Kids in Tow

Fourteen years ago, I used to meet up with Jason and Kate and a handful of other friends at El Arroyo every Friday afternoon for cheap margaritas. We never really ate dinner -- just filled up on bowls of chips and salsa and hung out for hours. As the years passed, we transitioned into Sunday night dinners at the home of the only married friends I knew (Jason and Kate). We drank wine and ate delicious gourmet meals and added a few new friends (like Maggie and Adam and, oh yeah, Frank!) to the mix. Today, I still treasure the times that I can spend with these great friends -- it's more likely to be Farmer's Market on Wednesday evening with all the kids in tow, now -- and our group continues to expand, but in a generational sense.

Pictured above, I present to you THE NEXT GENERATION of "Ditchdirters" in correct age order --> Lucy, Laney, Sophie, Solomon, and Jameson. And yes, this is the BEST picture we could get of the five kids together. The other options included shut eyes, stuck-out tongues, and somebody's polka dot panties. By the way, this was Jameson's first outing and he was only five days old. Welcome to the pack, Little Django!

Picture Pages

Happy Birthday, Jameson! You're one week old today. Click on the link below to see some of the highlights of our week.

http://www.frankandstacy.net/photos/JamesonsFirst/

Meet and Greet

Jameson, meet Solomon. You've been in nearby wombs, but this is your first face-to-face.

Jameson: Ha! Ha! I've got more hair than you!
Solomon: Ho hum. I've got a huge fist right next to that cute little nose of yours and I outweigh you by two pounds.

Jameson: I see what you mean, Solly. Did I mention I love the highlights in your hair?

J: And I think I just peed my pants. Pass it on.

The Jameson Nameson

Jameson's dad is James. I know. You thought it was Frank. But the BabyDaddy is really James Frank Webster. Frank's twin brother is James Robert. Grandad is James Lang and Great Grandad was James Elias. Apparently the Great Great was a Frank Elias, but he must have been a son of James because according to Frank's aunt, this little James(on) is number eleven. I thought it went back a bit further than that...maybe even to the brother (cousin?) of Christ?

So we decided on Jameson because it honors tradition and yet it's unique. Teachers will be able to pronounce it on the first day of school, but he probably won't have to go by "Jameson W." It's not on any Top 100 lists. We did not name our son after a whiskey, but I'll have you know that it's considered one of the finest in Ireland. And we're Irish-ish.

And the Samuel? Why Sam, I am? He was NOT named after the Samuel on Frank's side of the family, who was reputed to be "a real son-of-a-bitch." He was NOT named after the Uncle Sam on my mom's side of the family, who used to send me a $5 bill each Christmas -- for a long time I thought I was related to THE Uncle Sam, who would have access to such a crisp Lincoln. Sam is just a name that we both really liked. (We also considered Elias, Reese, Finn, Schofield, and Buren.) But if he doesn't like a name like Jameson, what chance would we have of him liking any of those weirdo names? So "Sam" could be his chance at normalcy. And it starts with "S." Like Sophie. And Stacy (whose immediate family members were Jerry, Jane, Jeff, Jeanette, Joel, Jordan, and Jason...aunts and uncles included Jeane, Jud, Jill, and the other Jeff). It was time for another "S." It's a nod to the Momma.

The runner-up middle name was Django. (And, incidentally, it combines Sophie's choices of names: Jesus and Mango). We decided that might set up too many expectations for musical genius. Or prophecy. Or fruitiness. But Django makes a great nickname. Other nicknames so far? Grandad calls him "J" and Momma has called him Cricket, as in Jiminy. Sophie insists on all three syllables of Jameson, and it seems to suit him best.

She Loves Him

When Sophie walked into the hospital room to meet her little brother, she announced, "I'm a big sister!" Then when she saw him, she whispered, "I love him." We may have to remind her of that when he breaks her toys, but it looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

What a Difference a Day Makes

On Friday, our little family of three headed out to the Capitol grounds for a picnic. Sophie loves driving by the Capitol, so she was literally jumping up and down with excitement as we walked towards our picnic spot.


We needed a fun, laid-back activity that wasn't too far from home. We've been expecting this new baby "any day now" for a couple of weeks, and the waiting gets a bit tiring. They say that spicy foods or long walks or drinking a Guiness can bring on labor...but apparently being lazy gets the job done, too! This is how I spent my last day as a preggo:

On Saturday, June 14th, we became a family of four! Sophie is proud to introduce her baby brother, Jameson Samuel Webster. He was born at 7:37 a.m. and weighed 7 lbs., 2.8 oz. He's 21 inches tall, has a head of dark hair like Sophie (and Stacy) did (but his is a bit more hobbitty), and seems to be a very laid-back little guy so far. And he scored a 10 on his APGAR; that might not help him get into college, but we're very proud of his first perfect score.

Once we catch up on our sleep, we'll post more pics. Stay tuned!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Water

Gulp...gulp...GULP! Sophie warns you about the circle of life (ending with a humongous whale, for those of you who struggle to decode toddler-speak).

The Solly Man

Laney's baby brother, Solomon, arrived on Monday, June 2nd -- he's anxiously awaiting the arrival of his wingman. Sophie and Laney are already plotting princess dresses and toenail polish for the both of them...
Little Buddies: True, only one of them is sucking in oxygen at the moment, but this still counts as their first picture together.

Check out some of the great pics of the amazing Solomon Allan Stephens:

http://www.frankandstacy.net/photos/Solomon/

Great for Future Passwords

Okay, little man...yesterday I dumped the contents of my school desk into a giant box and labeled it "to be dealt with in August." And I finally got my hair cut. So you can come any time now, if you want. And if you were born today, your birthday would be 06-07-08. I'm just sayin'...

Any Day Now

So...we're about 2 1/2 weeks away from the critter's official due date (June 19th), but the truth is, it could be any day now. I've been having tons of Braxton Hicks contractions and just, in general, feel HOT, HUGE, and READY. Mostly ready. I have one more day of final exams. Sixty more essays to grade. I need to pack up my classroom. Callie needs to get her nails trimmed. My car needs to be vacuumed out before some hospital staff person allows us to drive off the lot with a new person (they say they're only checking to see if you have a car seat, but I know they're judging me...). I need to remove all evidence of crushed goldfish cracker from Sophie's infant car seat so it can be passed along to her little brother. I have an appointment for highlights and a haircut on Friday...if I don't make it that long, it'll probably be August before my hair gets cut again. Oh, yeah. And he needs a middle name.

But all of this may be beside the point. After all, at this stage in the game, I think I have ZERO CONTROL over when this baby is born. And the biggest time clencher of all? The Stephens went and had their critter yesterday. Laney was born on a Monday and Sophie was born on a Friday. So...little Solomon Allan Stephens entered the world on a Monday. (Tune in later for a post about the adorable new guy.) Adam called me yesterday when Maggie was checked in to the hospital and gave me my four-day warning. And that means WAY more than any Braxton Hicks contraction. I may just be spending this summer as a brunette with crushed up goldfish crackers on the floorboard. Oh, well...

If you're feeling prudish...don't scroll through the rest of these pics. You might see a BELLY.
Here's Sophie giving Momma gross lick-kisses. She's so very loving...

Hello in there? Can you wait until finals week is over?
This is my baby brother. I want to name him Mango. Or Jesus. Since Mom and Dad haven't picked a middle name yet, I'd say there's still a chance...
Me and my kids: