Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A name for Baby Brother

Tobin informed me over lunch today that Baby Brother's name will be Tobin Chevy (as in the auto company, not the comedian) Lee Smith. When I countered that we preferred to have just one Tobin, T said we could refer to him as "Tobin" and the baby as "Tobin Chevy." While Matt and I will take this under advisement, we have already picked out a name that we really like. I fear it might not be quite as clever and hilarious, but do think it will be a little less confusing. In any case, I think it's highly likely that Baby Brother will at some point pick up the nickname Chevy, courtesy of his big brother. (Of course, Chevys might be extinct by then . . .)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Remembering, anticipating, celebrating.

These are indeed precious times in our little family. Tobin's birthdays have been occasions to reflect on our time with him, but this particular birthday found me looking back and looking ahead in a special way. As I think about Tobin's transition from baby to boy, I look forward to starting that journey anew, God willing, with our second son.

Tobin's third year has been marked by many milestones: my transition from working outside the home to being home full time; our finishing nursing; and his learning, among other things, to use the potty, to recognize the letters of the alphabet, and to count to twelve reliably--and higher, except that he gets mixed up in the mid-teens. :) He remains thoughtful, curious, articulate, and tender-hearted yet quite an independent thinker.

We celebrated Tobin's birthday in a relatively low key way. Instead of having family in for a weekend of celebrating, we simply went to a Durham Bulls game with some local friends the day before his actual birthday and then on his birthday had pizza, chocolate cupcakes, and presents with the three of us plus Mimi. While I missed having everyone else here to celebrate with us, I did appreciate the opportunity to spend a little less time running around preparing for everything and a little more time taking it all in. Matt's video captures so well the fun family day we had. However, it is missing one little detail: Tobin insisted for most of the day yesterday that he was not yet three. Eventually, we were able to agree that he would turn three when he blew out the candles on his cupcakes. And now I think he will tell you that he is in fact three years old--and, perhaps, even that he will be FOUR! on his next birthday.

Today, Mom and I spent some time pulling Tobin's newborn clothes out of storage in preparation for Baby Brother's arrival. As I held and folded the clothes, I was flooded with memories of how it felt to dress Tobin in those sweet little onsies and how many pictures we took of him in particular outfits. It was a most tangible reminder of what we have ahead of us: dressing and loving and snuggling with a new baby boy. I anticipate that it will feel the same and different than how it felt with Tobin, primarily because Tobin, our very big boy now, will be there to share in this experience.

Three

Three years ago yesterday, Tobin came home with us from the hospital. My mind is awash in thoughts and memories of the last three years, but I can't seem to distill them clearly into words. Thankfully, we were able to get much of T's afternoon on video. So, if a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe this is worth even more?