Introducing...

Reid Channing DeArman

Born January 14, 2010 at 7:20 a.m., 7 lbs. 7 oz., 21 in. long.

I was scheduled to be induced on the 14th, so we checked into the hospital the night before. Turns out, no prepping was needed! Then, I was given an Ambien at midnight, to get a good night's sleep, and contractions started 5 minutes later! So much for sleep... Then, Reid came into the world seven hours later. Check out our family of four:

John absolutely adores his baby brother. He's such a big help--playing with him, getting a toy for him when he cries, telling me when to change his diaper and feed him, and letting me know when he has spit up in the car (who needs one of those baby mirrors when you have a helpful 3-year-old?).

Reid smiled at 3 weeks, although I think he was mostly responding to the tone of my voice. Still, it was a totally responsive smile, not just an occasional thing.



Such an angel, he sleeps really well. I finally let him sleep through the night at 7 weeks old. Up to that point I would wake him for feedings. He has always been a good napper also--until he started teething, that is. Yes, he has teeth at 3 months old!



Reid slept like this a lot his first month of life--it took him a while to straighten out. I honestly think this is how he was in the womb, squished up and with his head to the side. Whenever we would set him down, he would begin grunting, and after about ten minutes of working, we would find him like this (when he would settle in for a deep sleep):



Big brother showed Reid what to do in the snow in February. As usual, John insisted on holding him. I confess, I'm scared to leave John alone with Reid even for a moment, because I have caught him pulling Reid's head to get him into his lap. However, when supervised, John is really sweet. No jealousy whatsoever!



Easter weekend, Reid "met" his cousin Bryant. Last time they were together, Reid was 2 days old, so he really didn't know what was going on. I'm not sure, but it looks like Reid may be pushing B in this picture. But that's ok, because B whopped him on the head a few minutes prior. Note that Reid is almost as long as Bryant, and yet they are 2 1/2 months apart! Still, Reid looks up to Bryant as the older cousin; after all, B showed him how to suck his thumb. (Yes, Reid started doing it the next day, and I'm sure he learned this from his cousin. Well, that's where I'm placing the blame, anyways.)



Here's all of the monsters--big and little--except for Uncle Mitch. Nick, Bryant, Reid, Rob, and John up top.

And our most updated family picture--in front of the cross on Easter.

6 months... where have I been?

Well, um, in the way of excuses, in the past 6 months I:

1. had to give up keeping Tricia because my big ol' belly got in the way when I carried her seat, or tried to feed her, or burp her, or carry her around the house while I got some things done... you get the idea.
2. began house-hunting. Vigorously. I spent every day searching for houses, comparing prices and amenities to others on the market. (I think the housing market made this more difficult because prices were all over the board--some people couldn't afford to drop their prices, and others wanted out quickly). We went to see houses 2-3 days a week, so that really took up a lot of time.
3. found a house, but had a lot of problems with the sellers, so the paperwork took FOREVER.
4. moved into the house just before New Years. Took a week after owning before we could move in because there was so much to do. It was in bad shape because no maintenance had been done in years, and it desperately needed cleaning. The only thing the sellers did was sweep, because we wrote into the contract to leave it in "broom-swept condition." If we had not written that, I'm sure they wouldn't have swept. We painted 3 bedrooms, did TONS of small repairs, had the carpets and vents cleaned--I can't even remember what all we did.
5. had a baby. Yes, two weeks after moving, Reid Channing made his appearance.
6. struggled to get acclimated to life with 2 boys, while also continuing to fix up this mess of a house, and unpack boxes.

Is that enough excuses? Well, at least I'm back. Pictures of the new little man and the house to come soon. Check back later.