Hammie is three weeks old today, and already I am wondering where the time has gone. It seems like he is so much bigger than the day he came home, which I'm sure is partly due to the fact that I am just getting used to looking at his little hands and face, so they don't seem so insanely tiny anymore.

I've discovered that one of the surprising joys of having a second child is how much they remind you of the little things you had forgotten about your first child's infanthood. Hammie makes the same goat-like grunting noises that Fraser used to make and screams just as loud as Fraser did during each and every diaper change. Even the things that are totally different about Hammie remind me of Fraser. Hammie does not seem to care for the bath very much (though he's much happier now that he isn't getting a sponge bath anymore) and that reminds me of how much Fraser always loved the bathtub (and still does). I feel like I'm enjoying a lot of those little things with Hammie that I was too stressed out to really focus on with Fraser. It is easier this time since I know even the not so pleasant things, like the inconsolable crying in the afternoons that has already begun or the three o'clock in the morning screaming fits, won't last forever.

This realization has given me a lot of perspective on Fraser's current behavior too. It makes it much easier to realize that even though it makes me a little sad on some days that Fraser doesn't say "Mommy" yet, there will come a time when he will say it frequently, and I may be hard pressed to remember how it felt not to hear my "name" repeated throughout the day. And even though Fraser has been a borderline basket case for the past few weeks as his molars have been coming in, that too will pass and he will be back to his pleasant, if seasonably naughty, self.

Speaking of naughty and nice, we had our "de Barros" Christmas here last weekend with my family, and Fraser made out like a bandit. Here he is opening his present from his daddy (who clearly is trying to make me nuts with a ride on toy that says about five different phrases over and over and over and over at a totally unnecessary volume). I will definitely work on getting a picture of him sleeping with the giant stuffed alligator uncle PJ and aunt Bethany gave him too, because it is one of those things that is just too funny not to share.

Happy Holidays!