I’ll close with a portrait of another person who recently received some fresh nourishment.  How sweet it is!  (”Oh, that’s why those little white knives are stabbing me in the mouth all day long!?”)

At 7:03 this morning, Elizabeth Dishman was roused by the waking cries of her almost 9-week old son, Orion, who, according to reliable sources, went to sleep at 10pm the previous night, eclipsing his own record of 7 hours of continuous nighttime sleep.  ”I couldn’t believe it,” said the 37 year-old mother of two, who has reportedly functioned on 5-6 hours of sleep per night since the infant was 3 weeks old.  ”I’m hopeful that this will start a new trend, but it’s really too early to tell,” Dishman said.  Husband and father David says he also awoke feeling delighted and refreshed, rolling over in bed and giving his wife “two thumbs up.”  The couple’s older son, 3 year-old Leif, was at the time playing with trains and gave no comment on the proceedings.

So cute…

Hilarious “poopy face.”

A couple of important milestones…

(Read this to review Leif’s first bottle experience…still a poignant memory.)

Welcome to your world, my dear…

This one just cracks me up…thanks Auntie Marlene!

Some of Leif for good measure…

And please, try to remember:

Last night David and I had a serious talk about what can be adjusted in our day to day logistics to keep me from murdering one or both of my children, or myself.  We came upon some solutions that I hope will be useful, and then he slowly, carefully said: “Now, don’t worry or anything when I say this, but it’s possible that you might–maybe–be…slightly depressed.”  Well, that didn’t freak me out at all; I smiled reassuringly and said “OF COURSE I’M DEPRESSED!!!!”  Isn’t sleep deprivation a torture technique???  Not to mention all the other bodily and hormonal unpleasantries that I will not mention here and which will remain unmentioned by me.

Deep breath.  Sorry, just employing one of my favored coping mechanisms…whenever I find myself with ANY mental, physical or emotional space, I breathe and breathe and breathe, hoping to store up for those frequent moments of internal strangulation I experience when trying to get two kids out the door in 20 degree weather without cursing at them or their recalcitrant gloves, trying (failing) to catch a little, tiny pretense of a nap here and there, or trying (failing) to keep my 3-year old quiet in our Brooklyn apartment while little one “sleeps”.  As any mother knows, it’s rough.  (Mother’s Day assumes all new proportions of heartfelt gratitude to MY mommy…)

But today is a new day, with fresh mercy.  Just talking through ANY kind of solution really helps…even the smallest bone is a feast to this tired dog.  And truly our community of neighbors and friends have been amazing–bringing food, taking Leif for the morning, or just calling to check in.  Yesterday the highlight was eating peanut butter brickle while nursing Orion.  (Special thanks to our neighbor Veronika for that little indulgence!)

I guess I’m just venting.  Everyone says it gets better…I’ll post again if/when it does.  Meanwhile, keep those bones a-comin’.

And here’s a recent shot of said 2nd, who is now smiling (though I couldn’t quite capture it here)…((and this is kind of fish-eye; his nose isn’t THAT big))…(((but he does frequently employ that expression that seems to say, “Seriously, mommy?”))):

James Orion Dishman–Born 12.27.09–9 lbs. 2 oz.

Here are some shots from our first 12 days as 4:

The ultimate NYC Transit-themed series of cakes …

An Orange F train and a Dark Green 4 Train …

A party…

And a new bike!

Learns that rain falls from the sky.