Hello baby!

Our brand-new nephew arrived on September 1, in Cape Town, weighing 9lbs 9oz. Yay!

His brother, Little C, wanted to name him Lula Fire Helmet... but his parents did not. Yay again!

Berry's very excited about her new cousin. Among her preschool friends, baby cousins, baby brothers and baby sisters are a bit of a status symbol – the more you can collect, the better. So her stock has really shot up this year.

We're looking forward to many chaotic family reunions on the Lewis side now...

Two-year-old, overheard...

"Hiiii Kickbaby, I like you diaper... I like you tummy too. It soft and clean."

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Big big boy

Kickbaby would like to announce that, thanks to six weeks of diligent and continuous eating, he weighs 13lbs 9oz.

That's 95th percentile, folks. That's big.

It's not quite as impressive as his Uncle Jules, who weighed an astonishing 16lbs at six weeks old (I am not making this up) but it's still a pretty inspiring effort.

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Two kids, zero sanity

The Trying Not To Lose My Mind Project is ongoing – a daily battle, if you will.

Usually the fight is more on the Berry front than the Kickbaby front. Berry likes to reserve her most spectacular performances for the following occasions: (1) when I'm feeding Kickbaby and therefore anchored to the couch; (2) when I'm frantically rushing to get everyone clean and fed and dressed and out the door on time; and (3) when I'm worn out and trying to get dinner ready at the end of the day, short on patience and coping skills.

It's excellent, really.

I've resorted to grabbing her mid-tantrum, tossing her in the air and calling her "the Pirate Berry", whereupon we say "aaarrrrg" a lot, and she laughs uproariously and declares herself "happy again". And I say: whatever works.

The other thing in the plus column, as my brother points out, is all the love.

I was sitting on the couch with Kickbaby in one arm and Berry cuddled up on the other doing Bob The Builder magnet stories, when she looked up at me and said, "Oh mum-mum, you make-me happy."

It might not save my mind, but it sure made my heart feel better.

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Berry: big sister

Kickbaby is still being outstandingly easy (I'm still not counting on this to last, although it's wonderful) and Berry is an especially doting big sister who takes her duties very seriously. She defended him from the "masses" at preschool yesterday afternoon with a long and fierce display of arm-flailing and sobbing and tearful shouting: "MY baby! No take my baby broyer! "

You know, because crowds of toddlers are known for their kidnapping skills.

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Evans Family 2.0

I used to think it was a pretty odd decision, on my parents' part, to have five kids. Now that I have two of my own, I've changed my mind. They're officially insane.

I really have nothing to complain about; two kids makes an average family, and we're actually adjusting to this new life quite well. At home, Berry likes to kiss Kickbaby on the top of his head, stroke his arm, say "Are-you okaaaaay, little man?" and "Kickbaby hungry?" and generally mother-hen him in her own two-year-old way. She reads him books and draws lots of pictures of our new-improved family. At preschool she has photos of Kickbaby to show her teachers, and she likes to tell people about her little broy-er.

For his part, Kickbaby likes to sleep (it's still Week One, so I'm not assuming this will last) and eat and eat and eat and eat (this will last). He also likes to be carried around constantly and not be put down during his naps, thankyouverymuch.

Nathan and his dad have picked up the slack on paying attention to Berry while I'm pinned to the couch, and I've managed to persuade her that the reason I can't carry her around anymore is because I have a sore back – I showed her the band-aid left from my epidural as proof. That's one doctor's order that actually makes me a bit sad, despite all my complaints about how heavy Berry's getting. And despite the fact I have no free hands anyway.


I was lucky – so lucky – this time to have a perfectly smooth labor and delivery. As horrendously botched and traumatic as Berry's birth was, this was the other end of the spectrum. I love the Keesler Medical Center L&D department so much, I think someone should marry it.

I'm waking up with Kickbaby several times a night, as opposed to the hundreds (oh, I'm sure it was hundreds) of times I woke up each night with newborn Berry, and he's very easily settled. I'm not frightened of breaking the baby this time either (Berry was born five weeks too soon, weighed 4lbs 15oz, and had serious medical issues).

So all of this is making the transition to mother-of-two about as bump-free as it can be. I still have mind-wanderings in the middle of the night where I worry about how I'll share my attention between them, how I'll make them both feel loved enough and, to a lesser degree, how I'll handle working plus two kids. But since everyone else seems to have figured all this out, I'm pretty sure I'll get there too.

But when I extrapolate all this to five kids, I can't actually wrap my head around it. I'm deeply grateful for my brothers and sister, but my Mum and Dad were nuts.

So, note to all the grandparents: we're done. This is it. Enjoy.

And Kickbaby makes four...

Born at 12.09pm on Thursday, May 15
7lbs, 14oz
...and very serious indeed.

Berry is a bit offended that we won't let her look after him single-handedly.

34 Weeks, still standing (barely...)

And I thought 28 weeks was grim...

On Friday I have to go in for another ultrasound growth study on Kickbaby, to see what he's up to now. And how large he is.

If this goes on much longer, I'm going to have to buy bigger maternity clothes again – because I'm bursting out of the shirts I have. I can hardly bear the thought.

Things I'm looking forward to, in no particular order:
1) wearing normal clothes (and fitting into more than four outfits)
2) sleeping on my stomach
3) rolling over in bed
4) breathing easy
5) Pinot Grigio
6) sushi
7) going out in public sans comments, stares and 20-Questions
8) running
9) real workouts
10) shopping for something other than shoes
11) playing on the floor with Berry, without seriously wondering how I'll get up again
12) a cocktail or five (okay, two)
13) no midnight leg cramps
and last but not least –
14) holding Kickbaby, and saying, Hello there, what took you so long...?

28 Weeks, still standing

So, the "Wow, you must be due any day now!" and "Don't have the baby in the restaurant!" comments are getting a bit embarrassing. Even when I went for my seven-month OB appointment, the nurse said "Whoa!".

My doctor was more reassuring. She did say I'm measuring almost three weeks further along than I should be, but she's not going to worry about it yet.

Maybe Kickbaby (as Berry has named him) is just showing off. He doesn't seem at all concerned that, with only two months of pregnancy left, his mother has had to drag her reluctant self out and buy bigger maternity clothes.

I'm hoping – in vain, I know – that all this growing will slow down soon. I don't know how much bigger I can handle...

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Brand new!

Paula and Ren (Nathan's brother) had their baby yesterday! A cute cousin for Berry, a niece for us, and a happy day for everyone.

I think the email from Nathan's dad – now grandpa to both Berry and little Parker – says it all:

"Parker Sumalee Evans. Born 10:02am. 8lbs 12oz, 20in. All doing well (Ren still in recovery)."

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