Cuddly Girls

After feeding Audrey this morning I headed for the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. After a few minutes of heating up my oatmeal; I returned to the front room and found this: Rachel was cuddling so sweetly with Audrey. She even made sure that both of them had blankets to stay warm. :)

Double Stroller Advice Needed

I'm planning on purchasing a double stroller in March when we are back in the States. So, all those moms of 2 or more little ones, I would love some input! I really like the idea of the sit n' stand stroller. I think one of those would work out well. They seem smaller than a true double stroller. Who out there has a sit n' stand and which one did you purchase? I've discovered the joovy caboose and it seems to have good reviews. Anyone out there with a joovy and what do you think of it? I'll primarily use the stroller for trips to the shopping center. If we go on any trips by airplane I'll be able to take it with us as well. I'd also like input on how they fold up. We have a pretty small car out here - we have a hard enough time with luggage and our umbrella stroller. So, if a double stroller would even fit in our car it would probably be the only thing! Anyhow, any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Toddler Play

I love watching Rachel play. She has quite the imagination and it's so much fun to see what she'll come up with next. Her imagination definitely helps when I'm busy with Audrey. Rachel is really good about keeping herself busy and it helps since we are indoors so much in the winter. Last night she was playing at the beach. Rachel even had her dad join her in her imaginary play. It will be nice when June rolls around and we can go to the real beach!

We've Survived

We were quite spoiled having Andy around so much the first 3 weeks of Audrey's life. The past 3 weeks have been quite different. He's been working late hours and Saturdays. No fun, but it's all part of life. Luckily things should be more manageable the next 5 weeks and then the 4 weeks after that we'll have plenty of help as we visit family! :) The hardest part of Andy not being around was bath time and bedtime. Luckily I have two things that helped me survive. The Beco baby carrier and the baby swing. I can swaddle Audrey up, put her in the swing, and within 15 minutes she'll be snoozing away! Rachel has been such a trooper. She has been such a good helper. You can tell she's missing her daddy when she says, "I want it to get dark". What child wants it to get dark??? And then when he is home and we say prayers she says, "Thank you Daddy came home". Too precious! Rachel has also mastered the different tones of voice I use. I don't know how many times she's asked, "Mommy, are you frustrated?" It's never fun when Andy has busy times at work, but luckily they don't seem to come around as often as they did in Houston (or else I'm just getting more used to it). We are looking forward to the next 9 weeks and dreading the arrival of busy April. We'll have to make the most of the next two months and hopefully it won't go by too quickly! :)

All Dressed-Up

Audrey went to church for the first time yesterday. She received a lot of attention and was really good at church. After church she struggled. I think she was a bit overtired and out of her normal routine. She sure did look cute in her dress! :)

Sisters

Here's a video I took the other day of Rachel holding and singing to her little sister. Rachel sure does love Audrey and Audrey is already quite entertained by Rachel.

Say Cheese!

Yesterday I was able to catch a big smile from Audrey!

Cockerels & Trousers

The other day Rachel was helping me fold some laundry. She held up some pants and said, "These are trousers". The English cartoons that we have available here are all UK based. So, Rachel is learning some true English vocabulary. She often calls roosters cockerels as well. The first time she talked about a cockerel I had to look it up, because I had no idea a rooster was also a cockerel. What a smart, funny girl Rachel is!

One Month Old

As of Sunday, Audrey is one month old. She is definitely keeping us busy, but she's worth it! Last week she started to smile. We have yet to catch a really good smile on camera - eventually we will. She has also discovered her voice. When you talk and smile at her she'll coo. It's precious! Audrey loves attention from her big sister. It's fun to see them interact. She has also gotten really good at following you with her eyes and she's really strong. When laying on you she'll lift her head off your chest and look straight at you. In the past couple of days Audrey's become quite attached to her swing during the day. That's pretty much the only place she'll sleep during the day - that or the Beco. Luckily she'll sleep in her crib at night! :)

We went to her first doctor's appointment today. All is well. She's 4500 grams - almost 10 pounds. Two pounds in a month - pretty good! And she's 55 cm. tall, so she's grown 5 cm. since her birth. The doctor's visit was pretty basic. I still think it's so weird to visit a doctor and sit down at a desk with them like it's some business meeting. It's odd, but I guess that's what works here. The doctor had her computer on the desk and then a pad to lay Audrey on to check her out. Kind of interesting. The adventure to the doctor's office went well. We took the bus and both Audrey and Rachel did well. We had to bundle up and here's a picture of Audrey all bundled up. It seems really big on her, but really it's only one size up from what she's currently wearing so it should see us through the winter.

Precious Conversation

Rachel (pointing to her panties): These say princess.
Me: Yes, you're right. You know why?
Rachel: Why?
Me: Because you're a princess!
Rachel: No, I'm not a princess. I'm a child of God.

Who knew talking about underwear could bring tears to your eyes. :)