On August 4th, 2011 at 10:07 a.m. we welcomed all 8 lbs and 1 oz and 20" of Benjamin Matthew into our family. It was an amazing day culminating in the birth of our little "Peanut." And while he came out screaming, he has since become a peaceful little man. I swear for 30 minutes after he was born he was yelling, I would imagine he was pretty comfortable where he was and didn't appreciate being removed. Jack was given the distinct honor of naming his little brother and while another name was in the running, upon entering the room Jack greeted his little brother saying, "Hi Benjamin!" Jack was so proud to be a big brother and to have been given the task of naming his brother and brusquely corrected anyone who tried to call his brother "Ben," by reminding him that his brother's name was "Benjamin Coconut." It's amazing how in an instant Jack went from being my baby to a "Big Boy" in just that one day. All of a sudden his hands were bigger, his feet looked like boy feet and he no longer had his little baby face. He was now the "big brother" and watching him look at his little blue-eyed brother and recognizing that we were now a "two-kid" family is something that really can't be put into words, but is something that I will never forget.
After what seemed like eternity, but was actually just 5 days we were able to go home and start the new phase of our journey of Mom, Dad, Jack and The New Guy. Of course adjusting was difficult for all of us; waking up every two hours to eat, not being the only kid anymore, going back to work on no sleep, splitting who eats dinner and who sits with the baby being some. And of course not all adjustments are easy but we did have some new fun as well, like Jack thinking its the best thing in the world when Benjamin peed in the bathtub for the first time, or snuggling on the couch as a family and eventually walking Jack to school each day together as well.
Due to a freak storm, Tropical Storm Irene, Jack's first day of Kindergarten at The Salem School was delayed an entire week and he didn't get to start until September 7,2011. We had been looking forward to "New School" all summer but when we went to orientation Jack was initially uncharacteristically shy. He wanted to stick by my side and not venture off to explore his new classroom. But his amazing teacher, Mrs. Cope, had the magic touch and drew him right out of his shell. And while the test bus ride for those kids who would be riding regularly would seem like a fun adventure for any kid, Jack was pretty nervous. Moms and Dads weren't aloud on this little adventure so it was a little worrisome, upon returning Jack was disappointed to discover that he would, in fact, be walking and not riding the bus. Afterwards Mrs. Cope read the class a story and gave each kid a little heart for their parents to pin on their shirts on the 1st day so that their child could touch it all day and know that someone was thinking of them and loved them very much. Story time seemed to be the gateway for my little chatterbox because in the "get to know you" time after the story he was not shy about raising his hand at every opportunity and telling Mrs. Cope all about his new sneakers and how fast he can run in them and his new Gap socks that Gigi got for him. Eventually the 1st day did come and while Jack handled it well, Mommy spied in the window from the stairs and saw her baby becoming a boy and definitely shed some tears while Daddy laughed. For a little while Mommy was able to be at home and was able to pick Jack up from his after-school program and enjoyed nothing more than our walks home from the YMCA and hearing the excitement of those first days of school and here it is the commencement of a new year, a new and improved family, a new life, a new blog....and so it begins :)
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