Comparisons

One of the great things about baby number two is that I get to re-create certain photographs to have a fun comparison between the two.  I already showed the two boys in the duckie kimono onesie, but here are a few others...

Liam in the hospital

Ewan in the hospital

Liam sleeping on Mama during the first month

Ewan sleeping on Mama during the first month

Liam at one month

Ewan at one month (Incidentally, we're still using cloth diapers for Ewan, but we were given a huge diaper cake by some of the incredibly generous people I work with and so we went through those first.)

Liam in the bee hat at two months

Ewan in the bee hat at two months

Liam with his frog friend at three months

Ewan with his giraffe buddy at three months  (Pay no attention to that hedgehog, there...)

Wow...same shirt in that last pair, too.  I guess I'm a creature of habit!

Our Everyday

Most days are not full of the extraordinary.  We just go about our business of being a family and getting along...or not.  But these small moments are precious.  So here is a bit our everyday...

Ewan can sometimes become suspicious of what he sees.  But it's nothing, we promise!

Dad makes sure there are no errant gas bubbles, even when we're out and about.

Liam likes to help take care of baby brother.

Ewan and I visited my office and Uncle Roger was so excited to hold the newest Ng.

Liam has been into play doh recently.  He even watches play doh instructional videos.  So he asked Dad to make Stuffy (from Doc McStuffins) out of play doh.  Nailed it!

Liam had his first ice cream cone at Bubbies.

And decided that he preferred to eat it with a spoon.

Being three blocks from the beach has its advantages.  Liam and Dad head down there often.

We also spend a lot of time out and about in Waikiki.  Here, Liam checks the Doraemon at King's Village inside and out.

At home, I spend a lot of time feeding Ewan, so Liam helps out by keeping my feet clean.  Such a thoughtful boy!

Liam also likes to play with his little brother.  Here they are having tea.

Liam loves to play in the playmat with Ewan.  In fact, I think Liam likes it more than Ewan does!

Here are the boys, reading with Mama...

...and playing with Dad.

Ewan gets some alone time with his good friend Giraffe.

The days lately are full of fun and so afternoons call for a midday rest.  Here, Liam sleeps with all of his friends, and his play doh shovel, of course.  Because why wouldn't you?

Aunty Isabelle

Knowing that two kids are not just twice the work of one, but exponentially more work than one, we asked my youngest sister Isabelle to come out and help.  For the past four months she was part of our little household and became one of Liam's favorite Aunties.

Aunty Isabelle's first night in Honolulu.

She and Liam hung out on the rocks at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park.

And she played stylist for him, too.

What a handsome man!

Aunty Isabelle also made friends with Ewan.  

They spent lots of time reading together.

Sometimes, Aunty was overwhelmed by both of them!

Then, her stay came to a close.  Her husband, Uncle Andy, came to pick her up and take her back to California.  But not before they had a chance to watch Little Einsteins together!

Thanks for helping out Aunty Isabelle!  We love you!

The Bunny Rabbit

Easter around the Ng household was quiet and intimate.  It began at the break of dawn, as the majority of our days do, and Liam spent time playing with the things the "bunny rabbit" brought him.

First Liam played with his new train set.

Then he experimented with his new dustpan and sweeper.

Like any good big brother, he shared his new cleaning supplies with Baby Brother.

Of course, Ewan got his own toys too.

Then Liam got to color eggs.

He was very studious as he went about the serious business of egg coloring...

...but less than enthusiastic about the content of said eggs.  A toy or some candy would have been far more preferable than an actual egg!  But thanks for helping Aunty Isabelle!

Duckie Kimono

One of the great things about spawn number two is that we get to reuse a lot of stuff, thereby making said spawn much less expensive than number one.  Incidentally, although it is a moot point given that I have two boys, this is the reason I insisted on gender-neutral clothing and gear when I was pregnant with Liam.  Even if Ewan had been a girl, I would have been able to reuse everything.

Of course, gendered clothing and gear wouldn't really have stopped me.  We're currently borrowing a nap nanny from a friend and it doesn't bother me at all that it's pink...

Ewan loves the nap nanny since it keeps his reflux at bay.  We love the nap nanny because it saves our arms from cramps.

One of my favorite gifts given to Liam was a duckie kimono onesie.  I love the kimono style because it means no trying to pull clothes over a floppy head and the duckies are just cool.  As it turns out, I put my boys in it at about the same time.

Liam after his first bath and the last time he ever used a pacifier.

Ewan after his first bath.  I think I already packed the hat.  And not only is Ewan bigger than Liam was, we didn't give him his first bath until he was older.  Seriously, how dirty do newborns get?

