Joia the jem!

Well it isn't just Joia who is a jem. Her husband Philip is quite jem-like himself! They are a married pair of jems. :)

You know how we all say to each other all the time, "Let me know what I can do to help?" The truth behind that question is that the recipient often doesn't tell you anything. They nod and smile, but then they forget about the offer or feel too guilty asking or consider it too hard to arrange requesting and getting the help.

Last week Joia told JB and me to pick a night that we could go out, just the two of us, for a date, probably one of our last before we find ourselves quite glued to our house for quite a long period of time. I told Joia I would think about it, but quite honestly, didn't plan to follow-up on it. She has a month old little girl and a toddler and is quite busy herself -- much busier than I currently am with Elijah tucked safely in the womb. But Joia brought it up again. And again. At wifia on Wednesday she told she wanted me to pick a day immediately. She meant business.

And so, we picked one, and yesterday afternoon just JB and I went and saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which we loved. We also picked a little seafood restaurant right on the water for an early bird dinner. It was wonderful, and of course, all made possible from our jem of a friend and her jem of a husband.

During dinner we talked a lot about how our lives were going to change forever. It's one thing having one baby. But it's quite another having two. Neither of us felt like our lives drastically changed with the addition of Isaac. He was easy and chill and we could take him most everywhere with us. But now he's becoming older and more mobile. He doesn't think sitting in his stroller staring at the fans on the ceiling during dinner is all that grand anymore. Add to that a little brother, and we are quite aware that life is going to complicate itself times two. We are quite excited about this huge change and quite overwhelmed as well.

We glanced back at the ten years preceding Isaac's arrival into our lives. We spent ten years just the two of us and for the last three or four, we had begun to believe that that was all we might ever be. How did we get from ten years of marriage and five years of infertility to preparing to have two babies just nine months apart? We are still trying to figure that out. Life changes so amazingly quickly.

Anyways, that's another story all to itself. Back to the jem of a couple, Philip and Joia, and the fact that they took three children, under two, for half a day, one month after having one of their own . . . how amazing was that? Joia said that she actually had all three down for a nap at once at one point and got an hour of sleep herself! Hurrah! She also said that Keenan and Isaac played so much together that she was able to sit and read a magazine while they played. Another huge accomplishment.

Well you can read all about this on Joia's post from yesterday. I won't repeat all the details. But I did snag some pics from her that I wanted to include myself as well. So that part will be a little repetitive. Thanks again Philip and Joia for giving us a wonderful day!

This is Joia's own baby doll carriage from when she was a little girl. Isaac seems to be enjoying it. Keenan is amazingly sweet and gentle with Isaac, as you can tell from this photo.

This picture makes me laugh out loud. This is a bib from one of Keenan's baby dolls. He thought that Isaac should be able to fit in it since he is a baby too. Isaac doesn't appear to think this is a good idea.

I can learn so much from Joia! First of all, this is nearly exactly what my life is about to be like. Moriah now weighs 9 pounds, 4 ounces -- probably close to what Elijah will weigh at his debut. And here she is with both of the kiddos at the same time. Isn't putting Isaac in his boppy to eat a great idea? Bravo Joia! You eliminated one "stress point" from my how-to-have-two-babies-at-the-same-time-thinking.

And here's Isaac with Moriah, a baby that will be about the size of Elijah when he is born! Isn't this quite a shocking thought?! You can also see Isaac's really red cheeks in this picture. We think he is teething, has his hands in his mouth a lot, and then possibly got windblown at the bay on Friday with wet cheeks. We aren't sure, but they sure are chapped!

Again -- what a fantastic idea!!! I am so excited to have learned this prior to Elijah's arrival. Which, by the way, is just an estimated 12 days away.