When Bella Comes to Town

Last weekend Daddy had to go fly airplanes, so my sister and my niece, Bella, came for an extended weekend. The girls were SO excited to see each other when they first got here. Hugging, tackling, and generally enjoying the company of each other. Of course, there were moments of fits and tantrums over toys, books, mommies, Papas, etc. over the course of the weekend, but all and all, the girls (who are only 3 weeks apart) got along very well.

The highlights of the weekend are pictured below. There's the bath were they tried to shake their brains out of their ears.

Then there was dinner at Papa and Bon-Bons. Before dinner there were puzzles to be played with and the farm to be filled with animals. (Padyn got mad at Bella with the puzzles because she has a particular way of doing one of them, and of course Bella wasn't doing it right.)

Kate just watched their bickering.

During dinner that night, they joined together in a chorus of "I Love You" aka The Barney Song. When they got to the part about "with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you..." they decided to act it out. A little matter of being strapped into chairs didn't seem to faze them.

Let's not forget the after-dinner dancing.

Mr. Potato Head was a favorite toy of the weekend. But it wasn't enough to just put the pieces in the Potato Heads.

Overall it was a very nice weekend. My sister was so helpful keeping Padyn loved and occupied so I could care for Kate. We were sad to see them go. Padyn wishes Bella lived closer. Maybe then they wouldn't fight as much over toys.

Helpful Big Sis

Padyn is so helpful with Katelyn.

• always trying to give her back the paci
• rocking her carseat or bouncy seat when she is crying (with mommy in the background repeating, "Be gentle, be gentle.")
• watching me with concern while I change Kate's diaper
• showing Kate toys that Padyn has picked out for her (read: shoving them in her face with mommy in the background repeating, "Be gentle, be gentle. Show her it from a distance.")

But today was the best helpful sister yet. Today she decided she wanted to burp Kate. So, with a baby washcloth over her shoulder, she "burped" her baby sister. It consisted of me holding Kate up against Padyn while Padyn gently pat her back. It was so sweet. Of course I have no picture because I don't have three arms. But trust me it was sweet.

While I was relishing in the sweetness of the moment and congratulating myself on what a good mother I was that I had raised such a caring, loving little girl, Padyn said, "I want to feed Tate." and lifted up her shirt. Umm...no. And what was my reply? I should have said something like, "Only Mommies can make milk for babies." or "Only Mommies can feed the baby." or "Only Mommies....(something informative yet toddler friendly.)

What did I say instead?

"I don't think your boobies are gonna work."

Good one, Mommy.

"When Dogs Die" and Other Lighthearted Children's Books

We went to the library yesterday, because, as you all know, Padyn loves books. Actually, she loves the library because in the children's section they have a number of toddler friendly puzzles. She'll sit there for an hour and do each and every puzzle. She won't do a puzzle twice, mind you. Only once. But she'll do every one.

Anyway, I asked her before we left if she wanted to bring any books home. Deeply concentrating on her puzzle, she said no, so I didn't bother looking for any. Finally Daddy and I decided we'd had enough, plus Katelyn was doing her "I'm about to lose it because you need to feed me" grunt, so Joel picked Padyn up and said it was time to go. Of course, she lost it. I love tantrums in quiet places like the library. She's crying and saying she doesn't want to go, then she spots this book on the table. Now, it's, "I want the doggie book. WANT THE DOGGIE BOOOOOOOOK!" Well, we did what any good parent would do: we gave her the book and hightailed it out of there.

Later that night she wants to read it at bedtime. So, Daddy's reading it. It's a nice little story about a boy and his family who adopt an older dog. It goes through what the family and the dog do together every year. Then you know what? The dog DIES. And they have to BURY HIM. Poor Daddy. He heavily edited it as not to scar our 2 year old. But really, this is the reason you should preview your toddler's books before you leave the library. I am not ready to start explaining DEATH to my 2 year old. So, like good parents, we hid the book. It's going back to the library as soon as I can manage without Padyn noticing.


