New Blog Address!

We reached our 1GB capacity with Blogger, so we had to start a new blog.  So, all future entries are to be continued at:
http://tybeeweberfamily.blogspot.com/

LOVE

Halloween, Excavations, Visitors, and Baby Lily

Gorilla

  As stated in previous blog entries about Halloween, our street, Lewis Ave, is the only place to trick-or-treat on Tybee.  Not only is it the only place, but it is THE place to be for not just Tybee, but many Savannah folks as well.  It's like a carnival/block party, and Mathieu distinctly remembered it from last year.  He didn't eat the candy last year, but, being one year wiser, he was clearly looking forward to collecting his treasure.

Dave's boss said to Dave, "Man, you've got to be comfortable with yourself to walk about in a wetsuit." I went as "Mommy with Sleeping Baby."

In other news, there's been much construction going on around our house.  Mathieu has taken to shoveling so many holes in our sandy front and back yards that it looks like I have a gopher problem.  My mother-in-law once remarked that I have the best yard for little boys.  I definitely agree with that statement. I won't win any beautification awards with my weedy, sandy landscape, but it sure does make great digging!

Mathieu happened to not only dig a rather deep hole, but to hit the exact spot where Dorm 4's sewer pipe was located.  He agreed not to dig any deeper and that perhaps it was wiser to dig a shallower ditch rather than a deep hole.

As he was digging his ditch, he would fill the dump trucks with the sand and transport it throughout the yard ...

... where he would then construct new roads.

Lined up and ready for a new day of working.

 We've been lucky to have a steady stream of visitors since early August.  After our camping trip, Dave's parents remained for another few days.  We all had a great time with them.

My father-in-law is a committed Economist reader. When not actively reading the magazine, it resides in his back pocket.  

 My cousin, Amie, and her husband, Derek, arrived for a Tybee vacation the day of my in-law's departure.

Sunset dinner on the beach

Dinner by the marsh.  My handsome husband looking very suave.

Cool dudes

My yummy flounder dinner with Lily right beside me.

When the gnats became bad, I just added the netting.

All babies love Cousin Amie

Life with Lily

Holding your own baby boy or girl is such a precious gift, and I thoroughly enjoy snuggling and kissing and holding my baby Lily. 

 What's it now like to spend my days with both Mathieu and Lily?  Well, I'm very glad that Mathieu is as old as he is.  Mathieu independently uses the toilet and washes his hands, can now mostly dress himself,  actively uses his imagination, and has a great relationship with Daddy.  All this has been very helpful with the transition of Lily in our lives.  The great relationship with Daddy has been crucial.  When Mathieu was younger, there was a lot of, "No, Mommy do it.", even if there was another highly capable individual around, like Dave.  Starting last December, this began to shift, and towards the end of my pregnancy,an abrupt shift came where, for example,only Daddy was desired for reading stories and doing the bedtime routine. A bit sad for me, but comforting that other people can now fulfill his emotional needs as much as me, and that it was his choice to branch off from me and not thrust upon him because of the arrival of a new baby.  Now, without talking about it, Mathieu seems to accept that Mommy and Lily spend a lot of time nursing, and that in general, I need to spend a lot of time and energy devoted to taking care of Lily.

Mathieu and I spend every day together. We read lots of stories, cook together, clean up together, chit-chat together,go on tons of walks, and play together, but he also is old enough to want and seek out independent play, and he definitely enjoys playing with other children, which I love and encourage by having him play each day with another child.  He figures out ways to help me with Lily, and now, when Lily is napping and it is just Mathieu and me, that time feels even sweeter because it's not as abundant as it used to be.

When Daddy comes home from work or when it's the weekend, Mathieu and Daddy are inseparable, leaving me freer to be with Lily and not making as many comprises towards her napping schedule, or lack thereof.

It's a bit dicey at times, and we've hit some bumps, but we've been taking one day at a time, and I'm so thankful for Dave's, Mathieu's, and Lily's love.

Camping

Last weekend we were very ambitious and went camping!  We have had such fun camping with Mathieu about 4 times this past year, and I did not want to give it up.  So, after Lily was born, I bought myself a birthday present of a six person tent.  Grandma and grandpa came along too.

Mathieu enjoys helping put up the tent.  His job is to push the poles through as I guide them.

Lily didn't mind taking her naps outside in the stroller

Lily's first time in a tent

We camping at Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina.  It is right on the beach!

Of course grandpa had a lot of advice to give Mathieu in campfire cooking

Grandma telling stories to Mathieu in the tent

Leg Warmers

Our friend gave us these darling leg warmers.

Jobs

Mathieu is an industrious little fellow and has found ways to be involved in Lily-care.  For the first 4 or 5 days after Lily came home from the hospital, he'd help Daddy change her diaper by bringing the diaper, the water in a little container, and the washcloth to his father.  He somewhat tired of that, but then thought of a much more fun way to be participate:
His car.
For those who've been following this blog for a few years, you might remember the ride-on blue-yellow-red car.  This is the car he pushed before he could walk, he transported books in his, "trunk," and at 22 months old, he was riding it to YMCA, a half mile up the road.  Well, the car fell out of favored status about a year ago, but he'd still use it every one in awhile.  Now it's back and running. 
Mathieu informs me that, "Car is available." He makes diaper runs and deliveries with it.  He swings by and picks up soiled cloth diaper, places it in the "trunk," drives it over to the diaper pail, drives clean diapers back to me, and restocks our little diaper caddy we keep in the living room.  When his work is complete, he backs up the car into the corner next to our desk where it sits, parked, until the next diaper change.

Parking

 Mathieu likes giving Lily kisses and hugs.  He's a bit more exuberant than I'm comfortable with, and I remind him that Lily's head is quite fragile, but it's also very sweet to see him show so much attention towards her.  He says things like, "Lily, you're my best friend," and, "I love you, Lily," as he's almost smothering her with his body.

Unsnapping Lily's outfit.  He also uses his car to drive over to the dresser where he picks out Lily's clothes for the day.

Memere's Last Day With Us

We were so lucky to have Memere (Sue's mom) visit us for six weeks.  It's been fun, and she was so helpful to us with taking care of our kids and keeping the house in order.   You are probably thinking, wow!  Six weeks is a long time.  But it really went well.  We had a nice routine and we all enjoyed it.

Below are some pictures of her last day on Tybee.  We took a nice 3 mile walk to the big pier and back, along the beach, and ate our supper on the pier.