She likes her!

She likes her! She really likes her! I think as a parent I was not really prepared for the guilt that came with having a second child. Will Roxie be jealous? Will she be mad at me? Will she like this new member of our family? Will I be able to give them each all that they need...that sounds so overwhelming! So it settles my mind and heart to hear Roxie running around the house jumping, or running or doing whatever trick happens to be new, while yelling "Watch 'Telle...'Telle, are you watching??". I guess she likes her. At least in a "Hey I want to show you my new trick" kind of way.

Real Earrings

Last night I wore real earrings. The kind that dangle down and make you feel fancy. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me, it is huge! I went to a Christmas Party for my moms group and although I brought along Miss Estelle (who I bundled up and put in a spare room to sleep....I am not quite ready to leave her in the evenings yet) I felt fantastic. It was perhaps the first time in the 4 months since she was born that I felt fancy. You might think it is the 21 pound (to date) weight loss (that is 15 pounds lower than my prepregnancy weight!) but I swear it was those damn earrings. I might just wear them everyday :)

Stoller Love

So Fantastic! I love this stroller! We are headed to the "Claza" (Plaza) to play. And you can bet that mommy will be getting a coffee on the way! As Roxie says, "Coffee, Mommy loves it"!

The Roll Over

Here is the latest movement milestone. She rolled over! She will be crawling after Roxie before we know it!

The Girls

Here is a rare moment.....Estelle is on the floor and Roxie is not trying to smother her with love, jump over her, or run circles around her. Maybe Roxie is finally getting used to having her around!

Scooter-mania

Speaking of mobility. Roxie has mad skills on her scooter! She did her best to keep up with the big kids at Thanksgiving. She can not only ride her scooter but she can also steer quite well. I was shocked to see that she could learn this so quickly. She is still working on riding her trike. He legs are not quite long enough to ride it easily. Until then she is happily zipping around on her scooter. Here she is at Grandma's ranch on Thanksgiving. Which should explain the dress......not usual attire around our house.

Sliced Cheese

I have discovered that rolling over is not what I have been anxiously anticipating. I have been waiting for the first movement milestone. Well folks, here it is. I am calling it the "Mommy apparently needs to strap you in move". Estelle has mastered it perfectly and so I guess it is now time for me to begin strapping her in. It is only the beginning of course! What does it say that I took a picture before picking her up out of this precarious position? I think it speaks volumes about my attempt to document it all! My desire to not forget a single suprise move, messy face, funny look, cute expression or blank stare. I know I won't be able to capture it all but I will try. I will try because I can't trust my memory to store it all. Some memories will fade with time. At least that is what I tell Matt everytime I pick up another huge picture order from Costco. Who can blame me! That and I have to keep up with the massive amounts of pictures we have of Roxie.....who now comes running at me, camera in hand saying "I want to say cheese". Speaking of cheese. She now much prefers it sliced to a stick. And if she wants "slice cheese" you better not try to give her a stick. That would be totally inappropriate! It can't taste the same at all.......

Fall Leaves

My teacher side is coming out! As Roxie is getting older I am so excited to do fun projects with her! She made these leaves to hang in the window. Papa made the one on the far right with her when he came to visit! They look so pretty!

Smile!

Leave it to my mom to help get the best smile on camera! Estelle has the biggest smiles but they are hard to catch. If this little one is anything like Roxie, she will be obsessed with Grandma! My poor mom can hardly sit down when she is here visiting! Roxie goes crazy :) She wants Grandma (sometimes known as grammy) to help her with everything. I can't even buckle her into her carseat without hearing "No!!! Grammy do it!" I guess only a Grandma could be so happy about being needed in such a constant, insistent, 2 year old kind of way.

Relaxing

I got one!

I think she actually looks like me! For some reason I expected Estelle to look exactly like her sister. She doesn't. She is fair skinned with red undertones and has my nose. Maybe even my eyebrows! She is almost three months old and I am still learning how different than her sister she really is. Roxie is very Roxie. And so far, Estelle is very Estelle. I guess that is one thing I hope to support them in. Being who they are. I imagine that can be a tricky thing to navigate.

Dirty Kids

Lately, Roxie is just gross. Is this something that happens slowly over time? I remember when (not too long ago) nothing about her grossed me out. The words yucky, disgusting and nasty just didn't apply to my daughter. Does our new edition to the family have something to do with it? Maybe I have become more squeemish? Or maybe Roxie is just a kid. And kids are dirty. I just never thought she would be one of them. A dirty kid. Now Estelle...she will never be a dirty kid, I am sure of it.

4 In The Bed

Hmmm...I wonder where mom and dad were sleeping before they got up? Do they both sleep with you now? It is a question I get a lot. Yes they do. Is it crazy? At times. But mostly it's really warm and quite nice. Yesterday morning Roxie woke up and rolled over to Estelle to cuddle her. Roxie will have her own space sometime in the near future which will be nice when it is time. For now during cold nights when Matt still insists on the ceiling fan....I am happy to have the extra warmth :)

String Bean

That is one long string bean! At 24 inches long and 10lbs 11oz, Estelle is in the 95th percentile for length and the 32nd for weight. I am trying to picture her as a grown woman....and I keep picturing Aunt Kimberly :)

Sesame Street

Having two kids really changes things doesn't it? I would have hated the thought of Roxie watching tv (especially so intently) before Estelle arrived. The thing is......it allows me to shower! Roxie is almost paralyed by Sesame Street. She will watch an entire episode sitting just like this. And if I don't give her a pillow? She will stand in the middle of the room for the entire hour! At least it is Sesame Street....I have fond memories of watching it as a kid. It's not some crazy crap cartoon...although I am sure that will come later. Estelle naps, Roxie is paralyzed by The Street and I happily take a hot shower. I guess whatever works :)