This might be a long shot, but let’s see if anyone out there might have any tips…

We apparently breed major spitter-uppers, because Garbanzo, now nine weeks old, spits up almost as much as Chickpea did when she was a baby. And we’re talking spewing forth like a geyser – not just a little hiccup here and there. And it’s almost constant between feedings. I’ll nurse him, and as soon as we’re done, he’ll spit up a trail of loveliness that gets all over me, him, the pillow I’m using, and the floor. Then he’s good for a few minutes. Yet then it’s more spewage pretty much until the next feeding, anywhere from 2-3 hours later. Trust me, we have a constant pile of laundry going on around here.

So… any tips on lessening the spit up? I’m currently trying to latch him off after about 15-20 minutes of nursing, which is exactly what I had to do with his sister (she’d nurse all day, just for comfort, if I’d let her), and that helps a tiny bit. But it’s still pretty bad.

I should point out that he’s not upset by the spit up, for the most part. There’s the usual fussiness when he needs to burp, but he’s not acting reflux-y at all. No back arching, no screaming, etc. etc. It’s the usual normal baby stuff – just in massively large quantities.

My apologies for the moistness and graphicness of this post, by the way.

And to spread your geniusness around to answer more tough questions, head to Rocks in My Dryer.

Dear Garbanzo,

Yesterday you turned one month old. You also became an American citizen because your passport and U.S. birth certificate came in. Way to go. You should know that you look like a 70-year-old balding man in your passport photo. Sorry you have to live with that for five years.

So far, you are EASY. You’re a great sleeper and eater, and except for the occasional bout of congestion or short fussy period, you’re a quiet kid. Sometimes we even forget you’re there. Not really. Well, okay, yes really. Your daddy, sister, and I will be eating dinner together, and then someone will say, “Hey, how’s Garbanzo?” And then we’ll remember that we have a whole other kid we’re responsible for.

You started rolling over at two weeks old. And not just that almost-but-not-quite rolling over thing that moms claim is rolling over, just so they can feel like their child is a genius – real, bonafide rolling over. From your tummy to your back and your back to your tummy. What’s with that? I thought we were allotted a good two to four months of being able to leave you on the kitchen counter unattended.

Kidding. I’m kidding.

I admit that juggling two kiddos is more of a challenge than just the one. You guys sleep at different times, and it always seems like one of you needs me right when I’m with the other one. But other than that – so far, I think the transition from no kids to one kid was more earth-shattering for me than from one kid to two. Everyone has their own opinion on that, I know. And I hear it’s a whole new ballgame when children outnumber their parents. But for now, I’m happy with where we are. It could be because you’re the most easygoing baby I’ve been around in a long while. Which isn’t saying much, quite frankly, because your sister talks so much that if talking were people, she’d be China.

We’re happy to have you in our family, little guy. Thanks for being sweet.

I bet you thought I had fallen off the face of the earth. Nope, just had a baby and hosted family in town for a month. We just returned home from dropping off my dad and grandad at the airport, and earlier today we dropped off my mom (they had different flights). So far, after just a couple hours, it feels weird to be just the four of us now.

It was SUCH a blessing to have family here, especially to have my mom with us for an entire month. She was such a help that, quite frankly, I’m a smidge nervous to handle my new gig as a mom of both a preschooler and a newborn, while living in another culture and language learning. Yikes.

I’m a bit too emotional and physicallly wiped to do a long post, but I sincerely hope to catch up with posting in the next few weeks. My brain is spinning with blog fodder – there’s no problem coming up with topics to write. The main issue is my INSANE to-do list, which I’m afraid has taken a life of its own, so quickly is it growing. To give you a sample, here’s just a bit of what’s on my plate for the next week or two:

• try to catch up on some much-needed sleep.
• put our home back in working order.
• upload a bajillion photos on Flickr from the past few weeks.
• upload video footage online, thanks to our new video camera (that was a very generous Christmas gift)!
• menu plan, now that I’m back to cooking for the family once more.
• updating the family finances and budget.
• writing thank you notes for Christmas gifts, baby gifts, end-of-the-year ministry gifts, meals brought to us by other workers, and I’m sure other things I’m forgetting at the moment. Message to you: if you haven’t heard from me and have expected to, you’re most likely on my docket.
• tackle Mt. Laundry.
• finish Garbanzo’s baby announcements.
• take our son to his one-month well-baby check (is it time for that already?).
• go to my one-month follow up, hopefully getting the go-ahead to begin working out.
• solve the mystery as to why my daughter has been randomly puking at night for the past six weeks.
• help decide on Kabob’s language learning method for February.
• decide on my language learning method, starting in March.
• review language notes and study from home.
• finish some paperwork about our 2008 goals for our company.
• pray and think over said 2008 goals.
• return Skype calls.
• visit with neighbors.
• pray for more support and funding for a car (now even more evident with a newborn added to the mix).
• thank those who have already pledged more support.
• go on a date (what’s that?) with Kabob.
• and oh yeah, enjoy my newly expanded family.

So in addition to blogging, I’ve got just a wee bit to do. Thanks in advance to the many of you who have wished us congratulations, be it through this blog, on the phone, via e-mail, or in person. We are blessed to know you all. And even though this post is basically a pathetic attempt to explain away my slackishness in writing, I really do have high hopes to write more frequently starting the next few days.