Summer Fun

People keep asking how life with two kids is going. Apart from the fact that I don’t have time to do much like update this blog, clean the house, do the writing I had planned to do this summer, or have much “adult” time, I think it’s going pretty well. Emilia and Mateo and I are kind of getting into a weekday routine, which usually includes a fun outing or activity in the late morning and quieter time at home (well, Emilia is quieter because she naps in the afternoon; Mateo usually sleeps through the morning outing and is fussy during the afternoon, but it’s quiet in the sense that I only have him to deal with) in the afternoon. Mateo is a bit fussier than we remember Emilia being as a baby—lots of spitting up and gas is the likely culprit—but his cute face makes up for it. He's also started smiling more deliberately and is holding his head up for long stretches.

Here are a few of my favorite photos of our latest summer fun.

Princess Serious

Mateo getting his smile on!

Grandpa and his babies (including Emilia's baby doll, Lilly)

The gang tries out the new tent Yaya just bought

Three Weeks

Mateo is now three weeks old. At his two week check-up (which he really had when he was about 2 1/2 weeks old) he weighed 8 lb. 13 oz., which is more than a pound more than he weighed at birth. I have a feeling he's going to become one of those chubby babies, rather than a skinny mini like his sister.

Agustín went back to work this past week, and so far so good, although my mom has helped out in one way or another almost every day, so it’s probably too early to say how it’s going with two kids at home.

I’ve noticed this blog is a bit like a television sitcom—when a baby comes along, the humor seems to disappear (have you noticed that?). I think I’m still a little too tired to be witty (I have to admit, I was debating between updating the blog right now and taking a nap). Therefore, without further ado, I’ll just post some of my favorite photos from the past week or two.

Mateo (with great uncle Barry) finds his thumb for the first time! I think it was just a happy coincidence, but hopefully he'll get the hang of this habit soon (Emilia started sleeping 12 hours straight during the night as soon as she began sucking her thumb)!

As mentioned in a previous post, Emilia has started nursing her baby doll--burp rag, nursing pillow and all! (Authenticity is important to her, I guess.)

Above and below: Two cute pictures Agustín snapped when he and Emilia spent the morning at Como Zoo.

I've heard many women say that when their husbands watch the kids, they are unable to do anything else (as in, "I couldn't do the laundry because I was watching the kids.") As can be seen above, that is certainly not the case with my husband!

Above and below: Emilia loves "tummy time" with Mateo. When I told her that this was Mateo's way of exercising, she attempted to teach him some yoga (which she learned at school). Those of you who have done any yoga might recognize the "happy baby" pose below. Needless to say, Mateo hasn't mastered much yoga yet.


I think I have more pictures of my mom with my kids than photos of me with my kids.

First Week at Home

Mateo is now eleven days old and we’ve been home a little over a week. So far, everything is going well. At his one-week check-up last Friday, Mateo weighed 7 lb. 12 oz., which means he’s already surpassed his birth weight (something that babies ideally do within two weeks of being discharged from the hospital).

Emilia loves her baby brother (who she often refers to as “my baby”). She constantly wants to give him kisses (and is usually pretty good about doing so gently), and every time I change his diaper she wants to be my “special helper.” She is even copying a lot of things I’m doing with Mateo with her own “baby,” Lilly—from diaper changing and burping, to putting in the carseat for trips to the doctor, and even breastfeeding (those photos to come in a future post). It’s really cute (and a little scary how impressionable she is)! Emilia has become a bit of a handful lately, however (2 1/2 is proving to be both terrific and terrible), so I’m especially grateful to have Agustín home for two weeks (which are coming to a close more quickly than I’d like) to help out during this transition period.

Emilia enjoys a morning at the Children's Museum with Papa.

Emilia licking the spoon after helping mom bake a cake to celebrate Mateo's arrival (that's face paint and chocolate on her face--the signs of a truly fun day).

Mateo's First Days

Here are a few more photos from Mateo's first days, in the hospital.

Like father, like son

One proud grandma

My mother took care of Emilia for much of the time we were in the hospital (thank you, mom!) and doted on her endlessly. This is the "big sister" outfit they bought together, which Emilia wore for three days straight. Her favorite part is the "wiggly skirt."

Our newly expanded family of four

Introducing Mateo!

We are excited to announce the birth of our son, Mateo Malet Harvey. Mateo (pronounced “ma-TAY-oh”) was born Friday, June 5th at 3:57pm. He weighed 7 lb. 10 oz., and measured 20 inches long, with an impressive head circumference of 14 inches (already following in his sister’s footsteps there). Labor went very smooth, especially compared to the last, and Tara and Mateo are both recovering well.

Like big sister Emilia, Mateo has no middle name, but instead has a “double” last name, with a family name from dad and one from mom. This not only follows Spanish tradition, but also fits nicely with Tara’s feminist values. :)

We’ll post more photos and updates in the coming days and weeks, but for now we are tired, and I think Mateo is hungry…..

39 Weeks!

I've officially reached 39 weeks today! I feel like a boat and look, literally, like I'm very unsuccessfully trying to sneak a watermelon (one of those melons that’s won a blue ribbon at the State Fair not for tastiness, but for being freakishly large) out of the store under my shirt. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I've even outgrown most of my maternity clothes (thank goodness I rarely have to look presentable these days). I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. Don't know if I'm ready for a newborn, but that's beside the point now.

I'm scheduled to be induced on Friday in an attempt to avoid some of the complications that ensued during Emilia's birth. The baby is growing about ½ pound per week at this point, so the sooner I go into labor, the more likely it is to go smoothly. So, hopefully by this weekend we’ll be the proud parents of not one, but two, beautiful healthy kids!

New Swingset

Unfortunately this isn’t a great photo, but I had to document the outfit Emilia put together today. These may be pajama pants, but they actually match the “dress” (it’s really a shirt, but Emilia always wants to wear it without pants) perfectly. And these are the Crocs that Emilia says have “two seatbelts” (the Mary Janes as opposed to the ones with only one strap across the back).

But today definitely warranted a special outfit; it was a big day—Emilia got her very own swingset (well, to share with her brother eventually). I found a second-hand Rainbow playset on Craig’s List, and today Agustín, with much help from my mom, spent the full day disassembling, moving, then reassembling it in our yard. We made it into a bit of a party, spending most of the afternoon/evening outside and having dinner with my parents on the deck. The job is about 80% complete, but Emilia couldn’t wait and was already playing on parts of it this evening. She’s already a big fan!

And a few photo highlights from the past month….

Emilia’s new bike

Mother’s Day at the Minnesota Zoo