Defying Gravity

During my last pregnancy, people would comment on how unique Benjamin's hair was and ask me whether or not I had any exciting hairdos in mind for Calliope. The answer was that I did not. Yes, I did want my daughter to have just as distinctive (and low maintenance) of a coif as her brother, but I had no intention of mohawk-ing her head. I just didn't know what the little girl equivalent of a mohawk would be. It turns out that I needn't have worried, because Calliope's hair has kind of developed its own distinct style: it is very, very spiky. Yes, I am aware that most babies have pretty spiky, unruly hair, but come on, this is ridiculous -
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Her hair makes her look like a chubby little peacock!
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Her hair wasn't always so spiky. In the months after she was born, it was pretty short, and it laid flat. But somewhere around four months of age, it decided to stand up and be seen! To defy gravity! To fight for its right to party! To-- You get it. Anyway, I don't know why Calliope's hair is so darned spiky. Maybe she was inspired in utero by my Halloween costume:
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Either that, or using excessive amounts of hairspray affects fetal hair development!

A Tricyle Named Desire or "KAYLAAAAAA!"

The first years of parenthood are marked by our children's milestones. Now that Benjamin is two-and-a-half, we've been able to check several off the list. His first tooth came at four months of age. He had his first bite of solid food at six months. His took his first steps the day after his first birthday. And now, and two-and-a-half years, he's hit a big one: his first crush.
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Benjamin first met Kayla when they were about eleven months old. We were all hanging out in the park, and I began chatting with a woman who would one day become a good friend: Kayla's mother Sheila. Two thoughts crossed my mind: one, that Sheila was remarkably put-together for a new mommy (I still remember being impressed by the fact that she was wearing a white jacket - something I will never dare to do as long as I have children in my house), and two, that her daughter was UH-dorable.

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Fast forward a year and a half. Our families have become close and often hang out together. The fact that our kids are the same age is a plus. In fact, as much as I love seeing Sheila and Marco, I'm pretty sure that Benjamin loves seeing Kayla even more.
.I'll admit that I'm not doing much to discourage his puppy love. Not only do they make a cute couple, but his in-laws would be folks I wouldn't mind sharing Christmas with!
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Of course, any major decisions about the direction of their courtship are way, waaaaaaay in the future. For now, they're just enjoying doing the things young couples do, like holding hands and going on dates.
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Chaperoned, of course!

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Recently, Benjamin's affection for Kayla has become more intense, and I'm wondering if I should be worried. During a recent car trip, Benjamin spotted a car that looked a lot like Sheila's. The poor boy was convinced that it was Sheila's and began crying for Kayla à la Marlon Brando in that famous scene from "A Streetcar Named Desire:"

In case you couldn't understand what he was shrieking in that video, here is the transcript:

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"I want Kayla. Want Kayla, Kayla, Kayla. Kayla, Kayla, Kayla. I want Kayla! KAY-LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

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Yikes. I guess Benjamin still hasn't learned that girls prefer guys who play it cool.

Save the Drama for Your... Oh.

I'll give you five bucks if you can tell me what this is :
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(disclaimer: Even if you answer correctly, you will receive no compensation beyond the feeling of smug satisfaction that accompanies being right.)

Give up? Well, the above image is what you get when this...

.... meets this...
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No, I didn't grab Benjamin and smash his face into the couch in a fit of terrible two's-induced exasperation. Benjamin did that himself. When he realized that I wasn't responding to his whining, he threw himself upon the couch like a turn-of-the-century debutante fainting from a too-tight corset. SO dramatic.

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I wonder where he gets that from?

Meet Kieran

On July 22, Julie, Shawn, and Nolan welcomed the newest Bowen into their family: Kieran Reed Bowen!

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All pregnancies get uncomfortable towards the end, but this one seemed particularly uncomfortable because Julie is tiny. Ti. Ny. She's one of the most petite women I know, and her hubby Shawn is six feet tall, which meant that her teensy frame had to support an awfully big belly those last few months.
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Julie happens to be one of those fortunate women whose pregnancies only show up only in their belly, so unless you were looking at her in profile, you couldn't even really tell how pregnant she was. When seated, she didn't even look pregnant. Lucky!

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Several weeks before Kieran was due, Julie began having contractions severe enough to land her in the hospital. Her hospital stay coincided with our monthly moms-only dinner, so Brooke, Sheila, and I paid her a visit. Luckily, Julie's contractions abated, and Kieran stayed put. Even more luckily, our hospital visit wrapped up in time for us to make it to dinner. I know what you're thinking: I can't believe you b*tches still went to dinner without her!
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You may be amused to know that after dinner, we left the restaurant only to find Brooke's car battery dead. Like us, karma's a bitch. But I digress... Back to Kieran!
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The day after he was born, Sheila and I drove to St. John's to meet him for the first time. At over 8 lbs, he was a big baby, and it was no wonder that Julie had been so uncomfortable. But just one day postpartum, she looked happy and on her way to recovery.
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We were all struck by how much Kieran looked like Nolan. He had Nolan's eyes, nose, and lips. In this picture, he even shares Nolan's trademark furrowed brow. But according to Shawn and Julie, the resemblance ends there, because Kieran is a calm and mellow baby. No offense, Nolan.
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Julie's own birthday happened to be the following week, and we didn't want that to be forgotten. So the day after she was discharged, we surprised her with a surprise birthday party. We festooned her home with streamers and balloons, hired a caterer and a 12-piece band, and invited Julie's 50 closest family and friends.

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Just kidding! The surprise party just a casual gathering of a few friends. There was a little cake with candles, and Shawn threw burgers on the grill. The whole time, Kieran slept peacefully in his bouncer or in Julie's arms. It was really cool to see the Bowens as a family of four for the first time.
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Congratulations, guys!