Dancin' Queen

Amelia got a nice gift from my friend Martha (can you believe I have THREE friends my age named Martha?). But Mira has taken it over. It's a stuffed toy that resembles a hippopotamus and a snake of sorts. We didn't quite know what it was, but when Mira saw it for the first time, she said, "It's a Snarlyhissopus!" We often get a book from the library called "Snarlyhissopus" and she is right: It does resemble one! So Mira dressed it up and decided to dance with it.

And here are a couple of Amelia right before I took her on a walk this morning. She's nearly 8 weeks old and really growing! She's just a joy to have around. The entire family is adjusting nicely to our newest addition.

Michelle

Growing and growing

It was so much fun to see so many of you at the "Come Meet Amelia" Party at Grandma Lindell's on Wednesday. I think about 25 people showed up and we all felt like it was Christmas. It led us all to wondering what kind of jobs we all had where we could take off on a Wednesday afternoon for several hours!

Here are recent photos of the girls. Amelia is really growing and becoming more predictable now. She's nearly 7 weeks old already! I'm enjoying the age, and the fact that she is starting to like her swing and her little jungle gyms. Takes the pressure of having to entertain or hold her all the time.

Mira is enjoying the summer so much. She spends many hours in her pool or at her sandbox on the deck. They are great things to have to keep her occupied when it's too hot to take Amelia on a walk or to the park. Check out her cool swimming goggles that Grandma Martha bought her!

I go back to work in 4 1/2 weeks. It's been a nice leave, but I miss my job, so I'm sure I'll be ready to return to the office when the time comes.

Michelle

Fun with Grandma!

Here is a photo of the fun we are having with Mom staying with us for a few days. She's been so great helping out with Mira and Amelia. I've gotten a nap in and ran to Target and a dr. appointment. It's been wonderful having an extra set of hands! Thanks, Mom! We just might have to keep you!

Here's a photo of Amelia at 6 weeks. She's just starting to squeak out a smile or two!

Love,
Michelle

Amelia's baptism

Amelia's baptism was today. What a special day for all of us. Both of our families came up for the big event. Jeff and Sara, and Justin and Mandy were sponsors. Below are a few photos of the event. Grandma Lindell gave Amelia that special ring that she gives to all her great-grandchildren, and the cross necklace is from Jeff and Sara. Amelia also got so many special engraved keepsakes that she will treasure for her lifetime. Thanks to everyone who gave a gift and to those who stood up for Amelia. We love you all so much!

Good-bye, Old Friend

Some sad news: We decided to have Quincy put to sleep today. About a month ago, we noticed that his back leg wasn't working properly. After a visit to the vet and an Xray, we found out that a vertebrae was twisted and pinching a nerve in his leg, so he couldn't feel his leg anymore. Surgery might have helped, but there were no guarantees. Medicine didn't work. His leg was getting progressively worse, to the point where he couldn't go up or down the stairs without lots of effort anymore. He couldn't go on any walks because his foot dragged and started bleeding. He basically laid on his pillow in the kitchen all day and didn't do much else. His quality of life was so low. So Chris and I made the painful decision to have him put to sleep. Chris went with Quincy and stayed with him through the procedure. It was very hard to watch. But we think Quincy is now running through the grass with Paris, Jeff and Sara's dog.

We told Mira that Quincy went to live somewhere where his leg could be fixed. We think that's enough information for her at this age.

Good-bye, Quincy. You've been a wonderful pet for nearly 9 years. We'll miss you.

Michelle

More fun in the sun!

Mira's swimming pool sprung a leak last week so we got her a new one, complete with high walls and a padded floor. Yesterday was the first warm day since we put it up that she could use it. She had a blast!

And here is our newest photo of Amelia. So cute! She's five weeks old now and really growing fast. Last night she slept for a 5-hour stretch, so we are excited to see her nighttime sleeping patterns getting longer. Getting up once a night is so preferrable to 2 or 3 times! I feel like I can finally clean my house in the afternoons instead of having to take a nap every day. We are looking forward to getting our first smile from Amelia any week now!

Sunday is Amelia's baptism. We are looking forward to having family over for the big event.

Michelle

Creative outlets

I've been busy keeping Mira busy this summer. It's hard juggling a 3 year old and a 4 week old, so we've been doing crafts each day to keep us occupied.

Mira loves to paint and play dress-up. Last night she put on every piece of dress up clothing that she owns. Below is a photo of that lovely ensemble!

