Wet

This morning the thermometer read 50 - knowing that a day in the 50s is rare (and will be so for a long long time), I got the two little ones ready and out the door in record time. We walked down to the play ground - a place I thought Oliver would be thrilled to see after being kept away for the past couple weeks because of the cold. Surprisingly he was not excited - he was not thrilled that everything was wet after yesterday's rain. I tried to convince him that getting wet was no big deal, that we'd head home and change our clothes after playing. No luck, he looked at me, sadly, and said he wanted to leave. So leave we did. And on the way home he jumped, ran, splashed and played in every single puddle we could find.

Give he was all wet from the puddles I suggested we head back to the play ground - "No mommy, the playground is wet, I don't want to play there." Right, I forgot, how could I be so silly to suggest going to a wet playground.

Big brother

Oliver continues to take his role of big brother very seriously. And (with the exception of just two instances so far) continues to be a very caring big brother.

This week we had to take Henrietta to the doctor because she was having a lot of gas (I know, I know - embarrassing). As soon as the doctor walked in the room Oliver told him that his sister was a gassy baby and then told him that he could not give her any shots. Throughout the whole appointment Oliver carefully watched every move the doctor made. The doctor suggested Mylicon and I have to say - it is amazing. Henrietta has been having at least one five hour stretch of sleep each night now that she is relatively gas-free. Now if only we could find something that might work for Oliver - my friend Oliver has not only given up napping, but has also decided to get up every two hours at night. At this point Davis and I are considering the following - velcroing him to his bed, duct taping him to his bed, a tranquilizer gun, drugs... Every night we come up with some new plan and every morning we declare the plan a failure (I have another plan up my sleeve that we'll try tonight - fingers crossed it works).

Things are otherwise going well. Oliver is doing lots of work around the house.


And Henrietta is doing well - eating up a storm (she's already 10 pounds) and is happy because we've started to pull some baby things down from the attic.

I think she's bigger than her brother was at 3 weeks because Oliver wore this sweater when he was six weeks; at three weeks it is already a belly shirt on Henrietta.

Splish splash

Yesterday Oliver and I spent some time looking back through our blog - the pictures from Oliver's first few weeks seem as though they were taken yesterday. I remember, for example, being both excited and petrified for Oliver's first bath. Prior to the bath both Davis and looked at our Dr. Sears book and followed the first bath instructions to a T. The bath pictures caught Oliver's eye too. He thought the pictures were pretty silly, that he was really tiny - and he wondered why Henrietta had not yet taken her first bath (hmm, maybe because I was having enough trouble getting three people showered, dressed...but the Rocket was right - it was time to giver her a bath).

A few hours later Oliver used his persuasive powers and I found myself up to the attic digging for the baby tub. Moments later Henrietta was treated to her first bath. Oliver, once again, proved to be an amazingly caring and insightful big brother - without our help or guidance (although we were obviously there ready to step in), Oliver was the one who, sans the Dr. Sears book, gave Henrietta her first bath. Henrietta seemed to really like the bath - perhaps it was because of the boats Oliver thoughtfully gave her?


Once her bath was over she turned into a shark and Oliver commandeered the tub.

After his bath Oliver chose an amazing outfit for bed - shark hot pants over monkey pants with a striped shirt (on a side note - Henrietta's pediatrician commented on Oliver's outfit the other day - "Wow, he would be really stylin' if roller derby came back in style").

Several people have asked if Oliver and Henrietta look alike - here are pictures from Henrietta's and Oliver's first baths - both pictures taken at two weeks.

(Henrietta)

(Oliver)

Myths and legends

Henrietta is now two weeks old. I've had a few minutes to think back to her birth and also do a bit of research -

Oliver was an early bird; he arrived a week earlier than his due date. Labor started out of nowhere with him and was over relatively quickly. And his actual birth was, like he is today, super fast. Given this history, and that we live a half hour from Beverly Hospital when there is no traffic, the midwives suggested that we not dawdle too long at home with Henrietta's labor.

Davis and I were both convinced that Henrietta would be early. I was so convinced that I scheduled a number of appointments for the week of the 15th (which I had to cancel) because I was sure we would have a baby that was at least a couple weeks old. Ah no. Henrietta arrived on her due date - the 15th. And, despite the predictions of the midwives', labor was twice as long as Oliver's- 12 hours (or 22 hours if you count from when my water broke). However, once Henrietta decided that it was time to join us she did - with just one push. In the craziness of her quick arrival it took me a minute to realize the baby on my chest was blue. Henrietta entered the world with the cord wrapped around her neck and holding the cord firmly in her hand. She also was born with "the caul." What this means is that she was born with the amniotic sac over her head. Normally this ruptures prior to the birth - only about 1 in 80,000 births have partial or full caul (full caul is much rarer - Henrietta had full caul). They removed the caul before placing her on my chest, but Davis says that it was a bit unnerving seeing Henrietta enter the world with the sac over her head.

In medieval times being born "with the caul" is supposed to be a sign of good luck. In European history "the caul" was supposed to protect people from drowning, Therefore, a baby born with the caul could bring a family great fortune as it (the caul, not the baby) could be sold to sailors for a good chunk of change. Babies born with the caul were also said to be heirs to the throne and were also said to have a special destiny and possess psychic abilities.

Those who were born with the caul include Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Lord Byron and Kahlil Gibran.

Only two weeks old and she's already provided us with a history lesson.

Two Force Powder

Oliver recently discovered "Katy and the Big Snow" on his bookshelf. Since this discovery, we've read Katy over and over. Davis decided that Oliver needed a Katy of his own and so he made one for Oliver. Oliver looked at the first edition Katy and pointed out that there were no eyes and no crossbar. Davis went back to the basement and built a new Katy. Oliver carefully examined the new Katy and decided that Davis had gotten her right (he's one tough critic).


Katy is 55 a horse power bulldozer. Oliver has declared that he is "2 force powder." What does someone who is operating on 2 force powder do? (Besides "This.")

A 2 force powder Oliver flies planes,

And makes sure that his baby sister has a plane to fly.

A two force powder Oliver changes Bulldozer's diaper.


And a 2 force powder Oliver picks out incredible outfits and takes Bulldozer walking and biking with mommy and Henrietta.