Smiles, Sunshine and Shelly....

Angelina is growing so fast!!! This week she is really recognizing faces and smiling when she sees us. She is cooing and laughing as well, and is just SOOO cute!! Daddy got some pics of her smiling at me yesterday.

Itsn't she just so cute!!

We are spending a lot of time out on the deck when the days are sunny. Bell loves to play in her little pool. She loves it so much that when she is in the house and wants to go in the pool, she takes off her clothes and diaper and says over and over "suit on, I go pool". Onies with snaps are the greatest invention, as she can't get those off yet!

Daddy brought home a "present for the kids" last week. He found it (we think "it" is a her) at work and thought it would be a fun pet. We named her Shelly - yes we are now the proud owners of an Eastern Painted Turtle. Of course, until we looked up what kind of turtle it was, we did not know she was an aquatic turtle. So our pond out front has turned into a turtle pond. That is OK, we keep killing all the fish anyway!! Bell loves to stand on the couch and watch Shelly crawl around outside (looking for a way to get out and run away!!). The fencing will keep Shelly in and Bell OUT of the pond!!

Bell in action......

She loves her glasses!

Daddy and Bell reading Dr Seauss!

More News Paper coverage!

Hey, I was quoted in the New York Times Small buisness Section this week!!
Karen
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/business/smallbusiness/18webhunt.html?em&ex=1184990400&en=64bdb66ab1635e16&ei=5087%0A

We have been busy!!

Hi again all,

Wow, has it been hectic around here, getting in the swing of having two under two and then some surprises with Angelina. So I will start from early July when I last posted and come back for the pics, as I know I will not have time to type and then wait for the pics to load now. Probaby get more pics in tomorrow.

We had a fun 4th of July weekend. We BBQ'd at home, just the family (as you can see from the pic bacon was the theme for dinner!!), and then went to the fireworks up in Dover. Bell liked them for a few minutes, then lost interest and had more fun climbing into the car and putting on and off the seatbelt. Earlier in the day she played with her dolls and took them all out to change their diapers. The little preemie diapers you got for her to play with are coming in handy mom!!!

Austin is doing a dog agility class with Lucky on Thursday evenings. Lucky is doing well and Austin seems to be having fun teaching him the jumps and going through the tunnels. He really likes working with dogs and may continue with it after this class.

We have proof that mom can actually be around dogs!! She is getting better with our dogs, as you can see from the picture where they are actually at her feet!

Mom came down to Delaware on the train last week to help out with the kids while Angelina was in the hospital. She had a fever on Saturday (7/7) and since she was less than two months old, the doctor wanted her evaluated in the hospital. As it turns out she had a urinary tract infection (UTIs) and was in for three nights, poor baby!!

We went for tests yesterday and to see teh pediatric urologist today. She has Level 2 (they run from 1 to 5 (worst) Urinary Reflux. Normally urine travels from the Kidney, down the Ureter and into the bladder. There is a flap that closes so that urine cannot flow back up into the kindey. Well on the right side, her flap does not work properly, and thus the Reflux. This can cause UTI's and Kindey infections, which can lead to scarring of the kidney. So they put her on a preventitive maintinence daily dose of antibiotics and we have to go back for more testing in 6 months and 1 year, then yearly. Hopefully it is something she will outgrow, kids usually do with this level reflux by age 5 or so. We just need to be careful whenever she gets a fever to be sure to have a urine culture done to make sure she does not have a breakthough infection.
But all in all, it could be so much worse. just being at the AI duPont Childrens Hospital today made me realize how blessed we are that our children are so healthy!!

Bell is a bundle of fun these days. She is talking up a storm and is saying 4 and 5 word sentences, and wants to tell you teh color of everything. Of course right now everything is "lello" or "geen", so we started a color box. Right now everything in teh box is yellow and we are pointing out all kinds of yellow things. Once she learns that, I will move on to another color, as it seems to really interest her right now.

She also loves to climb on and in everything (except thankfully out of her crib!). She found the cabinet in the kitchen empty the other day (usually full of DDP, but it was the day before shopping). She was in and out of it so many times. She would close the door and say "bye mommy", stay in it for a minute and then come back out "here I is", all proud of herself. The fact that it was pitch dark inside when she closed the door did not bother her! Oh and if you are wondering about what is on her legs..... that would be pen. When I told her we do not write on our legs she said "write paper". OK, she knows how to say it.....

