For the first couple of weeks of Gus’ life, Leo was kind of indifferent. People were asking about Leo: “Is he jealous?” “Is he mean?” “Is he throwing tantrums?”
He wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t mean. Yes, he was throwing tantrums but not any more than he did before.
Then in the last couple of days, as Gus entered his third week of life, Leo started taking an interest in his little brother. He wants to look at him, touch him and “help” with him.
So, of course, our cameras have been flashing!!
Our second week home with Gus has been eventful! Here are some pics, including Father’s Day, Granny Jo meeting Gus, Carrey and me holding Pascal and Gus in our Moby wraps and Leo learning to put on his shorts all by himself!
I love summertime. Sure, it’s really, really hot. And sure, I’m not on any kind of school break nor do I have kids who are singing, “School’s out for summer.” I’m not even going anywhere this summer.
But I still love summer—summer clothes, water activities…it’s all like that Country Time Lemonade commercial where kids are jumping in the lake and chasing fireflies.
And if you look in our freezer, you’ll also see another sign of summer—Drumsticks.
Frank likes to talk about the summer when he ate a Drumstick every day. Or was it that he ate a whole box of Drumsticks in one sitting? I can’t remember but somehow, he got tired of Drumsticks for a couple of decades.
But the Drumstick drought is over! A friend mentioned them and when I saw them in the store, I just had to have them. First, I bought the Lil Drums:
I thought they’d be perfect for Leo. And they were, but Frank really wanted the original Drumstick:
Frank was elated when he opened the freezer and found his favorite summer treat.
Now, I’m not sure why Drumsticks are more summery than any other ice cream novelty but it might be Nestle’s smart marketing strategy. They have a whole section on the Drumstick site called “Forever Summer.”
And that is where I found this awesome poem that summarizes my love for Drumsticks and my love for this season:
Summer isn’t deadlines, it’s tan lines. Summer isn’t a million things to do, it’s a beach chair in the sun, with nothing to do. Summer isn’t three months on a calendar, it’s a state of mind. And we’ve got our sweet summer memories to keep us warm all summer long.
So even though I’m not really on vacation and it’s unbearably hot, I’m gonna just enjoy summer and eat my Drumsticks…until those evil “Back to School” ads come out.
Before Gus was born (last week), I commented to our friends Claire and Josh (parents of Leo’s BFF John, who are expecting in September) that it will be fun to see what our new babies look like. Josh said, “I hope ours looks like John. I like the way he looks.” Good point. We like the way Leo looks too. Then Gus came out and, to us, he doesn’t look all that much like Leo. But some people say that Gus does look like Leo. What do you think? Here’s Leo at about one week (top) and Gus at one week. Either way, we like the way they both look!
In addition to the whole “being born” thing, Gus has had an exciting first few days at home!
First, he received this adorable burp cloth/bib set from Tia Kristin. (Btw, they are from my fave place to buy baby gifts: Your Baby’s Room if you’re interested). Then he played around on his tummy time mat, although he preferred his back.
Last night we gave him his first sponge bath. As you can see, he was a big fan of that.
Then he had his first ever play date with Pascal, born one week earlier than Gus. And by coincidence, we got the same bib/burp cloth set for Pascal! Of course, his mom and I had to make it a photo op.
And Leo got in on the fun too!
Tomorrow Gus will be one week old! It’s hard to believe that just last week, on the eve of his birth, we were singing Happy Birthday to him and eating cupcakes. (Bizarre birthday party, I know.) Luckily, we froze the cupcakes so we can celebrate again tomorrow!
August “Gus” Frank Simcik came into the world on June 10th, 2011. He was a big boy, weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. So far he is calm, sweet and easy going. People keep telling me that second children know that they need to be this way. And in the tradition of how parents should be with second children, I’m totally late in getting out pictures of him. I think I posted Leo’s birth blog on his birthday, from the hospital! Oh, and while Gus is very laid-back, he does have one demand: do not call him “Donald Duck” anymore!