And you know what book she asked for all day long? You got it.

You know you're a bad mother when...

One child decides to decorate the other...and you encourage it...

Your child's hair looks as if it hasn't been combed in weeks...








You let your 2 year old play with your new expensive camera.

What do you do when your 2 week old won't go to sleep? Let her big sister help her.

Padyn hated the swing when she was little. I've been hoping Katelyn would like it so that we could be somewhat justified in owning the thing. But alas, Katelyn seems to be heading in the way of her big sister. Last week I was trying to get her to fall asleep, and of course, decided to try the swing...again. She would start to fall asleep, then wake up crying. I'd reinsert the pacifier, she'd fall asleep, and 2 minutes later she'd be crying. After about 20 minutes of this, Padyn decided she needed to be involved. The next time Kate was crying, Padyn ran over and shoved the pacifier in Kate's mouth saying, "It's ok honey. It's ok." Well, who would have guessed, but it worked! Kate actually slept for 20 minutes.

Now I just have Padyn put her to sleep.

(Ok, maybe not. Padyn's still a little rough in her handling of her baby sister. But wouldn't it be great if it was just that easy?)

Correction

We didn't actually get Padyn a dog-real, fake, or otherwise. The adorable pink poodle was a gift from one of Joel's co-workers. Padyn immediately loved it and named it Poodle Dog. Yesterday when we went to Joel's office for lunch, Joel pointed out Stephanie and told Padyn that was who gave her the pink poodle. Unprompted, Padyn said, "Thank you for my pink doggie." She loves it AND we don't have to pick up after it! Best of both worlds.

New Addition

Padyn has wanted a dog for ages now. Since she is getting less attention now that Katelyn is around, we decided to give in. Welcome Poodle Dog!

Easter

Easter weekend was full of "firsts" for Padyn. To understand what I mean, you need to know that our first daughter is a bit of an introvert. Don't get me wrong. If she knows you and is comfortable in a situation, she is thoroughly outgoing to the point of occasionally being annoying. But if she is around a bunch of people she doesn't know, she'll clam up. Also, she tends to be timid in situations where other children jump in with both feet. Animals, for instance. She loves animals, but when we get to the petting zoo at the park, she is all about looking. She doesn't even want to go inside the enclosure. She likes to look from a distance. Forget about actually petting the animals. It's never happened.

Until this weekend. And you thought only one miracle happened on Easter.

On Saturday, we went with the girls' Papa and Bon Bon to The Club for an Easter extravaganza they were putting on for the kids. It was a circus. Seriously. It was like every kid's birthday party rolled into one day. Besides the traditional Easter bunny and egg hunt, there was a bounce house, pony rides, a petting zoo, a bird show, crafts, a goody bag, and a kid friendly buffet lunch.
I was sure we would spend most of the day in the bounce house. Padyn never even noticed it.

She was fascinated with the bird show. After much cajoling, Daddy even got her to stand next to the bird for a picture. She wanted to ride the pony. Again, I was sure we would stand in line for 20 minutes, in the bitter cold, it would finally be her turn, and she'd cry "No!" and we'd have to just look at the ponies. But to my surprise, she actually got on, rode around for her allotted minute and a half, got off and said she wanted to do it again! And then she went into the petting zoo enclosure and actually PET THE GOATS! I was so proud. Of course, she refused to go near the Easter bunny (who, I admit, looked creepy), and she was too overwhelmed by the number of children running around to look for eggs during the egg hunt. But, hey, you can't go expecting her to change all at once.

On Sunday, it continued to rain, so no Easter egg hunt at church. Instead, when we went to Papa and Bon Bon's for dinner, we hid plastic eggs in the house for her. She loved it. So we did it five more times. This morning, when she woke up, the first thing she told Daddy was she wanted eggs. When he asked if she wanted to eat eggs, she said, "No. Hunt." That's my girl.

