Brothers Gotta Hug!

I've been harassing Michael about getting a good picture with his brother.  It's definitely hard to do, and I definitely need the help of pinterest to do it!

So far, I've gotten this one, and it is not perfect.  Michael is a bit out of focus!  FYI:  f2.2 is not enough depth of field!

(photography note:  Michael's shoulder is on the same plane as Simon's face and is perfectly in focus.  The plane that Michael's face is on is probably 0.5-1 inch above Simon's - thus the lack of focus at f2.2)

I've enjoyed watching these two play with one another.  Michael definitely loves his brother, and I think he is doing his best to acclimate to the lack of attention he receives as a result of Simon.

Simon finds Michael pretty funny and is always laughing and smiling at him.  Michael, in turn, makes silly faces and says silly things - because he is being Michael!  Last night, he was playing with his ears and wiggling the tops of them with his hands, which Simon found to be hysterical.

Michael likes to show Simon how to play with his toys, and Simon watches on with interest.  I only hope I can help them grow to appreciate one another and not see each other as rivals for attention.

For now - I have this picture.  I'm thinking I will be dragging them out for pictures soon as the fall months approach.  Definitely need to be thinking of outfits for them and poses!

Simon: 3 Months Old!

I'm so thankful for this little project to kind of force me to be accountable at least once a month to write something about Simon.

Here he is!

He is becoming more and more enjoyable each and every day:

He is getting much better about his head control:

I was trying very hard to get him to look at the camera.  Unfortunately, I had to compete with my yellow ceramic stool, which Simon found infinitely more interesting than me.  Thus, I got the picture above.  :)  At least I know how to shoot my 50mm prime lens and where I need to be with respect to my subject to get it blurry enough in the background not to see my messy house.  This is me letting things go.

Simon is starting to recognize people he sees everyday.  I took him over to my neighbor's house yesterday so she could play with him and it really freaked him out to be somewhere new with someone new holding him.

But then, he saw Michael and smiled a bit.  Then he saw me and relaxed a little bit, but it was still a little scary to him.

It's the best feeling to see Simon smiling at you.  He loves his family, and it shows in his reactions when he sees us.  He smiles, chirps, and is starting to squak a bit as he tests his voice and volume.  

Simon is starting to really bat at toys and grab onto them.  He's tried to touch my plate of food, shoved his hands in my bag of snacks, and stared longingly at my Woodside Creamery ice cream cone.  It only goes uphill from here!

He can play for 20-30 minutes at a time on his playmat.  He loves grabbing and batting at the toys hanging above him.

Yesterday, I set him on his back on his playmat.  When I came back he had rolled onto his side and almost onto his stomach.  His chubby little arm kept him from going all the way.  Then, he found his hand and decided that was way more interesting than rolling over.  :)  Thus, is the end of leaving him places up high.  Not that I do that much ever since I dumped him onto the ground out of his car seat.

I should talk about that - on August 12th, Michael was at basketball camp, and I was home alone with Simon.  The phone rang, and I tried to multitask and picked up the car seat from the floor with Simon in it while talking.  Simon was unbuckled, and the car seat handle was not locked.  I pretty much dumped him out onto the floor, face first.  I felt so terrible!!!  Luckily, the car seat was already on the floor, so he did not fall far.  But that does not alleviate the guilt!!

Anyways, almost immediately afterwards, I took Simon's first fist pump picture.

* insert fist pump picture here *

I thank God everyday for keeping my little boys safe.  We are so thankful for Simon's funny personality and enjoy each and every moment with him, truly.  There's something to be said for delayed gratification!  Simon is a sweet baby who is full of giggles and fun.  We love him dearly!

Simon: Two Months Old!

I can't believe two months have flown by since Simon was born, but here we are, with a bonafide baby on our hands!

Simon is sweet and has a wonderful disposition.  At this point, he cries when he needs something:  food, change of diaper, nap, gas, not feeling well, or to have some interaction!

We love his little personality, which is full of curiosity and laughter.  When he is interested in something, his eyes get really large, which seems to be all the time.

He loves looking at his brother Michael.  Michael fascinates him and makes him laugh a lot.  Sometimes, I catch Simon just STARING at Michael in the backseat of the car when we are off somewhere.  It is hilarious to see him looking completely left out of his carseat to see what Michael is up to.

Simon loves interacting with you on his diaper changing pad.  I'm not sure if it's where he can see us best or what, but he gurgles, coos, talks, and is all around enjoyable up there!

I dragged him out for his two month photo shoot and he did not disappoint.  Love this little boy, who we say almost daily, is "our gift from God."

I'll add more in a bit.  He just woke up from nap, but I have another series of 3, which are adorable!

Faces

At the end of the day, I kiss Michael goodnight.  Sometimes.  When I haven't fallen asleep myself nursing Simon goodnight.

