With Apologies to T.S. Eliot

This is the way year ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

Scott spent New Year's eve and New Year's day curled up in a ball. Just as the Redskins were finishing their dismantling of the Cowgirls, his stomach began to rollover -- and stayed that way for the next 36 hours. To reassure my brother and sister-in-law, there's no way anything I ate at your house could have hit me that fast. I'm sure it was a bug I picked up in the days prior.
As a result, Lisa got her first opportunity to "go it alone" -- two days earlier than expected. To add to her list of responsibilities, she had a mewling husband upstairs while she reigned over the circus that is our two young boys.
Beyond my disease, things are going well at home. Clay seems to be fully adjusted, even whispering "Mommy, Baby" when he knows they're napping. He still insists on giving his brother a kiss when heading off to bed. The only wrinkle is that he's taken to mimicking his brother's cries -- which can be pretty overwhelming when you're hearing it in stereo. Hopefully that novelty will wear off soon!
Brennan is doing very well, eating and growing like a champ. At one month, he's already comfortably wearing 3-month clothes and continues to show strong neck and leg muscle development. He's also improving on his sleeping -- needing to be held less and less at night and sleeping for longer stretches in his cradle.
Lisa seems to be handling things very well -- I think this rotation has been easier than the last. We'll see how things go now that I'm back in the office full-time, but fortunately my parents continue to chip in on a regular basis and provide some much-needed respite care.
For me, the biggest challenge has been the emotional adjustment to Brennan. Since I rarely see him, and can't do much for him at this stage, the emotional bonding hasn't really begun yet. I have no doubt that it will naturally happen over time, but sometimes it's a challenge to interact with Clay and not feel concern over the difference between our bond and mine with Brennan. Of course, if I could turn the clock back 21 months and remember how I felt about Clay when he too was a cute lump then I'd probably find a very similar emotional temperature between us. In the meantime, Lisa and I are both making a point of setting aside time for Brennan and I to bond and build our relationship.