Three

Three years old.

I am daily astounded by this intelligent, funny, creative, strong-willed boy. He's a chatterbox, loves imagination play and has extremely particular preferences.

One day when Joe brought home an Amazon package, Luca asked what was in the little rectangle boxes.

"It's cake mix," I said. "For your birthday. Remember your birthday party last year?"

"Yeah!" Luca said.

"Remember your cake was a construction site?"

"I don't want a construction cake this time," he said. "I want a camping cake."

And thus began my brainstorm.

These days, I am creative a total of two times per year: Christmas and Luca's birthday (Hopefully Damien's arrival will generate enough creative juices to last for his birthday as well). So thank you, Internet, for all the fun ideas that made this party cute.

Did I mention Luca's particular preferences? Well, whenever we talked about his birthday, he decided there was just one person he wanted to attend: Austin.

Campsite cake, complete with campfire, tent and pond

As in, our adult friend in D.C.

Luca enjoys his friends (sometimes), but isn't much for big groups, so we invited as few friends as possible to still make for a fun party. We roped Austin in to FaceTime Luca on his birthday, and we told him Austin asked Mommy to invite some Hong Kong friends to take his place. Thankfully, it worked, and Luca wasn't upset when the other kids walked in.

Attendees needed a compass, flashlight and carabiner to "navigate" the party.

Like any good camping trip, there was fishing (magnet toy inside a felt fish)...

Biggest catch of the day!

...and "digging for bugs" (homemade chocolate playdough with toy insects).

The kids played in the ball pit tent and the real tent...

...and I "told stories" around the campfire (Camping Spree with Mr. Magee).

There were yummy snacks...

...and of course no party is complete without cake and s'mores ice cream! 

Luca's favorite gift was a set of real walkie talkies--he spent the rest of the party running around giggling, saying "Hello Appa!" and grinning from ear to ear when Joe would respond: "Happy birthday, Luca!"

100 Days of Damien

Damien on his 100th Day

Each morning over the monitor, I hear Damien contentedly sucking his hand, waiting patiently in his room.

“Good morning, Damien!” I say while leaning over his crib. His face lights up with a heart-melting, one-dimpled grin as he squeezes up his shoulders in a joyful wiggle.

Is there any better way to start a day?

And yesterday marked a special one: 100 days of life for my second son, our first hundred days as a family of four.

I can’t believe he’s reached this milestone already, and yet I feel as though his (usually) calm, sweet presence has been with us forever. He watches his “threenager” older brother’s very loud ups and downs, ready to flash that dimple at us when we speak to him and ready to giggle that belly laugh when I fly him like a baby airplane.

Damien with a baby girlfriend--same age but he's much larger!

And he is one heavy baby airplane. So far he measures in the 98th percentile—he’s topped 16 pounds already, by my estimate.

He loves sleep and attention, and he also loves his own time and space. When he’s had too much attention, Damien enjoys watching the teddy bears on his mobile go around and around while Luca and I play blocks nearby. (I never knew babies could have too much attention.)

Damien enjoying alone time

Here’s the kicker, and what’s made these 100 days so different from Luca’s first few months: To our utter, utter astonishment, Damien prefers to fall asleep lying alone in his crib, watching his Baby Einstein ocean soother and sucking his thumb or pacifier. He sleeps like a champ both day and night.

It’s unbelievable.

I don’t write these things to brag—this dreamy newborn phase is not due to anything we’ve done—I write them in grateful disbelief. Is this Damien’s personality? Will he be sweet and easygoing?

Damien on his 100th Day

Of course he’s had his fussy hours and he gets gassy, and some evenings he needs active help to fall asleep. Many afternoons, he only catnaps.

But the only real cloud in our sunny sky is my worry: Will Damien have food allergies, like his brother? I’ve tried to calm the alarmist within me, who vividly remembers Luca’s itchy, suffering infancy. I’ve tried to dismiss symptoms as normal for newborns.

But.

He was getting rashes and his poop was abnormal. His gas seemed particularly painful and he spit up like there was no tomorrow.

So I did what I wish I’d known to do when Luca’s condition began: I cut out all common allergens and began to eat like my firstborn. It is easy since we already plan our meals with Luca in mind, and yet, it is torture because all I want to do is chow a spoonful of peanut butter or snack on those dark chocolate almonds in our cupboard. I can’t stave off my nursing-mom cravings with a handful of Kirkland trail mix—you know the kind, with the M&Ms.

Damien’s rash cleared up within a couple days. His poop improved and his gas lessened over the next few weeks. His spit up is still over-the-top excessive. And projectile. That's just Damien, apparently.

Yes, all these can be attributed to other factors: Perhaps it was heat rash that would’ve cleared up anyway; perhaps his digestive system hit a developmental milestone.

But I’d rather waste my time and suffer inconvenience now than repeat the anguish with a second baby.

I’ve reintroduced wheat (do you know how amazing baguettes are?), and I’m watching. I’m suspicious, but I’m holding out judgment until enough time passes to make an educated enough guess.

Is that dry, bumpy patch on his temple because of the wheat? Is his painful gas from the wheat? What about the rash beneath his diaper? Honestly, I don’t know.

I’m praying for clear answers. For wisdom.

I’m hoping his tranquil demeanor means he’s not hurting internally or itching horribly. His calm feeds my calm: Maybe he’s ok.

So as we trek forward to meet whatever joys and challenges lie ahead for our family, I’m happy to bask in this unexpectedly peaceful time.

And in that dimple.