Too sick to make visits

Liesl has had the plague for the past week. Well maybe not the plague but she has has the stuffiest nose and worst cough I have ever heard her have and it keeps hanging on. I thought after all of this time that Jeannie would avoid it but I see the runny nose today. So sad.

Jeannie had her 6 month appointment with Dr Hina this past week. I looked back in my baby website to compare Jeannie and Liesl. Liesl was 17 lbs 9 oz, 17 inch crown, 27 inches..... Jean is 17 lbs 7 oz, 16.75 crown and 26 inches. Keep in mind that Jeannie's cloth diapers are heavier and she just got fed too. Couldn't believe Liesl was bigger. Guess watching Jeannie all day makes a difference in your perspective. Jeannie has been army crawling u a storm. Spinning and skooting along. She is not as far along with her sitting up as Liesl was and Liesl was standing up holding her crib rail if I put her up to it when we took 6 month pictures. I attribute it to her hip issues which we will be going to the orthopedic this week for. Dr Hina thinks that she may be in a brace for a short while to correct it. We have been trying more solid foods. Let her have some pureed peaches this morning and she tried a little of my corn muffin at dinner last night. She is doing a little better. She had a few shots at the Dr. this lasts time again and she has an appt in a month again but won't get measured until 9 months but since I have set up a tv in the basement and the wii so Jim and I can watch Netflix in the evening when doing laundry and cleaning down there we can weigh her. Can't wait til she learns some more babble. Was watching video of Liesl this week and reading her blog and looking forward to all the fun we will be having with this little one too. I organized all of Liesl's drawings into her "portfolio" so I can keep them for later. Oma will be leaving for Australia after this week so trying to get all the Oma time in we can. Miss little baby Robbie. Might be 2 weeks of seclusion for me. Liesl and I harvested the garden for the last time of the season and all of the tomatoes have been getting ripe on the sill. I just stewed 1/2 of them and they have been really coming in handy. Amazing how much we use tomatoes.

This past Thursday was my birthday. Liesl made me some cupcakes (pupcakes) at Oma Ronnie's house, pink confetti with pink frosting. I let my little pink cupcake eat a little pink cupcake. Liesl dressed so darn cutie for my birthday. We had a free dinner at the rainforest so Jim and I took the kids there. It is so much less stressful there with them because they get distracted by everything there. We will be going to Frankenmuth for another free dinner this weekend for the scarecrow festival and Liesl and even Jeannie can dress up. Maybe I can put the pumpkin sweatsuit on Jeannie and put Liesl's Dirndl on we shall see. Last night the girls and I came over Oma's for game night with the Kaethes. Jim has midterms so bowed out but we saved a seat and a drink for him.

Jeannie started using some of her sitting up toys this week. She is really enjoying the sound stage just as Liesl did. I also brought out the standing piano and I will bring out her zoo carousel soon. Just need to get a little more organized. I also have been getting rid of smaller clothes again. She is in the 9 month plus now and size 2 diapers when she wears those at Oma Ronnie's. She is still into the binkies and almost put herself down for her nap this afternoon.

First word

Jeannie spoke her first word to me today. I know I wasn't imaging things or making something of nothing because she said it over and over when I asked her to say it and she was so proud of herself. It was so cute. Glad we got it on film. Just in time for her to be 6 months and my birthday

Liesl's wild week of overnights

Liesl got to spend a lot of time with the Oma's this week. 3 days with my mom, not to mention all the time I was with her. Overnights galore and 2 overnights with Veronika. She had herself a blast being the one and only. Veronika took her with her to visit little baby Robbie. While she was watching a movie over there she came partway down the stairs and announced that something was very wrong. Why were they still there? She got to watch too much of her movie because she had been told not to get too comfortable that she would not be seeing all of it before they left for home. She got some
Laughs out of it. She has been making some kick butt drawings and really coming into her own with it and making stories of her drawings. In one of them daddy is captured by aliens and he is up in a spacecraft. Pretty sweet. She likes to draw her and Jeannie following me around, all her friends in their Halloween costumes, and animals galore. I love the loopy legs and feet on them. She is really into the emotions in the drawings. Jeannie is now grown out of most of her 6-9 month clothes... And she is only 6 months. Can't keep up. She is in a little of everything in sizes 6 to 12 months. I bought a Halloween costume at a mom to mom Saturday for a dollar. Cute little pepper costume. 9 month for size and I had to stuff her in it for a picture. It won't last the month. She has been a little fussy lately. Maybe teeth? Tried to take her to her hip appt this week and circumstances were not with me. Liesl has an appt with a pediatric eye dr later next week. Hope that doesn't have issues too. Mom will be gone for 5 months need to squeeze it in before then. I swore I heard Jeannie say mom today to me when she was talkin. Took the girls to the orchard today when we picked Liesl up from her overnight. Had a fun time picking out out pumpkins. Daddy has something planned. Liesl had a great time as usual there. Aunt Gloria met us there for a little and then came back to our place for chili. What a nice evening. Tomorrow Grady is supposed to come visit. Looking forward to hanging with the man and having some mommy chatting with Miss Dee.

Jeannie tried out some of my home made apple raspberry sauce and it didn't make it far. She still has quite the gag reflex. Maybe next time baby. Momma and daddy got to go on a date this week. We did a little best buy looking around and Dubin fish and chips and holy cannoli-ing. Yum yum! It was nice to take a break. Thank you Oma.

