April babies

April was a busy month for babies (I guess Hannah decided to stand out a bit by being a little late!) We know of 6 April babies, plus a March baby and another May baby. We haven't had a chance to meet many of Hannah's "friends" yet, but we have met Baby Gabby, born 9 days before Hannah. It was fun to see the two little ones together, and it will be great when they can play and interact! Kyle, true to form, didn't want to stand still for a photo with the girls, but the dump truck in the background is evidence of his presence!

Thanks to Gabby's parents, Kim and Robert, for sharing this photo which is also on their blog.

Visit from Auntie Laura

We just had a fantastic visit with Auntie Laura, who was able to come down from Washington to stay with us (and help me survive the first few days of Dave going back to work!). The visit was far too short (3 1/2 days) but it was great to have her here, and Kyle thoroughly enjoyed his time with "Auntie". While she was here, I had a helper to load up both kids in the car to take Hannah for her 2-week check up. Her growth is great, and she is already up to 9 pounds 14 ounces.

In addition, while here, there were of course loads of photos taken of both little ones, as well as some family portraits in our back yard, I'm only disappointed that our colorful dahlia border wasn't already in bloom for the background! Laura did a great job of capturing our family - our wild toddler who didn't want to sit still for photos, and our beautiful baby, who at 2 1/2 weeks was just beginning to spend more awake time and was happy just to be held. Hopefully it won't be too long before our next visit with "Auntie"

First Trip to the Beach

We have been sweltering in near 100 degree weather for the past couple of days, and it has been pretty rough for both Hannah and Kyle. So we decided to make a trip to the coast on Friday in an attempt to find some cooler weather. We had planned on meeting one of Kyle's friends to go strawberry picking in Pescadero, but unfortunately the strawberries won't be ready until the end of May. So instead we headed over to Pescadero State Beach for some play time in the sand. We never thought to take Kyle to the beach when he was this young, so we very ill prepared for keeping Hannah out of the sun. Luckily, Kyle had a spare hat in the car that kept the sun of Hannah's face, while she was lightly covered with a blanket. The weather was ideal for a day at the beach, and both kids were thoroughly worn out on the way home. As soon as we got home, Dave headed back out for a Costco shopping trip, so that next time we will be prepared for the beach with a couple of chairs and an umbrella. We're slowly getting the hang of this parenting thing!

Two-weeks Old

The past two weeks have flown by, and it feels as though Hannah has always been a part of our family. However, I am still a little worried about how I will handle both Kyle and Hannah by myself once Dave returns to work, especially at Kyle's nap time! Hannah is a cuddler, and hates to be put down, so if she won't nap by herself, I may constantly be carrying her in the kangaroo pouch!

We didn't do much to celebrate her two-week birthday, the excitement was watching her brother help Daddy mow the lawn, which you can see thoroughly wore her out! She has been waking up much more these days, but unfortunately it is difficult to capture a photo during these alert times because we are usually running around after Kyle then too! Hopefully Auntie Laura will have better luck after she arrives on Sunday.

Kyle is very excited about assisting with the weekly lawn mower duties, and takes them very seriously. He is looking forward to the time when he can teach Hannah how to use the lawn mower and leaf blower too...

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a wonderful time celebrating my second Mother's Day, with a fun morning out having hot chocolate and pastries at The Prolific Oven in Palo Alto, and then a relaxing day at home with both kids taking LONG naps, meaning that I could join them in slumberland too! Dave tried repeatedly to get a Mother's Day photo for me with my two beautiful children, but either one was slumped over asleep or screaming for milk, while the other one was nothing but wiggles. This one just about sums up the experience, and is quite flattering of me as well.

Four-Days Old

Hannah and I came home from the hospital yesterday morning, after spending 3 nights there. I wasn't managing to get much sleep as she was keeping me up at night, and it was difficult napping during the day when she did, as there was so much noise around the hospital. So, I am looking forward to having a little more R&R at home, it definitely helps to have Dave home from work with me for the next two weeks.

We took Hannah to meet her doctor this morning and to have a weight check. The pediatrician who had been seeing her daily at the hospital was a little concerned by her weight loss as she was down to 8 pounds 7.4 ounces by Sunday, but he still felt comfortable enough to send us home, as long as we did a weight check today. She's been nursing like a little champ, and was back up to over 8 pounds 14 ounces this morning! If we keep this up, she'll be back at her birth weight before we know it.

Kyle loves having his baby sister at home now, and we are trying very hard to teach him what it is to be gentle around her! They are both napping now, so time for me to join them. Thanks for all on the words of congratulations that we have received, and sorry that we haven't had a chance to answer them all yet.

Baby News

Kyle's "little" sister has finally arrived!

Hannah Elise was born on Thursday May 1st at 8:14 am,
weighing in at 9 lbs 9 oz and 20 inches.
Both Hannah and Fiona are doing great,
and are due home from the hospital by Monday.

Thank you to everyone for all of your best wishes and prayers.
Kyle is very much looking forward to introducing you to our new addition soon!

Look a likes

Laura put together this fun photo card announcing Hannah's birthday (and reminding everyone of mine!)