settling in

the past few weeks have gone by in a fog--of bliss, of discomfort, of relaxation and frustration. so many feelings in one little house! mostly we are all doing quite well, except for the brief interlude of colds we've had this week. isla is easy and relaxed so far, a champion nurser and pretty understanding of her brother's enthusiastic hugs. noah is getting more accustomed to his sister, and to sharing his parents' attention. we've had fewer deliberate bonks for isla and a bit less naughtyness in general. but he is, after all, a two-year-old, so some bonking is to be expected. generally i would say he is adjusting well and is still his sweet self. i think it is his mother who is changed a bit, with less patience and taking things more personally. but we're figuring it out. we even went to the co-op today for a big shop, and everyone did great. it was my first time there in maybe a month!

isla weighed almost 11 pounds at her two-week check, and got high marks for being a very strong and healthy little girl. she is already out of her newborn size diapers and clothes. she has long quietly alert times, where she looks around, sucks her hands, etc. she loves going for walks and so far likes the car, which is pretty convenient. she has been sleeping well and letting us sleep mostly too. her hair is staying red so far and her eyes are turning blue. she smells wonderful.

i'm healing slowly and still haven't been up for big walks or outings. my biggest complaint is my sore tailbone! has anyone else ever heard of this as a pregnancy/birth side effect? a friend today recommended a chiropractor, which sounds like a good idea. tomorrow i have my postpartum check with the midwives, so i'll see what they say. i'd love to be able to sit on my bum again!

not much else to report from iron street. summer is definitely gone and we are thinking about autumn-related things like canning applesauce and making pies. tonight i made a potato-leek soup from the cookbook sarah and christina have been raving about. it was great!

here's a brief photo documentary of our little family settling in.

reading time (though i don't think isla's that interested)

snuggling on the bed

noah the climber at the park

snoozing

aaron and the kids at a local apple orchard for a friend's birthday

me and grandpa on aaron's boat (we had a lovely sail last saturday)

isla all wrapped up in the amby bed

sick day! noah conked out in the big chair all morning, nursing a fever.

hanging out with uncle colin and tricky nicky

practicing the art of thumb sucking

isla's first night out on the town (with my mojito in the foreground!)

cozy with aunt irene

noah is no longer averse to sliding!