Ainsleigh in helper mode

So the other morning, I set Paige down in her crib and she is content and mesmerized by her mobile. So, clever mother that I am, I decide to run for it, and take a shower while I can. I hear Ainsleigh saying, "Mama, the music turned off so I had to wind it back up for Paige." I assume she is leaning over and winding up the music on the mobile. I get out of the shower and start to feel like drying off is not as important as checking on my daughters. It is too quiet. I walk in their room to see the above. Ainsleigh is in the crib with Paige. She has covered herself and her sister with blankets and put all the stuffed animals she could find around them. I don't see Rose, the plastic decoy duck she inherited from Great grandpa Louis (funny story for another time), but just about everything else is there. I'm still not sure how I should have reacted. Laughter? Fear? Amazement?


Paige looks happy. I guess I'll just be glad for that and maybe be more careful next time. My big helper. So unaware that she could ever cause any harm.

so funny

Ainsleigh thinks this is the funniest thing ever. All day long I hear..."Mama! Look! Paige is eating my nose again!" Given her expression, Paige apparently doesn't see the humor in it...

She's thinking..."well, if you put something near my mouth, you have to expect it to end up being sucked on." But when you're this cute, you can pretty much think and do whatever you want.

Brrrr!!

We braved the weather to drive to Grandma Connie and Grandpa Larry's house last week. Grandpa was determined to get our windshield wipers fixed as they are kind of necessary in this weather. We knew that it was supposed to snow quite a bit that night, and planned to stay overnight. But then the temperature took a dive, as did the battery in my car, and we ended up staying four nights! The girls didn't seem to mind. It was a week of lots of firsts. Ainsleigh's first time sledding, first time shoveling the steps for Grandpa, first time sleeping by herself in the toddler bed (or princess bed as the cousins refer to it) all night, Paige's first long naps on Grandma's sofa, and Ainsleigh's first hairstyle done at a salon. Paige seemed to really grow up and started smiling on demand. It was a week of memories made, baking done, and art projects completed while we were snowed in at Grandma's!

I had to share this video of Ainsleigh getting ready to sled. She has the best kung foo dance that she's perfected while watching the credits of Kung Foo Panda, when they play the song, "everybody was kung foo fighting." We had to convince her that it wasn't "come through panda."




Here is Paige asleep in her favorite spot on Grandma's couch, napping in the warm sunlight.



These photos bring back memories of playing in the snow at Mom and Dad's myself when I was a kid. It almost doesn't seem real that it has been so long, and that I am old enough to have my daughters recreating the same memories I had. We spent hours out in the snow, building forts with our cousins or the neighbors, or sledding down the small hill in our front yard. My cousin Dustin even got his tongue stuck to the icy cold sled on his way down the hill and had to go to the emergency room. Oh...but those were the older style sleds with metal runners. We were safe, Ainsleigh just used the plastic saucer.



Look at those rosy cheeks! Remember the days when it seemed like you could play for hours out in the snow and not get cold? I think Ainsleigh cold have stayed outdoors a lot longer than I could handle.


You can sort of make out a little Paige smile.



And this was taken today. Paige in the bumbo chair. She's holding her head up so well now.




I don't want time to go by too quickly, but I'm sort of feeling done with the cold and snow now and ready for the time that I can take this baby out without worrying about the cold and let her enjoy some fresh air and sunlight.

Here's one last video of Paige smiling a little at Mom and Dad's. I can't get enough of her sweet little chubby cheeks!



We missed Tim a lot and I know he missed us too, but it was kind of nice to break our routine and spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. It's been awhile!

snowy day

The snow has fallen all day long today. We spent it indoors, baked some bread, made potato soup. Ainsleigh drew a beautiful self portrait. Paige slept. Blizzard Warning in effect. There is always so much to get done, but on days like today, it just can't be. We are forced indoors so we just try to just pause and enjoy it. Tomorrow it all starts again.

Two Months

Ahh! How can you not be in love with this beautiful little girl?! It's hard to believe Paige is two months old today, although in some ways it seems like she has always been here. It's crazy how fast that happens. She is such a sweet addition.



I had to add this photo for comparison. She was only about a week old here. Still asleep. It seems like she is slowly...steadily...waking up to us. It is like this amazing unfolding, watching her become more aware, more interactive, and more like a little person with her own personality.


This has been my most recent perspective of her, looking down at her wrapped tightly to her mommy. She loves it and we have already spent a lot of time together this way. She dozes as I get to spend some quality time with Ainsleigh, hands-free but still cuddling with Paige. I love this view from above.


Life has definitely changed for Ainsleigh. It's an adjustment for me too. I don't get the time with her I once did. She is such a good helper, but she does get frustrated a lot. She will be happier once Paige is a little older and more interested (and less overwhelmed) in her big sister.


