Isabel shows Bobby how tummy time is done. She's the Richard Simmons of tummy time.

Dad and Isabel don their wetsuits for swim class. Laugh all you want -- the pool at Washington-Lee is cold!

Bobby gets psyched for Halloween.

Isabel, in pumpkin regalia, and her trick-or-treating gang, just before TPing some houses.

"Got any cheese?"

Pedro and Isabel rehydrate and reminisce.

"I was beginning to think he was going to hold out forever!"

Back to work tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who sent in their good wishes and other goodies. If we haven't gotten back to you yet, we will -- we're a little busy!

Well, two weeks after Baby Brother's arrival, we're starting to get into a routine. He's still got some jaundice but it's not serious. Isabel doesn't like it when Mommy picks Baby Brother up, but she's getting used to the idea of him, and she says "Bless you, Baby Brother" every time he sneezes.

I go back to work on Monday. And while I won't be able to tell anyone anything about the status of the annual budgeting process, I will be able to advise all comers on the status of the bus. The wheels on the bus, the driver on the bus, the baby on the bus -- I know what they're all doing. Also, I can recite the text of I'm a Big Sister from memory.

I'm a big sister now!

Baby Robert is establishing a routine now that he's at home: sleep, eat, maybe take a nap, and then eat. Sometimes he surprises us and he switches them around. His jaundice is getting better, thanks in part to a photoblanket that accounts for the eerie backlight in the photo below. And he's put on an ounce a day for the last three, which is good.

Isabel is adjusting, too, though she is not much more than mildly interested in Baby Brother. She asks about him when he's not around, and she shared her crayons with him tonight. Today she decided that when he's drinking milk, maybe she should, too, which has led to me spending a lot of time filling up her sippy cup with cow juice.

Robert's middle name is James, after his uncle, but that news was embargoed until said uncle could be informed. I pushed for the names to be reversed, so we could call him Jim Bob, but I was overruled.

An Egyptian friend expressed confusion at the naming -- Arabs take their second name from the father (Boutros Boutros Ghali), so he assumed the full name must be Robert Robert James. (Don't even get them started on hyphenation.) A coworker suggested Ryan as a middle name (Robert Ryan Ryan-Silva), but I respectfully declined.

Robert James takes a nap, to rest up for a nice long sleep.

Robert came home this evening, a process that underscored how difficult getting anywhere will be from now on. He's doing well; he's slightly jaundiced but that's neither uncommon nor alarming. I'll be spending the next two weeks at home helping out.

Isabel finally meets "Baby Brother".

Robert gives his verdict.

Glamour shot.

Mommy and baby come home.

At 7:20 PM EDT on October 6, 2006, Robert Undisclosed Ryan-Silva reported for duty. Carrying a respectable 7 pounds, 1.2 ounces on his 19.5 inch frame, the little Robster nevertheless demonstrated to his sister and a skeptical delivery staff that it is indeed possible to be born into the Ryan-Silva family without a c-section.

As expected, little Robert shows signs of Down's Syndrome. But make no mistake: he is my son, and a little low muscle tone isn't going to keep him from kicking your ass. The hospital initially sent him to the neonatal intensive care unit to track the effects of his heart condition -- an atrioventricular canal defect -- but determined fairly quickly that he was in no immediate danger and sent him up to the well baby nursery. He's doing well and should continue to do so; he will have surgery sometime in the coming months to correct the problem.

As you can see from the photos below, he's a good looking kid, despite looking less obviously like his father than his sister does. Sources report that the UN Security Council will convene during the next several days to deliberate over his middle name.

A fine specimen of a boy.

Getting acquainted.

Two fine specimens of boys.

Playing in the giant basket o' berries at Ikea.

As naptime approaches (and passes), Isabel takes more of an interest in the bed section.

Her father has big shoes to fill, but only literally.

Isabel updates her blog with cute pictures of her dad.

The many faces of the Bean.