Daddy's new name for spaghetti

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Some more sisterly love

Brynn's head still makes a great armrest!

Our 4 month old's stats:

Height: 25.5 in (90th percentile)

Weight: 14.8 lbs (75th percentile)

She's already as tall as Anna was at 6 months!

Mommy's little slingling
Brynn can now face outward in the sling sitting up! She likes watching Anna monkey around and see what we're eating.

Animal Talk Take #1

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The petting zoo at the Children's Museum fundraiser

Rabbits, aka "Hop Hops"
Guinea Pigs
Chickens

What I didn't get a picture of was 2 green parrots, who Anna decided to poke and then was scared when it jumped. For a few days she made a whiny noise every time she talked about the birds...I captured a little of that on the video above...

Melting our hearts

Yesterday Anna tested all of my patience, but when she said "I love you, Mommy" when I put her down for her nap, I was reminded that there are so many rewards in this difficult job called parenting. It truly melted my heart hearing her little voice say "I love you" back. And hearing her repeat it over and over again through the monitor once I left the room brought tears to my eyes. I'll have to get it on tape just so I can play it on those tough toddler days! :)

Anna likes to show Brynn how to play in the exersaucer

How cute can she get?

Our little cabbage patch kid

Puppy love

Anna "pumping milk"

Anna asks for her turn whenever I pump. She says, "Anna turn, pumping milk", and then places the pump somewhere on her belly/chest. Maybe she'll be a lactation consultant??

making Pops proud

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Time out, Lila!

On Monday, I had both girls at home, as we've decided to take Anna out of daycare full-time, and move her to part-time evenings to match Brynn's schedule (and my work schedule). That way I don't have to take Anna to "school" when I'm not working or have to drive to school twice in one day.

We were playing in the living room, and I went to the kitchen to make my 1 cup of coffee for the day, when I heard Anna say, "Lila, time out. Time out, Lila!" I came into the room to find Lila in the time out chair, and Anna pointing her little finger at her. When I asked Anna what Lila did to get in time out, she replied, "Hitting baby sister." I guess Lila saw Anna go to time out that morning for hitting Brynn! I am amazed that our 21 month old gets the concept of time out and consequences. I am happy that we can use time out to its full benefit now that we know she understands it!

For Mimi!!

Thank you for the cool Steeler cheerleader outfits! I especially like to wear them with my pink boots!

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Christmas 2007

Anna goes digging for her loot

The mermaid love continues!

She's a natural!

Brynn's reaction to her presents, accompanied by coos, gurgles, and smiles. So sweet.

Happy Birthday Pops!!

We love you and look forward to seeing you soon!

Our 2 month old!

Baby got back!
Anna saying "Cheese" where she puts her fingers in her eyes imitating taking a picture

The cousins on Thanksgiving
It was incredibly difficult to get all 4 kids in a decent pose




I know, I know. It's been a while since anything was posted, and I apologize. So here are some new pictures. I'll spare you all the details of my crazy first week back to work, lack of sleep, Anna and Brynn having colds (Anna had a fever, Brynn's nose is stuffy), and our lame weekend. It's not that exciting.





One cute tidbit is that Anna now calls me "Mom". John is still "Daddy" and probably will be until she gets married. :) Brynn is smiling and I can't wait to capture it on film! We go for her 2 month appointment on Tuesday and I can't wait to see how big she is!

Sorry this is so dark!
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Hangin on the couch

A great nap

Anna's new 'do

Trying out Brynn's milk
Anna LOVES anything "baby", and taking Brynn's pacifier, bottle, or sitting in her bouncy seat or swing are her current faves. Brynn is on the brink of smiling. She's much more alert and pays attention to our faces and voices now. She wiggles her arms and legs at these times and gets cuter by the minute. I'd forgotten how sweet this age is.

Anna is our little parrot now. She will repeat almost everything we say as best she can, and also will come out of the blue with her own words. On the way home from school the other day, she said, "Oh my gosh, another bus!" I died laughing. She loves pointing out buses on the road, as well as trucks, tractors, ambulances, and fire trucks. She also will occasionally say, "Bless you Mommy" when I sneeze, which melts my heart.

We are excited about Thanksgiving because the cousins are coming up to visit. We're practicing saying everyone's name and eventhough she'll probably clam up when they're actually here, it's fun to hear her versions of names. My favorite is Braxton (that's a hard name!)- her version is "Bacti". Br is hard for her, as are Tr's (truck is tuck). I'm hoping for some great photo ops of the three monkeys (and maybe at least one of all 4 kids?) We'll see!

I was in total denial yesterday that I could have mastitis, but after a day of flu-like symptoms, pain, and a trip to the grocery store wiping me out, I decided to call my OB who agreed I have mastitis. I didn't notice red spots until later in the evening, and then I conceeded. So now I'm on antibiotics, attempting to rest as much as possible (and ignore how foul my house is getting), and catching up on all those addictive MTV shows like Run's House, The Hills, and Real World Sydney. Many thanks to Lola who took Anna to school this morning and picked her up. I'm really trying to not do ANYTHING, since it seems like I can't do much without feeling bad. I have taken a shower today, and that seemed like it was my limit of energy production. Now Anna is home, John is at work late, and we're indulging in some TV. I'm praying her little brain won't be too adversely affected. :(

The sweetness before the sour...

How do you style your hair, baby?

Brynn says, "UNCLE!"

Anna starts off being really sweet with her sister, but sometimes it escalates into not-so gentle pats and shoving. She's eager to pick her sister up and put Brynn's pacifier in her mouth, sometimes after she's tried it out herself (eek!). Some mornings she'll ask for Brynn to sit next to her on the bed while we get ready for school. It's something new everyday around here!

Brynn takes her best naps in our bed, after nursing on her side. I now know why co-sleeping works so well for some people- you actually get to sleep! It's not something I'm comfortable with for all night sleeping, but for naps, it's a precious time that I look forward to!

I think she likes having something on the top of her head (like my arm or the pillow here) to make her feel snuggly. I'm looking for something we can put in her crib that will do the job!

Last night was rough as Brynn woke up at 3:30 and didn't want to go back to bed. She was WIDE awake, and the swing didn't even convince her to get sleepy. I was having a tough time with a very sore left breast (clogged duct?) , achy body, chills, and a low-grade fever. It wasn't pretty. I'm hoping some rest and fluids today will take care of everything. Luckily today is a school day for Anna so I can take naps whenever Brynn does.