is this thing on?

Well. That was a nice nap.

Today Zoe laughed, really laughed for the first time. Its already midnight, so I should say yesterday Januray 9th, 2008 for the record. She's been giggling for awhile, even in her sleep since she was a few weeks old. But today I held her on the couch and Piper ran up, grabbed Zoe's pacifer and propelled it backwards from the couch, in an experiment I assume. And Zoe laughed! She made this loud gasping laugh and did it over and over as I laughed which made Piper laugh. She really only laughed at Piper, I tried to recreate it, and soon Brandon tried, but she laughed at Piper.

Piper's first laugh was at our church retreat, the last weekend of August 2006, for the record. I was holding her on a swing while some of the church kids played on the playground. The kids were running in front of us back and forth swinging and just as suddenly Piper was making the same gasping laugh. I'm glad I still remember that to record it.

So back to Halloween. We went to the Oelzes party for all of an hour before our tiny flower children wilted. Actually they were a pink leopard of some variety and a ghost (its what Walmart had last minute - I had a 3 week old and a toddler/baby.)

Thanksgiving went well. It was Thanksmas as we celebrated the two big holidays at once with Brandon's parents. They then left for South Asia in mid-December and will be back next week. Piper ate at the kids table for the first time. Zoe enjoyed the baby papasan.

I'm not sure how these are the only pictures we have of Christmas. Brandon tells me that we've got video. Piper got a shopping cart. Zoe got some blocks that she is not yet old enough to enjoy. We have new floors!

Piper also told her first story. She and Zoe share a nursery. Its worked out really well at night. I'm still not sure about naps. Zoe woke up from her nap early and obviously cried. Brandon went in to get her and left Piper in her crib. She was awake and played for awhile. When I went in to get she she smiled, grabbed the crib rails to stand up and proclaimed "Zoe! Cry! Daddy!" Pronouns and verbs!

I feel better having finally posted. I've got to go bed, what am I thinking staying up this late?

We've been working on some new moves...

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

photos and a bedtime story

First the photos.

Zoe awake at about 9 days old, and Piper playing last week. For Piper, sunglasses are a favorite accessory, but are never to be worn. They are for peek-a-boo games.

Now the bedtime story.

Piper likes her crib. In the mornings, and after naps, she wants to spend at least 20 minutes in her crib playing, and is not happy if I come get her too soon. Lately when she's tired she tries to climb IN to the crib. Its very amusing. Tonight I was tending to Zoe so Brandon put her to sleep. I kissed her goodnight, and she and he sat in the reading chair for the routine: read, turn off light, go to bed. Usually the parent is in charge and walks the child through this. Tonight, though, tonight less than a minute after I shut the door, Piper leaned over to the touch lamp, turned off the light, hopped out of Brandon's lap, walked to her crib in the dark and started trying to climb in saying "night night, night night." That's my girl.

she's here!

She's actually been here awhile, I'm just finally crawling back to the computer. Two babies is harder than just one. Anyway, we had a WILD first week complete with rogue epidurals, an ER trip and MRI, a ruptured eardrum, sinus infections, jaundice, and lasers. But, its been three weeks and we are getting the hang of it, I think. Sleeping is non-existent as expected, but Zoe is a great eater, nursing is okay for me, and Piper is attacking less and kissing more. Here's a picture.

Zoe Elizabeth

9/24/07, 4:54 pm

8 lbs, 1 oz.

20 inches

new life

I’m due to have our Zoe three weeks from tomorrow. She’s estimated (on the ultrasound machine) to weigh this very minute, six pounds 15 ounces. Piper was born weighing seven pounds one ounce. There’s not much difference there. Two ounces.

In the picture you see a profile of her face, and she’s got a tiny hand in her tiny mouth. I also thought it was extremely cute that the other hand at the time was down holding on to a foot. That machine is so very cool. So, here’s to three weeks and a bigger baby!

the sweetest chickie

little nests

Before Brandon I was unaware of all the different types of nests one person can make. I really thought the practice was "handled" fairly well by birds, and that nests were primarily for holding small families of birds until everyone was too big to fit. Then all fly away and the nest is no longer of use…to the birds. I was frighteningly informed once that sometimes snakes use old nests to shed their skin, and if a person happens to be trimming shrubs in which a such squatted nest contains said shedding snake, the snake will quickly make its presence known before slithering (eeeeeeeeeeeeeek) off into some nearby grass. I didn’t like that moment.

Nests made by people. Having been married for a few years I’ve learned a great deal about nests and human behavior. Nests can be made of just about anything a person is continually in contact with: socks, undershirts, books, envelopes, and sadly dirty dishes. Not to be misunderstood; a nest isn’t just a pile of stuff you left around, it’s an unusually specific pile of stuff you leave around, in a place that stuff wouldn’t or shouldn’t normally be left, i.e. a pile of dirty dishes on the floor of one’s office.

Recently I’ve discovered that our sweet little family has begun to make nests together. Tonight I found a shoe nest in the middle of the floor of the kitchen. I’m really not sure how there happened to be a shoe nest in the middle of the kitchen floor, but I loved that nest and recorded it here. The shoe nest seemed just as sweet a recording of our family these days, as a portrait taken by any glamorous photographer. So here is our family, according to the little nest we made together.