I don’t have much time to blog these days, and we’ve taken about two million pictures over the past week and a half. So getting everything edited, organized and uploaded is going to take some doing. I thought I’d better hop online and give an update so those who read the blog would not have to worry unnecessarily. Here is one picture of many we have taken. It shows Jack and Nick in their llama hats together:















Things are going well out here. Nick is a pretty calm baby as far as newborns go, and it is certainly easier the second time around. I remember the chief emotion when we had Jack was terror – we were living in constant fear of him and what could happen. With this baby we are certainly not scared, we know what we’re doing, and we already have a kid routine in the house.

The main reason I am not able to blog, or get anything done really, is that I never want to put the baby down. I just sit and stare at him all day long, carry him around like a doll, and generally enjoy his company. I know I will forget how it was to hold him as an infant as I did with Jack, so I’m just trying to enjoy him as much as I can until he gets bigger. I suppose this time around I know what comes next so I am not anxious about it, and I just want to take in every bit of this experience as I can.

In many ways having a second baby has made me appreciate Jack even more as well. I realize how much he has developed in two short years, how amazing he is as a person, and how fun it is to talk with him. He even sings now – I taught him Santa Claus is coming to Town, and even though he only sings about every 8th word, it’s still fun to sing with him.

So that’s what we’re up to at the Adams household. We are trying to recover from the craziness of the holidays, Joe is getting back to work where he belongs, and thanks to my mom the house is returning to some semblance of order. Tomorrow Jack is going to visit Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Tom and everyone is very excited about that – we have kept him here since the baby was born and I think he’s starting to wonder why he’s stuck at home!

We wish you all a happy new year, and I hope to get more pictures up soon!

Nicholas Duncan Adams
Born December 15th, 2006
12:36 in the afternoon
6 pounds, 1 ounce, 18 1/2 inches long






























Nick and I spent a few days in the hospital together and are now home learning what it's like to be a four person family. Jack welcomed the new baby home and has shared some toys and books with him, and commented on the fact that he has eyes and hands and feet. So far, so good. Here are the boys together, just minutes after their first meeting:






























In the second one Jack is saying "baby" and pointing at Nick. He seems to get the picture.

We are all healthy and doing well. I am tired and sore - as I have said in the past, there is no good way to get a baby out once he is in and this was no exception. But everything went smoothly and our little addition could not be more wonderful.

We still don't have a new name for the blog, but I will keep you posted.

Today was Jack’s last day as an only child. For two years he has enjoyed the undivided attention of family, friends, and blog. He is happy, well adjusted, and comfortable. All that will change tomorrow afternoon when he finally meets his new little brother. Here are a few photos of his week.

The saddle at Sierra Bonita Grill:




















Playing with Brooke at playgroup:















And hugging Brooke at playgroup:















Here he is playing with Elissa’s baby Jake, (who is already 16 months old!) The toy they were in was just unpacked for the new baby. They are surrounded by a room full of toddler toys, and all they wanted to do was crawl around the baby toy:
















And just for the sake of posterity, here is the magnificent belly, one day before delivering:



























































It’s a little like graduation night. I am sad for Jack and the magnificent life he is leaving behind. But I’m excited all the same for what life will bring him with his little brother. He claims to be looking forward to a baby in the house, he even went as far to shout “Baby! Yay!” in the car this afternoon. Of course he doesn’t have a clue what that means, but I do hope someday he is glad he has a brother.

Wish us luck, and we will be back to blogging soon.

Despite talking about Santa for over a week now, and claiming he would sit on his lap and ask for toys, please, Jack wasn’t too sure about seeing a real live Santa. The photo above is from the end of the Santa party, and it is the first time Jack allowed Santa to touch him without a buffer.

Here he is with Grandma:


























And here he is with me (yes, I know I’m not supposed to pick him up. Tell him that.):


























He was, however, willing to accept a gift:


























All in all it was a successful Santa visit, and Julie threw a great party once again.

Earlier in the weekend Jack went back to the zoo. I would swear he would be sick to death of the place by now, but he talks about it constantly. Just now, in fact, he said “Animals. Again.” Nothing prompted this outburst – he’s sitting across from me eating sausage.

So here he is with the tiger:


























And the tortoise:



















































The poor capybara:


























And of course, the goats:















And now we have some random photos that were in the camera. Starting with his new sunglasses:






















His new train:






























And a sleeping shot I just couldn’t resist:















Now I am completely caught up on all of our activities. This week promises to be busy getting ready for the baby, but of course we have a million activities thrown in for good measure.

I haven’t thought of a name for the new blog yet, so if anyone has ideas please let me know. The new baby will most likely be named Nicholas. Hopefully I’ll come up with something brilliant.

We have a lot of catching up to do around here. It has been quite busy at our house getting ready for the new baby. With exactly one week left I am starting to get nervous. I have a bunch of pictures to share, starting with a trip to the zoo the day after Thanksgiving. Joe and Jack went alone and had a wonderful time.

Here is Jack admiring the giraffes:















And here he is posing with a Big Horned Sheep. If you look at the picture closely on the upper left part of the mountain you will see the sheep:















Of course he visited the lion who was making a rare appearance:















And the Baboon:















One thing he got to do that is not on our normal zoo schedule was comb the goats. He loves this activity – I just haven’t had the stamina to take him for a while. We have a million goat pictures, but here are just a few:








































































His final adventure that day was a ride on the carousel. Again, not a normal part of our zoo experience. This one he didn’t love as much. Here he is getting ready:








































Apparently he cried a good portion of the ride, and seemed scared for the rest of it. Other than that, though, the boys had a great outing and are ready to go again tomorrow.

Now on to the birthday shots.

A hippo flashlight – what a combination!




























His own baby grand piano:














Blowing out his candles:














And eating a piece of birthday cake:














And I have one more video to share of Jack showing off his knowledge of the alphabet. I can't get the normal link to work right now though, so I'm going to try this one.


I have a few more pictures in the camera, and will likely take some over the next few days as well. I will get at least one post up before the baby is here, and then I will have Joe post an announcement sometime next Friday with all the details of the birth. That is if I don’t go into labor before then. (Considering I never went into labor on my own with Jack and he was two weeks late, I doubt we will be having any surprises over the next week!)