Loupe-dy Loupes

Friday was an exciting day for my hubby. After weeks of waiting (and having to borrow a fellow resident's temporarily because the company jacked up, then cancelled, his original order), Brett's surgical loupes came in! Here he is sporting his lovely new headgear:

(Note his surgical cap. Yes, this Oklahoma boy even supports his Sooners in the OR!)

Here's hoping the hefty price tag on these bad boys helps my man become the rock star spine surgeon I know God created him to be!

Thank Goodness for Grandparents!

Lately several friends have asked me how we are handling our transition from one to two children. My reply to everyone has been that the Bralys are doing wonderfully. However, Brett and I realized that we had yet to truly experience "real life" as the parents of two boys. We've been fortunate enough to have loved ones in town helping us since shortly after Porter's birth. T-Pa and Oma drove in the next day; Tom went back home to St. Louis that Sunday, and my mom stayed over another week until the this past Monday. Also, YaYa flew in last Saturday and just returned to Oklahoma yesterday.

I can't express how helpful it was to have three grandparents here to play with and tend to Kaiser when Mommy and Daddy couldn't. The kiddo adores them all and absolutely basked in their love and attention! I know it made what could have been a difficult initial adjustment for him (and for his parents!) much easier. And, of course, our brand new babe appreciated being welcomed so warmly with their cuddles and kisses.

Here is a look at some of the special memories Kaiser and Porter made with their Oma, T-Pa, and YaYa:

Much more confident since he first held Kaiser!

Someone's got T-Pa wrapped around his finger!

"Climb up to see Oma."

"Ready to catch me, Mommy?"

These two did a lot of slow-dancing and singing together.

Kaiser's with his new favorite storyteller.

Spent a lot of time with YaYa on her computer.

Morning snuggles before we head out for the day.

Shop til you drop!

"These gals are the COOLEST!"

Showing off a rock he found in the backyard.

Oma's gonna get you!

Lazy Sunday.

Kaiser playing photographer for Oma and YaYa.

Couldn't get enough of Porter!

Practicing for Halloween with his Little People house.

Managed to wrangle K for a pic of the grandmas with both of their boys!

Getting the burps out.

Sad to say goodbye to Oma!

Final reading of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. :(

YaYa sure can multitask!

Before taking YaYa to the "hair-pork".

Thank you so much to Oma, T-Pa, and YaYa for your help during these past two and a half weeks. You were invaluable to our family; we all love you dearly and truly don't know what we would have done without you!

And so, today is our first full day all on our own. Game on. We know that it will not be easy, but we are excited and anxious to embrace the challenge of figuring out our "new normal": Life as the Bralys, Family of Four. Let the adventure begin...

First, But Not Forgotten

Well, obviously the blog has been a bit "Porter-centered" lately. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't easy to get wrapped up in how new and tiny and cuddly and doggone precious he is. But just to be clear, we are doing our best to give ample attention and affection to our first baby love, too. And I'm still taking plenty of pics of said son--when he allows it, of course. :)

Kaiser has been battling a little cold the past couple of weeks, but it has only seemed to affect his energy level and spirits minimally. We have had some rough moments here and there since our family has expanded, but overall he's the same happy, sweet, lovable boy who constantly keeps us laughing and our jaws dropping in amazement at what he is learning and how he can communicate.

So, in case you're interested, here are some pics of the dude since he's added "Big Brother" to his resume:

Trying on Oma's and T-Pa's reading glasses.

While attempting to climb up on a kitchen chair, he took a tumble that left him with this bruised cheek.

Burning some energy during one of our few outings to the park.

Getting a kick out of hearing Oma play his new harmonica.

"How did YaYa know my love language is ice cream?"

Gettin' silly in the backyard.

Jam session.

Crawling into and popping out of this box to surprise us kept him entertained for quite a while.

The "face resting on the hand" pose is priceless.

Little techie working YaYa's computer.

Loading his John Deere tractor and wagon from Jefe and Nana with packing peanuts.

When I came to get him at the end of naptime, Kaiser was cuddled up, sound asleep with Big Bear right inside his door.

Rompin' around on the bed for a photo shoot with Baby Brudder.

Our family praying before bedtime.

You can tell Kaiser's very much into talking to God.

Puckering up while shopping/playing at Borders.

Lost and Found

Lost:

Found:

Of course, Porter's umbilical cord stump refused to fall off before his newborn photo shoot yesterday afternoon. Instead, it came off just hours afterward, during a middle-of-the-night diaper change, and revealed the cutest lil in/outie belly button you ever did see. :)

And because it wouldn't be fair to just post pictures of my babe's crustiness and growing belly, here is some cuteness for you to enjoy:

Hope y'all had a happy Friday!

