Pumpkin Patch

Sister's best picture at the pumpkin patch. We did family pictures earlier that day, so she wasn't in the mood to smile for every picture I took. Finally, at the end of the day, she sat by a pile of pumpkins and gave me a big grin.
Sister and Brother. Brother spent most of the day in a wrap asleep until we took him out for this picture...and he stayed asleep in Sister's arms.
Sister with her Grammy.

Sister and her cousin at the pumpkin patch. We have gone together for the past three years.

The end.

Brother's First Bath

At almost three weeks old, Brother got his first official bath. He loved being in the water and even splashed his hands.

Brother wrapped up in his robe after I finally had to take him out...

...and for comparison, Sister wrapped up in the same robe after her first bath three years ago (by the way, this child has always hated bathtime).

Sleeping on the Couch

After a long day, all three of us crashed on the couch.

Sister's Ballerina Birthday Party

Sister had two birthday parties; one with her family and one with her friends. We did the party a month early, since Brother's due date was the day before her birthday.

Sister with her two girl cousins, all three years old.

Sister and her friend E loved dancing with the special "dancing wands"

Sister has been friends with A since she was born. In fact, I used to watch A when she was a baby - over four years ago!

Sister and her friends made necklaces with their moms.

Sister was very intent on lacing the beads.

The party ended with a pinata filled with hairbows and balls.

Friends forever

Sister's Dance Recital

Sister's dance recital was in April 2008, but I wanted to share it now. Of the five students in her class, four attended the recital but only Sister and one other little girl participated. She thought that all of the people were there just for her!

Sibling Love

Sister loves to hold Brother. She does a great job of being very careful with him.

Even though this picture is posed, I absolutely love it.

More pictures of Brother

Brother's first week

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Brother's first week. I LOVE the little cloth diapers. Thank you, Stephanie, for letting us borrow them. It is hard to believe that at two weeks he has almost outgrown them!

He loves to sleep and nurse. I almost forgot how cuddly newborn babies can be!

Brother's Birth

The first contraction began at 4:00pm Saturday afternoon, though I wasn't sure if I was really in labor. I called Ruth, our midwife, around 7:30. She came to the house to check me. Since I was early in the process, she went home to gather her supplies and call her assistant. Those helping with the birth arrived at the house between 9:30 and 10:30. In between contractions, I moved around the house to wherever I felt comfortable at the time. Finally, around 1:00am I was able to get into the birth tub, where I continued to labor. Aaron came in the tub with me while Ruth and my two friends supported and cared for me from the sides of the tub. I pushed for six minutes and Baby was born. Although Sister ended up not being in the room when he was born (she was busy playing with Grandma in her room), she came in immediately after to greet her brother. Mama and baby are both very healthy (I didn't even require any stitches!). Brother spent most of the day Sunday sleeping in our arms, uninterested in anything else. However, come evening he started to wake up and discovered that he loves to nurse. We are having a great time as a family and are incredibly grateful for a healthy pregnancy, amazing birth, and sweet baby boy.

Two of a kind

Sister LOVES her baby brother.

Trying Again

Almost a year ago, I started a blog...but then I got pregnant and stopped posting. So, let's hope that I do a much better job this time around of chronicling my life as a mother and student.