Baptism

We had Patrick baptized when he was just a week old. We asked Bob (a.k.a. Gramps) to be the godfather, and he was going to be in town that weekend, so it worked out pretty well. Patrick, however, did not think it worked very well. Apparently, he was STARVING and screamed through the whole thing. Mommy was also a big mess. Eight days postpartum and the AC at our house stopped working...in June...in Atlanta...with all the grandparents, an aunt, an uncle, and 3 cousins in town. And then a big storm came through that night and knocked out our power! Turns out we all survived, got the kid dunked, and Jesus loves us all...even though he has a twisted sense of humor.

Baby Patrick

My mom came down to Atlanta on June 4th because I was feeling like something might be happening soon -- a perfectly logical thought given that my due date was the 8th. For the next 12 days, she cooked for us (lots of eggplant and pineapple), shopped for us, hung out with Elizabeth, and helped me keep my mind off the fact that I was STILL pregnant. It was a huge blessing to have her with us. On the evening of the 15th, we went to Dairy Queen after dinner. As we ate our ice cream a huge thunderstorm came through. There was also a full moon that night and a lunar eclipse. It took all those forces of nature to finally kick me into labor, and I felt the first contraction that night at 10pm! We went to the hospital the next afternoon at 1pm, and Patrick arrived at 3:49. The labor and birth was our ideal. I labored at home as long as I could, and then had a wonderful, non-medicated water birth at the hospital. My parents and aunt brought Elizabeth to the hospital, and they got to meet him while we were still in the delivery room. Elizabeth has loved her brother from the moment she saw him. She is an amazing big sister!

Patrick Joseph
June 16, 2011
3:49pm
9lbs 9oz
21 inches

Dentist

Elizabeth's first trip to the dentist was Friday (Dance performance and dentist appointment -- big day!) I had taken her with me to my last appointment, so she could see all of the tools and get an idea of what to expect. She did great! Of course, it helps that our dentist has televisions above every chair, but I honestly don't think Elizabeth would have stopped talking had we not been able to plug her into an episode of "Dora." She loved the cotton candy toothpaste, thought the suction tool was great fun, but informed the hygienist that her floss tasted a little bit "funny." When she was all finished and got a great report from Dr. Bolen, she announced, "I am so proud of myself!" She got a super cool new toothbrush and chose a toy mermaid from the "treat box," and she was sure to tell Dr. Bolen that candy is a treat, too. Wishful thinking for her next visit, I suppose...

Dancer Girl

Elizabeth spent the last week going to a half day dance camp at one of our local studios. She was so excited to be a ballerina! On the first day, she walked up to one of the teachers and asked, "Where's the stage?" Oh, dear... They actually did a little bit of ballet, cheer, and tumbling, but all she cared about was wearing her leotard and ballet slippers every day :)



On Friday afternoon, they had a "performance" for parents, and she was very pleased that Mommy and Daddy were both able to be there. It was my first day of maternity leave, so I didn't even have to bring any of "the babies" with me! (She calls all of the children I keep in my daycare "the babies," regardless of age.)
As you'll see, the performance was a very casual demonstration of what the girls had learned over the course of the week. It was hilarious! Sorry the quality is not the best, but you'll get the gist. And if you have trouble finding her just look for the smallest one with dark hair! (In the final segment, when they're all on the mat doing "the bridge" she is in the upper right corner.)

Big Wheelin'

Elizabeth LOVES to ride her Big Wheel that Gege and Gramps gave her. She has certainly come a long way in her riding ability. And she's great about watching for cars while she's cruising down our street--actually, when she sees a car coming she screams, jumps off the bike, and drags it to the side of the street. As far as I'm concerned, that reaction is just fine!

Here's a video of her very first excursion...





and this was just last week...

Jack Turns 4!

We got back yesterday from our trip to Charleston where we got to help Jack celebrate his 4th birthday, and had a great time hanging out with Megan, Hans, and Ben as well as Hans' parents. The party was on Saturday at The Children's Museum of the Lowcountry, and the kids had a blast! In addition to all the super cool stuff at the museum, they also had a birthday parade for Jack, plenty of cake and snacks, and marble painting for the kids -- such a simple craft, but lots of fun! Elizabeth didn't see the point in wasting time with the marbles when she had a perfectly good napkin and fingers to use in creating her masterpiece. As you'll see in the second video, the cake kicked in quickly! After the party, Elizabeth crashed for a 3 hour nap (truly a miracle) and Jack took his new big kid bike for a test drive! (Sorry I don't have pictures of that--I was "supervising" Elizabeth during nap time. I'm sure Hans and Megan will post some soon.)
Thanks to Megan and Hans for their hospitality, and a huge shout out to Patrick for staying put and not making his appearance in South Carolina.

Easter

Eggs and bunnies and chocolate, oh my! This was the first year that Elizabeth really got into the swing of things at Easter, and she had a great time! We met the Easter Bunny on Holy Saturday, and then on Easter morning, after beginning the day nice and early with an egg hunt and a power breakfast (a.k.a. Cadbury Egg), we were off to Mass, where she actually sat with us rather than excusing herself to the nursery!

The pink bunny ears that you'll see below were a craft that I did with the kids at The Green House, and she pretty much wore them every day for a week!

Disney!!

Elizabeth was lucky enough to share her first trip to Disney World with all 4 of her grandparents and her awesome Aunt Anita! (Mom and Dad, too, but who cares about us when the grandparents are around?!) We really had a great trip. We just did the Magic Kingdom this time, and we took it pretty easy. We would head into the park first thing in the morning, and then right after lunch we headed back to the hotel for swimming and nap time. We did go back to the park one night for the Electrical Parade and fireworks. She is still talking about the parade! She absolutely loved it...the fireworks, not so much. We had earplugs for her, but Ed and I still had to make a quick and tearful exit with her once they started.
Her favorite part was definitely meeting all the characters and getting their autographs in her super cool autograph book that Gege made for her. She was pretty hesitant with the characters at first, but by the third day, she was running right up to them with open arms!
Thanks to Gramma, Grandpa, Gege, Gramps, and Anita for making it such a special trip!

Go Pack Go!!

Not sure if you've heard or not, but THE PACKERS WON THE SUPERBOWL!!! It's true that Elizabeth is not really a direct participant in this post, but THE PACKERS WON THE SUPERBOWL, so the post is more than justified. Plus, when Elizabeth found out that she's having a baby brother, she announced that we should name him Aaron Rodgers, so she is already green and gold through and through :)

Anyway, on their way to their Superbowl victory, the Pack made a stop here in Atlanta where they soundly defeated the Falcons. On hand to witness the whoopin'...Ed and Megan, of course, with their Cheese Heads in tow! Hans and I, being the amazing spouses that we are, stayed behind with the wee ones and let the Wisconsin natives enjoy the festivities in person. Here's a sampling of what they witnessed...

Ice Skating

Elizabeth had her first ice skating adventure on New Year's Eve! It was about 60 degrees here in Atlanta, so it was perfect at the outdoor rink in Centennial Olympic Park. When we first arrived, we weren't sure we would make it onto the rink at all. The music was very loud, and Little Miss Sensitive is not a fan of loud (unless it's her own voice). But as you can see from the video, she warmed up and had a GREAT time! She thought it was soooo funny every time she slipped :) A big shout out to Daddy from Wisconsin for being able to skate and handle her. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to manage the camera, sometimes in reverse!