Annnnnd we're back.

Soooo... I know. It's been awhile. But in my defense, was a rough year. A fantastic year, in many ways, but a rough year. Long story short, I was hugely pregnant juggling work and a toddler most of the year, my husband lost his job, and my car DIED on the side of the freeway in the worst part of Oakland when I was 9 months pregnant. We were fortunate to have a lot of friends and family to help, but there were a lot of depressing moments. And really, who wants to read about that?

BUT, as I said, 2009 was also fantastic in many ways.

By far the most important piece of news was that we had an addition to our family! So, without further ado, may I present William Emmett Walter Paquette, aka "the Dumplin'":

hello world!

So admittedly, this is a not a newborn pic. I will post those soon (along with a birth story). This was taken about a month ago, when Will was 3 months old, and it's one of my faves. Like all our kids, Will is all head! :)

Will has been such a blessing. I'll admit that having a third kid was really, really hard for the first month. Like all our kids, Will entered the world dramatically, doesn't sleep much at night, and, to my despair, absolutely would not get the hang of breastfeeding (not even after multiple lactation consultants). But he's such a sweet boy. I love how much of his personality has emerged already.

It never fails to amaze me how two kids birthed of the same parents, same genes, can be so entirely different. Linny Lumpkin is our wild thing, our hurricane, our Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde. She's extremely intelligent - she knows all her colors, can count to 20, and knows more songs than Aden. And extremely verbal - she talks in paragraphs. And extremely cute - you should hear her say "I love you SOOO much!" It could stop wars.

And then, at a moment's notice, she's the devil child, screaming at the top of her lungs while hitting you, throwing things, slapping her brother for fun, throwing poop around her room (oh yes, she's a poop thrower!), and DESTROYING the house. At one point, I believe I had crayons on her closet, colored pencils on the dresser, markers on the table, and pen all over the couches.

(FYI, vinegar does wonders on microfiber).

And that's not even counting the numerous pieces of ruined clothing, or the fact that we chopped off her thick hair because it was constantly covered in dirt and snot and she would not, would not, let us even touch it, let alone put it in pigtails, or the Code-10 emergency that is Alinea when she wants an apple. Or Cheerios. Or Chocolate. ("Choc-o-late? Choc-o-late peeees? I need Chocolate! I need Choc-o-late right. Now! Chocolate! CHOCOLATE!!!!!")

In contrast, I can already tell Will is going to be our sensitive, thoughtful one. He spent the first 3 months of life staring at his siblings with a look that said, "this is my family?" The older he gets, though, the more he smiles - a huge, dimpled, fat-cheeked, Cabbage Patch smile! He's already my little lovebug. I absolutely love his smile when I hold him tight and we look in the mirror cheek to cheek.

He's going to be as active as his brother, too. We can't keep blankets in his crib at all - he either kicks them off entirely or grabs them and pulls them over his face in his sleep! He already tries to crawl when you put him on your tummy and since he was a month old, he's been happiest standing. He even starts putting one foot in front of the other when you hold him up by his arms.

It's amazing to watch them grow and see their personalities emerge. Even as exasperated as we get, I know Alinea's willpower will come in handy for her one day when she's facing peer pressure at school. And even when I'm exhausted from waking up with Will, my huge butterball baby that can't stop eating, I'm grateful for all the cuddles and smiles, and how his little fat hand wrapped around my finger calms him like nothing else can.

I think it's going to be a fun year. :) And I'm going to keep this blog much more up-to-date with our adventures in 2010.

Promise.