This is my favorite picture of little Stephen thus far. It shows his personality a bit. He is such a sweet mellow fellow. Jaron is still fond of him (yay!) We are potty training now, which has been particularly stressful for me. I hate the mess. But he is doing pretty well. I told him that when he goes poop he can have ice cream, but it hasn't happened yet. #1 is going well and he even makes it through the night half the time. Here is a picture of the family on Stephen's baby blessing day too. Daddy gave an awesome blessing!

Baby Smiles and Groovy Outfits

Little Jaron picked out this groovy outfit and dressed himself. The upside down glasses top this outfit off nicely! And baby Stephen started smiling this week! Dad is especially good at making Stephen smile and took these pictures in the morning before I got home from work. I'm so glad Stephen sleeps well at night for my husband's sake (I work graveyard about one day a week). Stephen has slept as long as 8 hours straight!

So here we are in front of our new residence together. Life sure is a wild ride full of surprises! Life has turned out different than I expected, but I think I mean that in a good way. (:

Introducing Stephen Douglas Fletcher! Yes, I know Stephen Douglas was a historical figure (politician), but the name actually originates from Stephen, my dad, and Douglas is my grandfather's name. I respect the honor and integrity for which these men live their lives and hope that little Stephen Douglas will emulate them.
So little Stephen was born June 17th, 12:49 pm, and weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. I enjoyed not pushing for an hour as I had to do with little fatty (little Jaron was 9 lbs 1 oz!) However, after requesting an epidural it took them an hour to come save my life, so that part of labor was not so enjoyable. I got to about 8 cm before they finally got there. I nearly hyperventilated and they had to put an oxygen mask on me because I was feeling faint. My wonderful husband took the day off to come be with me. He read short stories to me by O' Henry until I was in too much pain to listen further. He left for a short time and came back with several items, including my glasses, because he was concerned that I be able to see the baby. Is that not cute or what? I have the best husband in the whole world.
So little Stephen is the sweetest baby! I was prepared for a terror child because I thought I was blessed with an easy baby the first time, but this little guy is super easy going! I was pleased the first time I heard him cry because it wasn't wreched, and mostly he just squeaks when he is sad. He likes to make noises like he is clearing his throat. He is also a champion nurser. It came easy to this guy; he's a pro. I must say that it helps that his mouth is much bigger than little Jaron's was. And he sleeps very well at night. How did I get so lucky?
Little Jaron seems to be doing very well. I can't believe how much bigger and older he appears to me after having had another baby. It almost makes me sad; the time is going by too fast! Someday he won't be my little boy anymore...he will be a man! Crazy thought. As for his adjusting, I am not an overly doting mother, so he is used to me not giving him my full attention all day every day. I can tell that he is a bit angst (he has been hitting a little bit and can be rough with little Stephen/rough in general, which isn't like him) but for the most part he seems to really like his new brother. I have been trying really hard to include him in everything. I let him take a bath in the baby's bathtub (Jaron called it a boat), he likes to help me change the baby's diaper and put the pacifier in the baby's mouth. He also likes to hide poor Stephen under his baby blanket and say, "Where did he go?" and then take the blanket off and yell, "There he is!" He thinks the baby needs a pillow if he is lying on the baby blanket, so he is always bringing me "baby's pillow" (which is actually one of his own that he wants to share). (By the way, I think it is so cute the way Jaron uses the possessive tense now, e.g., Daddy's book or Mommy's chair, etc.) He likes to kiss little Stephen and smother him (hug him) and he has no reservations about picking him up in his arms (kinda scary), but he actually does a pretty good job of picking him up and cradling him correctly without any help from me at all. Sometimes I have to stop Jaron from trying to tear little Stephen away from me (often by his head), but at least he is excited to hold him, eh? He is always asking me to "share" the baby. And if little Stephen starts to cry he hands him right back to me (as if to say, 'I don't want to deal with him now; you can have him back!'). I do have to monitor Jaron 24/7 to make sure he doesn't accidentally suffocate or hurt the baby. We even put a lock on the baby's room door because little Jaron can climb into the crib in about 2 seconds.
I sure am happy to have two of the cutest kids on the planet. I thank the Lord for entrusting me with these sweet, precious spirits.

Easter

Jaron's first Easter where he could actually look for eggs! He looks pretty serious in these two photos but he was squealing out loud every time he found an egg. We got him all dressed up for dinner and look at those shiny new Easter shoes! He's stylin!'

It's a boy! (the first image--view from beneath--see the little gluteous maximus and....)

Little Jaron at Grandma and Grandpa's house during Christmas. the Grandparents really spoiled him! We only got him one thing...a train set...but he came away with much more than that! Oh, boy....
Little Jaron will be two this February. HOW CRAZY IS THAT!!! They say time flies and I wish so badly that it would just slow down a bit! I am enjoying him so much! I don't think that there is any stage yet that I haven't enjoyed. He has been a bit belligerent lately, but that is to be expected. He refused to pick up his toys the other night so I told him that he could eat dinner with us when he had completed his task (he isn't a dummy...he knows how to pick up his toys). Well, he went to bed hungry. I have had a lot less trouble getting him to pick up after himself since then. He really is a lot of fun! We go on walks often now and he pushes his cart all the way down the street and back. His favorite thing to do is to push his cart through the puddles after it rains. I have to make sure that we do that before bath time and not after....

Update

Nothing terribly new regarding our living situation except that I am getting a job substitute teaching for Safford Public Schools until our next BABY is born (June 27th). Big Jaron is taking Calculus II at Eastern Arizona College, where I also teach college trumpet lessons (and love it!). Next semester will be Calculus III and Differential Equations, and then he is out of classes to take until we get out of Safford to continue with school. We are looking to consolidate the business loans so that we can progress more quickly with that. Despite the economy we aren't out of business yet, but we are pinching every penny we've got to keep it afloat. Jaron can't wait to be rid of the burden so that he can finish what he started in college. Only time will tell. At least we will have plenty of interesting stories to tell our kids! Life certainly turns out different than you expect....
Here is a picture of little Jaron, myself, and my family (dad, sister Marina, and brother Vova (in Ukraine on his mission). Mom is taking the picture and poor big Jaron is still working drywall, so that is why he is not present in this photo.