Newborn snuggles

What can I say? Our lives now exist as cycles, 2-3 hour cycles. This is what we're up to: Eat. Wake time (very brief). Sleep.

 Well, I should clarify, that's what Riggs is up to (oh...but I should include "poop" in the agenda too ;). It's a blissful rotation of time that I'm soaking up every minute of! I just can't get enough of the milk-drunk snuggles. As predicted, it is absolutely incredible how much he has aged in his three weeks on the earth. Three weeks! I have a similar feeling to last time I was on maternity leave, one of dread / doom when thinking about returning to work. But, I keep shoving that off as a "future Deanna problem" and am trying to just soak in every single moment. 

 Tom has been able to get his share of snuggles too. And, to compare to last paternity leave, this is night and day for the better! If you recall, when Adler was born, he spent a significant portion of his paternity leave away from home as this was the time that his dad John was diagnosed with and passed from pancreatic cancer. The heartache from that time will never be forgotten, but the pure joy and bliss of this time won't either I don't think! Especially when you have a built-in baby-wearing shirt!
Nana and papa were able to sneak away for 2 weeks to help us adjust and we are so glad they did! 

The baby snuggles were hard to share, but we did our best to keep it somewhat even among all of us. 

At almost one week old we did our first family game night as a family of 4! Riggs wasn’t a big fan of the buzz from Operation, but then again Adler wasn’t either. 

I don’t even care that these are like Christmas jammies—he’s adorable. Albeit, he looks like a bow legged cowboy 

As Adler (and us) were adjusting to life with a newborn, Nana and Papa got to sneak away to Galveston as a special treat to Adler.

They flew kites and enjoyed some sun, sand, and beach-side dining that is hard to beat! Adler loved it. 

Not only did she get grandparent time, she got time with Maggie too!

Now, here is the part of the blog where I just flood you with baby pictures because, let's face it, I have so many of them because all I do or ever want to do is just snuggle this little man and pinch his chubby little cheeks :). 

In Riggs’ first week of life, Tom had a HUGE life event occur. He got sworn in to the Washington State Bar by none other than Supreme Court Justice (that he used to work for) Debra Stephens.

It was, of course, over zoom and in a house surrounded by baby things. But, it was incredible nonetheless. It's an amazing accomplishment and it was an honor to be there for the ceremony, no matter how much smaller and more informal it was than it would have been in person!

My favorite part of it all: the fact that he wore his "daddy" bracelet made for him by Adler, and that it was therefore clearly on display as he raised his right hand. Maybe it's just post-partum hormones, but that definitely gave me all the feels!

Nana and Papa have become our official family photographers and the day Tom swore in was no exception!

Riggs was about 10 days old and couldn't possibly be tasked with keeping his eyes open or trying to sit upright, but they captured a beautiful moment in time that's for sure.

Adler continues to grow up way too fast and is now scooting around the neighborhood like a champ. 

While nana and papa were here we had some incredible nights of gorgeous weather. Walking the neighborhood like this is something I definitely want to remember 

That’s about all I’ve got for now. 

So far, here's what we've learned about Riggs: 

- He likes to lay in the "bonky bonk" - the circular swing on the play set in our yard 

- He tolerates the rather rough hugs/kisses/face rubs given to him by Adler with stoicism 

- He does NOT like things pulled over his head - He smiles in his sleep almost every single time 

- He has hiccups every night, just like he did in the uterus (his sister did too!) 

- He grunts ALL. THE. TIME. I swear this kid has a gut problem because he's constantly farting, pooping or grunting to attempt to do both...I'm never going to be able to take him in public!

I can’t wait to continue to learn about him and how to do this whole parenting with TWO kids thing — I still can’t really believe it.