Easter Weekend.

I am in awe of the fact that we took Adam to two holiday meals today, and he slept quietly through both of them. That never happened to me with Ellie. I know he's still little, and he could go rouge at any time, but I am constantly amazed. All I ask of him is that he eat well and keep the crying to a minimum, and thus far he's excelling at both. Our biggest issue is that he still likes to be held while he's sleeping, which means I've been sleeping in the recliner with him on my chest at night. He'll sleep in his bassinet during the day, but not at night (for more than five minutes.) We're working on it. The good news is that once he curls up with me, he'll sleep quietly for 2-3 hours at a clip, and I'm sleeping pretty well during that time. But it's not something I want to do for the next 18 years. He's quite the snuggly bug.

We've had a very nice weekend. Mimi and Pa came for lunch on Saturday, which made Ellie happy as a clam (and Adam snuggled with both of them for extended periods of time.) That night Tim and I loaded both kids in the car and went to Gigi's house. Having two babies in the back seat is a surreal feeling. I'd also forgotten how awesome it is when your newborn screams the whole ride home, and you know there is nothing you can do to make them feel better. Point for the two year old, who can usually be placated by a Miss Elena song or a rousing chorus of Single Ladies.

Adam did get an Easter basket, even though he wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow. What baby doesn't like binkies and bunny ears? Ellie got a very cute new tutu skirt, which she of course hates. She loves her bunny ears and microphone, both from the dollar bin at Target. OF COURSE.

This morning we went out to Mimi's for a fabulous Easter brunch with the whole family. Ellie was in hog heaven chasing around with her cousins, and Adam was quiet as a mouse for the most part. I managed to stuff myself in a pair of real, non-maternity jeans and actual clothes, and felt like a human being. Still, we were all so tired that Ellie fell asleep right as we were pulling into the neighborhood, and after I fed Adam I curled up in bed until E woke up (2.5 beautiful hours later.)

She is such a sweet big sister. Her first concern when she wakes up (morning and nap) is wanting to come and see him, and snuggle with him, or have us all lay in bed together. There's no real jealousy coming through, and she's very concerned for him. The hardest thing we're dealing with is her just being two, and entering a very defiant, sassy phase. She is loving being contrary, and I am hating it. It's so arbitrary too. She'll come over and I'll be nursing Adam and she goes "what are you doing?" and I tell her I'm giving her milk, to which she responds "no you're NOT!" in this bratty voice. We have a lot of discussions about our rude words versus our kind words lately. I am also considering a sassy mouth shock collar (kidding...)

After nap time we went to Gigi's house for Easter dinner. Granny Janny was there, which meant the rest of us were all dirt to Elizabeth Beans. She was remarkably good and incredibly cute, and Adam slept in his bouncer for the entire meal. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for me to have to eat a cold meal after nursing an angry baby (who would start crying fifteen minutes later just the same.) Both children amaze me with their loveliness sometimes.

I will post pictures later - they are uploading slowly, and I have to haul myself into bed for my 10-11pm "nap."