Birth Weight!

In a crowning achievement today, Soren regained his birthweight of 6lbs, 5oz.  It has been a team effort and we are all proud of him.  Below, an especially proud Grandma Lois shares a gaze with her grandson.

 

the philosopher part 2

 

We have noticed that Soren is a quiet uncomplaining young man so far.  At times, when you combine this with his features and reflective-appearing gazes, he seems contemplative and wise beyond his years.  Those of us who have gotten to spend time with him are doing are best to capture the calm and wisdom in these moments, but we probably fall short, thinking of errands and emails that loom.  Its good to be around him and work on this goal, either way. . .

week 2

 

 

 

 

 

soren - week 1

A couple of shots from the first week.  Above, Soren in the quilt made for him by Gramma Sam (retirement has allowed for some new hobbies).

The last two shots below are from a short re-admission to the hospital for jaundice.  For those less familair with the term (as uncle Fredo put it, "I looked it up on wikipedia, but I still dont really get it"), elevated bilirubin (blood cell breakdown products) in newborns leads to yellow skin and increase in sleepiness, and it is fixed rather briskly with exposure to UV lights (the blue lights below).  Our admission  was quick and relatively painless, and his jaundice is now improved.

 

 

 

Comments from a big brother...

Alden has been a real trooper through his recent transition to being a big brother.  He has mostly held it together, with a few sprinkles of mischief and whining here and there - sometimes cute and endearing, sometimes not so much.  Whatever his behavior, though, we are getting a sense of some of his inner turmoil, given voice when his guard is down.  Here are a few comments we've recently heard:

"Mommy, dad and I are going to go play a game that babies can't play, and mommies can't play, either. Only tall dads and sort of tall kids."

"I want to be Soren. I don't want to be Alden, because I am getting to be too old. I want to be a baby."

"Mommy, I want to feed Soren. [Lifts up his shirt to to his neck.] I will use these 'nickles' to feed him."

"Mommy, can I have that breast milk?"

big brother

Alden has had his existence overturned with the addition of his new brother.   He has done an awesome job so far -- very gentle and affectionate with his brother, trying to help him when he cries, etc.  We've also seen a little flare of behavior to get more attention (as expected) -- throwing tortilla chips on the kitchen floor and stamping on them, for example, but this is pretty rare.  We even had this exchange in the bathtub that didnt make much sense but showed how much Soren is in his thoughts.

(talking about a video about a manatee rescue at Sea World . . )
Alden: ". . . and then the man, who had hair that wasn't like Soren's, saved the manatee."
Mom: "Oh.  Did he remind you of Soren?"
Alden: " . ..  well, he was really tall, like this tall [hands stretched high], and Soren isn't tall. . . well he was also a little like Soren although he saves manatees and Soren doesnt do that . .. "

Here's a video of his gentler side, navigating the territories of where its best to kiss his brother: Watch the video.

The First Five Days

It's been a whirlwind past few days, but we are enjoying some precious moments together. 
Here are a few representative shots:

https://picasaweb.google.com/108052752405437702853/Soren

the philosopher

“Where am I? Who am I?

How did I come to be here?

What is this thing called the world?

How did I come into the world?

Why was I not consulted?”

― Søren Kierkegaard

(as recited to us by our friend and neighbor David Manley)

Soren Ebey Koschmann

Announcing the birth of Soren Ebey Koschmann!

6 lb 5 oz and 18.5 inches, born 11/4/12 at 2:01 pm.

He is a beautiful calm kid.  Here are a couple videos from the first day (click link below picture).

First bath. Watch video here. 

Awake and quiet (first night). Watch video here.