I am loving these chubby cheeks and, so far, bright blue eyes!

So, while I am a little less available, Ainsleigh and Daddy are really doing more together and having a lot of fun. He has someone new to share his Star Wars movies with and she needs some distractions from our, currently, baby-centric life. I have overheard some very interesting, scientific conversations between the two of them.

Happy two months Paige! We are watching you grow before our eyes and it is beautiful. Just don't do it too fast. I had kind of forgotten how much I like these little baby fingers and toes!

random

I had to share this new little guy, my friend's new baby. He was born just 5 weeks after Paige and he is so sweet. Oh...and yes...future plans of marriage have been discussed. I guess it might get complicated. Who knows? I get to brag here, that I made the blanket he is laying on! Okay, I finished the edge, but still. I think he looks especially cute on it!

And on to fake fingernails. Ainsleigh got these from her cousin, Maddy for Christmas and she just couldn't wait to put them on and have her picture taken for Maddy to see. And, of course, fake fingernails go best with barbie princess dresses.
Paige has been colicky at night. Hoping that ends soon. But very happy in the mornings. And this is exactly what they look like.
I was trying for a smile here, but I missed my moment. Right now, breakfast is turning out to be one of my favorite times of the day.

Christmas 2008 ~ A little bit of everything

I'm a little bit late this year but with good reason. My days have been spent rocking, holding, feeding, patting, calming, bathing, diapering, sneaking in a project or two with big sister, and doing a lot of gazing admiringly at two very sweet girls. All of this has been done with the realization that it is so fleeting and that, as hard as some days are, it will change all too quickly. Just a few months ago, I was thinking how nice it would be to have our baby at Christmas and now it has come and gone and we are on to new plans and new things to look forward to as 2009 (YIKES!) is here.


Ainsleigh was so grown up this Christmas. She really enjoyed helping out with the big girl things, like writing out the gift tags and wrapping presents. If only we had more gifts to give. She was so disappointed when we came to the last one.

We did our, what has become, traditional Christmas Eve sugar cookie baking and sat them out for Santa, along with some carrots for his reindeer, of course.


The letter says, "Thank you for the presents" with all the words smushed together. Ainsleigh still has to learn to put spaces between her words, but she's been writing her letters really well for awhile now.

Christmas morning, Ainsleigh was equally as happy to wake up to baby sister as she was to see her presents. But Paige...well...Paige seemed unaffected and slept through most of it.

No matter how hard big sis would try to get her attention.

We did manage to wake her for a few pictures under the tree and to open her presents. You can tell by her expression in the pictures, she was still unaffected.


Christmas Day was spent with Tim's family. Paige slept through a lot of it and Ainsleigh was happy to open her presents for her, although she is never too impressed with clothes, which seems to be what babies get most of for Christmas! Thank goodness!





Christmas night was spent at my parents' house. My sister, Meghan, and her family were there too so we enjoyed a breakfast of banana/walnut pancakes made by Uncle Ryan. Paige looks so cuddly bundled up! She handles it pretty well most of the time.

Eden loves to admire Paige. I'm glad we got to spend this time with our cousins!



The day after Christmas we spent with my extended family. It was really nice and mellow. Here Paige is smiling repeatedly at my Aunt Linda as my Dad holds her. I don't think my Aunt realized how lucky she was!


Ainsleigh took responsibility for making introductions. Sometimes she is so self-confident beyond her years. We're not sure where all that confidence came from but I hope she always has it.



We planned to come home after the party but the weather had other plans. It wasn't snow. It was fog. Terrible fog that had us feeling completely turned around after only a few miles. We tried to make it back to stay at my parents' but just couldn't make it. Paige was screaming too, which didn't help as we were losing all sense of direction in the fog. We pulled off to check the rates at a hotel right off the highway and luckily they had rooms available because we probably wouldn't have made it out of their iced over parking lot. We made the most of it. Paige slept so well that night and the next day!


Ainsleigh always enjoys staying at hotels and likes to find the little notepads they leave to write letters to everyone. It's pretty cute. Good thing the kids had new, clean, Christmas clothes to wear. They came in handy a little earlier than we expected!


The next few days we spent time at home, with Tim off work, just snuggling in our pajamas, doing a little baking, video game playing, and movie watching.


I had to add this sequence of Ainsleigh in her new jammies, with her various poses. She's regaining her joy of being photographed!






So now the tree is down, the presents are being played with, the new books are being read reapeatedly, as Ainsleigh tries to keep herself entertained while we manage our ever changing routine with this new baby. The sad part is, that she isn't so new anymore! It has been a nice close to 2008, the year that brought us so many unanticipated things. A very grown up Ainsleigh and a beautiful new baby. I'm trying to just slow down, breathe, and enjoy it although its hard, and I have my moments of insanity! Christmas was simple and sweet, just the way we like it.