Puddle Jumpers

We just had to get out of the house today and with the Girl feeling better, nothing was going to stop us from doing exactly that - not even a little bit {a lot} of rain. We dressed appropriately, and armed with umbrellas and oodles of snacks, we headed to the zoo. The Girl lead the way with Lil Sis sandwiched in between and Baby Miss with the best seat in the house - strapped into the Baby Bjorn {which J was wearing} and snuggled nicely under J's zipped up hoodie. If you look closely you may be able to make her out. There were quite a few

species that didn't seem to mind the wet weather either, among them these flamingos.

We unanimously agreed that the meerkats were our favorite sight of the day.

They won my vote right off the bat by posing so perfectly for a picture. They were naturals!

We shed some layers and dried out a bit over lunch and hot cocoa.

There was a whole lotta this going on and it was debatable which the Girls found more fun - seeing the animals or puddle jumping.

Always tops my list as one of the most impressive animals.

The Girl was actually asking me to take her picture with various sculptures throughout the zoo and I of course enthusiastically obliged

her requests! By the time we left the Girls had long since given up the umbrellas, deciding that it was much more fun to get wet and as a result were completely soaked. But we had so much fun and it was wonderful to be out in the fresh air - invigorating after having been couped up in the house all week with the crummies.

Epidemic

Thankfully this tiny one was spared, the Girl and I were not. Wednesday night I wasn't feeling too well and by 8:00 I was throwing-up. After the first incident I hurried up and got all the Girls to bed, Baby Miss included. Fortunately the worst of it was over for me by 1:00am and blessedly all my Girls slept the entire time. The Girl's turn came on Thursday and unfortunately for her, she has not been feeling well since. J is home now and I just hope that he doesn't get it now too! {The hat Baby Miss is wearing - I made it! Not too shabby for a first attempt.}

Ugh!

Yesterday's post was certainly not indicative of what was to come later that night. I had just gotten Little Sister into bed 20 minutes before and was reading with the Girl in her bed when Little Sister started to cry. Very uncharacteristic for her and so I went to investigate and boy was I not prepared for what I was about to see. Vomit. Everywhere. Masking her face, clumped in her hair, on her chest and shoulders and covering every baby in her bed (all three of them), her Pillow Pet and her Sing-a-ma-jig. Ugh! Half an hour later, after a bath, evacuation of toys from the crib (sadly the Sing-a-ma-jig was trashed) and clean bedding I put Lil Sis back down and finished up reading with the Girl. No sooner had I finished then there was more crying and more vomit. Repeat above steps. This time the couch cushions were removed and it was draped with a sheet, 'Happy Feet' was slipped into the DVR and a miserable 2-year old was transferred downstairs. Of course the Girl made a case for the unfairness of not being able to watch a movie and despite having school in the morning I was not up for an argument so I allowed her to occupy the other couch and stay up way past bedtime. This

morning Lil Sister was still not feeling great and so the double stroller was in order for our trek down the street to the bus stop. It was

Baby Miss's first spin in it and she seemed to enjoy it. They looked so cozy that I just wanted to squeeze right in between them. Later in the

day, this is what I saw get off the bus and run across the lawn toward me. It was one of those sights that required a double take. She looked like a crazy, mismatched native of some rainbow feather tribe. These masks were their craft project, so freshly made that the glue hadn't even dried yet. There was a lot of this going on for poor, sweet

Little Sister. She occupied the couch nearly the entire day and you know your child is feeling crummy when they fall asleep during 'The

Little Mermaid.'
Luckily, this little one seems to be feeling just fine!

Flying Solo {Until Friday}

J left this morning. He had an early flight to catch. He's off to California for the work week to take a course that is work-related. So it's just us Girls. I'd have to say that so far we are off to a good start as this morning we made it to church way earlier than we ever do when J is here. Not to say that we are late because of him, quite the opposite. I guess this morning I just knew I'd have to have my act together as

I wouldn't have any help. Now we are just hanging out and enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. The only thing on our to-do list is to call Poppie and wish him a very Happy Birthday. He is doing terrific at home. Already done with his outpatient physical therapy and easing back into his normal everyday routine.

The View From the Top

Baby Miss took an inaugaral spin in the Baby Bjorn today. At her check-up our pediatrician noticed that she's got a little bit of a flat head in the back and said that it could easily be remedied with more tummy-time. As Baby Miss is not a fan of tummy-time, that's not really a viable option unless we want to endure the sound of screaming and so we dug out the Baby Bjorn as an alternative. She seemed to like it and I'll never tire of this view. {Love how she's grasping the drawstring to my hoodie!}

Stats

Baby Miss had her two month well-child check-up this afternoon. Here are her stats:

Weight: 10 pounds 3 ounces (25th percentile)

Length: 23 1/2 inches (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 14 3/4 inches (15th percentile)

She has gained 4 pounds and grown 4 inches since birth. And although at 6 pounds 3 ounces she was the smallest of my Girls at birth, she is definitely outpacing her Big Sisters in growth rate.

For comparison here are Lil Sister's two month stats:

Weight: 8 pounds 9 ounces (4th percentile)

Length: 22 3/8 inches (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 15 1/4 inches (45th percentile)

(Unfortunately I do not have the Girl's two month stats for comparison. At the time she was two months old we were living in another state preparing to move back and I fear the papers got lost in the chaos.)

