Sunday, February 28, 2010

Busy

Well, it goes without saying that things have been busy around here! I know I should have taken a bunch more naps and rested a lot more, but with extra help, I have tried to take advantage of my 'free time' to do sewing projects. I know that I am crazy and should not have taken on all these projects, but I've got:
1. Easter dresses that are not finished--and to boot, I cut out several pieces too short, which means re-thinking the design. Grrrrr!
2. Blessing gown to be sewn by the end of March.
3. Some kind of top for me to wear to my brother's wedding, as no one has anything in the right color that will work. Sewing for yourself is HARD. (For me...)
4. A vest and skirt ensemble for my mom for the wedding. Sewing for someone else is even scarier than sewing for yourself.


So, the pictures taken this week have been pretty much strictly for my scrapbooks. Here's 2/25 for Miriam. First real bath! Although her belly button is still bleeding--I'll need to call the doctor about that tomorrow. She did not enjoy herself.



Grandma had the great idea to put the bubble machine in the shower and put the girls in there with shower caps on. They had a GREAT time. Screaming and squealing galore. This picture was perfect. This was the family POTD for 2/25.



They are so sweet while they are sleeping. She's funny with her little hands while she's not in a deep sleep. They move around and curl up and are so cute. This was 2/26 for Mimi.



The hands thing again.



Brad and I left all three kids with Grandma the other night and we went to dinner. It's tricky to find good Mexican food here in the bland Midwest, but this place is pretty good. Not to mention that Mexican was completely out of the question during pregnancy. I haven't eaten a Tums in 2 weeks! --Not even after eating Mexican! This was the POTD for 2/26.



The girls are doing really well with Mimi. And, as per the usual, they can keep her happy the longest. This was the POTD 2/27. A little blurry, but again, we're busy!



Grandma goes home today, so that's sad. She has been such a help with the girls and around the house. We'll be sad to see her go and look forward to seeing her again when we're in Utah in June.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Mac's 2nd 2nd Birthday Party

Because Grandma was here, we wanted to have another candle blowing and singing session. This was the cake--this was the best picture of it, even though there are scissors and bubbles and plugs in the background. It was decorated to match the cute little banner that is still hanging on the kitchen sliding door. Kudos to Stacey Erickson, who made the enormous thing! I wanted it really tall so I could use a lot of ribbons, and it WAS really tall! And very delicious!



Mac loves the attention, and asked all day for 'cake and i-weem'.



The cake was so big, she had to stand up to blow out the candles!

I think having a birthday has helped Mac with the baby transition--a lot of attention is given by default for a birthday. Leiden, on the other hand, struggled a bit with why baby and Mac were getting all these new things. Even though she has gotten almost the same amount of new things, just because we feel bad for her! Tears and whining are a little closer to the surface, these days, but this, too, shall pass.

Preschool Program and Art Show

On 2/22 was Leiden's annual preschool program and art show. They are all so cute up there singing (or not singing...) their prepared songs. Of course, we didn't get good seats at all, so the pictures are from afar--and nighttime light is terrible!
I managed to get a bit closer for these.

Here's the little artist herself!

Doctor Visits

On 2/23/10, I took advantage of Grandma's presence to schedule doctor's appointments for both Mac and Mimi. Which turned out to be very wise on my part. It was a bit of a zoo. They have these cute little shields for the little kids to wear to keep warm, and Mac thought that was pretty cool. They also produced crayons for her to draw with--even cooler. Mac continues to be a big girl, weighing in at 28 lbs (80th percentile) and measuring 37 inches (90th percentile). She even kind of has a big head. (It's the 85th percentile.) But, the doctor says she's WAY ahead linguistically, and one smart little cookie.



This one did NOT enjoy being poked, prodded, and manhandled. This is also Miriam 365, 2/23/10:

Mimi weighs 8lbs, 2oz, which is right around the 50th percentile.

Mimi Pics

Miriam 365, 2/22/10:



Many of the face shots look the same, now, because she doesn't do much, yet!
She likes to nap in her carrier, and she looks so uncomfortable in it, I can't believe it. Evidently she does not agree.
Here's 2/23/10:
She's a sweetie, getting a little more alert every day. Still cries a lot, but for now I've got lots of help in Brad and his mom. I so appreciate their help! Especially when the older two are acting up! (Read: all the time!)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Life

Here's a smorgasbord. If you think taking one picture a day to document your family's life is beyond your abilities or willingness, try having to take one of a baby in addition! I imagine a lot of days will be just everyday pictures of Mimi, which is just fine. I'm no professional, anyway. This one, though, is great. This is Miriam 365, 2/19/10.



Another from the same day. Stretchy-stretch.



I came into the kitchen the other day and found Leiden reading in the sun.



Mac loves her bubble machine. Too bad she, in her haste to "do bubbles", she grabbed the bottle of bubble solution that goes with it and dumped it on the kitchen floor. How sad.

Leiden is a favorite with Mimi. She loves to get in her face, (and mine, particularly while I'm nursing...) talk to her, and touch her head. Mimi is getting her head up pretty well off the floor, too!

Miriam 365, 2/21/10:
Grandma came in for reinforcements on Sunday night! And she came bearing gifts! Thanks so much to Aunt Emily, Great-Aunt Mary, Great-Grandma Syphus, and of course, Grandma!


Coloring is a little weird on this one, but she was looking at the camera.
More to come tomorrow!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Mac is 2!

Yesterday was Mac's 2nd birthday! I was so worried that Mimi would come on the same day, so I was so relieved when she came before! I wanted to be able to be there when Mac turned 2, so the day would seem like it was just for her. Brad being home helped, of course. He started out the day with his signature 'Special Waffles'. This particular variety had chocolate chips in it, and was garnished with berries, real whipped cream, and sprinkles!

The banner I finished for the Birthday Girl...horribly backlit.
I did cupcakes instead of an actual cake, so we put one candle in each of two cupcakes for Mac.
Mac was pretty excited about the 'fire'.
She even did a great job blowing out the candles, when directed where to blow. I don't think she made a wish.
She has always, from the very first graham cracker, eaten things either from the top down or sideways, whichever makes the least sense for the food. The cupcake would have gone down marvelously eaten from the side, so of course, she ate it from the frosting down.
Mmmmmm...
Cutie!
And what a mess it makes when you go frosting first!
Presents! Leiden had a bit of a hard time understanding that Mac is entitled to some new things.
She got a bubble machine and a toy vacuum. Who could ask for more?
I love Mac so much. She is such a troublemaker, yet she can melt your heart at a glance. We are so blessed to have her in our home! Happy Birthday, Mac!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

More Miriam

Here was the picture of the day for yesterday, Day 4. She's got a little stork bite in the middle of her forehead.



I LOVE this. I think most babies do it, and I LOVE it. She always does it after we lift her out of her carrier. We call it the 'S-Curve'.



Here are some others. Love their little pursed mouths while they sleep.

And this is Day #5:
Mac's birthday is today, so I'll get some pictures up of the festivities tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Miriam 365

Here are a couple more of Mimi. Her having hair has its drawbacks--it gets kind of greasy and plastered to her head, so we gave her a little sponge bath. She did not like it.



So, I'm really pleased with how my project 365 is going, so I decided I would do Miriam's baby book the same way--a picture a day for a year, with additional pages as needed for special events or photo shoots where I can't bear to pick just one. So, with that in mind, here's Day #3 of Miriam 365.



As an aside, Mac's 2nd birthday is tomorrow! Yesterday Brad had her right by him, and he said, "Mac, your birthday is in two days!" She looked at him very seriously and said only this: "Cake."