy Brain

- We took a break from Mad Men but we're back on Season 3. I enjoy it more now. This is because I saw Jon Hamm on 30 Rock and SNL being a completely awkward noodle, and so Don Draper doesn't seem quite so horrid (in that confusing lovable way). I originally wanted to watch it because my Grandpa Eaton, who I died when I was a baby, was an Ad Man Executive in Chicago back in them days. My dad always speaks so well of him and I wish I could have known him. I thought this show would be an interesting insight into his career and life. Eh, I love the Hitchcockian visuality to it, and it is interesting to see how much business methods have changed, but the dominating thought in my head as I watch that show is "Dysfunction!" and "Someone throw that impossibly handsome man into rehab, please!"

- It's amazing how many Cadbury Mini Eggs one person (moi) can eat while up with a baby nursing in the middle of the night. Just amaaaaaazing.

- When I was in the latter days of pregnancy, I would lie on the couch and think of what I needed to do. Chores, errands, etc. I either wouldn't do them or it would require a spell of silent pep talking to get up. Or it would just happen when my back hurt too much from lying too long in one position. Now, as soon as J is fed or down for a nap, it's like I hear the pistol fire and I'm racing around the house, scooping up this and that and throwing it in the dishwasher (!!), folding blankets strewn about the couches (!!!), taking a shower (!!!!), combing my hair (!!!!!), putting him in the carseat before he has a chance to realize what I, the meanest mom ever, am doing to him, (!!!!!!) and get all I can done at basically an all out sprint. Then it's time for the little lamb to eat once again, or he's screaming because I'm not holding him. It's never been nicer to have a clean house because while I am sitting on the couch nursing, you have way too much time to just evalutate your surroundings. This reminds me, I have spied with my little eye a couple of cobweb strings in random corners of the ceiling which must be dealt with when Jeffman is home.

- Chris Brown. Not only does he sing the most thought provoking lyrics of all time, ("you mean to me what I mean to you") but he has this really smooth way of throwing all out tantrums of when questioned about tantrum he threw on his ex-girlfriend. I hear ya, Chris. Sometimes the only way to show everyone how far you've moved past the tantrums is to throw another one. Makes sense.

- And a picture in parting (from last week):

Jeff's Mini Me

Even the hairline.

Yep.

But he did get my mouth and chin.

1 Month!

My baby is 1 month. That sentence bring a knee-jerk reaction of the statement, "NO WAY!"

Here's what I think so far (this might not be interesting to anyone but me and Jeff):

We have ourselves some good days and some bad days. The good days are just so good. The bad usually stems from the fact that he's a wee bit colicky. Every evening he'll start screaming over his under developed digestive system and we find a way to work it out, almost always in the form of finding just that right way to hold him with just the right amount of pressure on his tummy. Throw in a binkie and some pacing (usually around the island counter in our kitchen), and he works through it. It is a bummer of major proportions that he has to struggle with his digestives but I sally forth with the hope that it all starts functioning more properly soon. I know by 3 months they usually have it sorted out. He also hates the car seat but to that I said SORRY because he needs to get over it and has already begun to. He also doesn't like to be put down. Ever. I've ruined him already. Oops.

Nights and nursing are MUCH BETTER now. Let's think of how to create the perfect storm. Hmm... Oh! I've got it! Let's take long hours of dark winter night, a crying baby who doesn't want to sleep unless he's being held and otherwise must eat 17 snacks an hour, a delirious mom with sore girls...ding ding ding! The only good thing about it was my awesome glider. Then I started going downstairs to watch Friday Night Lights so at least Tim Riggins would keep me company and I'd stop falling asleep. I thought it would just be like this until he was old enough to sleep train, but he's figured things out largely on his own. Now he goes down at 10 or 11, and wakes up at 2 and 5. As long as he goes back to sleep right after eating, which he usually does, I feel completely rested. When he doesn't, hmph. Que sera, sera. Also, I no longer have to count to 60 with gritted teeth when I'm feeding him. Can I get a what what?

I lost 30 lbs in 2 weeks, which would be way more awesome if it weren't for the fact that I gained almost 60. I'm currently sporting my fat jeans and the metal tangs of the zipper are hanging on for dear life (as our friend Jerry would say). I've started running a couple of miles every day and we almost always go on a morning walk, as it's the route to Jude taking a morning nap. All in all, the recovery has gone very well and I'm grateful.

His first word was "Sarkozy". I joke. He has 2 cries so far. The first is sort of like a cute holler (hollah) that isn't really sad or anything, it's like a protest and a warning, but his face is completely content so it's sort of adorable to me. The second is the one that demands attention and action.

When he's awake and alert, looking around the room, staring at me with a pleased expression like he's trying to smile, gurgling and squeaking, I find myself squealing with delight and practically clicking my heels. He is a major snuggler and we love to watch him sleep with his hands in cute little displays. So much fun.

I feel like I belong with him and in this job. The feeling of, "I'll take care of him, leave it to me!" was the first one I identified when they put him on my chest that night at Hoag. He is my little pledge that I adore through and through. Our home is so full of love right now it's disgusting. We are stoked on our Jude.

Jude and his Mimi

My mom took a half day at work on Friday and hung out with us. (And maybe she cooked us dinner, and helped spiff and brainstorm a project that epiphanized into my brain yesterday morning, which I may disclose in the near future). It was heaven.

Enough about the baby,

What about ME?!?!?!!

Just kidding, this post will be mostly about Jude, or all 3 of us, because I am a new obsessed Mom, and because just LOOK AT HIM!!!

We're doing well over here, a nice, hearty stew of snuggles, postpartums, 30 Rock (I blew through Friday Night Lights way too fast), visitors, food for me that won't irritate Jude, slowly starting to emerge from the house for things like walks or quick grocery runs, back aches from hunching over nursing all day, having a guessing game every evening of how much Jude (and therefore I) will sleep, diaper changes that are not as painful as I'd anticipated, and growth spurts. My recovery is going pretty well, the #1 item I can't live without is Lanolin, and I'm really excited about the Robeez booties we just got, because he kicks off his socks in about 4 seconds and I cannot abide a baby with cold feet. I of course sing him his very own Beatles song, especially in the rare moments when I can't hold him. I know I could put him down more than I do but I don't really want to and figure I might as well take advantage of the 1 on 1 our other kids unfortunately won't have.

Every day we Rookies learn something new, every day he charms me to small, tiny bits, and every day I thank Heavenly Father for my 2 boys that fill me to my toes with sequin encrusted love.