And then yesterday was so funny, I could not help but laugh and take a picture. Someone (ummm, Austin!!) left the bathroom door open. Bell climbed up on teh toilet, got teh bubble bath bottle, climbed into the tub (clothed!!), opened the bottle and poured it all over - the tub and her clothes. She did this so quitely, I was sitting in teh liveing room and did not hear her! Of course then she started screaming because it was so slippery she could not stand up to get out of the tub.

We went to the drive in movies last weekend to see Harry Potter (then I went home with the girls and Don and Austin stayed to see transformers). We have it worked out - we take two cars (you pay per person, not car). That way we can put the sleeping kids in the one quite car, we can listen to the movie from the radio of the other one, and then the boys stay to see the second movie and I go home to bed!! Last time I stayed for both I slept through most of it anyway. So this week. Don and Austin usually bring a football to throw around because you have to go early to get a good spot. Bell loves the football! She runs back and forth between them yelling "I got it" over and over. They intentionally drop it for her and she throws it about two feet!

Don went up to the snakc bar to get some fries (otherwise we bring our own snacks and drinks). In typical daddy fashion her came back with an ice pop for Bell. But not just any ice pop, it was one of those fat round ones with rainbow colors. You know the ones that drip all over and stain your mouth and hands blue and red. He handed it to me and I said "no way"!! He bought it, he could deal with it. See I would only give her sometihng like that in a high chair with a bib. Hey, that is what dads are for!!!! She was such a mess (and stayed red for two days!), but she had so much fun with her daddy and that Ice Pop! Before and after pictures....

Don and Austin were cutting up some wood that was in a pile behind my garden this weekend and look what they found. You know you live in the country when you have Black Widows in the wood pile!!

Well that's it for now. Oh I forgot, Don got poison ivy two weeks ago, so we were all off limits for awhile until it went away. I ended up getting a little of it, but luckily the girls did not!! A very convient way to not have to change diapers for a week or so, don't you think.

Karen

Beautiful day today!

Yesterday we went to one of Bell's friends 1 year birthday party, and Angelina was dressed in her little red, white and blue shirt and jeans. She looked so cute!! This is her sleeping on mommy after the party ( I forgot to bring my camera to the actual party!). Daddy just had to take a pic because he thought she looked so cute with her hand up by her face.

Today was a beautiful day and the girls and I spent some time out on the deck this afternoon while dad and Austin mowed the lawn! Don did such a great job redoing the deck and we are getting so much use out of it now!

Bell thinks it is the funniest thing to walk around in our shoes!! She did a pretty good job of walking in my sandals this afternoon, as you can tell by the look on her face she was having a great time!!
Bell carrying around her bucket like a pocket book in one arm, Dora in the other, watching daddy trim the grass. We took two of the section of her playyard to use as gates on each of the deck stairways. They work great and now Bell can play up on the deck in her pool while I can stay in the shade of the canopy with Angelina. It works out terrific.
Dora and Bell playing "shopping" on the deck. Toys go in and out of the cart again and again!!

Look at those deck boards - bare feet worthy!!

Last year at a craft fair I got Bell a sundress and a little matching one for her doll!! She wore it to church today and carried her doll, it was so cute!! Whan I was small my mom made doll clothes to match mine - I will never forget a little purple sundress that mom made for me and my doll!!

Don't they look cute!!

5 hours!!!

The night before last Angelina slept for 5 hours straight!! Yeah!!
She went down at 11 pm and woke up at 3:56 AM (OK 4 minutes shy, but it still counts!).
Last night she did 3.5 and 3, which is more normally what she is doing but a 5 hour night was great!
K

Skinny dog....

So last week when we went to this Kids Fair we saw Greyhound rescue dogs, but they are so big. So we decided to get a smaller version!!

But seriously, we brought the dogs in to get groomed, as they both give Don such a hard time cutting their nails. We decided to get Phoebe shaved down for the summer, as her coat was so thick!! Now she is a skinny little dog that looks like a smaller version of a Greyhound! It looks like we took her head and stuck in on another dog. Too funny!

The kids

Mom multi-tasking!! Angelina gets her bath while Bell is playing in the tub.

Isabella is very territorial and did not want any of us touching Angelina while she was holding her!! My Red head, Blond and Brunette.

Austin had his friend JD sleep over one night and Bell loves to jump on the air mattress. She also likes to think she is playing Austins games with him. You give her the controller and she intently pushes the buttons and watches the TV, just like her big brother.

daddy and our beautiful little Angelina! Don't they look great together.

A close up of our beautiful sleeping baby at three weeks old. She has not lost any of that hair!