The Mouse in Hawaii

As a little treat before Baby Brother arrived, we took Liam to Disney Aulani for the character breakfast.  It was a bit of trek out there, but that only served to make it feel extra special, since we don't normally spend more than half an hour in the car.

First, we had a chance to meet and greet with Mickey.  He was rockin' a pretty loud aloha shirt, but you know, he's the Mouse, so I guess you can't begrudge  him.

Liam was his usual circumspect self.

Goofy came over to our table, but Liam was in the middle of eating and wondering, "Really?  I've got food here, Goof..."

Minnie stopped by towards the end of the meal and Liam deigned to have his picture taken once again.

From the pictoral evidence, you'd think Liam merely tolerated the trip, but he actually had a fantastic time.  Since I was so very pregnant, the boys and Aunty Isabelle went to get the car while I followed, ready to be picked up at the front.  But I stopped by the gift shop and couldn't resist getting a Mickey pillow pet as a souvenir.  Now, we give the Mickey kisses at night and Liam can't sleep without him!

The Morning After

I've found that one of the most difficult things about dealing with progeny number two (and any subsequent ones, I would imagine) is preventing yourself from caring for them based on the expectations created by caring for progeny number one.  It started with my assumptions for labor and delivery.  Liam was early, born at thirty-eight and a half weeks, and since conventional wisdom states that subsequent births happen more quickly, my anxiety increased the closer I got to thirty-eight weeks.  Then I was thirty-nine weeks.  Then forty.  

I worked right up to the day I gave birth with Liam.  But he was born during Interim and this time around I was due during Session.  Those are two very different work environments.  At two weeks out from my due date, I had worked seventy-three hours while nearly nine months pregnant and while it felt like a cop-out, I decided I had had enough.  Besides, I reasoned with myself, he's coming any day.

Well, Valentine's Day came and I was still very, very pregnant.  But I knew number two was coming because I had spent the whole day, and the day prior, in pre-labor.  That was another difference.  With Liam, I had one contraction, my water broke, and then there was nothing until the Pitocin kicked in.  Number two wanted to make sure I had plenty of warning that he was coming.  I spent Valentine's Day night (my due date) with fairly strong contractions coming fairly regularly.  And then around 3:30 a.m. the morning after, my water broke in spectacular, movie-worthy fashion.  Good thing my sister was here to stay with Liam while Mikey and I rushed to the hospital, me hoping beyond hope that I didn't deliver in the car.  

I couldn't even walk into the hospital.  I got out of the car and just stood there, in pain until Mikey came around and helped me into one of the waiting wheelchairs.  I was contracting the whole time.  Again, based upon expectations developed based on my first pregnancy, I expected things to progress fairly rapidly.  And I suppose they did, but not the way I expected and not the way they did with Liam.  With Liam, my body had to be goaded into completing the process.  This time around, my body was going to finish whether it was ready or not.  There was one, interesting similarity, though.  With Liam, my water broke at 3:30 a.m. on the Saturday of a three-day weekend.  This time around, again, my water broke at 3:30 a.m. on the Saturday of a three-day weekend.  But whereas the first time I was in the labor and delivery room for thirteen hours (I was not technically in labor the whole time), this time I was there for about three.  We got to the hospital around 4:00 a.m. and by 7:00 a.m. we had a new member of Team Monkey.

Ewan Malcolm Hotaru Ng

Ewan was born at 6:38 a.m. on February 15th.  He weighed 7 pounds, 9.5 ounces and was 20.25 inches long.  Although I wasn't sure I could do it again, Ewan was born naturally, with no drugs and no epidural.  And as I told Mikey, I'm done.  But I've got two gorgeous boys and with my handsome husband, I'm happy to hang out with all three of my men.

Liam has thus far been okay with the addition of Baby Brother, though it's been a bit more difficult to get him to the sitter in the morning and to bed at night.  In the morning he wants to stay and play with Mama and at night, although he starts out in his own bed, he eventually wakes up and wants to sleep in Mama and Dad Dad's bed.  He also is very excited to help out with Baby Brother.  He brings us diapers and gets us wipes and wants to feed Baby Brother "myself."  We've told him he'll have to wait for that, but I love that he's showing such a nurturing side.

So far, Ewan sleeps much more than his older brother did.  We're hoping this trend continues, but if it doesn't, we've got plenty of practice going sleepless.

And when he's awake, he's generally pretty mellow.  That's also a new experience after our spirited, high-energy Liam.

We asked Ewan how he felt about being the newest member of Team Monkey.  His response?  "Oy vey!"