At Home

We welcomed Caroline home on Friday and the adjustment has begun. Friday night was rough! I was up crying. The baby was up crying. And I think there were times when Mommy and Daddy were crying! We made some adaptations on Saturday (got me to sleep with my door closed and bought a new white noise machine with beach sounds so that I feel like I am back at JJ and SuSu's house) and had a much better night.

I am enjoying being a big sister and constantly want to know where my baby is and I love to give her hugs and kisses and help out. She brought me a present home from the hospital- my own baby doll, so I have her to take care of, too.

We got one of those funny storks for our yard (I call it a duck) and I am very excited about it! Someone in our neighborhood had two in their yard several weeks ago with the arrival of twins and I really wanted two of them for our yard, but I was still excited about one pink one.

Aunt Jen and Uncle Buddy came to meet Caroline on Saturday and Mom and Dad and Poppy and Grandma were we happy to have some new alert people in the house, so that some napping could take place. They are expecting my cousin in late October.

Things have gotten better with each night. Last night Caroline had a five hour stretch. Mommy couldn't believe it when she woke up and looked at the clock. It turns out Poppy paid Caroline a special visit at 1:30 to settle her down and that was enough to get her from 10 until 3 AM! We're hoping we can repeat that performance tonight. Caroline went to the pediatrician today and she is doing a good job gaining back to her birth weight. She is 50-75th percentile in everything (weight, height, head circumference). She is more alert now and Mom sees a lot of the expressions and mannerisms that I had as a baby.

Poppy and Grandma are planning to go home on Wednesday. I will miss having them here and Mom and Dad will miss the help. Hopefully we'll be able to get settled into something of a routine soon.

Introducing Caroline Elizabeth

My baby sister is finally here! She arrived early on Wednesday morning-- at 5:16 a.m. to be exact. Her name is Caroline Elizabeth and she weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces (a full pound less than me!) and measured 20.5 inches.

Mommy and Daddy left for the hospital on Tuesday evening for Mommy to be induced. They thought things might take a while, but Caroline was ready to arrive-- quite punctual at just 6 hours past her due date. Grandma was here with me and I was so excited to wake up and find out that I was a big sister. Here is our last family photo as a "party of three."

After receiving the news, Poppy arrived on Wednesday and that afternoon Poppy and Grandma went to the hospital to meet Caroline. Then Daddy got me from school early so that I could finally see her. I was shy and very excited all at once. I did a great job being gentle and loved touching her face and hands and giving her kisses. I was quite worried about her hat falling off and very protective of her. I also wanted to know where Mommy's big belly went!

Caroline seems to be a good baby, but Mom and Dad are quickly realizing the days of their "man advantage" are over. We'll post some coming home photos soon, but we wanted to get these up today. Thanks for checking in on us! I have to go be a big sister now!

Not yet

We've spent the weekend keeping busy while waiting for Little Miss Purple to decide to arrive. Nothing yet. We should have a plan after Mom goes to the doctor tomorrow morning.

Grandma is here helping us get ready and I have ben busy testing out all the baby equipment. All of a sudden I like walks in the stroller again and have been getting some good exercise in the baby play gym! I also like playing with my doll in the "baby room" which is actually the dining room, but the current headquarters for all baby merchandise.

Hopefully, we will email tomorrow with an update!

No News . . .

. . . is boring. For those who are just checking in, Mom went to the doctor yesterday and there has been no change since last week, so we don't know when the baby will arrive. Grandma is here on standby and our house is really getting clean while she's waiting! Mom goes back to the doctor on Monday and they will decide if and when to induce then.

The good news is that Mom and Dad will get to keep their anniversary dinner date scheduled for tonight. (They were married eight years ago on Tuesday!)

Still Waiting . . .

No baby news here yet. Grandma comes Tuesday to be on stand-by so hopefully nothing happens before then. It was 90+ degrees here, so we had a quiet weekend, with the highlight being a trip to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. As usual, I enjoyed every bite!

We had my second-to-last swimming lesson on Saturday. I am doing great and can almost back float by myself.

I am also doing better at staying in my bed. The last two nights I have gone right to sleep, after several late nights of fighting it. We'll have to see what happens once the baby comes . . . We'll keep posting updates so that you know when I am officially a big sister.

Ultrasound

Well, Mom had her ultrasound today and we got a few new pictures of my baby sister. The first photo is of part of her face. She is laying on her side in this photo and you can see her nose and lips near the right side of the frame. She was pretty crunched in there, so Mom and Dad found it hard to tell what was what! The other photo is of her foot (near the top of the screen).

The technician told Mom and Dad that the baby weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. (plus or minus 14 oz.). So with a margin of error of almost a pound, the ultrasound didn't tell us much. Mom sees the doctor again on Thursday, so hopefully we know more then about when she will arrive! The one thing that we were able to confirm is that it is her bum that is jabbing Mommy in the side by her ribs. Stay tuned for more news . . .

