Halloween

Declan trick-or-treating with his neighborhood pals...

Oh, and with his girlfriend Mia as well...

Lochlan and I made a cameo appearance. It is the first time anyone in the neighborhood had seen him...

I wonder what Lochlan was thinking about all the costumes (he actually never took his eyes off me it was adorable).

Halloween Comes Early

We let Declan pick out his costume this year and to our surprise he went straight for the spider-man. He got to wear his costume today because all the kids dressed up for his art class. In the picture below he is webbing Steve as he tries to take a picture.

Of course I had to add a pic of our newest addition...

Big Brother Moments

So, it has been all about Declan for the last three years and Steve and I were curious how he would react to handling having to share the spotlight. Below are some moments we have experienced with Declan so far. As you will see we are blown away by how he is handling things and attaching to Lochlan.

1. Lochlan was crying because he was having trouble eating and was all worked up. Declan came in touched Lochlan's head and said,"it's okay Lochlan, it'll be okay". Lochlan stopped crying and we praised Declan for being such a good helper and he said touching his heart, "My hearts so big, my heart got bigger"

2. Lochlan is just staring at Declan and Steve and I said, "look your brother is watching you". Declan got close to Lochlan and said, "Ahh, I love Lochlan".

3. On several occasions (a couple after he was supposed to already be in bed) Declan has come running in when Lochlan is crying to check on him and find out what happened. It blows us away because he is genuinely concerned and wants to help if he can. He will ask Lochlan whats wrong and then pet or kiss his head or just talk to him calmly telling him it will be okay.

4. In the above pictures we let Declan (with support) hold Lochlan for the first time. You can tell how proud he was. After holding Lochlan Steve and I said, "wow, you held your brother". Declan responded by striking a muscle man pose and stating,"I am so strong I can hold my brother. He is little but I am strong"

Lochlan Comes Home

We brought Lochlan home on Friday. He is such a good baby...

My boys...

Big Brother Day A.K.A. Lochlan is Born

Lochlan Elijah Goodale was Born 10/14/2009 at 8:05am, 19 inches and 7 pounds 4 ounces. My c-section went better than any of us had hoped; so thank you for all your prayers. My doctor said that I am lucky that Lochlan was breech and that we did not try for a normal birth because my uterus was thinned out so much that I would have hemorrhaged during the delivery. So, again thank you God for unanswered prayers!

Lochlan has so much hair and he looks like a little mini Steve...

Declan meets Lochlan for the first time in the Post-Op room...

Paka brought Declan to the hospital and then that night they had a slumber party and Paka's house. We tried to make Lochlan's birth special for Declan, calling it Big Brother Day. He got lots of gifts from Paka, Grandma and Lochlan...