Sweet child o mine

We're not ready to sit still and ham it for the camera yet.  But, sleep allows some kind quiet moments that prove easy to capture. 

We turned the big girl carseat around about two weeks ago. E wasn't sure what to think at first.  She has since happily adjusted to the new view.

Mary

Bad Blogging + Promised Update

There's no excuse for bad blogging - it's really self-imposed pressure to create something worth reading that prevents me from blogging more often.  My own answer to that: "Lame, Mary. Lame."

And so, I'm going to TRY to make sure that I don't miss these massive milestones that fleet through our daily lives. Especially as I reiterate to myself how quickly it all goes by. 

Baby #2 update: we do not have a name picked out for our 2nd daughter.  No, we are not simply "not telling people", "keeping it a surprise" or any other version.  I thought we (read: I) was sold on a name that suddenly was bounced after reading Elizabeth a story about a Saint from Peru and she liked the picture.  Lots of high level reasoning on this one, huh? 

We're pretty boring in general these days.  I've taken to trying to rest as much as I can, but I may have jinxed my own luck, after merrily responding to questions about sleep and comfort with, "I'm very blessed; I've been sleeping great!" Until 2 nights ago when I stopped sleeping well. Another great example as to why mother's have a short memory.

Elizabeth is still biting the heads and faces of the baby dolls that we work to lovingly introduce; but when her sweet 2 month-old cousin, Brandon, visited yesterday, she was all eyes and seemed to recognize the difference between plastic and skin. Thank Goodness!  Molly did find her curled up inside of Brandon's carseat, yanking on his toys and clamoring for his bottle and pacifier.  But...when he made any sad sounds, she perked up and looked equally distraught on his behalf. Very sweet to see her concern.  He's such a great baby; I was thrilled they made the trip and helped get E used to babies.

Thanks again for all of the well wishes!!! We are so fortunate to have loving family and friends helping at all corners.

xoxo
The Slaugs

Quick trip to Whole Foods & Some Hats

We couldn't help ourselves!

Cold in the cold

We have been sick so often this winter, why?!?! 

Disclaimer: this might sound selfish...

I used to carry the opinion that germs exist and I can't prevent or bubble my kids forever, so I might as well get used to it.

That was before the first cold of the winter. Now, after finishing up our third cold so far this winter, I am adamant about not wanting to get another cold if I can help it. Why the intense change of heart? Colds generously provide sleepless nights for baby and parents, special diets that result in food spoiling, extra laundry with the added hydration creating more leaks in bedding and clothing, messing with maps (perhaps even deleting them all together-read: pure insanity for everyone), parents fighting off the same bugs and the generally miserable babies for quite a while.

So with a belly that prohibits a crying baby from sitting on my lap to snuggle with her stuffy and snotty face, and a mom who can't take over the counter cold remedies, forgive me in advanced for being a crazy cold avoiding mom.

Xoxo

Mary

What is this obsession with ice?!?!

We just solved this mystery...

Whenever Ellie is allowed to drink from an adult glass, which she does rather adeptively, she has started to stick her hand down into the liquid to grab or search for ice. It's a game to her, and she loves it. We don't.
Well, as I sat asking myself why she insists on clamoring for the ice chunks, I haphazardly popped one into my own mouth. C'Mon, Mom! She has been imitating me. I haven't even been adding liquid to my glasses, just crushed ice. I chew it (yes, I know it's bad for teeth...but it has helped me to stay hydrated and really quells nauses.

Lesson: look to yourself first, Moms, when you can't figure out a wacky behavior.

Tented

Yes, we love the tent that Nana gave us for our birthday...Dave often invites her in before bedtime for a book or snuggle.

While not all that flattering of a pose, it's at least an accurate look at her lounge style.

Tricky little hands!

After mass two weekends ago, we headed to the hospital to visit our new nephew.

While watching the Steelers game in the waiting lounge (thus, the serious face...it was the final drive and Pittsburgh was behind), Dave felt something in his pocket.

Ahuh, she pinched the tag/sign that the ushers wear at church.

Oh the pride...

Sleeping Days

I became nostalgic when I came across this picture recently...it's of my beautiful sleeping baby...intense nostalgia because she has stopped napping all together.  It's not a new game and it's certainly not funny!  She snagged a cold, popped a tooth, became pacifier-less and has decided to strike this awfulness with a no-nap-sit-in.

We ditched the pacifiers since it's impossible for these bimbas to breathe through their noses with a cold, and the pacifiers keep them from being able to sleep well - since they're so accustomed to it.  We're on day 8 right now...she doesn't seem to mind missing them as much as the general jackhammering it's done to her schedule.

Dave thinks she looks big in this shot...probably just the angle.  :)

Don't tell her, but she's got a good chance of winning this fight!

The Best Part of Weekend Mornings...

...is that at least there's homemade lattes! Thanks to the mukka bialetti from our wedding...we enjoy a hot cup during Sunday Morning and the Philly Inquirer...mmm...

Here Dave takes a sip of a fresh cappuccino!

How much I love my daughter

Disclaimer: mush, emotional third trimester mama authoring this post.

After reading through several old posts, I noticed that I make a lot of fun of the different trials of motherhood as well as the daily humor a new baby provides.  But there seems to only be a modicum of love-fest posts, and so this one is long overdue.

Top ten reasons I love Elizabeth:
1.) She thinks I have magic powers.
2.) She lights up my world and makes me smile by doing nothing at all.
3.) She calls me, "mama"
4.) She does the Frankenstein shuffle...eyes closed out of complete despair, she stretches her arms up and forward with a heavy footed lean toward me as pathetically sweet as only a child to wants to be 'saved' can be. Albeit the 'saving' isn't always so dangerous...exhaustion, hunger pangs, a crumbled cookie that the dog ate when she dropped it...you know, important stuff.
5.) She bounced in her crib waiting for me to scoop her up after she wakes. My parents tell me she plays a giggly game of keep away when they go in to pick her up.
6.) She seemed to be completely tuned in that Killian was dying, insistant on trying to cuddle with him, drink her bottle while lying on him and just being around him. (This will always be special to me since Killian passed away that night.)
7.) She loves my cooking and her Daddy's homemade bread.
8.) Whenever she hears Dave's voice, she runs to either try and grab the phone from my hands or  heads for the front door repeating the Frankenstein. (I love how much she adores her Daddy. It makes my heart smile.)
9.) She loves her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. She might need 5 minutes to mentally verify that they are not imposters, but then she just follows them around...from room to room...
10.) Just when I think she's nodded off, either in her crib or the car, I hear that high pitched jubilant, "Hi!".

My sweet, loving, little, first born has the patent for germinating more love every day. (As I'm sure most mothers feel.) I feel exponentially blessed to have been given this child. And it surely must be real, since she gave me the nasty flu we've both been combating this week!

I love you so very much, Elizabeth Grace; we can't wait to see how inseparable you and your little sister will be.

Thank you for all of the love you put in our lives.

Mary