And Mira has recently discovered the joy of a "real" puzzle, not those wooden ones. She and I do a 50-piece Strawberry Shortcake puzzle these days. She's really catching on to how to put a puzzle together, with doing the outside first, then separating the pieces into "themes." Below are a couple photos of Mira completing one. The joy!

Michelle

Tushie at the park

It's been a good summer so far. Mira, Amelia, and I are keeping busy with daily trips to Target (a newborn mother's dream place!), Starbucks, the library, and play dates. We also take a daily walk with a neighbor of mine, so we are getting out and about. Here are just a couple of photos of the girls since I haven't posted in a few days. Hope you are all enjoying your summer. I have 7 weeks left of maternity leave left!

I took Mira to the park today. She was wearing a dress. She loves to change her clothes about 5 times a day, alternating between dresses and swimsuits. So she came down from her nap today with a dress on. We went on a walk, then to the park. It was when I put her in the swing and was pushing her when I saw her bare tushie hanging out the back of the swing! She'd neglected to put on any underwear, so her little butt was blowing in the breeze! Cute moment, but we went home before she could go down any slides!

Oh, and we saw a rabbit on our sidewalk the other night. Mira loved seeing that. I have a feeling it's the creature that ate some of my tiger lily buds before they could bloom.

Michelle

Amelia's 2nd bath / Fun in the pool!

Today, we tried Amelia's 2nd bath. She took to it quite a bit better than her first bath! I dare say she actually enjoyed it.

Mira enjoyed the morning in her swimming pool today. It's a nice way to tire her out for her afternoon nap.

Love,
Michelle

Happy birthday, Mira! / Amelia's first bath

Today is Mira's 3rd birthday! Happy birthday to my little baby girl, who isn't a little baby anymore. I can't believe I have a three-year-old child! She's a joy and a wonderful little girl. Chris and I are really blessed. Mira got a new blonde princess wig and some other things for her dress-up trunk. She loves dressing up in her costumes and twirling for us. We love her imagination!




After much waiting, Amelia's belly button cord finally fell off this week, so we gave her a bath this morning. She wasn't thrilled. (Neither was Mira on her first bath, either!) But after she was dry and in some clothes, she was a happy camper.





Hope you are all well. Things are going well here. Learning each day about our family dynamic. It's fun knowing that we have two girls and our family is complete. Now we can look forward to adventures with them both.

Michelle

Mira's birthday party

Hello! Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but our camera battery keeps draining and we are waiting for a new one to arrive, so no photos this week. But I did borrow Mom and Dad's camera at Mira's birthday party, so I have a few to post from her party on Saturday. (There is something wrong with that camera, though, and it takes blurry photos. I'll have to figure that out!) So pardon the blurry photos.

We had Mira's party on Saturday, but her actual birthday is this Saturday on the 26th. We will have a 3 year old on our hands! I can't believe it. She seems so much older than that. I think she's really 2 going on 5. Have you seen that commercial for the cell phone service with the mom and the little girl who is texting too much and she says, "I D K, my BFF Jill?" That is Mira in about 5 years! A little sassy already.

Mira's party was fun. All the siblings and grandparents came. Well, except for Kelly who has yet to make an appearance at Mira's birthday parties! We'll have to remedy that next year! We miss you! So we did the traditional cake and lunch, presents and party favors. The kids all brought their swimsuits and played in the pool on the deck all afternoon. It was nice and 82 degrees that day . . . then drops to low 60s the next day, so we were grateful the party was on the warm day!

Here are some photos of the party. I'll be sure to post more when our camera is working. Amelia is doing really well and sleeps and eats like a champ! She sleeps for nice 3-4 hour stretches at night, so Chris and I are feeling pretty rested. Her alertness is increasing and she's generally a calm baby. We feel very blessed with our two little girls!

Love, Michelle




Here's a photo of Jeff and Nicholas. I couldn't believe how big he had gotten in the last two months since I've seen him. And Nicholas grew quite a bit too! :-)

Twins?

I have a photo of Mira when she was just born. We noticed right away that Amelia looks exactly like Mira did at that age! It really makes me wonder how close they will look as Amelia grows!



And below are some nice photos from the weekend. Chris and I are so enjoying this time. Amelia even slept most of last night and only made me get out of bed for 1/2 hour between 11:00 and 6:00. Needless to say, I'm well rested today, which is great since it's my first day alone with Amelia. Mira is in daycare so I think it should be an easy day. Maybe I'll even slip a nap in!

Hope you are all well and had a great Mother's Day!
Love,
Michelle