Countdown

It is baby countdown time at our house! After this weekend we are close(r?) to being ready. But let me tell you, it is not easy carrying this baby around!

So the nursery is all painted and the baby clothes are washed. Boy, does this kid have a cute wardrobe! I keep discovering old favorites and I want to take them back to my room. I was shocked when a pair of sandals I wore when I was six months old did not fit anymore.

Mom & Dad took me to pick out a present for my Baby Sister. I picked an outfit (pink onsie- pictured) for her to wear home from the hospital. I also wanted to throw everything else I saw into the cart for her. Mom and Dad had to restrain me before I pulled everything off the racks at Babies 'R Us!

I helped adjust the crib so it is back to its highest level. You can see I am very good with the tools. "Me do it, Daddy!" I kept yelling.

Aside from the baby preparations, we had time for some fun this weekend, too. We had swimming lessons Saturday morning. In the afternoon, I got my hair cut at Daddy's place (Mom did not know he was taking me there), and thankfully it turned out cute. On Sunday we went to this local petting zoo . They had an interesting combination of animals, mostly all contained in one big area. We saw an elk, zebra, camels, ostriches, chickens, cows, deer and more. I was nervous about some of the bigger animals and didn't want to give them any food from my food cup, but Daddy helped me. You can see I was really happy about the zebra!

Once we saw some animals my own size (baby goat and kangaroo) I was more comfortable, but I still was concerned about my food supply and didn't want to give any of the animals "too much."

In other news I will be moving up to the next class at school in late September. I will be one of the youngest in the preschool program, but my teacher thinks I am almost ready. I will get learn Spanish! I am still adjusting to life in the big girl bed. It has been hard this week and I have decided that I am afraid of the dark (selectively) and insist on having multiple lights on. Last night I did better and was asleep around 9 p.m. This was good since the night before it was 11:15 by the time I stopped goofing around and fretting about things like "there's a mark on my step stool!")

Swimming

Hi! Here I am at my swimming lessons. Don't I look like I am having fun? I say that my favorite part is the toys, but I also love to blow bubbles, jump in and do back float.

I have been in my new room for over a week now, and now that the novelty has worn off, I am not quite so happy about it all. I get up a lot and get into whatever I can find in my room. A few times I have gotten up, put my Crocs on and gone back to bed. On Saturday during my nap all was quiet and then I yelled down to Mom. When she came up, I had applied Neosporin all over myself. My face was glistening and I proudly declared "I do medicine, Mama." I also have emptied my kleenex box, moved every book on my book shelf into my bed, danced on my picture frames and rearranged my shoes. My room might have to remain a little spartan for awhile . . .

Poppy and Grandma Boppy were here on Sunday and Monday. They got the nursery (my old room) painted yellow for Baby Purple. Mom feels much better now that that is done. Purple's room is going to be a little like my old nursery, but with more pink accents. We will spend this weekend getting some things ready for her. I am mostly excited about my new baby sister, but I am sure it will be a big adjustment. Mom has 3 weeks until her due date, so we'll keep you posted!

Big Girl Room

Here I am in my big girl room! Daddy finished painting it on Thursday and Mommy got it all set up on Friday. When I came home from school it was all ready for me. The first thing I did was test out the bed.

Following the tour, we had my Big Girl Room Party. Mom had been asking me what I wanted to eat for my party and all I ever answered was cupcakes. For the dinner portion of the meal I kept saying no to all of my usual favorites, like pizza. Finally Mom found out why. She asked me why I didn't want pizza and I answered "Pizza too messy for my new room!" Once I understood that we would be eating at the kitchen table I signed on for the pizza. We even had some veggies and dip before the pizza so I could have "Cocktail hour!"
That night I was excited to get into my bed and Daddy got he railing installed. We also put a gate on my room "to keep Lily out" (or so they tell me). I didn't go right to sleep and made up some excuses for people to come back and see me, but I stayed put in bed and slept all night. Mom & Dad were thrilled!

As my reward for staying in bed I got to launch some of my balloons (leftover from the Big Girl Room party, of course) and I thought this was terrific fun! All of the balloons are gone now except one that had lost its oomph and only "launched" as far as the patio.

Next weekend we will be working on my baby sister's room. Poppy and Boppy are coming on Sunday and Monday to help paint and get it ready.

July 4th (and Canada Day)

Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July, everyone! I had a great long weekend up in Michigan. The weather changed a lot, but it wasn't too hot and it is fun at the beach no matter what. We drove up to Lake Michigan on Friday night and as usual, I fell asleep 45 minutes before we arrived.