Recent Pictures

Katelyn is two weeks old today. Hard to believe as it feels like we just came home from the hospital yesterday. Must be the lack of sleep.

I've been trying to find the time to update the blog, but whenever I have free time, I want to nap!

More pictures to come in the next few days, like Padyn actually riding a pony and petting barnyard animals (two things she has vehemently refused to do in the recent past.) For now, enjoy these and I'll post more in the next day or so. Maybe I'll even forfeit a nap for the cause.



Padyn loves her baby sister and often wants to hold her and give her kisses.











"I want to hold Tate, Mommy."









First bath...she seemed to like it. At least she didn't scream like Padyn did the first time we bathed her.






Hanging out on her changing table.

Katelyn's First Few Days

We finally got to come home Wednesday night after having to wait in the hospital all day Wednesday for a blanket to help lower the levels of bilirubin in Kate's blood. Bilirubin is what causes jaundice in newborns and when levels are too high, there is a risk of brain damage. Because of her levels, Kate was put on phototherapy. In the hospital, she got to live in the "glow bed;" a special bed with an ultraviolet light tray underneath and a terry cloth sack that she was zipped up in. Fortunately, she didn't complain very much about not being able to be held. We were only supposed to let her out to eat for 30 minutes every 3 hours. The rest of the time she had to stay in the glow bed.

We came home with a different phototherapy "blanket" that she had to stay wrapped in for the same amount of time everyday. At least with this one it was possible to hold her. She did look pretty funny with a blue glow under her Piglet blanket and large gray tube coming out the side. We had to go back to the doctor's office Thursday and Friday to get her heels poked for more blood. By Friday her levels were finally lower and by that evening she was free of the blanket. Her color is looking better, but she'll probably be a bit yellow in the face and eyes for another couple weeks. She looks as if she had a bad self-tanning experience.

Padyn is very happy to have everyone home. She is very gentle with her baby sister and is constantly wanting to give her hugs and kisses. We just have to keep reminding her not to squeeze so hard and not to touch her face. I can already see signs of a struggle with Padyn, though. She's had more timeouts since we've been home and more meltdowns. Poor girl. Eventually she'll find a groove. It helps that we've had many visitors over the last few days, so Padyn has gotten a good share of attention. She's also gotten a few presents. This is one of the new bunny rabbits she's been given.So, we continue to adjust. Mommy and Daddy (but especially Mommy) to very little sleep and Padyn to having to share her attention with a little blob that only seems to eat, poop and sleep. Overall, I think we're doing pretty well.

Announcing...

Katelyn Marie!

She came fast and smoothly at 4:01am Monday, April 3rd.

7 pounds, 12 ounces,

20 1/2 inches long.

She out did her sister in size and speed of delivery, and while she was about a week and a half early, Padyn still has her beat on getting here earlier.

Padyn has been to visit a couple times. Upon seeing Kate, she immediately stated, "Kate not in Mommy's tummy any more." So observant, that child! She is currently enamored with her baby sister, but we all know that won't last very long.

Katelyn is jaundiced, so she is looking very stylish under her glowing blue blanket. (Pictures of that later.) We'll be going home tomorrow, where a new adventure awaits us!

Girl of a Hundred Faces

Well, not 100 faces, but she does have a few that she likes to sport. We were practicing them the other morning while eating breakfast. There's the silly face, the surprised face, the angry face, the sad face, the melty face, the happy face, and the new sideways face (she made that one up that morning). See if you can guess which is which.

