FROG BOOTS!

Hallie asked her Daddy for frog boots, so he ordered her some. They came yesterday, and she is VERY proud of them. Here she is ready for school this morning.

For Nana

Because Sara is sitting and scooting, Nana was very concerned that we hadn't lowered her bed. So, Nana, this post is for you. We lowered her bed on Saturday. You can sleep soundly. :)

Bridal Shower for Melissa

Melissa's shower on Saturday morning was really fun. We ended up having beautiful weather and a great group of guests!

First Pedicure for My Little Prissy Pot

I have to admit, I thought Hallie would be a little older the first time we painted her toenails. But she really wanted her toes painted like her Juju's this weekend, so Juju carefully (and quickly) painted all of Hallie's toenails, while Hallie sat very still and watched the whole process. She even sat still for a few minutes so they could dry!

Hallie was very proud of her pedicure and couldn't wait to put on her squeaky pink sandals to complete the look. She has periodically said "Toes?" throughout the day so that we could all oooh and ahhh about them.

And just so you know...even though she asked, I drew the line at her fingernails!

Charlie!

I got some serious snuggle-time with Charlie this weekend. :)

Scooting Around

Sara is really trying to crawl. But so far she only manages to go backwards. She "backed herself into a corner" today and Mommy had to come get her out.

Park!

The ice cream man stopped at the park, and Hallie and Juju shared a popsicle.

Sara liked swinging with Mommy. In fact, she liked it so much she sang the whole time.

Chillin' in the stroller, watching her sister play.

Charlie slept his way through the park for the most part.

A Little Bipolar

My Sara is the snuggliest little thing in the whole wide world. With her extremely kissable cheeks, she's just plain fun to cuddle with. She also smiles and coos at me all the time. Unless, of course, it's between the hours of midnight and 5:30 am, at which time she is M-A-D. At me, Jason, and at the rest of the world. Just consider yourself warned: these days, we have a little werewolf at our house.

We went for her followup appointment with the ENT today so he could look at her tubes. He explained that a lot of people and babies hurt more at night, have higher fevers at night, etc. He said this is because our body's natural steroids are produced at lower levels at night. I don't know if that's true or not, but it certainly explains how Sara can be all kinds of upset about 5 am and then ready to play and grinning from ear to ear at 6:30 am. Her "steroids" have ramped up then, I guess.

Anyway, her ears are looking better (she was diagnosed with ANOTHER ear infection on Wednesday and has been on an antibiotic and ear drops ever since), so that is encouraging. Maybe the nighttime blues will subside too--one can dream, anyway.

Drama. Queen.

Hallie fell this week and skinned her knee. She is currently wearing the world's biggest band-aid, courtesy of Aunt Heather.

Jason said when he took her to school the other day, she hopped out of the car, walked to the door, and as soon as he opened the door, her leg went stiff. She proceeded to limp into school and tell everyone who would listen about her "boo boo."

In other news, when Jason picked her up yesterday, her teacher said that they had been working on "gentle hands" with Hallie. Decoded version: Hallie had been hitting her "friend" Claire all day for no apparent reason. Great.

Party for Michael and Joanie

We took the girls to a reception for Michael Berg and his new bride Joanie on Saturday. Hallie ate (no exaggeration at all) at least 12 wedding cookies. Unfortunately, they were within her reach, and she knew it! Every time I turned around she was grabbing another one. We had a great time and are happy for the Berg family!

Sara Playing

Nana and Papa gave Sara this toy for Christmas, and she has recently discovered it. She loves it!

Congratulations to my Husband

We've had a busy week or two with all the illnesses, so I haven't had the chance to post that Jason has accepted a new job! He will be working for Protective Life Insurance, as a wholesaler. He'll be calling on specific financial advisors in Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. He'll probably have to be away from home one night or two per week, so please pray for us as we make this transition.

But we are excited about this new opportunity, and I am very proud of his success at the bank, his courage in trying something new, and his unceasing desire to work hard to take care of his family.

Love you, honey, and congrats!

Dangerous Arts & Crafts

The school called me at work on Monday. Since it was Sara's first day back in a week, I groaned and answered the phone, assuming she was being sent home sick again. But no, it was a call about Hallie.

While Miss Toni was cutting pieces of popsicle sticks for an art project, she accidentally dropped one on the floor. So Hallie picked it up and put it in her nose. Far up her nose. So far, in fact, that it got stuck.

So, I left work with my tweezers and went to the school, where I performed minor surgery to remove the piece of wood from Hallie's nose. To Hallie's credit, she laid completely still and let me get it out, and it took quite a little while. Hallie said, "Thank you, Mommy." She got up and was ready to play.

Hallie needs to just stick to kick ball--it's much safer than art projects!

Definite Ideas

My girls have strong opinions, which is not at all shocking. But sometimes their expressions of those opinions crack me up.

