Introducing Little Zachary James

I suppose it is finally time to introduce little Zachary. He was born May 27, 2009 at 7:27am 8lbs 1 oz, 21 inches long- after only 3 hours of labor. So in short, labor was a relative breeze (which I feel bad admitting) and uncomplicated- I'm sure this was a precursor to this little boy's personality. He is such a sweet joy! Zachary is a big eater during the day and a big sleeper at night, which makes for a very very happy mommy! He is very easy going and quite content to do anything we put him up to! As you can see, he was born with a mop of dark hair, darker skin, and dark blue eyes. We are not sure how our boys got so handsome, or so many dark, cute features, but I am pretty sure our girls are going to be powdery white and bald until they're 10! Oh well, we'll still love 'em!

Little Zach-y, as Ike has lovingly nicknamed him, had to spend a couple of days with jaundice on the billi bed, but was quite content to do so... Maybe it is because that is about the only relief he had from Ike, or maybe it was because he likes sunbathing... not sure! He was so good at staying on the bed as much as possible, much to the relief of his parents. He has also been sleeping in his bassinet, which to me is a major accomplishment! After all the trepidation I had in the last couple weeks of pregnancy, this little one has completely won me over. We now cannot possibly imagine life without little Zachy and all of his patience and long-suffering (Ike really loves him A LOT)! We have actually spent the past couple of weeks going about life in an almost normal fashion... Keeping my tradition of being outside walking/running whenever possible, Zach and Ike have accompanied me on walks almost everyday (no running yet:). Last weekend, Ben and I even took a day trip to Fort Collins shopping with the boys. Isaac started singing "I love Fort Collins!" That went on for quite awhile!

I also have to share some of the things Ike has been saying lately concerning little Zach... He'll come up to him and say "Oh, I know baby, I know" (I'm thinking, are they both that disgruntled with us as parents??) He also loves to sing "Hush little baby won't you cry..." He is quick to offer compliments like "Look atcha cute little toes and ya cute little eyes," etc... I was definitely afraid that Ike would feel a little jealousy, etc, but so far, none whatsoever... It's almost like we just gave him the best toy ever! He is thoroughly enthralled! The first morning when Zach was at home, he awoke at 5:30am and must've awoke Ike because he decided to get up then too (he usually doesn't wake until 8am), so all 4 of us were up at 5:30 and decided to watch Beauty and the Beets (as Ike calls it- really Beauty and the Beast). It was a really fun bonding time for all of us, but definitely warranted the nap later that morning!

We have also received lots of visitors and special helpers over the past two weeks and were very very excited to have Grandma Pieper, Sarah, Hannah and Mary come visit from Idaho last week. What a treat! Since recovery for our family has been going so well, we actually even made a shopping trip to Cheyenne with the girls. What fun! I think part of the reason this transition has gone so smoothly is because of all the help we have had, especially from Jen and Jenny Wren visiting so much the first week we were home- they kept us all happy and sane! We also couldn't have done so well without plenty of yummy food and well wishes brought by our friends and family here in town- so thanks to all!

We are also thrilled that Ben's little sister, Mary decided to stay the week in Laramie with us. She is such a helper and joy to have around- we are really going to miss opportunities like this when we move. Ike is just loving her to pieces. In fact, this morning I awoke to Ike singing "wake up Mary" to her from his bed... Luckily she sleeps like a Pieper log, so she wasn't phased! Mary inspired us yesterday to take a little hiking trip to Vedauwoo. We actually did the Turtle Rock trail (I think it's over 2 miles) and little Zach actually did very well too- I only had to stop and feed him at the waterfalls.

Anyway, I feel like typing this post is definitely going to jinx us, but we have just experienced what I think was a tender mercy! Little Zach came to us healthy and very happy and so far, we haven't done much to mess that up! Our two little boys are just the sunshine we need to make it through the next few years of Arizona and dental school. It is so true that the Lord gives us certain things at certain times for certain purposes. We are so grateful for His perspective to guide our lives~ I definitely couldn't have done better!