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It looks like we've been ensnared, but not in a bad way. Chris has decided to take a job offer with Duke Energy in Charlotte, NC beginning next July. He will be joining the company in their Commercial Associates Program, a rotational leadership development program, so he'll have a chance to work in a few different groups during his first two years. The job is a great opportunity for him, and an exciting new adventure for our family. We've been to Charlotte a couple of times over the past year and know the city a little, but we're excited to move there and become even more familiar with it. It seems like a good place to be raising a family, and we feel it will be so for our family for at least the next few years.

I have been rather lazy as of late. My breakfast dishes are still on the table (it is almost lunch time), my hair is still wet, and I doubt that my bed is made. To my credit, I am still feeling crummy from having a c-section a couple of weeks ago, but I am capable of getting up and moving around. However, all I want to do these days is hang out on the couch and hold my new little boy. Having done the new mom thing before, I know how fast it goes by. Is it possible to calculate how many holds one has with their newborn? Rowan curls up into this little ball and fits perfectly as I lay him on my chest, his soft head just below my chin. He is so warm and sweet, and I can't help but admire his tiny ear or his rather long, thin feet (Davin's feet were fat and short). His forehead wrinkles up as he makes a funny face, and a little smile opens on his lips. It won't be long until he is on the move, so pardon my sappy, postpartum hormone-induced moment of motherly bliss. I just had t...

Now for the rest of the story... Although making the decision to have a planned c-section was difficult, I'm so glad that we decided to go that route. As Chris mentioned, Rowan arrived last Wednesday afternoon (2:02 pm was the official time). We checked into the hospital, they prepped me for surgery, and shortly thereafter we had a baby. Compared to Davin's multiple day ordeal, this was a great change. My care at the hospital was wonderful, but after 48 hours I was ready to go home. Hospitals are not really a place to rest and recover; their job is to keep you alive, which requires a parade of people coming in and out of your room at all hours. In reality, it wasn't that bad (much nicer than my previous hospital stay) but I was ready to be at home with my boys again. I was also ready to eat again. I started fasting for my surgery on Tuesday night and wasn't able to eat again until Thursday at dinner. Chris brought dinner to me, which was a life-saver (literally because ...

I had to document this for future moments when Davin changes his mind, but at the moment, every time he sees Rowan, Davin says "He's soooo cuuuuute!" The big question with the second child is whether the first child will devise some clever way to dispose of child number two or simply punish his parents for bringing child number two home from the hospital by making their lives miserable. So far, Davin has decided that having Rowan around isn't so bad. He thinks Rowan is really interesting; he likes looking at his toes and pointing out his other body parts. He likes to give Rowan hugs and kisses, and seems excited to be a new big brother. He has also enjoyed some extra attention from Dad and some fun play time with his friends. I'm sure that this is a honeymoon phase and there will some sibling rivalry to look forward to. At the moment I'm enjoying the bliss.

The title of this blog also happens to be the name of our new baby. Rowan Isaac. Rowan is a Celtic name that means "little red one", and Isaac is a Hebrew name that means laughter. His initials (RIR) also spell the Portuguese verb "to laugh". So hopefully he will be a fun kid. We think he is already. He arrived today, November 28, 2007 at 2:15 pm (or thereabouts - I'll have to check the exact time). Both he and Katie are doing fine and resting a bit. He weighs 9 lbs, 2 oz., and as you can see from the picture, he has beautiful blond hair. He is a good little boy so far, and we're excited to have him in our family. Davin is with our good friends, the Smiths, this afternoon, but we think he understands a bit and is excited to meet his new little brother later this afternoon. We would like to thank you all for your love and your prayers, and hopefully we'll get a chance to talk to and see many of you soon so you can meet our little guy. If you want to see m...

Because airlines discriminate against pregnant people (apparently giving birth on an airplane is not part of the airline's full service, even in first class), we were home-bound this Thanksgiving. However, we were happy to share our Thanksgiving meal with our other family-less friends. We were joined by the Burrells, Campbells, Prices, and the Prices' cousin, Molly. We were especially happy to have Molly join us because she made it feel like a real Thanksgiving with real relations around. We invited the right people because they brought really good food, which is always a plus for Thanksgiving. We had all of the usual trimmings and some great specialties, but the plethora of pies made the meal complete. After dinner, we watched Davin and his friends Alana and Ian Campbell spin around in our office chair for at least an hour (how they managed to do that without getting sick is one of the miracles of being a child), while we digested and chatted. I am still amazed that we managed...

Davin has become interested in praying lately. His prayer usually starts with "Heavenly Father in Heaven" and follows shortly with "Amen!" (emphatically pronounced). He finds all occasions to pray. If we are wandering around the church by ourselves, he'll go up to an empty pulpit, fold his arms, and start his prayer. He can find a microphone in anything, even the evaluation light in my OB/ GYN's office. He doesn't always sit quietly through our prayers, but he is starting to do it more often. Whispering "prayer time, prayer time" is one thing that gets him in the mood to participate in prayer. Lest you think we are raising a little angel, he has his demon moments, too. Davin used to be really interested in taking the sacrament, but lately he has been a little naughty about it. Instead of eating his sacrament bread, Davin throws it at the person in front of him. Chris bravely retrieves the bread while I decide to hide under the bench i...