Cute Overload

I’m tired. I know why motherhood is for young women: they can keep up with a busy 16 month old child. After you turn 50, you have a hard time moving that fast that often.

I don’t even know where to begin: chronologically or just start with the “Zephan has a new brother” part?

I guess I settled that debate.

Javen (rhymes with raven and means “clay”) was born at 9:00 on June 16. Zephan (rhymes with Stephan and is short for Zephaniah) stayed with his grandparents. I took two days off from work.

Tuesday evening, Zephan was here before I got home and was busy playing with his blocks with his grandfather. We didn’t do anything special and bedtime for the little one came around 8, when he started acting tired. He whimpered a little, but zonked out rather quickly and didn’t wake back up until 7:30 on Wednesday.

At some point, he must have knocked our land phone off of the hook just enough that all incoming calls did not ring through. We didn’t even know we had a problem until a neighbor (and friend of Arwen’s) knocked on the door Wednesday morning to tell me to call Arwen: I was a grandmother again! Sam had been trying to call us since 9 o’clock the previous evening! Of course, he did not leave a message – he was probably too excited to.

I had to call Don at work. 1) He’s the grandfather and he deserved to know he was a grnadpa again, too and 2) he drove off with the car seat. He took sick time off to come home so we could all go see Baby Javen at the hospital.

Zephan was not impressed. The highlight of the trip for him was the stop at the Lego™ Store on our way home and the new box of Duplos™ he got.

Pop-pop, however, was smitten.

Javen weighed into the world at 9#8oz. He was 21 inches long. His head is so perfectly round because he spent a total of four minutes in the birth canal, not nearly long enough to get a “cone” head. He was very aware of everything going on around him.

But more on that.

Zephan was the center of our world for the rest of the day. We took him to the store and spoiled him at lunch with French fries and chicken strips. He came home and played with his blocks. We watched “Happy Feet” on demand on Netflicks. He taught us his language:

“Side?” (outside! I want to go OUT)

“puppeh” (any animal with four legs vaguely resembling a puppy OR Murphy, specifically)

PUPpeh (Pop-pop, who is closely associated with the aforementioned puppeh named Murphy)

DA! DA! (Grandpa come back outside!)

Daa (dance)

And he has this Happy Feet thing going which is why I even thought to watch the movie. I had no idea he owns the movie and he really was doing the Happy Feet dance, but there you go. You just have to picture it.

I can’t sit still myself, so I ended up outside trying to weed while allowing Zephan to play outside. Zephan helped pull grass out of the cracks in the sidewalk.

Then his favorite person (next to his mom and dad) came outside. And his favorite person decided to rake the yucky leaves out from under the camelia.

This is how you pick up the leavs and put them in the recycle bin.

“I saw how Pop-pop did this! It’s just like a broom…”

“See? I know how to use a broom!”

Murphy came out and played, too. Zephan does not like that Murphy tells me when his diaper is dirty (hey! the dog’s nose is good for something!) but he sure liked it when Chrystal’s boyfriend came by and played “fetch!” with Murphy for awhile. And he thought Murphy kisses were laughing matters, too. If only Murphy was not such a bull in a china closet, then maybe he and Zephan could be buddies. But he is (a bull in a china closet) and we are very protective of the littler guy when Murphy is on the loose.

Stayed up until almost nine, playing on the Lego™ website with Pop-pop.

And up again at 6:30. I thought he might sleep later, but I was wrong.

We chased the cat. I chased Zephan who was chasing the cat. I chased Zephan who decided to climb stairs after the cat. I chased Zephan who decided to bold for the door every time it was open. I chased Zephan who decided to climb cement stairs when we were outside. I chased Zephan who bolted for the part of the lawn where the dog poops.

“Am I the man or what?”

“Here, Elmo. If you’re going to sit in my chair, then you have to eat the apple slice that Grandma cut up for me. Good Elmo!”

“I expect breakfast served out here. I’ll sit in the Big People chair and let Elmo have my baby chair. Got that Grandma?”

We went to buy groceries and I thought he might fall asleep, but I think he got a second wind. We danced, we started “Happy Feet” again, and we weeded some more in Grandma’s garden. Grandma is wearing out!!

Then I was rescued!

“But, Dad – I don’t care what you have in your hands, I want you to understand that I learned how to hook the safety belts on my little chair. This is IMPORTANT stuff, Dad!”

In/out, Out/in, Up/down, Down/up. We took a nap, we finished watching “Happy Feet” for a second time, we dragged Daddy off for a walk, and we showed Daddy where the kitty lives upstairs.

We watered just like Grandma does.

Fun until you sit down in the wet grass and get all wet.

Then Pop-pop came home. And barbecued. And everyone sat outside in the warm summer air.

Everyone.

Are you on cute overload yet?

I took 57 photos all told. Most of them rapid shots of the very same event, just trying to capture the best shot. I’ll upload most of them to my Webshots account. But you get the benefit of only being subjected to the absolute cutest of them. Cute Overload.

And here’s the best photo of all (with apologies to Zephaniah, my Guest of Honor the past two days):

Oh yeah.