But what always astounds me is that when I get to Michael's face, I always think to myself, "Oh goodness - his face is so...BIG."

Because all day long, I am staring at Simon's face.  I play with Michael when Simon's nursing.  I try to play with Michael outside when Simon is napping.  I certainly don't just STARE at his face the way I do Simon's.

So it's no wonder that when I look at Michael, I'm surprised at how large his face is compared to Simon's.  And it makes me realize how much I miss Michael and his big boy personality.  Most of the time, I'm annoyed at the incessant "Mommy MOmmy Mommy watch this Mommy Mommy Mommy will you do this Mommy Mommy Mommy I want strawberries." Because at the same time, i'm also changing diapers, nursing, changing diapers and nursing.

At the end of the day when Simon's finally gone to bed and it's just Michael and I, I am reminded about how much fun I had with Michael when it was just the two of us.  And I immediately feel guilty for all the times I'm short with him or reprimand him, maybe a little too harshly, about only thinking about himself.  I know he misses me too, but he's a good enough boy to still be helpful and be in good spirits.

He helps me with Simon - watching him, playing with him when he's fussing.  He picks up my burp cloths when I have dropped them.  He even remembers what time I last nursed simon and which side I started on.  He's started wanting to hold Simon even!  And lately, he's been learning how to pick up Simon out of his cradle after nap.

Michael is a great big brother!

Chillaxin: June 25, 2014

Simon was born into the right family because he really is quite captivated by our trees.  So much so that for about a 2 week period, he spent time regularly in his infant papasan chair, happily staring out the window:

Here he is, staring at the floor and making me a liar:

Adorable!

Glad I took pictures then because he is still adorable on June 25th.  :)  From birth, we've always loved Simon's cute little face.

Aaaannnddd....then recently, his face is enlarging to funny fat Asian face status.  All us Asian kids go through it - some are cuter than others.  I noticed it this past weekend (june 28th) when I took Brian and Simon's Texas Rangers picture:

Daddy's Boy: June 17, 2014

We all knew from the beginning that Simon is a unique and special baby because he has red hair.

He looks American.

He came out of me.

So it's no wonder, he is his Daddy's Boy.  

Simon A.D.O.R.E.S his dad.  He would scream at my mom and me all day, but as soon as Brian walked in the door, Simon would calm down and do this with Brian all night:

A look of amazement wonderment and awe.

And Brian was the first to crack a smile out of this one:

Simon would just light up - starting around now (plus or minus 2-3 days).

It is hilarious and aggravating at the same time.  :)

I am glad I grabbed these pictures because Simon has now realized that I am his primary care taker.

So he gives me lots of great goos and coos.  He smiles at me when he's well fed, well rested, and has a clean diaper, which is about 15 minutes out of every 2-2.5 hrs.  That look of amazement that he used to reserve solely for his dad isn't as prominent.

It makes me both kind of sad, but glad at the same time.

More later - still have to blog the Strawberry Farm visit, Easter, Father's Day, and other things, but I'm going to blog quick stuff now.

Recording

Somewhere in the week my MIL was here, Simon turned from a newborn to a baby.  His schedule became a little more predictable, and he didn't cry as much for no reason.

That's all.  I'm sure I"ll say that again at some point.  But I had to write that down now.

Grandparent Invasion!

We are very blessed to have grandparents who love our kids and love on us.  My mom came a week before I was due and took care of us until 4 weeks after I delivered.  I don't know of many moms who would do that, but mine did.  I wasn't the most appreciative during her time here, but it was through no fault of her own!

Brian's parents came Memorial Day weekend (May 23 - 26), and we all had a nice time in the moderate PA weather!

Lots of photos, as can be expected!

This has been our only family picture so far:

My MIL generously offered for us to have professional pictures done.  For some reason, I did not feel compelled to do that!  SHOCKING!  For whatever reason, I am totally happy with the picture above.  It shows my family, as we really are with a newborn, at our home.

I couldn't deal with finding the right coordinating outfits for all of us.  I couldn't deal with dressing my postpartum figure.  I couldn't deal with cleaning my house if I decided to hire an on location photographer.  I couldn't deal with making sure my baby was SUPER asleep to do all those poses we all know and love for newborn pictures.  The thought of all of that stressed me out.

We had a similar family picture with Michael, and I am totally happy with this family picture for Simon.

Here we have several generations of the Besancon Dynasty:

I always joke that if the Besancons were Chinese, they would be a dynasty by now with all their boys.

Here's a picture of me with my momma:

Grandpa looks like he is asleep, but he's not!  For some reason, I do not have an "official" picture of Grandpa with Simon:

Grammy with Simon:

I did get some official pictures of my mom with Simon:

I'll have to get Grammy and Grandpa next time they are here!

