Busy Season

I'm pressed for time so there isn't much of an intro for these pictures. Just enjoy them and be thankful you didn't have to read my ramblings for a week or so!

Me: "If you learn how to use the potty we'll save lots of money."
Levi: "Dad, if you don't shut up I'm going to pee in your eye."

Levi looks like a giant compared to Lucas.

Whatever Levi just did, Maya isn't very happy.

She's still not happy Levi, keep trying buddy.

Lucas's first trip to Grandpa and Grandma Chapin's house.

Levi and Aunt Mindy, getting ready to do something mischievous I'm sure.

Is it the swimsuit, or could Levi stand to lose a few pounds?

Three generations of Chapin men, apparently getting ready to make a human pyramid.

Levi enjoying the pool with daddy.

Great-Grandma Chapin meeting Lucas for the 1st time.

Here you go Mom

My mom has been reminding me that I'm not posting as many pictures as I did with Levi. I apologize for that, but things are kind of busy around here.

For those of you wondering how life is with two children, here is the Reader's Digest version.

• Lucas is incredible. Sleeps well, eats well, seems to be much more calm than Levi was at this age. We're very thankful.
• Levi is definitely approaching his "terrible twos". Its probably a mix of him getting older and not being the center of attention anymore, but he's testing boundaries and it can get very frustrating. We find ourselves saying "no" a lot.
• Besides the behavioral issues Levi is a good kid. Smart too. He is stringing together complete sentences on occasion. He has a great memory and brings up specific memorable moments such as the "zebra train with papa" (the train he rode on w/ my parents at the Binder Park Zoo), "big giraffe with the big black tongue" (giraffes at the zoo), and reciting the names of the different flowers in our garden (hosta, callalilly, iris), just to name a few.
  
• I went back to work last week, leaving Courtney home with Lucas. Levi is home too on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I walked in the house on Thursday to be greeted by Levi walking around the house banging two bananas together and squishing banana guts everywhere. Courtney was feeding Lucas and unfortunately telling him to stop wasn't working. Other than that things were OK I guess.
• Work is very busy for me and pretty stressful. I'm going to New York City in a couple weeks for a 3 day conference. While that seems exciting, I've already been to NYC twice and done all the touristy stuff, and trust me I'd much rather be at home with my family. But hopefully its a good experience. I plan on eating as much NY style pizza as I can.
• Golf starts tomorrow. I'm very excited to see how much better I am with my new clubs. Probably not much.

OK, that's enough for now. Was that good enough mom?? Enjoy the pictures!

Indiana Terry and his grandkids.

The Chapin family.

Levi feeding the fish with Papa T.

Our little duck.

Levi learning how much fun it is to splash people.

Oh yeah, we have another kid too.
He's so quiet I forget sometimes.

Mommy and her two little boys.

Lucas in his first bath.
He didn't cry at all (unlike Levi).

Levi giving me a running commentary on all the cars driving by while clutching his stick collection.

Baby Lucas is here

Actually, baby Lucas has been here for about two weeks now. It's just taken me a while to get the blog updated. For some reason having two kids is a lot of work. Who knew?

Lucas's birth story isn't quite as dramatic as Levi's (for a refresher course, you can read Levi's story here). Courtney was due on May 15th. Levi was born 4 days early so we were expecting Lucas to arrive early as well. But May 15th came and went, and still no Lucas. Courtney had a doctor appointment in the afternoon on May 17th. After the appointment (around 4:30) she started having contractions. Her mom came over after the appointment and they went for a walk around the block. I arrived home late from work and no one was home. After they got back Carla left and we started eating dinner. By this time Courtney was really starting to feel the contractions so she decided to go and lay down. We didn't want to go to the hospital if this wasn't the real thing, so we waited it out for a little while. But when I saw the look of anguish on Courtney's face when the contractions came, I had a sneaking suspicion that this was the real thing. So we called Courtney's parents and they arrived faster than Winston Wolfe* to get Levi. We packed up and headed for the hospital, where we arrived around 8:30.

* This Pulp Fiction reference would be even better if Terry had said to us on the phone, "Your house is 30 minutes away? We'll be there in 10.".

We waited in triage for a while before I had to finally go and get a nurse. The nurse checked Courtney and she was dilated to 8. This was the real thing. We moved to a delivery room. Courtney "labored" for a little while, her water broke a little after 10, and Lucas was born at 10:29. So from start to finish the labor/delivery took a little under 6 hours. He weighed in at 7 pounds (just like Levi) and was 20.5 inches long.