Who's Who?

I snapped a picture of Porter's sweet profile today that had me searching for a similar one of Kaiser at around this age. Here they are for you to compare:

PKB, 2 weeks old

KJB, 3 weeks old

I can definitely see a difference in their noses; Kaiser's looks smaller and more upturned to me. But other than that, I think they look so much alike! Am I crazy, or do you see it, too? I wonder if looking at my boys' pictures side by side is ever going to get old. . . :)

PKB: Week 2

Porter Knight, you are 2 weeks old. Here you are today, looking less-than-thrilled about posing for these weekly pics. I promise they'll be easier once you can hold up your big noggin' better, Buddy!

You, my sweet son, found your lungs this week. Last week I said that when you wanted to, you could scream with the best of 'em; little did I know, I hadn't seen anything yet. A couple of nights ago you decided to scream your head off in my face for the first time. I know I shouldn't have been surprised, but WOW! I completely forgot how painful and heartbreaking that sound is. I still wouldn't say you're fussy, but you're definitely getting more comfortable sharing with us when you have had more than enough of a certain situation. :)

You are slowly but surely spending a little more time of the day awake and alert, which is so much fun for those of us around you. Your wake time is usually no more than about an hour (including the time you are eating), and then it's time to hit the hay again. Mommy is trying really hard to pay attention to when you show signs of tiredness and put you in your crib right away; if I wait too long, or you fall asleep and then I try to transfer you, you have a hard time settling into sleep. If I get you to bed in the magic window, you have been doing a great job falling asleep on your own (sometimes I do have to come back in to soothe you a bit) and usually stay asleep until it's time to eat again. There have been a couple of evenings this week when you've really fought sleep (hence the screaming in Mommy's face) and have needed multiple visits to calm down. Overnight, you wake up anywhere from every 3 to 5 hours to eat--nothing consistent as of yet.

Speaking of eating, you are doing great and growing like a champ! Last Thursday we found out during our doctor's appointment that you weighed 7 pounds (3 ounces over your birth weight at just one week and one day old!), and I assume you've put on at least an ounce a day since then, so you are probably approaching (or over?) 7 1/2 pounds. I can tell your belly is getting rounder and your legs are getting chubbier, and I absolutely love it. I am so glad that you're getting full feedings and that the nourishment I'm able to provide for my boy is helping you become big and strong!

The only negative I can think of about nursing is that you have to take vitamin D drops. Ick. I'm sorry, Baby, that I have to give you these things; I feel so horrible, because I almost gag from the smell, and I don't even have to swallow them. We started the drops this week, and to say that you dislike them is an understatement. Your little face twists up in a look of disgust, and you start to fuss. I know your big brother didn't care for them at first, but then later miraculously came to love them; hopefully, this will be the same in your case!

You are just full of noises. As mentioned, you can most certainly wail, but at this point you are mostly a grunter, just like your brother. Some of the other sounds you make throughout the day remind me of different animals. When you are hungry and begging for food, I think you sound like a snorting little piglet. When you are really ticked, your scream sounds like an angry cat. Of course, my favorite sounds are the sweet, content sighs when you've just finished nursing or I've swept you up in my arms when you're upset.

A couple of firsts from this week:

• You took your first trip to the mall. YaYa, Oma, Kaiser, you, and I just went to Old Navy and the food court to eat lunch, then had to get home to put Kaiser to bed and get you fed. You slept like an angel the entire time in your car seat.
• You spit up in Mommy's mouth. It was totally my fault; I never should have gone in for a kiss so soon after feeding you. Yuck.

Here are some of my favorite shots of you from the past several days:

I heart this sleeping pose.

A teensy bit cross-eyed, but too cute!

Life is good.

Getting a bit of sitting support.

Chubby cheeks.

More time on Mommy's chest.

Talk to me, Kiddo.

Little Boy Blue.

Spooked?

Look like you've seen a ghost!

I adore you in this outfit.

"Put up your dukes!"

Logging some time on the tum-tum.

I can't believe how quickly this second week has flown, Porter. It is crazy the changes that we've witnessed in you in merely 14 days. I know that since I've done this once before, it should not come as a shock to me, but I'm still saddened at how quickly you're losing your "newborn-ness"! Can you slow down and stay tiny just a little bit longer? Pretty please? I love you so much, Baby Boy.