future photographer?

self-portrait taken by Thomas

Thank You.

Thank you, Gymboree, for making clothes that truly fit a 0-3 month old when the tag says so. Thank you for making such cute clothes. And thank you, Katie, for giving Meredith such an adorable outfit. I love how this shows off her teeny tiny baby body!

two months

It's pretty amazing all that can happen in just two short months. They grow, develop and change so rapidly at this age that if you blink for more than a second, you're likely to miss something good. First smiles, first coos, first interests... We're still waiting for the "first 4 hour block of sleep", but we're enjoying every second just the same because we know this period will be over with before we know it.

I'm growing!

Stripped down at the pediatrician's office and loving it!

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Though she's not quite two months yet, Meredith had her two month appointment this morning. Everything looks great and she's doing very well. The photo above was taken before her immunization shots. She wasn't very happy after receiving four this morning - ouch!

length: 21" (20th percentile)

weight: 9lbs, 8.5ozs (25th percentile)

head: 15 inches (20th percentile)

Meredith gets cozy this afternoon for a naptime story with Thomas. Curious George is Thomas' current favorite so we read a Curious George story before every nap and bedtime, sometimes even two. He just can't get enough of that silly little monkey!

Feeding Meredith

I asked Thomas if he'd like to feed his sister this afternoon and he jumped at the chance. He did such a great job but the look on Meredith's face was hilarious. It's as if she's asking Should you really be doing this?? When she finished the bottle, he removed it and wiped her face off with the burp rag just as he sees us doing. I swear, this kid doesn't miss a thing!

Father's Day hike

Bela and Greta wait in the SUV while we stop at Starbucks to fill up.

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M, Thomas and the girls enjoying one of our favorite trails.

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Meredith enjoys her first hike snuggled in a sling.

why dads are fun

I never would have thought to show Thomas this fun trick, but his dad did. M was out of town this week and away from us for the first time since Thomas was born. Thomas sure did miss his daddy (as did we all)!

our #1 kid with our #1 dog

Bela is enjoying Thomas' company more and more these days. What's not to love? He feeds her his food, gives her hugs and kisses daily, brings her toys (even those that Greta is playing with) and is always trying to take care of her. If only every dog could be so lucky!

our baby girl

It's hard to photograph a baby! However, I realize I haven't posted many so I thought I'd get a few of Meredith on here so you can see how she's growing. Almost 7 weeks old already! Some photos from this afternoon...

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fun photos

Left: Thomas on his way to music class this morning with "rabbit" in hand. I picked out the shorts and he picked out the rest.

[Note: Yes, he really went out like this. We went to Starbucks, music class, the pet store and to the bank. He received quite a few smiles and compliments.]

Right: Thomas in his old vibrating/massage chair. M pulled it up from the basement today for Meredith and I set it down near Thomas' shelf of books in the living room. He seems to think it is his new little reading corner chair.

vroom vroom

I don't know why they call them the "terrible twos" (okay, so maybe sometimes I do) because we are having the most fun with Thomas at this age. He's such a happy and funny little boy. All morning he talked about going to the Rose Festival downtown and seeing the race car and boats. However, once we actually saw the race car, all we heard for the rest of the day was how he didn't like the race car. I admit it was a little loud for me, too, but to suddenly say you don't like it? Too funny.

sublime

I always wonder just how much of the background stuff Thomas is absorbing, whether it be music, television or the things we see while out. We recently learned that he is indeed listening to the music we listen to and picking out new words and phrases from the songs he hears. This week we've heard him singing to Sublime's "I've Seen Better Days". There are few things more funny than hearing "I've seen better days..." coming out of a two year old's mouth. Sometimes he'll even say "Thomas (has) seen better days..."

"Hi. Good morning. Good."

I love watching Thomas and Meredith together. He always greets her the same way - "Hi. Good morning. Good." It doesn't matter what the time of day is, his greeting is always the same. And she loves it when he talks to her. Even when he's just near her and talking, she'll turn his direction. When he's close enough, she watches him intently.

We're beginning to put some 0-3 month size clothes on Meredith! They are all the smallest of the 0-3 month clothes we have. It's really fun to see her in something that Thomas once wore or dress her in something that was given to us by family and friends.

[Pictured above, Thomas greeted Meredith with his usual greeting then proceeded to kiss her. He kissed her toes, her hand and her face. It was the sweetest thing. Ever. I'll have to remind them of moments like this when they are older and arguing about something petty!]

storytime

Thomas is an avid book reader so it really wasn't a surprise today when he wanted to read his new books from the library to Meredith. I hope his love for books continues to grow and lasts a lifetime!

Thomas: "Look, baby sister. Number one, blue race car. Up there. Number 2, purple race car. Oh, wow!"

Thomas is such a great big brother. He'll get her binky when she cries and tries to put it in her mouth. "Baby sister need binky." He'll put her used bottles in the kitchen sink. "Baby sister all done milk." He's a busy toddler and not always interested but we can tell he adores her when he does play with her.

downtown outing

Thomas inside and outside the Central Library

(M and I were married here 7 years ago!)

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Thomas and I headed out for what was sure to be a good time at the Zoo this morning, but once we got there we decided to do something else. Instead, we parked the car in Goose Hollow and jumped onto the lightrail for a fun excursion. It was Thomas' first ride and he seemed pretty interested, but he didn't care much for the tunnel under Washington Park and some of the people on the lightrail seemed to make him uncomfortable. Public transportation is great, but it does attract some interesting people. Our little outing included a visit to Finnegan's (a fantastic toy store downtown) and the Central Library where we climbed the stairs all the way to the top floor and he charmed the librarians with his "do!" response to their questions.