Welcome, Baby Lucas.

That whole story seemed a lot more exciting and interesting when it was actually happening. But now it just seems pretty blah. I wish I had something more exciting for you, I really do.

Since the story is a little boring, here is GOB to spice things up a bit.

Seriously, even though the story isn't all that exciting we're very thankful that little Lucas arrived safely and without any complications.

The last two weeks we have been adjusting to life with two kids. Lucas has been an incredible baby so far so he is making life a lot easier for us. He eats great, sleeps great, and doesn't cry a whole lot. He does poop all the time though, so him and I have something in common (I know, that was gross, sorry). We're still trying to figure out who Lucas looks like. He doesn't look like Levi did when he was born, or me, or Courtney.

Lucas is pondering what long-lost relative he might resemble.

So far Levi is loving being a big brother. He wants to shower Lucas with hugs and kisses all the time. We do have to remind him to be gentle as he can be a bit smothering. We were actually able to get Levi to come inside without crying today by telling him he'll be able to see his brother Lucas. And trust me, there is nothing* that gets this kid inside without crying. It was a minor miracle.

*The other day after dinner we asked Levi if he wanted dessert, and he said "No, outside.". We offered him popsicles, ice cream, cookies...and for each one he said "No, outside". That is the first time he's ever refused dessert. The kid really loves being outside.

Our two boys.

I've been home for the last couple of weeks but I'm heading back to work on Wednesday. I've thoroughly enjoyed being home and spending quality time with Courtney, Levi, and Lucas. It'll be an adjustment for everyone when I head back, but we'll make it work. I am very blessed to have a wonderful family. Hard to believe we're parents of two now!!

Here are some pictures from the last couple weeks for you. Thanks for reading!

Papa Freed with his new grandson.

Grandma Carla.

Grandma Chapin and Aunt Mindy.

You have two grandsons now Dad, looks like its time to build that baseball diamond.

The new and improved Chapin family.

Getting ready to head home from the hospital.

Levi getting ready to spray Prince.

My favorite part about having a newborn? Lots of naps.

Levi doing his best Matt Scott impersonation*.
*Matt Scott is one of my best friends from college who is infamous for, among other things, having 1 sock on and 1 sock off.

Auntie Marnie and cousin Maya.

Papa Chapin having a heart to heart with Levi.

If I slept like this my neck would hurt for a month.

Mommy, Papa Freed, Lucas, and my Pepsi.

Lucas enjoying the outdoors.

Levi and Maya playing in his pool.

Baby Welcoming Committee

Prince and Levi (07.20.08).

Prince and Lucas (05.19.10).

The Final Countdown

This post is brought to you by the 80's band Europe. And their awesome hair.

We are now 2 weeks away from baby Lucas's due date. We're making preparations and trying to get as ready as we can before he is born. We now have Levi transitioned into his new bedroom, Lucas's room is ready to go, our flowers are planted and landscaping is done...and now, we wait. We're getting excited to meet the new addition to our family. We'll keep everyone posted. Until then, enjoy some of our recent pictures.

Even on his birthday Prince can't get away from Levi.

Enjoying some ice cream.

Prince is really excited for another baby to torment him.

Levi giving his brother "Gucas Chapin" a big hug.

Big Boy Bed

We are now less than 1 month away from Baby Lucas's due date. We've been working hard on getting Levi's new bedroom set up before Lucas arrives so that way he's not getting kicked out of his bedroom as soon as his brother shows up. We finally got everything squared away (for the most part) this weekend, and tonight Levi is sleeping in his "big boy bed" for the first time. How is it going? Well, its after 10 and he's still awake, so that's not a good start to the evening. He has been giving a running commentary on what appears to be an imaginary basketball game between him and papa though so at least its been entertaining.

Here are some pictures of Levi's new bedroom. Enjoy!!

Levi's new bed.

His baseball beanbag and bookshelf (that's a lot of B's).

His dresser, mini-table, and stools.

Reading a book in his beanbag.

In bed with all his friends.

Good night buddy!

Easter Pictures

Three posts in a four day span. Consider this my blogging comeback. Well, at least until baseball season starts tomorrow.

Levi looks like he's wearing a toupee the wrong way.

Two good-looking Chapin men.

Mama, Levi, and baby Lucas.