Outdoor Play

It's been raining a lot lately and we haven't had much of an opportunity to go outside. These were taken last weekend when we had a few moments of sunshine. Can you tell she loves her daddy? running-she still isn't very good at that she loves dandelions-she can even say it correctly
here she had just said, "I no happy." She looks pretty happy to me running around her ball

Answering the Call

One of our best friends, Lisa, (aka The Girls' Moma) is leaving tomorrow for a short term mission trip to New Orleans. While her girls stay with their grandparents in Texas, Lisa will head to Louisiana with some of the youth she helps shepherd at their church in Washington. They will be "mucking" houses in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. Basically, they will be emptying the homes of all possessions and stripping everything back to the studs so the homeowners can start to rebuild. It's laboriously heartbreaking work. I'm so honored to have a friend who is willing to step out in faith and serve in a way she never imagined before. I'm a bit envious that I am not in a position to do the same. (I really don't think they let largely pregnant women handle hammers and deal with incessant mold.)

If you are interested in watching their progress, you can check out her blog: http://www.missionneworleans.blogspot.com/

Better yet, pray for them. We believe that not only with the Lord work in the lives of the people of New Orleans that they will be serving, but we trust He will be changing the lives of His servants as well.

We love you, Lis!

I Can't Believe We Forgot This One!

I have to add two things to the list of Padyn's commonly used phrases that I posted a few days ago. These, seriously, are the most common statements out of her mouth.

What's dat noise? (asked about just about everything she hears)
Where's Daddy?
To the second one, my response is always the same-"You know where daddy is."
To this I get one of three possible replies:
"Daddy's at work."
"Daddy's flying airplanes."
"Daddy's in I-r-and." (Ireland)

Hanging with Corinne and Elliot

On Friday, one of my best friends and former roommates from Davis came to visit for the day with her two kids, Corinne and Elliot. Corinne is two months older than Padyn, but so far advanced motor skill wise you'd think she was a year older. While Padyn is still hesitant to walk down the stairs, Corinne came barreling down with the baby doll stroller in her grasp. Then she went back up to get the play suitcase from Padyn who was standing at the top watching in fascination.

Elliot is nothing like his sister. At 9 months old, he is content to hang out and be mellow. He enjoyed simply playing with the same toy most of the day. He doesn't feel the need to move himself about the room in search of new adventures.

Padyn and Corinne love playing together and talk about each other often when apart. Yet, they do tend to quarrel as 2 year olds will. It usually entails one of them having something the other one thinks she wants. It is usually Padyn that ends up breaking down in a tantrum of tears. We spent much of the morning reminding them to use their words and say what it was they wanted. Padyn needed to be removed from situations a few times for just absolutely losing it over what to our eyes is nothing. But then, when you are 2, everything is a drama.


The highlight of the day was going to the park. Each girl did great and we had very little fighting. Occasionally they even played together and really enjoyed each other's company, like on the structure or the at the sand table. But the best was when Corinne decided she needed to strip down and take all her clothes off. This happened so fast that both Julie and I, who were sitting not 3 feet from her, failed to notice until her onesie was just about off her head. Pants, hat, shoes, socks, and sunglasses where already gone. Fortunately she still had on her diaper. When asked why she took off her clothes, Corinne claimed her shirt was dirty. Gotta love it. So, of course, Corinne then proceeded to play in the sand without her clothes on. While Padyn didn't want to join in the nakedness, she did find it very amusing to dump sand on Corinne while she was unclothed.

Most of the rest of the day was tame. The girls spent most of their time driving Padyn's baby doll stroller and suitcase around the coffee table or driving the cars around the "track" they made of the little foam alphabet. Playing various forms of ball was entertaining, as well as watching me make dinner standing up on their little chairs at the counter. Elliot was in love with Padyn's Little People garage and spent most of his time there, although he did manage to pull himself up on the coffee table a few times to check out the track the girls had made.

I have to say, I'm very proud of both girls. While the morning started out with many tears, the day ended with both of them being able to use their words to ask for things they wanted. It was very sweet and encouraging for the mommies to know our breath actually hadn't been wasted.

After dinner and a bath, Corinne and Elliot headed home with their Mommy and Daddy. Padyn is still asking where Corinne is and thinking she will see Baby Elliot everywhere we go.