Solomon James

Since my last post featured mainly Micah, I feel like it's time to put Solomon in the spotlight.  Which happens to be his favorite place anyway.

This is Solomon James Willis.  

Age: almost 3 (just 10 more days until his birthday).

Weight: barely 30 lb.

Favorite things: cars, playing chase, cars, candy, watching movies, and cars. 
 
Words that best describe him: exuberant, strong-willed, silly, verbose, quick to laugh.




I feel like I've moved into a second phase of discovering him.  The first phase started when he was born.  Then we figured out how to balance our life as I worked 40+ hours a week and he spent his days in the loving care of another person.


This second phase started when I quit my job after Micah was born.  Solomon has had to learn not only how to be a big brother, but how to live with me all day, every day.  He now has the luxury of getting tired of me, which he never really did before.


I have discovered that Sol and I weren't as closely attached as I thought we were.  It makes sense, of course, that he wouldn't be strongly attached to a mom who wasn't there most of the time and who really had no idea how to relate to a small child.  

I mean, I did the best I could, but all I can say is that I'm so glad I quit my job when I did.  He needs me.  In a tangible, physical way, he needs me to be there with him.  And now I am.  What a beautiful arrangement.



Over the past 7 months, we have both had to learn how to relate to each other.  And we're still learning.  But I can say now that life is great.  He knows what to expect from me, and I also know what to expect from myself as a mom.  For now, at least.

It's been waaay too long...

My last blog update was over a year ago. That's right, a whole year. All I can say is, life happens.

In my defense, it was a very busy year. I had a baby, quit my job, and now I'm starting my own business with a friend of mine (more on that later). So as far as excuses go, I feel like I'm justified.

Anyway, enough with berating myself. On with the blog!

This is our Micah. Micah Jacob Willis, born June 14, 2009. He was 8 lb. 6 oz. of pure love. What a joy to have a little baby in our arms again. I had forgotten some of the little details about newborns: the grunty sounds they make, the way they smell, the way they go from pissed off to dead asleep in 3.2 seconds.

He is so different than his brother in so many ways, but also very similar in other ways. He has dark hair, unlike Solomon's white-blonde. He has a good amount of baby chunkiness going on, whereas Sol was always a skinny kid. Micah also loves to eat as much as he can, and he sleeps very soundly (again, unlike his big brother).

But his emerging personality is strikingly similar to Solomon's. He has the same sense of humor, the same silly laugh (they do that funny inhale laugh - if you've ever heard them, you know what I mean), and he shares the same inner drive to be mobile and to command his environment. He sat up at four months, crawled at 5 and a half months, and started pulling himself up to a stand about a week after that.

Here he is at six months. What a cutie! Note the drool.

I have spent the last seven or so months adapting to my new role as full-time mommy. It's a different world, that's for sure. Now instead of working 40 hours a week, I work 24-7. Everything around me is messy: toys on the floor, poopy diapers, potty training, dirty dishes, laundry. Instead of discussing strategies for budgeting with my coworkers, I regularly utter phrases such as "Show mamma where the owies are" and "We don't wipe our nose on the wall." And let me just say that I have never, ever been happier or more content in all my life.