The other day Jason was getting Hallie dressed for school when I overheard her say, "Eat a cookie?" Jason said, "No, we're not going to eat a cookie for breakfast." Hallie's response (in a really sweet voice), "But I want one."

To his credit, Jason did not cave and give her the cookie. But boy does Hallie know her audience!

I got a call from the day care yesterday afternoon. They wanted to know if they could give Sara some more food. I must have sounded confused, because the teacher explained that she had already eaten both of her bottles and two containers of baby food, which is her allotted amount of food each day at school. But when another baby got to eat later in the afternoon, Sara apparently pointed at the food and screamed until they gave her some.

Of course I told them to give her some more food, which Jason said was all over her face when he picked her up. But hey--she was happy.

Grudge

Hallie was bitten by one of her "friends" today. Twice, in fact. Not to worry--she's fine.

But not to hear her tell it! When Jason arrived to pick her up this afternoon, she flew to the door with her most wounded expression, announcing, "Boo Boo!" And then she proceeded to tell him who did it.

I don't know that she and her "friend" are on speaking terms. Maybe by the time she goes back to school on Monday she will have forgiven him.

Diagnosis

Jason took Sara to the pediatrician again today, after almost three months of wheezing and congestion. She has been diagnosed with "baby asthma," and the doctor prescribed her an inhaler and a steroid, in addition to the oral antibiotic and ear drops she is already taking. She is still running a low-grade fever, but they are not concerned about it and believe it to be a side effect of the surgery, asthma, and cold that she has. For such a sickly little thing, she's been pretty sweet, and she only woke up once last night and the night before. I can't complain about that.

But please pray for Martha and Julie, as they are keeping the girls this weekend. Pray that Sara will feel better and Hallie will be on her best behavior. Hallie is VERY excited about seeing her Nana, so that should help!

Sara Loves...

Since I don't really keep a baby book for my girls (I use the blog to remember their little triumphs and stories), I thought I'd post a list of Sara's favorite things. Having been in the world for seven months now, she has some definite opinions. :)

Sara Loves...

--to grab Mommy's hair and jewelry.
--to watch Archie. She laughs when he walks in the room.
--Hallie. She's Sara's favorite.
--to sit in the floor. She's very impressed with her own ability to sit up.
--to squirm. Holding her is a workout.
--riding (sleeping) in the car.
--spitting and blowing bubbles.
--all baby food, indiscriminately.
--the television, no matter how hard I try to avoid letting her watch it.
--boys of all ages. She and her sister agree on this.
--baths, especially with Hallie.

Sara is less-than-enthused about a few things as well (getting dressed, being alone in a room for even a minute, and loud noises, for instance). She's also not as in love with the concept of sleep as her sister is. But she is a generally agreeable baby--when she hasn't just had ear surgery--and we love to hear her chuckle, babble, and (yes, even) blow spit bubbles.

You Know You Woke Up Too Early When...

you dress your toddler in your infant's clothes.

When I went to pick Hallie up from school yesterday, she looked strange. And then I realized: she was wearing Sara's pants. That's right. Purple pants that looked like capris, white socks, and brown shoes. She was quite a sight.

I didn't see this ensemble until yesterday afternoon because my sweet dad came and stayed with Hallie, dressed her, and took her to school while we went to the hospital with Sara. Apparently when I laid out Hallie's outfit yesterday morning at the crack of dawn, I got a little confused.

The funniest part of this, though, was Miss Toni's reaction this morning. When I mentioned to her that Hallie's pants yesterday were actually her sister's, she howled. She told me that when Hallie arrived yesterday, she looked at herself in the mirror, and "that color was workin' for her." Hallie reportedly very much liked her look, and Miss Toni had her strutting down the hallway (which Miss Toni demonstrated for me). Miss Toni says that Hallie is America's Next Top Model.

The lesson here: Hallie likes tight pants. This does not bode well for the future.

Tubes

Sara got tubes this morning and is at home today resting with her daddy. She was pretty fussy when she woke up from the anesthesia, but she didn't have any complications and all looks well. She had an ear infection in her left ear this morning (which she has had for many weeks now, despite treatment from three different antibiotics), but that should clear up shortly with the use of some drops the doctor gave us. I am anxious to see if getting the tubes will relieve Sara of her ear infection woes like they did for Hallie. Here's hoping they do!

Snowball Fight

Snow Day!

Aunt Heather and Uncle James spent the night last night so they could be snowed in with us. As you can see, Hallie loved playing in the snow this morning. Sara wasn't so sure about all the cold wetness.

Party for Melissa and Austin

Melissa and Austin had their first wedding party last night. It was an around-the-clock shower.

Carla

We enjoyed meeting our friend Carla for breakfast Saturday morning!