The Darbys: Eat, Poop, Love

I'm twelve days into being a mom of two, and I'm still alive.
I'm not just alive. I'm actually doing really, really well.

Mack is such a sweet, sweet little thing, and I had completely forgotten how much I love the newborn stage until I met him. I love the soft, fuzzy skin and tiny hands and feet that spontaneously move around. I love the rare moments his eyes are open and are trying to focus on my face. I love how he melts on Clint as soon as he's placed on his chest.

It's so crazy how much I have forgotten from Mimi's newborn stage. How they look drunk after they eat, how strange the colors and textures are of their poop, and how low-maintenance they are at this stage. All they need is to eat, sleep, and poop . . . and a little love. But no one could tell me that the first time around. I tried to be a calm mother, but I was so nervous on the inside. Was Mimi eating enough? Would she stop breathing in her sleep? Was she having enough wet diapers? This time around there is very little worry, and it is making for a very peaceful home.

And here is Mr. Mack after one week of being out in the world. I may try to occassionally snap some shots with him next to his friend Blue to chart his growth.

We've caught him sucking his thumb several times, and it is so stinkin cute.

But what about this guy? Who is this little devil?

And I just realized I never posted any photos of Mack's room. Well, it's not exactly his room yet because Mimi is still sleeping in the crib and he's in a bassinet in our room.

The bed is still at the lowest level, so you can't get the full effect of the really awesome crib skirt made by me:). I had someone else make the bumpers because I was way too nervous about those.

BUT I did make the mobile . . . well, some of it. All of the really cool mobiles I found to match his room were ridiculously expensive, so I decided to tweak Mimi's old mobile a little. I made the little canopy and found the fun animals at Ikea for 50 cents each. Oh, how I love an Ikea bargain!

Let's talk about this pillow for a minute. I know that pillows are supposed to be one of the easiest things to sew. I mean, it's usually what's taught in beginning sewing, but I was sooo frightened about it and left the fabric on the table for weeks before I attempted. The cording was what was making me so nervous. So about a day before Mack's arrival, I finally dove in, and I thinked it turned out quite nice.

While we're talking about sewing . . . well, while I'm talking about sewing because I miss it so much since I haven't really had the time . . . here's Mack in a fun little onesie I appliqued for him. And I've found that the 5-8 lb onesies and the 3-6 month onesies aren't really much different in length.

For more fun photos (am I getting close to my maximum limit yet?), here's Dr. Evil Darby.

We are trying our best to continue giving Mimi the attention she deserves, but most of this is falling on her Bebe's shoulders. God couldn't have made a more selfless woman than my mother. I'm convinced that she drinks about 4 Redbulls every morning to give her the energy to do as much as she has been doing for us. But the love and attention she has shown Mimi doesn't come in a can, so I would like to know where I can get some because I know I'll need it after she leaves. Of course Clint is doing a great job of putting her in just a little bit of danger every day. Here I guess they are practicing lifts for when she will be on So You Think You Can Dance.

So exactly how is Mimi doing, you might ask. I think she's okay with all of this. Occassionally she will ask me to "Put baby down and pway, Mommy," but she doesn't get mad if I don't put him down to play with her. He can be included as long as she's getting attention. So far all of his toys are her toys, so things will probably change when he's old enough to enjoy them, too. She ignores him for the most part, so I get really excited when I do see some interaction. On our way to dinner a couple of nights ago, Mimi leaned over to check him out and play with his toes (and, yes, this is the most fantastic double stroller ever! So glad we splurged for my "pushing present!").

Such a Daddy's girl. They were having a lot of fun this morning singing while Clint was playing his Playstation. Last night I heard her reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? to Clint with more enthusiasm than anyone should have because she really wanted to impress him. And, of course, she did.

And Baby Mack just chills while Mimi runs around him like a mad woman.

Today was the first Ole Miss game of the fall, and I was so excited to see Mimi sporting her cute little cheerleading outfit. Clint taught her the 2 Bits cheer, and then he and I together taught her the "What, What, What" cheer. You know, the one where you put your hands on your hips and say, "We got spirit, yeah, yeah." You know the one. Of course she LOVED it and I'm sure Clint and I looked like a set of crazy people demonstrating this for her.