Brothers. And a new normal.

They're gonna be best friends, these two.

 At least I hope, and pray, with all my full-to-the-bring-overwhelmed-with-joy heart that they will be. 

A week or so before Simon was born I showed Ralphie a little trick. If he pinched my nose, I would say, "Honk!" (Like a goose), and it would be really funny and we could laugh and pinch noses over and over again. Even Daddy joined the fun.

Daniel and I didn't realize that this, in Ralphie's mind, gave him permission to pinch whatever nose happened to be within reaching distance. 

Simon, however, does not say "Honk!" when his nose gets pinched.

By Day 19 he's pretty much given up trying to "honk" his little brother's nose. He's becoming an expert head rubber though, and on occasion, big, mouth-wide-open kisses are his specialty.

There are 17 months and 17 days between them. Funny, when we first started talking about Baby #2 we both said, "At least 18 months between them." 

17 months and 17 days seems just about perfect now that I think about it.

Already, a new normal has set in, and Ralphie is fairly well adjusted to his baby brother. Adjusted to having to wait longer for lunch? Not exactly. Adjusted to being told "Be patient," at least three dozen times a day? We're working on it... But, he is sweet and gentle with his baby Simon, and I'm thankful for a over-all easy adjustment for him - and all of us.

And these two boys. They are delightful. They are different, already that is evident. Monday was our first day at home, just the three of us. And in a busy moment where I had a toddler at my heels begging for a "crack-uh" and a hungry newborn in my arms, chomping at the air and his fists, I thought, This is it. This is my life! These are my babies, and we're going to do life together every day just like this. So, we sat on the couch together. My toddler got a clementine, and my baby got his milk, and we talked and just sat there together. The house looked like a tornado had blown through it. There were dirty dishes pouring out of the sink. Laundry strung all over the back porch to dry. And yet, it's one of those moments I want to remember forever.

I'm really drinking in these first days and weeks, and choosing (most of the time) not to worry about the little things. Those dishes can wait, the mess of toys will get cleaned up, the laundry will get folded - eventually. My husband is my best helper in this regard. Heaven knows I would already have been all over the world by now if he wasn't here to slow my down. I've kind of forgotten about make-up and shaving my legs. I'll confess it's hard to fall asleep at nap time, even though my body practically begs for it, because I am so excited to have a quiet hour to just do what I want - like read, or blog, or edit pictures. Or refresh my Facebook/Instagram/Bloglovin' feed ten times. 

So, it's kind of crazy and wonderful and surreal all at once this new normal of ours. One thing is for sure: clean house or dirty, make-up or not, I am loving these two little boys God's given us.