The big girls

I am operating a shuttle service now.  First I take Nora to St. Matthew's by 8:30 then I drop Alena off at Erskine.  Nora gets picked up at 11:30 and Alena at 3:45.  Edith lives in her car seat.  But she loves her car seat!  She likes riding in the fancy new minivan and it usually puts her to sleep.  Some mornings she will sleep in the car seat the entire morning from drop off and doesn't get out until after we pick Nora up.  Having an attached garage is great!  Nora doesn't bother even getting shoes or a coat on for the afternoon pick up (which saves about 5 minutes of complaining.) She will walk barefoot across the garage floor to the van and get in by herself.  But when we get home, she insists the floor is too cold.  Alena brings her bag into the house and goes back to carry Nora inside.

The weather finally warmed up to 25 degrees.  I took the big girls into the woods at the end of the street.  Alena wanted to climb every fallen tree she could find.  They also have been making forts and sometimes use the trampoline as a zoo with lots of stuffed animals.  I found "Alena's list of things to do": wrestle, hug, meeting, smell KB (kitty blanket), surprise Nora, fort, get warm, and sneaking for snacks at night (which received the most stars. I don't know what snacks she was sneaking.)  Alena loves to lay on the register and get really warm.  She frequently sleeps without a shirt, which is probably why she is cold in the first place.  Sometimes when I go up for the night and go around to check on the girls Alena is missing from her bed.  Locations she has been found: on the register in the family room, the foot of our bed, a tent in Nora's room, behind the glider in Edith's room, and in Edith's crib.  Daddy is in charge of returning her to bed for the night.

Grumpus

Edith was giving the name "Grumpus" because she can be pretty grumpy.  She is 8 weeks now, and has gotten happier, but right before bed she cannot be satisfied.  She has been known to scream for an hour for no apparent reason.  Daddy jokes that her bottom eyelids come up instead of her top ones going down when she is really mad.  She will look at us in the eye and then scream.  This way she can let us know that it is us that is the cause of her rage.  Usually she finally goes to sleep around 9 and is still getting up twice in the night.  When she isn't grumpy she is pretty happy.  She smiles and coos and really likes to lay on the ground and kick her legs.  Nora loves to try to make her happy and so does Alena when she gets home from school.

Big sisters

Edith's big sisters love her.  Her she is eating breakfast with Alena and Nora.  They waved American flags to amuse her.  She is very patriotic already!  Both girls have been a big help keeping Edith happy.  She will lay on the floor and kick, and her sisters will talk to her and give her toys.  She can't quite grab them yet, but it won't be long.  Nora calls her, "my baby." Nora also loves to sing. (Especially when she is in the bathroom.)  The other morning she was singing, "My Baby Girl" to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree" to a very captive little sis.  Another morning she had Edith follow me around the kitchen by pushing Edith in her bassinet.  Edith really thought that was funny.

 

The big girls do like to sneak away.  If all is quiet, it usually means that they are on the tablet playing a game or trying to watch their favorite show, Zoboomafoo.  Here their shirts are off because they got really hot jumping on the trampoline.

Ruby is a big sister too.  Ruby likes to sit on my lap while Edith is nursing and will snuggle into Edith's back.  Sometimes she is unappreciated!

Nora is always giving Edith Puppy.  I think Puppy is taking a nap here and is wearing a sleep mask.

The girls thought Edith should have some hair accessories.  She is 7 weeks and still has all of her hair.  She was so happy that they were playing with her!  Grandma Diane made the girls matching pajamas for Christmas.

Happy birthday to me!

It was another cold birthday with wind chills -20.  We decided to stay around the house and celebrate.  The neighbors invited us over for lunch.  Rowan received foam blocks for Christmas.  The kids made a foam pit with two old couches as walls and a mattress on the floor.  There were 4 4 year olds and Alena jumping in the pit.  It is officially the best basement in town, and makes our trampoline look boring in comparison.

Daddy made a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.  It was very delicious!  Aunt Kristina came to eat supper with us and celebrate.  Alena was unfortunately not feeling well and didn't even want cake.  She was laying in front of the fireplace and I went to sit with her.  All of a sudden, she vomited on the floor.  Kristina used her nursing training to quickly grab a bowl.  Alena felt much better after that!  Kristina's boyfriend Aaron came by to pick her up and the story didn't deter him from enjoying a piece of cake.  The night ended pretty well with Edith sleeping her longest stretch yet, 10 - 4:30.

Daddy had flowers and a chocolate cupcake delivered from Hy-Vee on Friday.  We were just returning from the library when we got the surprise.  I shared with Nora.

Edith eats out

Edith went out to eat for the first time on Friday night, a day shy of her 6 week birthday.  Alena and Nora had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa Jensen's house, so Edith, Daddy, and I went to The Lost Cuban.  She slept in her car seat under the table for the entire meal.  It was a pleasant night out.  I think she slept so well because she was wearing a cozy sweat suit from Aunt Julianne! She was in a good mood all day and was smiling at me her entire bath.