On Saturday morning we went to a farmers' market with JJ and SuSu (Daddy's aunt and uncle) and I ate bluebirdies, strawbirdies and the biggest brick of rice crispy treats that you've ever seen (which I happily ate until I dropped it in the grass and Mommy/"the Fun Police" took it away)! That afternoon I got in a little time on the beach, and then Jamma arrived from Canada and we played in the sand and had a terrific time. She brought me some Crocs, which I love. In fact, I love them so much that I insisted on taking them into my crib. When Mom and Dad came to check on me later, they found me wearing the Crocs-- and I wore them all night!

On Sunday morning we went to a fabulous park that kept me very busy. And at lunchtime Poppy and Grandma Boppy arrived for the day. We had a lot of fun at the beach, but only the Nova Scotians thought the water was warm enough for much swimming. Poppy tried to build sandcastles and I wrecked them as fast as I could. He kept trying to convince me to let him bury me, but I didn't fall for it!

My new favorite time of the day is "Cocktail Hour!" and it provided good incentive to get me into the tub after the beach, so I would be ready to have cocktails-- well really it is the snacks and dip that I like, but a refreshing lemonade at the end of the day is pretty nice, too. Mom and Dad just hope I don't yell "Cocktail hour!" at school on Wednesday!

On Monday my second cousins, Kate and Ian, came and I had so much fun playing with them. I liked following Kate around and doing what she was doing.

Tuesday morning we left to start our long drive home and part of it included a stop at Glenn and Ellen's (Mom's unlce and aunt) for a cookout in another part of Michigan. It was fun to see them and I got to see Poppy and Boppy again. I liked their two very big dogs, but on the way home I told Mom: "I don't ride them. Too tall." (Sorry we didn't take any pictures there! What were we thinking?)

I was a great traveler and loved Mom's surprise bag--especially my new notepad which kept me busy until I fell asleep coloring. When we were almost home, I told Mom that I wanted to go to "my new house" (which means Johnny and Suzie's house on the beach), but once we were at our other "new house" I was glad to be there. After nine hours on the go, we made it home in time for a bath and my usual bedtime routine. This was especially important since I am scheduled to move to my big girl bed on Friday. I am sure I will tell you about that soon!

P.S. In other good news, Mom did not have Baby Purple while we were traveling. Her due date is 5 weeks away and I am getting excited!

2.5

I turned 2.5 last week and as you can see my sense of style is really coming along! I got another new pair of sunglasses- they don't last long around me-- and like the others these can be worn right side up or "uppaside down."

We had a good weekend. Mom's friend Gretchen was visiting from Alaska (a former co-worker at the Red Cross) so she and her friends had lots of plans. We had dinner at our house on Saturday evening and I helped get things cleaned up. I even washed my kitchen so it was ready for company.

We got a new minivan this week and I love it- especially the magic door! We're busy getting ready for baby (6 weeks to go)-- and her name is "Purple" now, if you ask me.
We went over to a friend's house last night for a quick play date after dinner and a tramautic thing happened to me. I got six splinters in my hand. Let me tell you, it takes a lot of Clifford the Big Red Dog bandaids and ice to make that feel better.

Daddy's Day

First, let me give a shout out to all the fathers out there, especially my own! For Daddy's day we took him out to dinner Saturday night (left) to the restaurant of his choosing and thanks to the newly discovered wonder of chocolate milk, I was very well behaved. Sunday morning, Mom and I made Daddy breakfast (bluebirdie pancakes) and served him on the patio.

Now backing up a little, overall we had a pretty good week, with the exception of a glitch with selling our old house, but that may be resolved this week and hopefully the deal will go through. Aside from that, Dad went to South Bend Thursday through Saturday for his hockey reunion. Mom and I kept busy while he was gone.

I have a new favorite hobby in sidewalk chalk. It is also Mommy's favorite activity since she can sit in a chair on the patio and have both me and Lily happy and busy. It isn't neat, but it is fun! I got a new table for outside, complete with umbrella, which is very cool and we got it just in time since it was hot again this weekend. We played some soccer with Dad and you can see Lily and I were dragging from the heat!

I also started swimming lessons on Saturday morning. It was fun and I am getting really good. I blow bubbles and kick and love to jump in. The only thing I didn't like was the rescue dummy that I could see laying in the corner behind the big water slide. It was a life-sized man and I kept asking Mommy about him "Man sleeping?" And I didn't quite get her explanations that he was like a big doll.

Some other stories from this week . . . I have a new expression. If I make a not-so-polite noise, I now exclaim: "I Beeped!" (this is new from exclaiming "Katie's bum loud") Mom and Dad think it's hilarious, but don't know where it came from. I remain interested in trying to ride Lily like a horse. Lily is not so interested in this game, but is nice about it and just tries to get up and leave . . . I also told Mommy that I had a little black shirt and she had a white shirt-- a big white shirt, but it was big because of my baby sister . . . If you ask me what time it is I will tell you two minutes. It is the only time-related answer I know since Daddy will send me in from grilling territory to tell Mommy "Two minutes."