Life Lately ... James.

Lately, our life has been about James (or Jimmy, we use both names for him).

We have settled into what I refer to as our "new normal."  That is, adapting to early morning drop-offs for school, lunch-time pick-ups for Sophia, dance classes for both girls and any other activities in between.  We also celebrated Sophia's 5th birthday last weekend with a "friend party" on Saturday and a "family party" on Sunday.

The older kids absolutely LOVE their new sibling -- not a moment of jealousy or frustration when I am occupied with feeding him.  They adore looking at him, holding him and even checking his diaper to see if he needs to be changed ("Mom ...!  Jimmy's diaper has a blue line on it!  He's wet!"). 

Without further ado ... our life lately:

After bath snuggles:

I just love the way Samantha looks at him:

Jack enjoys sharing his toys with his little brother; I often find many stuffed animals in his bed at any given time of the day.

The first thing that Samantha asks when she arrives home from school is if she can hold James.

And Jack relishes his mornings home with just me and "the boys."

Jimmy's first bath -- a sponge bath in the kitchen, with all of the kids looking on:

His umbilical cord fell off when he was exactly 2 weeks old, but we are continuing with sponge baths for the time-being.  So much easier (and quicker) and this momma enjoys that in the evening when she is feeling a bit tired.

Like all of my little babies, James like to sleep with his hands up by his head:

James isn't really a big fan of his pacifier (none of my kids ever were), but we try once in a while to see if it soothes him for a bit:

James met his namesake (my dad) for the first time when he was 4 days old.  My dad was so proud of him.

Jack is never too far away from his little brother at any given time.  I just love the tenderness that he has for him.  I hope that they become the very best of friends.

I asked Steve to hold onto James for a little bit one night while I prepared for his sponge bath.  Within minutes, I came back into the room to find this ... Be still my heart.

Introducing ...

James Michael Lapinski was born on February 4, 2016 at 3:50 pm via scheduled caesarian section.  He weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 21" long.  He came out screaming and holding tightly to my doctor's finger.  He was perfectly pink and received a RARE 10 and 10 on his Apgar scores.  (Later, the nurse commented that that was the first time that she ever gave perfect scores in her 15 years of experience; my doctor also went in his records and found only 2 babies -- out of the 6000 that he has delivered -- that received perfect scores).  Wow, that is really remarkable.

The next day, Steve brought the kids up to the hospital to meet their little brother.  It was a special day because Steve picked Sam up before lunch at school and let her miss her afternoon classes ...  My mom was also able to come with them, despite having her cast on her foot from previous foot surgery.

This has always been my most memorable moment -- watching my children meet their new sibling for the first time.  I could look at the pictures over and over again and never tire of it.  It's an incredible experience that words can't begin to cover.

Taking it all in ...

Jack couldn't believe how "tiny" he was.

Of course, they all wanted to take turns holding their little brother almost immediately.  The look on Jack's face just melts my heart.  He is so proud of James.

These two are going to be best friends.  I just know it.



Jack barely tore his eyes away from him for a quick pose for the camera.

The biggest sister and the littlest brother.

Some say that James looks the most like Sophia did when she was a baby; the same blonde hair, her eyes and chin.  Only time will tell if we have another blue-eyed baby to add to our brood.

Look at those long toes hanging out of the blanket.  James has the longest fingers and toes ever.

James and I were discharged two days later (this momma doesn't like to stay in the hospital any longer than absolutely necessary!) and the kids were anxious to see us when we arrived home.  Luckily for us, James doesn't seem to mind the kids up in his face, as this is a common occurrence at any given moment of the day. 

And I am relishing it, thankful that he has fit just perfectly into our lives.  He completes our family.