We've discovered that Gassy Sammy prefers to be on his tummy. And he really really prefers to be held by mom or dad while on his belly. This weekend Mike proved that preference by demonstrating a perfect sleeper hold with Sam across his lap with his head hanging down. It was so cute, and he was so peaceful! 
So the last few days have been a bit challenging. Sam is a gas-master and usually suffers from bouts of grunting and tooting for 2-3 hours at about 1am, which is NOT fun. And Noah has just been a typical 2 year old with asking me 'why' constantly, whining, and devilishly pushing the limits of my already worn patience. But the boys often remind me of why I had them, and that is reflected in some of these pictures. Noah is always very sweet to his brother and rarely jealous. He loves holding him and actually picked out the matching brother shirts for them to wear the other day (see the first picture). Sam is starting to get cuter and cuter by the day, especially when he sleeps. And I have wonderful friends and family that help me out. Michelle calls me each day so we can re-hash the triumphs and tribulations of the day with babies. My parents are letting me come to their house on Saturday so I can get some rest and assistance with Noah. And Philie and Fred saved the day yesterday by "forcing" us to go to Portillos for lunch and bringing some tea to try with gassy Sam. We had a lovely playdate including some Wii time for the mommies. The last picture is what Sammy looks like straight out of the bath. For real. That is his hair. No product, no teasing, no nothing. Ridiculous. It's these things that make me thankful, even when I'm so tired I can't see straight! That, and IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON! Woot. 
So, Sam is officially 1 month old! I've been working deligently to take pictures so as to not suffer from the "Oh, 2nd kid, we took no pictures" phenomenon. He's changing everyday, getting bigger and bigger and chubbier and chubbier. While he's not sleeping quite as soundly as Noah did, he still gives us 4 hour stretches and for that we are thankful. This weekend Andrea and Nic came to visit us from Iowa. It was fun getting together with them and with Michelle, Bob, and Evie. Noah even got to hold Evie for the first time, so cute! It's been strange to see/hear everyone going back to school and not be experiencing it. But, soon enough I'll be back at the job and even busier! 
This weekend our boys were contrasts of each other. Wildman Noah got a new cape and mask. Mike took an old tshirt and re-purposed it, much to Noah's delight. He runs up and down the hallway proclaiming, "I save the day!" It's pretty awesome. Meanwhile Sam has been catching up on his beauty sleep. He's starting to chunk up, so he must be resting up for a growth spurt! 
My good friends Michelle and Bob had their baby! Evelyn Mae was born on 8/9/10 and was 7lbs 13 oz. I was able to visit her yesterday and she's gorgeous! Typical c-section baby, lovely round head, un-squished dainty little features. Just amazing! Michelle and I had a good chuckle that Evie and Sam are going to be mistaken for twins as they are so close in age and both rock killer dark hair. We're not sure how Evie ended up with the dark hair, we were expecting a blonde or bald baby! Noah is so excited, since we just had a baby he totally gets the whole "baby came out of Michelle's belly" concept. He responded with, "mommy, we go see baby evie at hospital?" I had to explain to him that he couldn't see her yet, but soon! I'm so happy for Bob and Michelle, they are going to be great parents. Welcome to the world beautiful girl! 
Mike is just about the coolest Dad a kid could have. Example #5,349: Thomas Cake. Mike and Noah were watching TV yesterday and saw a craft activity where they made Thomas the train out of cake. So Mike took it upon himself to go to the store with Noah to buy supplies. Then after dinner the project began. First they made Thomas, then Noah's favorite James. Of course there was a lot of tasting during the project and poor Thomas only lasted 2 minutes in his finished form. We still have James, but I'm sure he'll be decimated later today. Fun projects with Daddy!
I'd say we're adjusting pretty well to life with "the boys." There's been a lot of tag-team action and napping whenever possible. We have been blessed to have many visitors and helpers around this week when Mike went back to work. I think Noah is enjoying this big brother gig as it has resulted in lots of attention for him and lots of gifts! Sam is also adjusting very well to life outside the womb. He's starting to rock the infamous poofy baby rodriguez hair. I think he looks like Regis Philbin occasionally. He got a visit from a girl (Piper) this week and looked so small beside her, see the 3rd picture. But overall he sleeps alot and really only cries when he's hungry or has gas. I'll be going back to work in a little over a month which is overwhelming, but as things are settling down it's starting to seem more doable. Overall, we are lucky to have such wonderful boys!
