BACK UP

It started out as a smooth morning ... by 6:17 am I was ready for work ... the daily bottles were prepared, the kids clothes laid out, lunch packed, and my morning coffee was brewing. I had an extra three minutes before it was time to wake the kids and get breakfast started. I glanced down at my phone and saw that I had missed a call from Miss Emmy. She was ill today and couldn't watch my munchkins! With no sick time left after my three month maternity leave, I frantically called our employee back-up center and was reminded that it was a busy spring break week. Nearly an hour later I received a call that they had "made arrangements" and could take the kids from 9:30-3:30. And so it was. With some juggling of a few patients, it all turned out okay.

JP hasn't been to the backup center since last fall (and since then he's graduated into the toddler room!) and AA had never been ... I was a little nervous about how they would do. Little AA barely napped but "smiled all day." And JP was "super." He napped for his normal time (don't ask me how when they have ten cribs lined up together!) and played well. I smiled when I read his "report card" about his meals:

Food eaten and amount:

11:15 tator tot hotdish (all), oranges (most), milk

3:15 cinnamon tortilla (all x2!), juice (most)

I don't think they had a chance to record cinnamon tortilla #3 and #4 ... when I went to pick him up he was eating two girls' snack!

HANDS AND FEET

Over the last few weeks my AA has definitely changed from an infant to a baby. She's discovered her hands and feet ... and she's learning how to reach for objects. AA hasn't rolled over yet, but she is so close! She loves to sit upright and stand on my lap. We set up JP's old activity jumper over the weekend (and I said good-bye to my adultish looking living room for the next six months!). She immediately was mesmerized by the little green frog (just like JP was!).

(although not quite as mesmerized as she is with her little dolly ...

or, of course, the flash of my camera!)

PLAYMATES

I don't think JP remembers life as an only child. He took a liking to his little sister immediately and continues to adore her. As AA continues to grow, JP is able to reap the benefits of having a sibling so close to his age more and more ... he's gaining a lifelong playmate! He's the king of the world now. AA just sits and watches his every move ... she coos and smiles and never tries to take his toys. She doesn't fuss when JP uses her as a little ramp for his trucks and cars. She laughs when he's dancing and she gets upset when he cries.

Although having kids this close in age wasn't exactly part of my original plan, I just couldn't imagine life any other way.

I can't wait to witness the two of them grow up together.

I know my days will be filled with plenty of challenges ...

I hope to become a good referee!

But for now ... I'll just soak in the love they have for one another!

RELAXING DAY

And, once again, the cold weather kept us inside for most of this sunny Saturday. We enjoyed sleeping in*
(*meaning 6:45 a.m. ... which actually is sleeping in!)

and enjoying the good company of our friends C and S!

What a relaxing day!

HAND ME DOWNS

One of the benefits of having neighbors with grown children is ... hand-me-downs! We've graciously accepted Halloween costumes to last a lifetime, puzzles, tunnels, toys, and ... a BIG jeep. This beauty has been sitting in our garage all winter. Last week A hunted high and low to find a battery for this gem. He was so excited to teach JP how to drive. We let JP sit in the car for some time before showing him the gas pedal.

But ... just like I predicted ... JP preferred to push the car instead. A's still trying to cope!

GIRLS VS. BOYS

I'm not sure who had more fun this weekend ... the girls doing wedding dress shopping
and bridal shower attending ...

OR

the boys attending the Minneapolis Auto Show!

BLACK IRISH

Last year on JP's blog I wrote:

"I've loved this day since I was a kid! Year after year, the tiny leprechauns found their way to our house on St. Patrick's Day and dyed our milk green. My brothers and I thought it was so much fun to eat cereal with green milk for breakfast! I'll have to continue this tradition when JP gets a little older (somehow I don't think Miss Emmy would appreciate bottles of green breastmilk this year!)

A few years ago, my (younger) wise brother informed me that a more precise term for our heritage is "Black Irish." I laughed when he first told me as he tried to convince me this was the reason why we are darker skinned and have dark hair. Of course, he put the term into Wikipedia and found "Black Irish is a traditional but not very factual term that is commonly used among Irish communities to describe a dark brown/black hair phenotype appearing in Caucasian people of Irish descent."

Throughout my pregnancy, I wavered on whether my moving babe was a male or female. I didn't spend much time contemplating my future babe's look though ... I was just certain that (s)he would carry on with the Black Irish ancestry and have dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. I just knew it. These were the dominant genes, right?