Another fun day!

Austin and JD took Bell into the pool this afternoon. She LOVES climbing the ladder, so everyone has been instructed (AKA: warned by me!!) that the ladder MUST be put up after each use or the pool will be closed. Hopefully we will be able to get to building a small deck onto the pool this summer with a locked gate.






Aust came with us to Tumble Time at teh Y today. Bell loves the slide and is great on the balance beam! At the end of each class Ms. Missy uses the bubble machine and the kids have a great time trying to catch bubbles! We will be doing this class again next session, and then the making music class after that. By that point I will be able to put Angelina in the Kids Zone, as the Making Mussic class is more participation by the parents.

Angelina had a very happy tub bath last night until it came to her hair. Then she cried!!

The girls, the birds and SUNSHINE!

Sisters taking a nap on the couch. Bell just wants to be near Angelina whenever she can. As soon as Angelina cries, Bell says "Oh NO, baby crying". She is so cute!!
Austin got some pictures of the first sighting of the yellow finches this year. They live in the trees behind the house, but he spotted them out on the front lawn the other day.
Tuesday was such beautiful weather, we had Bell's playgroup here in the yard. Here friends Emma, Justin and Jocylin came to play in the little pool.
Sunshine!!! The weather has been sunny this week, but so has my fridge!! Our Mothers and More group has a Sunshine club where other moms make meals for you when baby arrives. Well the meals started this week and it is great!! Monday night was pasta, salad and garlic bread, tonight is Lemon Poppy Chicken and rice. It is great to have a break from cooking and to get to try some new meals. It is a really wonderful group of moms!

Whats been going on...

Angelina getting a sponge bath last week before her cord fell off. Now she gets real baths and so far does not srceam TO much!


The before (right) and after (left) pics of how great teh power washer is working on the deck! It is going to look brand new when done, we can't wait!! Of course it needs to be stained first - ugh!!

Yesterday Bell was being very quiet, so I went in serch of her and there she was, tucked under the blanket on Austin's couch, eating goldfish and sharing with Phoebe!! Of course the goldfiish were left out on her brothers floor just waiting for her to get into.

The new game is to take all the shoes off the shoe try by the side door and try them on one pair at a time. First she did Austins sandals, but seemed to like dads work shoes better!!

Finally a few minutes to post....

Life with a newborn and 19 month old is busy!! And seeing as Don is going back to work tomorrow, I expect it will get busier. We are stilll on a borrowed camera, so I need to get onto the other computer to put up some pics.
We are all doing great here, finally!! Bell had a stomach virus for a few days, and it seems Don caught some of what she had, so both were under the weather - but are doing well now.
Austin has been making good use of the pool and his last day of school is this Friday!! Of course this week is a carnival day, class trip to the waterpark down at the beach, and half days. Friday he is having a few friends over for a "last day of school" get together. Then he is ALL MINE for the summer, boy do I have plans to keep him busy!!
Don got a new TOY last week, a pressure washer. We have been talking about it, and truthfully really needing one for awhile now. He started doing the deck on Saturday and it looks GREAT!!! It is going to look like a new deck when it is done and stained, and since we have totally neglected it for the past two years, it really needs it.
Bell is loving the new baby, and is such an empathetic little girl, always has been. She hears Angelina cry and she comes right to me. "Baby Lina crying" she says and then pats her back, or whatever part of her she can reach and says "it OK". She loves to give her kisses on the head and just be close to her all of the time.
Angelina is our little Angel. She is such a great baby!! Nursing wonderfully and sleeping great as well (OK, that probably just jinxed me to an all nighter tonight!!). But really she knows night from day it seems and is doing her longer sleeps at night. We went to church this morning and she slept straight through in the pouch on mom, and then got ooohed and ahhhed over by everyone after Mass. That is one of hte great things we love about our Parish, everyone knows you. And I don't remember if I posted about Don and the Knights. The powers that be have decided to split off a new Knights of Columbus council for our church (our church is a mission church of Saint Johns, and technially we are only one parish for both churches). So guess who was elected Grand Knight (the highest position within the council) - yes, Don!!
So this coming year should be a full one, with him taking on that poition (three big boxes showed up with all his "paperwork" this week!), and I am staying on a Treasurer for Austins schools PTSO and also will be co-leader this year of the Mothers and More group, which I am very active in.
Well, that's it for now, I need to go type a letter for Don before both of us getting to bed for what I'm sure will be a full Monday for both of us.
More to come soon...
Karen