Yesterday was full of firsts. It was our first time to leave the home since getting the kids, our first time for the kids to meet my sister and her fiance, and our first time to get a good night’s rest.

We still went through the rigamorole with the kids before bed time. Apparently, nobody really likes baths (though Bess loves brushing teeth) and sleep is the worst. We’ve found the secret to getting Bess to sleep, though. You put her in the bed and sit with her while she tantrums until, in a sudden reversal of fortune, she’s asleep. It really does happen in the blink of an eye, like Dorothy stepping out from the tornado and into Oz. Without munchkins and singing and candy. We’ll have to do something about the last part–in the midst of the exhaustion and occasional frustration, sweets are an easy pleasure.

Abe is starting to settle in, and we’re getting used to some of his rhythms, his different types of crying, and what he likes and dislikes. Though most of the progress we made yesterday had admittedly little to do with K and I; a friend of ours brought several types of bouncers and bascinets to try and the little man quickly found one to his liking. This is a Godsend, as he previously was only happy while being held, if not rocked or bounced. As K puts it, we’d have to Indiana Jones him into the crib when we hoped he was in deep enough of a sleep not to immediately awaken upon being set down. Like the victims of an alien predator, it’s our body heat that gives us away.

We can tell there’s bonding going on with both Abe and Bess. We’re starting to see Abe smile more and more (which we saw none of on day one), so we’re taking that as a good sign he’s starting to feel safe and comfortable. Bess is getting more and more talkative, surprising us that her vocabulary is broader than we first believed. We’ll need some work on speaking clearly, but I don’t think that’s too much of a concern at this age. She’s clearly very intelligent (which every parent says ever about their child; the difference is I don’t believe all those other guys).

K has taken the kids with her to church while she works; we’ll both have a little break at the expense of the church nursery. Time for me to write this post, try and catch up on a few work things, shave for the first time in three days, and hopefully get in some time for some fiction-writing, now that I’m actually rested enough to do some of those things!

More to come!