Introducing...Siler Jack!
Introducing... Siler Jack!
by Anna Catherine
Hey, Anna Catherine here! I'm writing this blog from my living room with my fingers crossed. Both babies are sleeping soundly, and the other kids are in school for 1.5 more hours, so I'm taking advantage of this tiny gap in my day to say hello to you guys!
It's officially been seven weeks since we welcomed our newest addition to the family and nine weeks since I was in the Good Batch Mama kitchen. After waiting 41 weeks and not knowing the gender, I got the sweetest surprise and met my fifth child and first son, Siler Jack Blevins.
My husband had the name picked out years ago, when I still got a funny look on my face just thinking about having a baby. Lots of people ask us about his name since, typically, they have never heard of it. Siler is my grandparents' last name, and the moment my husband mentioned it, I was in love. Jack is after my husband's brother, and equally as special to him, so we are making the habit of using both names frequently.
My husband had the name picked out years ago, when I still got a funny look on my face just thinking about having a baby. Lots of people ask us about his name since, typically, they have never heard of it. Siler is my grandparents' last name, and the moment my husband mentioned it, I was in love. Jack is after my husband's brother, and equally as special to him, so we are making the habit of using both names frequently.
My husband had the name picked out years ago, when I still got a funny look on my face just thinking about having a baby. Lots of people ask us about his name since, typically, they have never heard of it. Siler is my grandparents' last name, and the moment my husband mentioned it, I was in love. Jack is after my husband's brother, and equally as special to him, so we are making the habit of using both names frequently.
It's true what they say, though- it's completely different with the second baby. There has been no boiling sanitation of bottle pieces, no timers set at night for feeding, and he's already licked a green bean and a pickle, thanks to an eager-to-share sister. Although Siler was only the second child I have had biologically, he is number five in our household. He settled right into his place as the first baby boy and the cutest baby brother these girls could have ever imagined.
It's true what they say, though- it's completely different with the second baby. There has been no boiling sanitation of bottle pieces, no timers set at night for feeding, and he's already licked a green bean and a pickle, thanks to an eager-to-share sister. Although Siler was only the second child I have had biologically, he is number five in our household. He settled right into his place as the first baby boy and the cutest baby brother these girls could have ever imagined.
Having this many kids in so many age groups has been a (welcomed) challenge- that's for sure! One of my favorite programs Good Batch Mama has maintained for over four years now is the Stork Report. Through an online forum, you can report your new addition, or the arrival of a baby to someone you know and receive a free GBM meal. I may not have entered my latest addition into the Stork Report forum, but I figured out a way to get Good Batch Mama food to the house just the same — a direct text to the Mama herself:
Having this many kids in so many age groups has been a (welcomed) challenge- that's for sure! One of my favorite programs Good Batch Mama has maintained for over four years now is the Stork Report. Through an online forum, you can report your new addition, or the arrival of a baby to someone you know and receive a free GBM meal. I may not have entered my latest addition into the Stork Report forum, but I figured out a way to get Good Batch Mama food to the house just the same — a direct text to the Mama herself:
"Bring food! Hungry and in need of childcare. -Xoxo, your wonderful daughter"
While I never sent that exact text, I did browse the menu on Monday mornings and shamelessly send my order to my mom in the kitchen. She never failed to show up on my doorstep with those beloved aluminum pans of food in the recognizable brown craft GBM bag. Isn't it just the best feeling, knowing you don't have to wreck your kitchen for a lasagna? (Unfortunately, giving it to a toddler will do some damage to the cleanliness of the dining room, though.) Frozen meals and lowered expectations for what the house will look like have been my guiding lights these days!
I tried to time my maternity leave with the less busy seasons at the office, although Adam gave me a sharp side eye with the October return date. Sorry, September wedding season, I'll catch you next year! Having a baby in the summer was fun- and I got the privilege of missing hot July days in a commercial kitchen (if you know, you know). When I brought Rosie home in February, I sent my older kids to school and quietly basked in the sunlight with my little blue-eyed bundle.
I tried to time my maternity leave with the less busy seasons at the office, although Adam gave me a sharp side eye with the October return date. Sorry, September wedding season, I'll catch you next year! Having a baby in the summer was fun- and I got the privilege of missing hot July days in a commercial kitchen (if you know, you know). When I brought Rosie home in February, I sent my older kids to school and quietly basked in the sunlight with my little blue-eyed bundle. Siler, on the other hand, spent the first month of his life being held by a 17-month-old while toddler music blared in the background and sweetly cooperative teenage girls did a dinosaur stomp per the demand of said 17-month-old.
Siler, on the other hand, spent the first month of his life being held by a 17-month-old while toddler music blared in the background and sweetly cooperative teenage girls did a dinosaur stomp per the demand of said 17-month-old.
As I sit here trying to think of a cute closing paragraph, a cry has erupted from the swing beside me. Since we are all about keeping it real- I gotta go! I can't wait to be back in the kitchen full-time in October. Until then, I'll be changing diapers and thinking up the next great frozen meal for you guys. See you then!