Michael loved the extra attention.  Here's some playing in the yard with our smoker going:

I like that finger in the picture!  :)

Michael is playing with kinetic sand.  LOVE that stuff.  Feels totally cool.

And voila!  Grammy comes to visit in mid-June.  I'll eventually get to that in the blogposts!  :)

Saturday, June 28th: Michael's All Star Game!

Michael LOVES baseball, and he really puts his all into it!  This past winter, we signed him up for some winter baseball lessons with the Baseball All Star Academy in West Chester.  Michael's little league had a discounted rate set up, and we took advantage of it.

Well, the practice and lessons paid off because Michael was picked for the All Star Team!!!  SO proud of our little guy and all the hard work he has put into playing this year!  Out of the 12-13 players of the team, the coach chooses the top 4.  :)

The All Star Game happened after the awards ceremony.  Because in America, EVERYBODY gets a trophy.  Right?

Here's Michael looking awesome:

In addition to the trophy, you get a Philly's world series plastic lidded cup. I like that the bottom of it is small enough to fit in a standard car cup holder.  Michael just loves plastic cups.

With his team:

And the All-Star Game Commenced!!

Here's Michael laying out for an awesome catch:

I can't remember if that was during play or practice.  But it was great nonetheless.

Here's Michael playing catcher with his classmate, Liam, up to bat:

Here's Michael up to bat for the first (and only) time!

AAANNNDD...then I missed the picture with the hit because my stupid camera kept focusing on that coach there instead of Michael.

Oh well - he's off to first:

Waiting at 2nd base - all business:

Onto 3rd:

Making it home!

On the pitcher's mound:

It was a hot but breezy day.  Brian and I had a great time watching Michael play!

That evening, we hung out at the house.  These 2 spent the day in their Ranger's Gear:

What an All-American weekend!

P.S. - Yesterday (6/31), Michael asked Brian what sport he wanted Michael to play (basketball, soccer, baseball, etc).  And Brian told him:  Whatever makes you happy.  Michael said, "Oh good, because I want to play baseball."

P.P.S.  Michael's been at baseball camp the last two days (6/30 and 7/1).  It was FREE and put on by the All Star Baseball academy.  AND today it was a high of 90.  LOL.  Michael said he thought the camp was too long, but I think it's just fine.

P.P.P.S.  Today, 7/1 - we drove ourselves to Walmart after Baseball camp and purchased a slip n slide.

Alert Aggie

I've been having serious trouble taking newborn pictures of my own baby because at almost 2 weeks old, he is alert like THIS:

RIDICULOUS!

I was able to get a couple of cute sleeping baby shots, thankfully, for the birth announcement.  But for the most part, he never ever really fell into that DEEP sleep you need to kind of move them around for those cute newborn poses.

Instead, I have this super alert baby!  I am totally surprised, but I love this expression he makes.  He still makes it with his eyes super large and his mouth all small and super cute.  I just love this expression of his because it shows his curiosity in real life.  It's just adorable!

I know I'm pretty smitten with my 2nd.  With Michael, I was so overwhelmed and terrified.  I wouldn't exactly say I am more confident with this one.  However, I will say that I am more "present" with this one.  I'm enjoying all the moments, even through a tired stupor, knowing that this too shall pass. 

I know that during my miscarriages, I remember praying about how I wish I had enjoyed Michael more instead of feeling so overwhelmed.  For Simon, I definitely am enjoying these moments, and I'm so very thankful for them!

ONE MONTH! Pinterest-style...

One month!  One month!  Where has the time gone!

Well thanks to Pinterest, I have the great joy of creating projects like this for posterity:

Simon is probably the only 2nd child that will get to say that he has more pictures than the oldest.  

Somehow, we've made it to a month, and it's been great fun!  I've still got to blog a visit from Grammy and Grandpa, photosession with my mama, and his first outing at Walnut Springs Farm for strawberry picking.

Somethings to jot down right away:

• I don't know if it's too early, but Simon is smiling, especially when he sees his dad.  Today, he just coo-ed and laughed at Brian!  
• His hand wanders into his vision from time to time, and Simon thinks it's as good as Cheesecake Factory's tiramisu cheesecake.
• He is fascinated with his father.  He will stare and stare at Brian.  Simon also is very calm with Brian.
• Alternatively, he kind of gets wound up with me and/or my mother from time to time.  Imagine that.
• He is gaining weight well and nursing well.

Some things I want to jot down about my C-section recovery so I can remember:

• I drove today for the first time.  A full MONTH after my C-section.
• I really do need to rest and heal for two full weeks.
• I was told by the midwife at my Ob practice that I shouldn't even think about going grocery shopping and pushing a cart until THREE weeks after my C-section.  Considering I tried to do that in my first week, and then my body told me I was doing too much - I am going to believe her.
• I went shopping today for myself and went to Costco last Friday.  I felt up for this nearly a full MONTH after my C-section.
• Today, I went shopping with both kids.  NEVER again.  Simon is not nearly as easy-going a shopper as Michael.  Michael would just wake up to nurse and go back to sleep in the stroller.  Simon not so much.