Wrong. Somehow JP came into this world with blonde hair and blue eyes." And throughout the past year, his eyes have grown even more blue and his hair even more blonde!

And so the questions continued when I was pregnant with AA ... would the Black Irish genes pull through or would I have another recessive gened babe??? This was the daily topic of conversation with my mom!

And here she is ... my olive skinned, dark hair, blue eyed babe. Only time will tell which of these traits she'll keep!

CARS, AND TRUCKS, AND BOYS, OH MY

As I tiptoed into JP's room last night to check on him before going to bed myself, I nearly burst out in laughter. My sweet son was sound asleep ... but was chanting "cars, cars, cars, cars, cars" in the cutest little voice imaginable! I smiled all day today just thinking of him! And tonight we arrived home to a BIG package on our front doorstep. JP helped AA open her package before quickly tackling his ...

Great Aunt H and Great Uncle M from Colorado sent JP his very own "biiiiggg dump twack"!

We're told it's very similar to the one Boppa A played with when he was a boy.

I wonder what JP will dream about tonight!

GENES

"She looks just like you," many tell me.

"She looks just like A," many more tell me.

"She has your eyes," say several.

"She has A's nose," say several more.

No matter where we go, this babe elicits comments from everyone who are determined to peg her maternal vs. paternal characteristics. I'm not very good at this game ... although I'm certain that AA's inherited my fingers, A's charm, my stubbornness, and A's chin. And, well, I better not say who gave AA the gene for her

male pattern baldness!

THREE MONTHS OLD

Justlook
who

turned

THREE

months

this

week!

LONG WEEK

We made it!

If I survived this week, I can do anything, right? My first week back; A away the ENTIRE week (due to some lovely airplane mechanical failures); JP's emerging molars; and AA's bottle fiasco. Whew ... I'm beat! And I'm so thankful to have Fridays off!

BACK TO WORK

I cannot even begin to count the number of times I thought about kissing my cute babies during my first two days back at work!

We are all surviving! Miss Emmy tells me that the kids have done great ... AA is scarfing down her bottles without fussing! She's napped well and just loves all of the noise. JP hasn't acted any differently with his little sister in tow. Whew. I've enjoyed seeing friends at work and cleaning out the cobwebs in my brain!

But ... I definitely have some adjusting to do! With A away this whole week, I've been challenged with getting us all out of the door clothed, fed, and ready for the day by 7:15 a.m. The bigger challenge is after work ... racing to pick up the kids on time, making dinner, bathing, and bedtime by 7:00 p.m. How do single parents do this?! I just don't get enough awake time with them! Thank goodness for three day weekends!

TOMORROW

Tomorrow is March 7th. This date has been on my mind since I started my maternity leave in early December. It's funny how those two words can cause such a flood of emotions. Tomorrow I return to work. Tomorrow I get to be a professional again wearing suits and high heeled shoes using big people language. Tomorrow I will be reunited with colleagues and friends and patients. Tomorrow I will be challenged intellectually.

And tomorrow I will miss my kids like crazy.

Although there were definitely some long nights and long days, all in all these last 12 weeks flew by. I really tried to soak in each moment. I witnessed my sweet JP become a big brother. Over the last three months he has really grown from a baby to a little boy. I am so thankful I was home during this transition helping him in his new role.

And I still cannot believe I have a baby girl! She brings me so much joy (and anxiety!). I've tried my hardest to attend to her needs and lay the foundation for her development. AA learns something new each day. She is full of life and smiles. I will always cherish this wonderful time I've had discovering who she is and attempting to learn how she works.

When we were at the science museum the other day I saw this quote on the wall and instantly felt my eyes fill with tears:

It's totally what I've discovered on my maternity leave. My kids have taught me so many things. I'm just so blessed to have such a healthy and loving family!

I just pray that I can find that delicate balance between work and family soon!

VICTORY

Ding-ding-ding-ding ...

we have ourselves a winner ...

round #2 (actually more like #87!) goes to ... mamma!

After rejecting her morning bottle and a few attempts at her noon bottle, I took reign! With a new bottle system in hand, I combined many suggestions I received over the last 24 hours ... AA was stripped down to her onesie, propped in front of the mirror in her vibrating chair, and she listened to me sing in a loud baby voice ... as she latched on and never stopped until the bottle was empty! She then screamed for more milk! I hurried to the kitchen to heat up more and she again scarfed it down. Pure joy!

For her next feeding she fussed just one time, and then took a bottle from A! (And she was actually clothed and in his arms).

Whew.