Random Pics...

Many of you have asked me how J is adjusting to having a new sister... maybe the question should be reversed and the answer is clear by M's expression in this pic - very ho-hum about sudden outbursts and abrupt movements around her, and things being placed on her head, etc.
Sorry we left you out of this pic, M, you were with Grandma while we hiked the trail to Wakeena Falls.

This could have been an awesome picture if my camera's focus was not broken!!!

Cookie Monster...

I wonder how much cookies at a bake sale would go for with the chocolate chips hand-picked and carefully placed one-by-one inside the dough. OK, you know me, I got impatient and we dumped. Good lesson given to me by my daughter, though, on enjoying the process... bla bla bla.

Summer Flashbacks...

As the air around us starts to chill, let's take one last look at our fun summer days of '08:

Oaks Park: J has a fascination... maybe an obsession... for mascot type characters. I had to yank her off the stage after the show started. I have also had to distract her from following Chuck-E-Cheese around so he could make an escape. Santa's lap pics seem promising.

No, J is not on a date nor will she be until age 21ish... Just out for a ride with buds Nat and Ry.

For some parents I'm sure amusement parks are a little stressful, but this summer we frequented this tot-friendly park and took awesome naps following.

Worth it?

J, M and I drove 35 min to the zoo to find the parking lot full on 2-dollar Tuesday, but we couldn't turn around.... we'd come too far, and so we continued to drive an exit further on the freeway to shuttle parking. After finding a spot in row "G" I unloaded then loaded the princesses in our sit-n-stand double stroller (wishing very badly Jay was with us) and hiked an enormous hill to wait in line for the shuttle bus. Since J perked up and said "mommy... BUS!", and the nice grandpa behind me carried the stroller on board I decided to enjoy the journey. 90 min into the trip, many miles and two lines later we were IN the zoo with cousins, aunts & grandma. One more line and we had victoriously viewed this brand new baby (sorry not a very good shot),a magnificent sea lion, a spinning otter,

and a couple of monkeys. Watching J enjoy all of this, her snow cone,
and seeing these reactions,it was SO time for Purell, and to celebrate a day my daughters enjoyed very much! To include M, here she is with her adorable "P'Nut" from great aunt J! She loves him:)

M's Blessing

What a sweet experience it was to hear Jay deliver a blessing to M. We feel so blessed to have our two girls in our lives! Thanks to all who participated... in person and for those whose hearts were there with us.

What a day for a...

... taste of Tillamook cheese and ice cream, and a little fun with sand and water. Ever since this trip J has been carrying around her bucket and shovel and scooping up rocks and barkdust in our yard. I found her making piles of barkdust on our patio one day... she claimed she was making a "tower", but to no avail since barkdust doesn't stack up quite like wet sand.

Sweet Sisters

My nickname for M has been "Morga-Poo", which J has translated into "Baby-Poo"... it cracks me up to hear her call her that. Some of J's care-taking skills include keeping track of the binki, covering M up with blankets, making sure the swing or toy she is in is fully on and operating, keeping track of baby's "burpers" (diapers), and ALWAYS making sure I am aware that "baby hungy!". Milestones for M lately are smiling and mimicking faces and cooing.

One Week Old

Morgan is one week old here... Big sister J loves her. I'm grateful for all the conversations with my fam and friends about the "adjustment" J would go through when M arrived. You were all very right and very helpful... because of our chats our family felt prepared and are trying to include J by letting her be mommy's big helper and letting her hold M.

By the way, Aunt L made this VERY adorable blanket for M!

Welcome, Little One!

We are so happy for Morgan to join our family. The labor and delivery went well and I am feeling better each day. I was thrilled when I got to the hospital and was already dilated to a 7! M is healthy, and she is so sweet. I'm afraid to say she hardly cries for fear the tide might change, but she really is content and a joy to have around. Big sister J is sweet to her and concerned about her well-being. If M fusses, J is quick to say "shhh, baby, shhh... (are you)ok, baby?" J calls M "baby sister".

40 Short Weeks!
Compared to my first pregnancy when I was so engrossed with the process EVERY day, yes, I can say this pregnancy has felt quite short! To celebrate this exciting "Due Date" plus my upcoming 30th birthday, Justin took me to dinner at Outback tonight. On a silly note...anyone familiar with the 'couve mall knows about "Expectant Mother's Parking"... I have never scored one of these spots during my pregnant days, until today! I felt victorious... not that I mind walking a distance to the mall, but it was raining that annoying "drizzle", and I just felt so deserving of that spot being 40 weeks along! When Justin arrived (he met me there from work), he had to burst my bubble by noting he'd seen the sweet parking spot I landed and then announcing he found a better one.
We are anxiously excited for our little girl to be born! We will keep you posted.

I now understand the phrase "you are so cute when you're mad!"

I am so grateful that as a mother I get to enjoy precious moments like this when my daughter had her first tea party... J figured she would feed the cupcake some tea since he had a mouth! Pooh was her first guest at her first tea party... poor J's mom is so pregnant that she tries to avoid getting down on the floor so much, so she "stood" this one out and took pics instead. Notice J's attire of sweatshirt and rainboot... we are excited for some sun this weekend FINALLY!

J's 1st Car

Garage sale season is here, and I love a good bargain. J enjoys her new car that I found at a sale today. She was getting in and out of it and examining the exterior. Baby bear got to ride along with her too. The Grandma who sold it to us lives around the corner and asked if we could keep the car out of view for a little while so her grandson would not see and want it back.

daddy-daughter weekend bonding

It was fun watching J mimick Jay with tools. She wanted to do everything he did this weekend, including snack on chips and salsa over Star Wars.

Here's my sign...

... that it may be time to potty train J. I took this behavior to mean she is interested in going, so today we tried and so far have been unsuccessful. She sat on the potty twice but messed her pull-up in between. I'm not pulling my hair out yet. It's only day one and I'm hoping chocolate chips and stickers will motivate her:)