saturday outing

We made the most of our Saturday now that we are feeling better and the weather is nice. We enjoyed lunch at the Cantina on Devine. Although it's a Mexican restaurant, Emma Jane ordered chicken fingers and tator tots. She has become an expert "dipper" and had loads of fun dipping her food in honey mustard. Vivi slept soundly throughout our meal. We then took a stroll around the Capitol grounds. It's a great place for Emma Jane to run and safely have a little freedom. Vivi even made a short appearance outside of the carseat. She took a bottle and then timidly looked around squinting in the sunlight. It was so nice to get out and have some fun together. Hopefully spring is on its way!

green means go

Emma Jane has become a constant chatterbox and incessantly questions everything around her. Although this can be quite exhausting for those of us who are expected to respond to her every word (she won't stop asking until she gets an answer!), some of the things she says are just so darn cute. This post will be the first of many Emma Jane conversations, I'm sure.

This was our conversation on the way home from school today.

EJ: Mom, green means go!
Me: Yes, it does, honey.
EJ: Mom, green means go!
Me: I know, sweetheart, you're right.
EJ: Mom, greens means go!

This is when I realized that we were indeed sitting at a green light waiting to turn left. She didn't understand why we weren't moving when the light was clearly green!

Continuation of the same conversation:

EJ: Mom, red means stop.
Me: Yep, that's right!
EJ: Mom, yellow means slow down.
Me: Yes, it does, sweetpea. Good thinking!
EJ: What does black mean, mom?
Me: Well, the traffic lights are only red, green, and yellow. There is no black.
EJ: What does black mean, mom?
Me: There isn't a black light, Emma Jane.
EJ: What does black mean, mom?

This is when I realized that the black she was referring to was the color of the lights not currently in use. She is one observant little girl! Although she obviously hasn't learned how to reword her question more specifically to ensure others understand what she is asking, she is determined to find out the answer no matter how many times she has to ask.

zoo day

After a full week of sickness, we finally got the girls out of the house for a quick trip to the zoo. This was Vivi's first zoo experience and I'm pretty sure she had no idea she was there. Our little peanut closed her eyes as soon as we buckled her in her car seat and didn't open them again until we got home! Emma Jane, on the other hand, was very aware of where we were going and what she planned to do when we got there. She was given a map at the zoo entrance and immediately told us we were going straight to the merry-go-round! She found a picture of the merry-go-round on the map and said, "There it is! Let's go! I think it's that way!" Fortunately we had to pass several animal exhibits on the way to the merry-go-round, so we were able to distract her from her goal momentarily. She half-heartedly checked out the animals we passed and reminded us to keep moving! When she finally spotted the merry-go-round spinning in the distance, she shouted, "Stop merry-go-round! Wait for me!" After a few excruciating minutes of waiting in line, Emma Jane finally got to ride the merry-go-round with her daddy. Of course, my camera battery died just as I was getting ready to take their picture! Even though Emma Jane didn't quite understand that the purpose of going to the zoo is to see the animals, she was finally able to release some of that pent-up energy that has been building all week and is sound asleep in her bed as I write this.

a surprise package

Our girls were surprised to get an early Valentine's Day package from Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill yesterday. Emma Jane LOVES to get packages and she ooohs and aaahs at everything inside. Grandma Jane has been busy sewing and using her new embroidery machine. She made both Emma Jane and Vivi special Valentine blankets with matching beanbag frogs. She also made them cute matching pajama pants. Emma Jane was excited to get her very own Disney princess Tervis tumbler. Drinking out of it without spilling everywhere will be our next challenge! Emma Jane and her daddy were also happy to find icing cookies and heart-shaped marshmallows inside the box. Even though it was before dinner, I allowed Emma Jane to have a few marshmallows. She kindly shared some with her new beanbag frog. Of course, as always, Emma Jane liked playing with the box that everything came in. Vivian was just happy to witness all the excitement!

special visitor

Emma Jane's godmother came to see us last week. "Aunt" Scott got to see what a typical week is like for us. We took her to Emma Jane's preschool, ballet class, and our neighborhood playground. Vivian was showered with lots of love from Scott too! It was great to see one of my closest friends AND have an extra pair of hands to help me with these sweet girls.

come and play!

We had a great time visiting with friends this weekend. Emma Jane entertained Addie and Kaitlyn in our playroom on Saturday. Even Vivi got to have some fun with her buddy Evan. We love hanging out with our friends!

our girls

Vivian had her two month well-check last week. She weighed 9 pounds, 14 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long. We are glad to see her gaining weight and almost up to 10 pounds. Although her weight gain is slow, she is still growing! The past few days she has been eating more and keeping more down. She is still in that newborn phase of eating, sleeping, eating, sleeping, but her periods of wakefulness are increasing. This girl does not like bath time! She fusses throughout her baths most of the time. Like most babies, she loves to be held and cuddled, but she is also content in her swing or the car seat. We enjoy the changes we see in our sweet Vivi each day.

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed



brrrr....bathtime is not fun!



hurry and dry me off!



Emma Jane continues to be a darling bis sister. She loves to put her face up to Vivi's because she thinks Vivi is kissing her. She constantly wants to tickle Vivi's toes or hold her hands. When she's not being the sugary sweet big sister, she is finding all kinds of things to keep her busy. Emma Jane loves crafts, especially painting. Oh the messes she can make while painting! Playing outside is still her first choice, but our time outside is limited due to the cold weather. Since we are stuck inside most of the time, we probably watch too much tv. Emma Jane's favorite shows are Olivia and Curious George. We love to watch her running around dancing and singing the theme songs to the shows. She'll even sit on the floor intently watching a show and then tell us all about it when it's over. Her enthusiasm is infectious and we love her spunk!

quiet and still...



...but not for long!

content

Our little Vivi has been struggling with acid reflux since the day she was born. Like most babies, her days revolve around feedings and sleep, but the feedings are much more challenging for her. She wakes up hungry and lets us know right away...nothing wrong with her lungs! She vigorously drinks her milk and gets really angry when you stop to burp her. We have to limit her intake since so much of what she drinks inevitably comes back up. This REALLY makes her mad! If she is able to keep down most of it after several minutes, we try to give her some more. It's heartwrenching to see her fight so hard to do something that should be so simple for her. Eventually she falls asleep, exhausted from it all. Finally seeing her content is such a relief. I love to see her sleeping so peacefully.