Newborn pictures

On Friday we had Jodi and Kim come over to our house and take some AMAZING pictures of our girls. These ladies are beyond amazing. Check out the pictures at the below link.

http://freshartphotography.com/2009/11/sweet-baby-claire-st-louis-newborn-photography/

Pretty Pink Baby

We headed for our induction Thursday afternoon. Due to our previous experiences with Charlotte's 22 hour delivery we were ready again for another all nighter. Even with that long night last time I LOVED LABOR, and this one I loved just as much. It is such an amazing experience, and one that both Jacob and I truly embrace. Although I have to give most credit for my love of labor to 1. the epidural and 2. to my sweet husband/personal DJ. Jacob hooks up the room with the surround sound speakers, a 6 hour play list that takes him basically 9 months to carefully create and even a subwiffer under the bed (to help me feel the music). Then we and the whole nursing staff enjoy some great tunes through the night. One of the nurses came in and said that she completely remembered us from Charlotte which was 3 1/2 years ago, cause we were having so much fun!

This time was the same, it was fun, it was a miracle, it was a time I will again never forget. And at 12:34 am on October 30, 2009 Claire Elizabeth entered the world to Smokey Robinson.

We didn't know gender and I loved the suspense of the surprise. When the doctor said it was a baby girl there was nothing but excitement, joy and a little bit of relief because the nursery is already purple.I love her discreet pose here. Nothing if not a lady.

Our first moment...

The next morning Charlotte got to meet her new sister which, "See I told you she was a girl", was proudly pronounced more than once.

Our new family (minus puppy- Charlotte thought it was terrible that they wouldn't let dogs into the hospital, because he needed to meet Claire too.)

Check out these cheeks! I mean seriously they are driving me crazy!

The next day in the hospital was Halloween. Isn't it normal for 1 day old baby girl to be dressed as a black skeleton??
She didn't need pink clothes anyway... I mean seriously the cheeks! Cant stop kissing them, they are going to be raw very shortly.
Loving on her daddy. Who by the way is toast with his 2 girls now. He doesn't have a chance.

again with the cheeks... I could go on and on.

So my mom makes the greatest sugar cookies and for each of her grand kids birthday she always does a batch of cookies shaped in the number of how old they are. Here is Claire with her first birthday cookie, of which I enjoyed.

Our little pink bunny in her "going home outfit". Did I mention the cheeks???

Anticipation

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best -- " and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.
-- Winnie the Pooh

I had thought it was Thursday. Thought it was time. Thought I had to get to the hospital immediately. It was raining, my cell phone had died, Jacob was in Greenville teaching and I was a little paniced. I left Charlotte at Margie's and Bob kindly took me to the hospital and then waited for Jacob. He left his students to continue their class (as I am sure they did) to make a rush to the hospital. The maternity ward was packed the nurses very busy and... I was wrong. I got sent home and left with my shame. Apparently my only true symptom had been anticipation, and that isn't enough to put you into labor.

We are excited. We are ready. We really want to meet this little person that is going to change our world. We don't know if it is going to be a boy or girl, but Charlotte does. She makes up songs about how excited she is to meet her little sister. She is 100% convinced that it is a girl. Even stating that she is going to share her hippo, blanket and other prized possessions with her little sister. But if it is a brother- nothing, he will get nothing from her and will be on his own. Then she will smile and say just kidding, but we really don't think she is kidding.

So we wait. Excited about getting a second chance to do this again. Thrilled that soon our world is going to be all about sleep, poo and milk. Basking in the anticipation that before this milk in our fridge expires... we will have a new baby in our house.

Great Great Aunt Dot

My grandmother's sister, which would be my great aunt Dot and Charlie's great great aunt Dot was in St. Louis last weekend visiting family. Jacob was sick and we didn't want to pass on the germs so we met her at a McDonald's and had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures which are basically for my mom.

miscalculation

So after a really crazy exhausting day at work we got home late, I had just finished picking up her trashed room when Charlotte made a serious verbal miscalculation.
"Mama", with her sassy little hands on her hips "you forgot to pick up my shoes."

She will be cleaning her room from now on...

Pumpkin Patch 3

Pumpkin Patch 2007...Pumpkin Patch 2008...
Pumpkin Patch 2009...older but still just as cute.
This is the 3rd year that we headed to the pumpkin patch just outside of St. Louis. We enjoyed all the same rides we did year 1 and year 2. It was fun for me to look back at some of the same pictures and just see how much she had grown up. You can also by clicking on the links above. This also means that I have been doing this blog for 2 full years, which is just ridiculously unbelievable.
The spinning apple and the swings
We invited some more friends from Greenville this year and just had an amazing time.
As you can see in a rare footage of me, I am almost ready... just a couple more weeks.
Prime seats for the pig races
And the ponies.

Gymnastics class

Charlotte and Eliot joined a gymnastics class at the YMCA for the fall. Tonight was the first night and they loved it. I loved the purple leotard and leg warmers that she got to wear (yes, I am ridiculous).
After stretching she got to use the balance beam, which after years of practice walking on the ledge coming out of daycare this was a breeze for us.

And yes she does have the word "tumble" written on her butt. I couldn't help myself and take full responsibility.
Then we hit the bar.

Eliot was a maniac on the bar. Here he is getting focused for his routine.
And my camera skills aren't fast enough to catch him flip over the bar into a dismount...
drat missed it again.
Spotting Charlotte as she flips over the bar into her dismount.
Can't wait till next week when we hit the rings.

myth busters- pinkalicious

Charlie goes through phases of favorite books. Currently, she is in love with Pinkalicious.

If you have a 3 year old girl I am guessing you are familiar. If not I will sum up, its the classic story line of girl loves pink, girl makes pink cupcakes, girl eats too many pink cupcakes, girl turns pink. With Labor Day and no school I thought we would try a little myth busters and see if it is possible to turn pink after eating too many pink cupcakes. Charlie was thrilled. We made the batter...pink we counted the tins... we cleaned up as we went... We frosted our cupcakes... pink we sprinkled our cupcakes... pink hmmm.... let me see. yep. Pink cupcakes do turn you pink!

end of summer, beginning of...

Charlie's new preschool is apart of the local school district. So we participated this year in the Webster Groves Family Fun Fair. It was quite "fun" and kind of a last get your summer done type of event. Free snow cones... which we picked to match our dress, of course. They had a helicopter, a firetruck and the same policeman that has given mommy several speeding tickets. Including a ticket once when I was specifically driving to go and pay off another ticket. Jacob thought this picture was hilarious. We painted... and petted a baby lamb. Then BAMM... Fall hit us square in the face. This is a Greenville football game playing Wash U. We don't get to make it to many Greenville games so whenever there is one in St. Louis we always try and make it. And that is it, fall is here... which means tis the season for a little someone to be coming very shortly!

West Side Story

This was an exhibit that Children's Hospital put on for kids to learn how to: safely cross the street, not pick up candy from the gutter, not talk to the scary stranger dude in the red car offering a puppy... you get the picture. My daughter danced down the middle of the street. I don't think that was what they were going after, but when Broadway is in your heart an empty street can not be simply passed up.