Yesterday was an extremely wet, windy day in the city. I was pretty grumpy about it (don’t even ask how long it took for me to drive Zoe to school!), but Zoe was thrilled with the weather. The rain meant that she could use both her raincoat and umbrella, and she was more than happy to model them for the camera!

-M

Lucky Avery: she’s always being introduced to new things! This weekend she got to sit in her sister’s Bumbo for the first time (remember how much Zoe loved that chair?), and yesterday her dad put together her brand-new ExerSaucer. From the look on her face, she really likes that new toy!

-M

Last night, we asked Zoe what her favorite part of the weekend had been – and she answered, “Having pancakes with Uncle Dan and Jenny.” We had indeed met Dan and Jenny for brunch yesterday before watching some football, and Zoe obviously enjoyed herself! And so did Avery, who was all smiles for the camera back at home – at least until her sister came and gave her a big squeeze.

-M

Last Sunday night I was, to put it mildly, feeling blue. I knew leaving Avery and heading to work the next day would be hard, and I was mourning the end of my maternity leave and the newborn chapter of Avery’s life. One week later, I’m feeling much better. Though saying good-bye to Avery last Monday was difficult, things got easier as the week progressed. (It helped that I only had a three-day work-week, but still…) By Wed. it totally felt normal to part from Avery and drop off Zoe at school before zipping down to Stanford – and it felt good to jump back into projects that I left behind four months ago. I’m not saying I don’t still miss my leave (and Avery!), of course – and I know we’ll have our share of tough days in the future. But for now, at least, I can’t say I’m still feeling blue.

Along the same lines, it occurred to me the other night that life with two kids (regardless of work) was also feeling more normal – and manageable. I had picked Zoe up from school early, and by the time Q got home from work, I had bathed and fed both kids and also packed Zoe’s lunch for school the next day. But more importantly: there were no mishaps with either girl, I wasn’t feeling stressed or (too) exhausted, and I hadn’t made one you’ve-got-to-come-home-right-away-because-I’m-freaking-out-and-I-need-help phone call to Q. (Believe me, he received plenty of those this summer, when I was still learning the ropes of caring simultaneously for two little girls). Every night won’t be this easy, of course (let’s not even talk about how bedtime went tonight!) but I’m sure that things will continue getting (a bit) easier with each passing day. And that’s a very comforting thought!

-M

I asked Zoe the other day if she wanted to be interviewed, and she eagerly said yes. Her topic of choice? Avery, of course. Though her attention span wasn’t terribly long, I had a lot of fun hearing what she had to say – and I also learned a few things. I had no idea that she knew her sister’s exact age, for example – and I’m also not sure where this early interest in coffee comes from! (Q and I don’t drink it.) Check her out below.

-M

Now that I’m back at work, Friday will once again be the day for playdates. Avery and I had another one this week, and the three babes (ages 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 months) spent most of the time lying around and checking each other out. I had forgotten how tranquil playdates are with immobile kids (when Zoe gets together with her friends these days, there’s usually a lot of running and a fair amount of yelling) – and also how cute babies are when they lay on their tummies, holding up their big heads and looking at you with their big eyes! I just had to snap a few pictures.

-M

Babies are awfully smart. At least that’s what I’ve concluded after my experience at the doctor’s with Avery today. The baby, who had been in a perfectly fine mood prior to our arrival at the office, cried – and at times even screamed – the entire time we were there. Dr. Fernandez said Avery likely remembered the shots and all the blood draws from prior visits and was reacting accordingly. (We weren’t even scheduled to get shots or blood work this time around, but Avery obviously didn’t know that.) I was a bit skeptical – could a baby this little really put two and two together like that? – but I knew the doctor was right the second we left the office and Avery stopped crying. (She’s been her normal self ever since.) Again: babies are awfully smart.

The appointment may not have been that much fun for Avery, but I was excited about the weigh-in portion. The results? She’s 15 lbs, 5 oz. and 25.5 inches, putting her in the 90 percentile for weight and 95 percentile for height. Here’s hoping that she continues to grow at a healthy clip and that she’s not as freaked out at our next appointment!

-M

Avery typically takes her third nap of the day around 5 PM, and yesterday she fell asleep as we drove home from daycare. Zoe, who was excited to have picked her up at Elena’s with me (“I can’t wait to see Baby Sister!” she had cried out on our way there), was equally as excited to greet her when she woke up. “Good morning, Baby Sister. Did you have a good nap?” she asked, leaning into Avery’s carseat. “Oh, that’s great. Do you want to go on a bear hunt?” Avery’s too young for that game, of course, but she certainly looked happy to be greeted so sweetly by her sister!

-M

I headed back to work yesterday, and I’ll be honest: it was harder than I thought. Though I had missed lots of things about my job over the summer, and though I had plenty of time to psych myself up for the return, I really struggled with saying good-bye to Avery and heading to Palo Alto. (“Did you cry this morning?” the director of my office – and a father of two – sweetly asked me yesterday. I felt no shame in admitting that I had.) I was actually more sad than I was when I returned to work after Zoe, and I think it’s for a variety of reasons. Q and I have done a division of labor with the kids lately – with him caring mostly for Zoe and me mostly for Avery – and so I feel more bonded to Avery than I did to Zoe when she was an infant. I also assume this is our last child, and so I’m extra emotional when thinking of being away from Avery and missing out on those special, last (to us) baby moments. And I’m finding it challenging to transition from this amazingly wonderful chapter in my life (childbirth, bonding time, etc.) to the “real world” of office life, a commute, and the home/work juggle.

With that said, it was only my first day back – and I need to give myself a bit of time to adjust! As Q reminded me, our new routine will soon feel normal and right – and it won’t feel so sad and disruptive to leave Avery. It also helps to know that the girls are happy and being taken good care of when I’m away: Zoe is still enjoying preschool (she didn’t even seem to mind that I picked her up late in the day yesterday), and Elena reported that Avery had a pretty good first day. (She was certainly my same smiley, baby when she got home!) As with other big changes we’ve experienced: all will be fine. And it will get easier!

To usher in October, we took our annual trip yesterday to the pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay. Avery was too little to pick out a pumpkin, of course, but Zoe found two – and also got to get her face painted, ride a pony and be carted around in a wheelbarrow. She wasn’t that excited about posing for pictures, unfortunately – let’s just say we have a lot of photos of her pouting or turning her head – but we managed to get a few shots from the day.

-M

I mentioned below that Avery didn’t nap a lot when we were in Madison last week. The typical scenario was that I would bounce her until her eyes were closed and put her in the crib (like I do at home) – only to have her open her eyes and smile at me. I would repeat the process, get more smiles, and finally give up. Avery didn’t wind up getting a lot of sleep on the trip, but at least she was happy – and we got lots of great, smiley pics! (Oh, and I’m pleased to report that she’s back to her regular napping routine at home.)

-M

When Zoe was small, as you might remember, we had weekly playdates with her friends Zander and Miles. I figured this was a good time to get Avery together with some other babies, so yesterday I hosted a little playgroup with four little ones. Avery was only mildly interested in the other kids, but us moms had a lot of fun watching the babies lay (or roll) around and taking pictures. The photos below are of Zander’s little brother, Xavier, and of his mom – and as Susan and I commented to one another, it feels like just yesterday that we were taking pictures of Zoe and Zander!

-M