Somehow I had forgotten how long the recovery took.  The only things I remember about Michael's birth recovery was that Michael was born October 17th and about 3-4 weeks later, we went to Bill/Ak's wedding.  Which meant, I had gone shopping and purchased a fancy dress for a wedding in that time!

Today, I dug out some of my old postpartum clothes.  Let's see how my 35 year old postpartum body fares with my 28 year old postpartum body!  EEK!

My mom leaves tomorrow - about a month after my C-section.  My house will never run the same again!  I could not have rested and healed without her.  She put up with my temper, my tired mood swings, and all the baggage that can come with being a daughter.  She nursed me back to health, drove me and my son around to all our things despite being out of comfort zone, and took care of my family.  There's no way our family could have made it without her!

T Minus One Week

 On May 6th or 7th, my Mommy flew in to prepare for the impending arrival of our newest little one.

She spent time hanging out with Michael:

We had lunch out:

We went to the salon for hair cuts and colors for my mom:

And we celebrated her birthday at the British Bell Tea Room, which was awesome:

If you like mini sandwiches, you'll love this place!

We went fabric shopping, and I introduced her to the fabric warehouse.  And I introduced her to this fabric I have been lusting after for my piano room:

Yes, I lust after fabric.

We spent the week buying enough food to last us through a mini-apocalpyse.  :)  

May 15, 2014

Brian already blogged many of the details of Simon's birthday, so I will try to be brief and just add comments here or there along with our horribly fuzzy cell phone pictures.  I guess I should have insisted we bring my DSLR into the operating room!

Here's my non-Asian baby:

Crazy.  Red haired and pasty skinned.  What are the odds.

Here I am post surgery:

As Brian said, they placed Simon skin to skin on me, and he found his way to "meal time."  Really awesome to see nature work on its own in that regard.

Brian proudly put the baby to sleep while I was in recovery.  He really is The Baby Whisperer:

Later that day, Brian went to fetch my mom, and Michael met his little bro:

Michael was both proud and curious:

Dad did a great job of notifying the masses - as seen here in the background:

Ba Ngoai met her 2nd grandchild:

We spent the next three days marveling at one of God's greatest gifts:

We actually had one visitor, Tony and Joen from Brian's work.  A surprise!  I told many of my friends to stay away from the hospital as it's kind of a messy affair post surgery.

We received lovely flowers both at home and in the hospital that really brightened our day:

But in the end, it was this little guy's arrival that made our year:

Simon started out quite calm.  Unusually so.  On the 2nd day, he was circumcised, which made for a rough day/night.

All in all, we had forgotten what it is like to have a "baby."

There was one night where Simon was crying pretty wildly, and we eventually found out he had a dirty diaper from one of the nurses.  Oops.  Brian and I still maintain that he did not dirty that diaper until right before that nurse saw him because we checked.  

Then, there was the night the nurse said to us:  "Well, you both will have to take turns sleeping and the other will take care of the baby."

Really.

We had forgotten that part.

Two of our nurses happened to go to our church in the "middle of nowhere."  We had to meet at Christiana Hospital in Newark to find out about each other.  Then, I immediately felt pretty embarrassed at all the mess they saw of me.  I better clean up well for church next time.

Some of you may be wondering why we named him Simon Matthew.

Simon Besancon was the first Besancon to come over from Besancon, France to settle in Ohio.  I guess we felt a little compelled to honor that thought as we did something similar, but in reverse.  We went to France, and we had a pretty cush gig to explore a foreign country.

But we get it.  We get what it means to uproot your whole family and live in a foreign land where you don't know the language, and you don't have any any family.  It takes bravery and maybe a little stupidity to do it.

And it was the only name Brian and I could agree on.

Matthew, as suggested by my SIL Kelli, because that's Brian's middle name.  This kid came out with red hair, looking like his dad with his dad's complexion.  I felt compelled to honor that bit of randomness.

And also because I had no better option as well for middle names.

You could call us super prepared to have a baby.  :)

Now, IF we have a third child and IF it's a girl - I'm totally ready.  Got a name for her and everything.

So yes, it's nearly two weeks later and I need to write down what happened that day.  Before it's lost in the folds of newborn amnesia.  

We've been enjoying our two sleepless weeks.  I stare into that wide awake newborn face at 3am, and I'm just filled with thanksgiving.  We waited for 4 years for Simon, and we are ever grateful he is a part of our family.  

More to come later.  Everyone's been taking pictures!  I have taken some too, but it's not my best stuff. Plus somehow, I have the most alert newborn there ever was.  Already a tough client!  :)