MIA (Come on, give me a break, I had a kid!)

Feels like forever since I last posted and in reality it has only been about two weeks. Hope you all were not left hanging... (I say this with lots of sarcasm and humility). Lots has happened and I will start with the most important. We had our second child! Nico, as we have named him, came into this world after a tough and nerve racking labor (Wife, you rule!). The first one shot out like greased lightning so we were assuming that this little guy would be the same... but no. We now have one boy and one girl which seems to be the holy grail of parenthood. I know more than one family that kept trying for a boy or kept trying to have a girl and cranked out 5 of one gender. I am not sure if I would feel any different with two girls but... I don't have to worry about it!

He has been sleeping his way through his first days without issue, which has given me time to reflect on what number two means to me. I will site this quote from Jessica and say that it really sums up how it feels, "Our family just feels complete now." It really does, Nico and Lola... Lola and Nico... can't have one without the other the yin and the yang. The dramatic and the content. For those of you that do not have kids, kids pop out with personality and it may be too soon to tell with Nico but he seems to be calm patient and content.

The second kid is not that much more work... yet... and I really can't wait for family outings as both kids get older. Nico is rather attached to mom (huh huh yeah literally) and it has given me a chance to increase the depth of my relationship with Lola. I feel like she looks to me to comfort her now where it was all mom before. We have been getting out to as a father daughter pair to give the recuperating members quiet time in the house. It has been good to take some of the pressure of Jessica (where Lola is concerned anyway). Lola is really growing up and she has become a pretty cool individual (as long as she is fed and rested!)

For the most part we just feel blessed to have these two kids and that it all worked out timing wise to have a home birth and to have the baby during the summer vacation so that Jessica can recover and so that I can get some solid time with the little man. Alright, enough talking here are some pictures:

The feet of newborns are so amazing! I put my thumb in for scale.

Nico's first car ride. Big sister Lola offered up her finger to comfort him in a time of need.

Already a fashion trend setter...

Great to see Lola loving on her bro!