Tobi is one-month old!

Tobias’ nicknames: Toby, Tobi, Tobe, Tobes, Tobe-meister, Toblerone, Buddy boy. We use them all pretty much interchangeably.

Some sweet sibling shots.



When Toby is upset, Lydia will lovingly (but quite firmly) pat him on the chest and say, “It’s ok, buddy boy.”

Mommy & Daddy with Baby Tobi





Tobe-meister's first smile :) That grin makes all of the sleep-deprivation, crying bouts, and poopy diapers worth it. :) Love just gushes from his beam as those eyes light up. :)

I couldn't get Lydia to "pose" but I was successful at catching a kiss!

Touchdown, Giants! Toby & daddy were thrilled to cheer the NY Giants to their first victory of the season

Woo Hoo!

End of summer...

Toby's had lots of snuggles over the past few weeks. So much love. So much to be thankful for!
Aunt Laura and Uncle Nick came to welcome him.

Riley loves Tobias - she is so good with him: she sings to him, kisses him, and gently pats his head. So sweet.


Labor Day was full of picnics and love.
Cousin (once-removed) Julie and Great-Aunt Sarah

Aunt Leslie

Great-Aunt Judy

Tobe chillin'

Mommy & Daddy enjoying the freedom of having all of the "extra hands" around.

Dessert at the Dortenzo's - the toddlers obviously take cupcakes very seriously

A crew of friends - Jude, Cooper, and Toby meet together for the first time. These boys were born within 4 weeks of each other.

Now a visit to Gramma & Gran-papa's!
Reading with Gran-papa & cousin Gabby

Snuggles with Gramma

Aunt "M" has the special touch :)


Lydia is totally into playing “tea party.” We bought her a bunch of plastic food. Her favorite thing is to take the “shopping baskets” and dump all of the food out on the floor. (She’s really testing my OCD tendencies to clean up constantly!) Then she proceeds to put the food on plates and serves whoever will take it. Her favorite dishes to prepare: “salad” and “cereal”


Lydia’s obsession with her baby doll continues. Her G-pa named it “Baby Blooper” as he used to call Lydia the “Bald-headed Blooper” when she was a newborn. She loves to carry “Bloop” around under her arm. It only took about 4 weeks of observing me nursing and Lydia decided to “feed Blooper” by pulling up her shirt and putting Bloopers mouth on her belly button. Quite cute. She also “burps” Blooper by putting her over her shoulder and then forcefully throwing her on the floor. At least she got 1/2 of it! The other day Lydia went upstairs. I called to her from the bottom of the steps asking what she was doing. Her response was “Changing Blooper’s diaper.” She promptly returned downstairs when Blooper was clean. I found the remnants of her imaginary diaper change: a changing pad spread out on her bed (what we do with Lydia), diapers scattered all over her bedroom, and the entire box of wipes strewn all over her bed. That was one costly diaper change – good thing mommy doesn’t have those habits! J She also will not let clothes on Blooper. Last week I convinced Lydia that she and Blooper should both wear pink dresses to church. However, as soon as we came home Blooper’s outfit was ripped off. She’s remained clothes-less ever since. I got out my Cabbage Patch dolls from my youth and she found a bald one and proceeded to take all her clothes off too. At least Lydia keeps her own clothes on.
G-pa holding "Baby Blooper"


G-pa taking requests. Most popular: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" "Jesus Loves Me"

Mimi & Gpa teach her all sorts of fun things, like her parents' names. :) When Lydia wakes up from a nap she usually just plays, sings, & babbles, but when she’s really serious about wanting to be free she screams, “Hey, Liz!”

Baby Ally

We rejoice and thank the Lord, for our niece, Alexandra, was born this week. She has a heart defect and has already had one surgery. Another is planned in the next couple of days. Please pray for her, her parents, and our family. God has created this precious little life and we are confident He will continue to fulfill His perfect plans for her.