2 Months

Wow! This is all happening much too quickly. My littlest little is already 2 months old! Remember when you were a kid and distant relatives (the kind that pinch your cheeks) would ask you how old you were then make a fuss about how surely you couldn't already be that old followed by a comment along the lines of, "My, where has the time gone?!" I never really understood what they were talking about and thought for sure that they were either delusional, had a poor sense of time or were just making small talk. Now I get it. Now I know. Once you have your first child time exists in a vacuum, where it is seemingly sucked up at alarming rates. If that weren't bad enough, it seems to go by quicker with each subsequent child. So here we are and Baby Miss has left the newborn phase of her life behind. At two months old she continues to be a champion sleeper (no sleep-deprived parents in this household) logging in at least six straight hours every night, usually more, before waking to be fed. When she is awake she is as content as can be (unless she is hungry) and loves to lie on her activity mat and stare up at all of the brightly colored toys hanging from the bars above and sometimes will even stretch out her arms and reach for the one dangling nearest her face. She is strong and holding her head up as well as putting weight on her legs. She is starting to find her voice and the sweet sound of it brings a smile to my lips. Speaking of smiles, this girl is full of them and we love it. There is nothing about her that doesn't bring us complete joy. We love her so as do her sisters.

Tiny Dancer

This is the face of one very excited, tiny, little dancer. She's used to watching from the wings while Big Sissy learns ballet and every week I must stock my arsenal full of snacks (Goldfish crackers and Raisinets) to insure that she stays put on the sidelines. So imagine her delight when I told her that she was going to get her chance! The anticipation had been building for days. We arrived a few minutes early for class and there was another class just finishing up. Little Sister could barely contain her excitement and it took a lot of distraction and fast talking to keep her from running out and interrupting the other class. Then she had to wait another agonizing 15 minutes while the

instructor patiently answered the barrage of usual questions that come up at the start of a new session from the horde of parents clustered around her. Luckily, during that time Lil Sister was able to run and dance to her heart's content. Seeing as how this was her first official, organized "activity" it was a family affair. And the Girl played the part of knowledgeable older sister as her ballet class takes place in this same room and with the same instructor. Mrs. S was even gracious enough to invite the Girl to help her 'demonstrate' some moves to the littles. Did I mention this is 'Mommy and Me Creative Dance'? Oh yes, parent participation is required. Unfortunately this Mommy has two left

feet, no rhythm and even less coordination (if that is possible). But every single minute was worth it as the huge dimpled grin on Little Sister's face emanated pure joy, simple and sweet. She had the time of her little life and kept checking to make sure that Daddy was watching, sometimes even racing to where he was sitting to get a kiss or give knuckles.

Cheese!

What more is there to say? This is one happy lil gal. I imagine there'll be plenty more posts like this one...short on words, big on smiles.

Got talent?

Lil Sister's got a new trick. It just so happens...

to run in the family...

and they learned from the best!

Home Sweet Home!

I am very happy to report that after a 2-week stint in the hospital here, another 2 1/2 weeks in a skilled nursing facility in my parents' hometown followed by a week and a half back in the rehab program at the hospital here, my Dad is finally home! J picked him and my Mom up at the hospital this morning and whisked them home!

Last night the Girls and I went to visit Poppie in the hospital one last time. Funny how such a place can become so familiar.

I want to extend my most sincere thanks to all of you who have had my Dad and our family in your thoughts and prayers for the past 6 weeks. There are no words to accurately express the depth of my gratitude. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful and caring friends.

Main Attraction

Fridays are 'Show and Tell' days at the Girl's school. The kids are encouraged to bring items for show and tell that correspond with the letter sounds they are learning that week in class. This week they've been learning that the letter 'B' makes the 'buh' sound. So the Girl asked to bring her "Baby" Miss for show and tell. The class was just finishing up an art project when we arrived and Lil Sis wasted no time in getting down to the business of playing with her "Sissy" and the other kids who had already finished up their art projects.

Here is Romeo. I love this kid - he always asks me to take his picture! Today it was with his "Bionicle" that he brought to share.

All the kids circled up on the rug and ready to share.

From the moment we stepped inside the classroom door, Baby Miss was the main attraction and she stole the Show (and Tell).

Overdue

This afternoon the Girl and I spent some time in the kitchen doing something we haven't done for a while - bake!!! It has been far too long since we've had cookies from scratch, that we've baked ourselves, together! It was a recipe meant for Christmas cookies as they were chocolate peppermint but what better way to use the leftover candycanes that were hanging on our tree (which just so happens

to still be up). And Poppie will welcome some home-baked contraband. Of course I had to throw in a picture of this cutie. She is just so darn happy almost all the time.

A stroll down memory lane.

Shall we? Take a stroll down memory lane, that is. Remember this? With a look like that on her face you should!! Ha, ha! Anyhow the Girl was taking Little Sister for a stroll on January 7th back in 2009...

fast forward nearly two years to the day (and no it wasn't intentional) and we find ourselves in the same scenario but the rider has changed.

Back then Lil Sister was 14 weeks and 3 days. Now, Baby Miss is 7 weeks and 3 days. Funny, they're pretty much the same size

despite the 7 week age difference. And my-oh-my how grown-up does Little Sister look these days?! Her face is changing, thinning out and leaving behind the baby chub and any traces of toddlerhood. {Sigh} Good thing there is a baby in the house or I might be really sad about this seemingly sudden change of events.

Lovin' all three of my Girls together.

After a couple of spins around the playroom, a few with each older sister at the helm, Baby Miss was no longer a willing participant. But it sure was fun while it lasted.