...breaking news...

Boy Pees in Toilet!

Shortly before 7:30pm this evening and right before his evening bath, Thomas told us he had to go pee and when asked if he'd like to use his toilet, he replied Yes! For the past week, he's been telling us when he has to go pee, but he hasn't wanted to use the toilet. Wanting to use his toilet was a very big deal! He was very pleased with himself after using the toilet and M and I praised him over and over. Of course, all the praise encouraged him to try again and again and again. We haven't pursued toilet training but maybe later this summer would be a good time...?!

Happy Birthday, Bela!

Our little Bela is 8 years old today! It seems like just yesterday that we drove up to Chehalis, WA "just to look" at some adorable 7.5 week old Vizsla puppies (ha! - I knew we'd be coming home with one). She was the sweetest in her litter and made choosing one easy for us because she chose us. All the other puppies wanted to run around and play but she wanted to be near us -- we just knew she was the one!

play ball!

Thomas and I watched his cousin Emily's tee-ball game this evening. There's nothing more fun to see than a group of 4 to 8 year olds "playing" tee-ball. There isn't much catching, hitting or throwing going on but they sure have a great time playing the game. Thomas recently received this baseball jersey from his uncle and a tee-ball set from friends so he was all prepared to "step in" if Emily's team needed him!

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tummy time for two

Meredith is a strong little girl.

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Thomas enjoys tummy time with his sister.

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Out of the blue, Thomas kissed Meredith tonight for the first time! He actually planted a number of kisses on her. Very sweet!

"Thomas don't like that..."

We've seen an explosion recently in Thomas' speaking skills. He repeats everything we say. Everything. It's comical talking to him and trying to get him to respond because he doesn't necessarily provide a response. Instead he'll just repeat the last few words you've said. Over the past month we've heard things like...

"Thomas don't like... (insert any food item that has always been a favorite and usually something he has just eaten seconds earlier)"

"Mama hurt hair" [Thomas has decided he doesn't like having his hair washed]

"Daddy make milk so Thomas can drink it"

the kids are growing!

Doctor appointments today for both Thomas and Meredith:

Thomas at 2 years old is tall and lanky...
height: 37"
weight: 30 pounds

Meredith is growing...
weight: 7 pounds, 3 ounces (a gain of 13 ounces in a single week!)

Meredith

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Thomas turns 2 years old today!

T enjoying his baby sister

This morning we headed out for our first outing as a family of four. Getting out the door definitely took some extra time, but it was fun to all get into the car together. Thomas got to spend an hour at his friend Kaia's house while we took Meredith to her first doctor appointment with our family's pediatrician. Meredith's stats today...

height: 19.25" (25th percentile)
weight: 6lbs 6ozs (10th percentile)
head circumference: 13" (3rd percentile)

We are so used to seeing Thomas' percentiles shooting off the charts at this age that it was a little strange to see her numbers so low. Unfortunately, these numbers do not reflect her prematurity but instead compares her to full-term babies. But really, do the numbers mean anything anyway?

two weeks already!

How can 2 weeks pass so slowly and yet so quickly at the same time??

life with a new baby

We knew Thomas would make a fantastic big brother. He has the sweetest disposition and is always so eager to help. Pulling my breast pump off the chair and breaking off an important piece the other day while helping me was a miss, but watching him light up and interact with Meredith is definitely a hit. Adjusting to life with a new baby sibling is never easy, but he's already doing a really great job. We, of course, are also making a point to spend quality alone time with him and continuing some of his same activities to maintain some continuity for him throughout this change in our lives.

Our girls have also been doing a great job. Bela shows more interest than Greta and has been very careful sniffing Meredith and checking out her things. Both are nervous dogs anyway, but having me gone for several evenings while at the hospital and then watching us all go in and out of the house over the last week and a half has not been easy for them. They still are trying to figure it all out, but they've also started singing a new tune since Meredith came home. They were okay with Thomas before and tolerated him, but now they will actually sit right next to him on the sofa -- almost to the point of sitting on him. Neither would have sat within a foot of him before. Maybe, comparatively speaking, he's not quite so bad anymore?

Welcome home!

After 10 long days in the NICU, Meredith finally came home today!

Isn't she beautiful?

It was wonderful to visit Meredith this morning with M. We arrived between feedings so we were expecting to find her soundly sleeping but were we in for a surprise! Clearly she's gaining strength daily because this morning she was very alert and very active. We kept telling her to sleep but she wasn't having any of it. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come?

Improvements abound! We were pleased to see the feeding tube removed this morning and to hear there hadn't been a single incidence of apnea in the last 48 hours. The fortified feedings have also helped her put on some weight. Our baby girl is now back up to a whooping 5lb 12oz (still so tiny!). When feeding time came around, she took half from the breast and half from a bottle. We were really happy to see so many good things come together in one day.

While we were visting Meredith, Thomas enjoyed the morning at home with a woman we are now referring to as Supernanny. Have you seen the t.v. show? I opened our front door this morning to greet a smartly dressed, friendly woman complete with the Burberry tote and the British accent. The only thing missing was a British taxi like the one they use on the show.

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