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.