Babbley baby

Jeannie woke up really babbled this morning practicing her ohhhhhs and ahhhhhs. She has also been doing a lot or raspberries to everyone. We are visiting Oma today again because daddy has some major schoolwork to do this afternoon before class. She is always happy to hang out with Oma and visit her other toys. Yesterday was the same and she and Liesl helped me put up shelves from IKEA in her den. She does well here because she also has her own rocker and bed here. This morning while Liesl and I were cleaning up the kitchen Jeannie was busy exploring the family room rolling around and spinning to see things. She does well with letting me accomplish things during the morning hours but she gets a little fussy in the evenings. I will have to push more napping later in the day. She has some favorite toys lately. She likes her mermaid dolly with the mirror tail and her table toys with the suction cups. She does really well in restaurants and plays now and lets us all eat. I hope it lasts. Was watching some videos of Liesl from her first year or so and laughing that we could not understand her anymore. They are both fun little bouncy kids. Liesl is so helpful. She entertains her sister while I am busy. She loves to make up crazy songs for her sister. Jeannie always gives her giggles in return.

Renaissance Festival: Sweet endings and sour pickles

Sunday Oma went with the 4 of us to the festival. Liesl was all geeked to visit the mermaids. It was all that she could talk about on the trip out. There had to be at least 50k people there. The parking lot was crazy full. Liesl went to the festival in her Snow White costume which I thought was quite appropriate. For the festival but her Dirndl might have been better.... And warmer.... We got super lucky when we walked in people were handing out all kinds of comped tickets so we got in for free! Yay free! Liesl enjoyed the fairie houses and we took notes for our next year's garden. Liesl was overwhelmed with the weirdness of the festival. She loved seeing everyone in their costumes. Jim found a pickle stand immediately and bought us a couple. Jeannie took over his sucking on it like it was going out of style. We should have charged admission because everyone that saw her was crazy about the pickle eating baby. Everyone commented how cute it was how she was going to town on it. Liesl shopped a little with Oma and picked out a hair twist for her braid (basically hair jewelry). Wish I got more than 1, I might order one online. When we got to the mermaid line it was wrapped around like crazy so Jim and mom decided to go try to get a turkey leg..... They were sold out.... Seriously..... I stayed in line with the girls when they foraged for more food. Liesl of course made friends with the people in front of us. It was a good thing too because that pickle was making my stomach turn. I asked the lady we had been talking with if there was one nearby.... It was clear across the park! I was starting to sweat..... All the cell towers were busy and no one could get through. She told me she would save my place but what was I gook g to do with Jeannie? She agreed to go with me thank god. She held her while I visited the latrines yuck! Thank god for a friendly preschooler! It was a dilemma let me tell you. The wait was worth it all. We got to the front of the line when we came back and saw the mermaid. They did a super awesome job on her. She was swimming and diving and giving out pebbles. Both girls got one and she even blessed them for the girls by kissing them and touching Jeannie's forehead. Loved it! Mom even snuck in to see out new friend holding Liesl up to see her. Mom and Jim had brought us back apple dumplings ( you guys rock). I am sorry daddy missed out on the mermaid. We then went to see a piping rock band as Liesl would put it. Tartanic. Liesl insisted on 2 CDs and she even got them signed. The band adored her and took a picture with her. What a bunch of awesome guys. We then cought the end of a jousting match and a bird of prey show. I think the falcon was trying to swoop down and take Jeannie away. It could have literally touched my head quite a few times on the swoop down. Liesl quite enjoyed the show. We actually were there for 5 hours and it was the first time I remember closing out the festival! Liesl jammed a little to some tribal music on the way out managing to lose Jim and I. They weren't too hard to find. Mom put her on her shoulders so we could find her. We finished off the late evening at Sagebrush. Mom's first time. Hope she liked it.

Today the girls and I visited my little nephew. He lost a little weight and was down to 5 lbs 15 oz. I was happy to finally be able to hold him as Liesl got the flu earlier on the weekend keeping us from visiting them when they were discharged. Cute little peanut. Even took a picture of him next to his cousin Jeannie. Liesl thinks he is so cute. More Doctor appointments this week. Ugh! I have been putting them off too long. Jeannie has to get her hip checked out by the orthopedic and liesl has to go to the pediatric eye dr at the end of the month. No fun. Maybe he can work out her prescription better.

So proud of my new little nephew

Melisa went into labor Wednesday night and by Thursday morning mom and I knew we had to go to the hospital. We made the slow trek down to Detroit to go see the little man while she was in labor. Later we found out that we might be able to see her before she had him. We stopped at babies r us to shop a little and Oma bought Jeannie a new bedroom set. She now has a princess lifetime bed with a canopy. Can't wait for it to go into her room. When we got to the hospital we didn't have to wait too much longer to see the little guy. Jeannie and Liesl were very good to let me snuggle with him. He looks just like Scotty in my opinion but that can all change. ADORABLE. Can't wait to see him again. Liesl asked me how he got out of Melisa's belly and I played on one of her stories and said that he came down a slide and they had to vacuum him out ( because she heard uncle Scotty say that). She said poor little guy got vacuumed up.

Stoney creek

Fought the wind and a cross country meet to play on super cool stoney playground. The HS kids drove us crazy enough playing in the 2-5 yr old zone. It was great fun and I hope the weather holds through October.