Preparing for Baby

I've started to feel a bit guilty that baby #2 has received little mention on our family blog. Is this a case of the second child syndrome? Baby Grant is due to arrive on Sunday, and everyone is hoping that we make it to the date before our family system is thrown into frenzy. (Honestly, can Grant's do anything early?!)

This weekend, Josh started hardcore nesting- cleaning and organizing the house. (I think the nesting instinct is something that always passes me by. Who wants to clean when you're fat and tired?!) Elizabeth is excited to welcome a new sibling. She tells everyone at daycare that her mom has a baby in her tummy; however, she also shows them the baby in her tummy. Oh, and daddy has a baby in his tummy too. Not sure how we're going to explain that one!

As for mom, I am living in total denial of the labor experience and the job of taking care of a newborn. Why worry about something that is going to happen no matter what- right?

So wish us good luck and check back often in the coming weeks for updates.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Elizabeth is 2 years old today! Because we didn't know if her brother or sister would arrive before her big day, we had multiple parties prior to today. After three birthday parties, we definitely think she's celebrated the beginning of her second year.

For her birthday, we took Elizabeth to one of her favorite parks and then treated her to lunch at a restaurant. (This is a feat that we almost never try.) The day has been spent letting the little boss control the whole day, which she totally loves.

Happy birthday little girl! It's been so much fun to watch you grow, and we are enjoying your fun-loving personality even if it has a bit of spunk with it!

Happy Halloween

My Grandpa carves the coolest pumpkins.

Big Sister Class

Elizabeth attended Olmsted Medical Center's "Big Sister Class" this evening. And she was an excellent student, answering questions and, as her Aunt Abbey would say, she was "quite the little ham" with her funny remarks and answers. Elizabeth was excited to see a "real" baby, and we did. The final portion of the class was a visit to the OMC BirthCenter. The whole class got to ride on the bed and then see a newborn through the window.

We think she's ready to be a big sister!

A Needed Vacation

Thank goodness for MEA vacation. We took a much needed break and crashed the Senich's vacation plans in Wisconsin Dells. The three days with five babysitters (Grandma, Grandpa, Katie, and two of her friends) was exactly what we were looking for. Elizabeth had a blast playing in the water, and Josh was a trooper taking her on slides and following her around in the toddler areas. Not surprisingly, she wasn't scared of anything and actually wanted to go on the bigger slides but wasn't allowed. I think she would have stayed there forever if given the chance.

We thoroughly enjoyed our last vacation before the arrival of baby #2- the next five weeks are going to go by very quickly as we relish the last days as a family of three.

23 Months Old

Elizabeth is 23 months old today. Here's what she is up to:

- Getting her daredevil antics backs. She's picking up speed after getting the cast off and is back to climbing on everything.
- Singing, singing, singing
- Still madly in love with Winnie the Pooh (and not getting to watch him is a cause for meltdown)
- Developing empathy. This week she cried while reading a book at daycare about a teddy bear who was sad about waking up. (Definitely a trait from mom!)

One month to go little one until your 2nd birthday. Elizabeth can't wait for the multiple birthday parties that she will be having in the coming weeks because cupcakes are the best!

Fall Days

Today we went to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Elizabeth has been there each year of her life (three years, counting the one in mom's tummy.) She was so much fun to take today. She loved picking apples and pumpkins. They also had a few cages of animals, and Elizabeth made sure to stick her figures in all of the cages. Kylie, Auntie Emily, and Uncle Eric joined us. Getting the girls to both cooperate in a pictures wasn't easy, but they sure were cute!