Toby's first few weeks

We are gradually adjusting to being a family of four. Mommy is exhausted. Happy but tired and still healing from surgery. Lydia LOVES her baby brother. Often the first thing out of her mouth in the morning is, "Hold Tobi!" She showers him with kisses and gently strokes his head. Of course, she doesn't appreciate the attention that he takes away from her and the disruption in her previously very organized life. Yet, overall, she's adapting quite well. We're getting into a groove. We just wish daddy could be home with us all the time - weekends are a welcome treat! I've been blessed with lots of help from family and friends which has certainly eased my stress during this time. I thank God for each of you and your love, sacrifice, and dedication!
Quite exuberant about the kisses


Tobias is a relatively "regular" baby for an infant - pretty predictable in his cycle of eating, sleeping, pooping, and crying. He has a fussy period in the evening, but is pretty easy to calm. He's eating like a champ and already up to 9 lb. 2 oz. at 3 weeks (when he left the hospital he was 7 lb. 2 oz, at one week he was 8 lb. 2 oz.) He's also pleasantly awake a little more which has been fun. We haven't figured out who he looks like... Any guesses? The most common choice is "Uncle John" - we'll see who he resembles as he grows.
Here I think he looks like Lydia as an infant. Tobias at one week...

Lydia at one week...

Our little bundle - these are sweet, sweet times...


I grew this zucchini before Tobias was born and couldn't resist comparing their sizes.



Tobi's friend Cooper was born one week after he was. I was blessed to hold him in the hospital - here I am with his lovely mommy, Melanie.

Poor Cooper had a bit of a rough start - hospitalized with pneumonia just days after birth. He and Tobias finally met this week.


Mommy's 29th birthday. Of course, we celebrated with ice cream. This is the first time we got Lydia her own cone and she was ecstatic.

"Cheers!"


Tobi's first bath. Lydia "helped" by "washing" his feet (pouring water over them). Mark got him out of the tub while Lydia was still in. Tobias was all wrapped up in his towel on the bath mat when from above he was doused with water on his face. Lydia obviously thought he wasn't quite clean yet. :) He barely flinched and didn't even cry - he's going to be a patient, flexible little bro.


Hanging out on mommy & daddy's bed yesterday.

Pre-Tobias

I didn't get a chance to get these photos up prior to Tobi's birth, but I still wanted to share them. Enjoy!

Lydia loved "playing" with little Landon's bouncer.

"Nana" introduces Lydie to the alpaca - she loves animals so this was a special treat!


These two are a riot together - it's like follow the leader. I love the looks on their faces.


In between bites of ice from the cooler, Lydia handed out beer. Elliot was the appreciative recipient. :)

I couldn't get Lydia to smile or look at the camera so her daddy posed with her.


Lydia enjoys helping to bake for obvious reasons :)



Daddy came home to his entire family chilling on the family room floor the day before Tobias was born.

Mommy gets a special hug... As Lydia would say, "Baby's coming out soon!"

Welcome Tobias!

It has taken me a couple weeks, but I'm finally getting caught up on blogging...


Tobias Alexander was born exactly 2 weeks ago safely and smoothly - praise God! I felt such a peace and joy through the process and am confident that the countless prayers were heard and answered. The Lord's goodness and faithfulness abounds! In fact, "Tobias" means, "God is good." This is most certainly true - AMEN! We are ever-appreciative of the family and friends, church members and loved-ones who have lifted us up in prayer and provided for our needs, sent us gifts and words of encouragement, and lightened our stress during this time of transition.


The adjustment to being a family of 4 is certainly still in process. My attitude toward mothering and caring for an infant has been boosted by the experience with Lydia. Not to say that life with Tobi is a "piece of cake", but the Lord has again provided strength and wisdom, patience and perspective for each day.


Lydia loves her baby brother. At times her attempts to "help" are a bit over-zealous as she does not quite comprehend his fragility and inability to fend for himself (although I'm pretty sure he'll gain this skill quite quickly ;) Case in point: she wanted him to "read" the other day so she put a book on his head. The second day he was home the first thing she said to me in the morning was, "See baby Tobi?" Honestly, her adjustment has been one of the biggest challenges for her parents. As an almost-2-year old she is testing her boundaries and independence which leaves us frazzled and frustrated at times. Overall, she is a darling child. In fact, the other day she shocked me by singing the entire song - every word - of "Jesus loves me." I find it ironic that this development coincided with her brother coming home. I remember singing that to her through tears in her newborn days.

"The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad." Psalm 126:3