Decorating

Jillian woke up crabby today-probably too much Thanksgiving excitement so I was going to put her down for a nap about noon.  That was when I started to bring out the Christmas bins to begin decorating and she was so excited to unwrap everything in the bin to see what it was.  When I got the big lighthouse out, she was fascinated by all the drawers.  Also at that time I got out the little reindeer so I explained how I hide it every day for the kids to find.  I forgot to mention that it was hidden in plain sight.  So she decided to hide it while I was taking the picture, pulling out one of the drawers all the way and putting it clear inside the lighthouse.  I would never have found it there. 

Finally about an hour and a half later she took a nap.  While she was asleep I put the Christmas village in the window but waited to put the snow on after she woke up.  She was really fascinated with all the people in the village and enjoyed seeing the snow fall to cover the village.  It was easy to relate to because of our recent snow.  Christmas will be very fun time this year for Jillian.

B & K

When Cousin Karlie came down to Longview for the baptism, they hung out at the Verd house the night before. They both laid on the floor on a blanket together, and posed for some photos.

SNOW!

Jillian woke up to about 2 inches of snow this morning and wasn't sure if she wanted to go outside, but when I dug out the Dora hat and mittens, she was ready to go.  She was very fascinated walking in the snow and having it land on her as it continued to snow.  I climbed up in the shop to get the sled and at first towed her around which she thought was very neat (tiring for me).  Then I took her to a little hill and let her go down it alone which she didn't think was fun at all.  When I asked her if she wanted to ride with me, she was all for that.  We worked our way up to the long hill at Julie's and she thoroughly enjoyed every ride down the hill.  She always wanted me to pull her back up the hill, but on that long hill I made her walk up all by herself.  After the sledding I showed her how to roll a snowman which she helped very little except to hunt for rocks for the eyes.  By then she was shivering and we went back inside to get warm.  After her nap she insisted on going out again but by then it was too slushy so she had to watch from the window while her snowman melted and his head fell off. 

Bridget & Karlie's Baptism

There was a lot of family gathered at Grace Lutheran Church today for the baptism of Bridget & Karlie. Both of the girls were dressed in their finest white baptismal dresses. They were also both very good girls throughout the service, hardly making a peep. The baptism was at the very start of the service, so the other kids (Jillian, Andy and Adam) were able to stick around long enough to see it.

Bridget ended up being awake for a good part of the baptism, and didn't get upset at all. Her godparents Dany and Jason Paul attended with her, with Dany holding her throughout. This photo shows Pastor Donnan pouring the water on her head.

After the service, everyone went to the Masthead for the after-party. The service was less-than-acceptable, but we managed to get through it with some good food and some nice visiting time. The older kids got a little crazy, but Bridget and Karlie were pretty tired from the whole affair.

2-month Check-up

Briget turned 2 months old yesterday, which meant it was time for her 2-month checkup at the doctor. Mommy took Bridget down to SWMC in the afternoon, and had a very long wait. Eventually, they went in to see Dr. Reid, who we had met at the Family Birth Center when Bridget was born. The nurse did the measurement thing to find that Bridget weighed 12 lbs 2 oz and was 23 inches in length. We weren't surprised that she had grown so much, considering that our shoulders and backs were sore from carrying her. Dr. Reid checked her over, as well as checking her breathing, since she had a cold the past few days. Everything looked good.

The appointment ended with Bridget getting her shots: DTAP, Hep-B, Pertussis. She also got an oral vaccination (can't remember the name).

Fun Day

Rielee had early release from school this week so she got to spend the afternoon with Jillian.  They did play-doh, dressed up with wigs on (a first time for Jillian trying out the wigs I bought on sale after Halloween), played outside, and took the tent downstairs and read books inside it.  Rielee called me Cathy every time she needed something and then I heard a loud "Caffy" and it was Jillian calling for me.  She called me that the rest of the day even after Rielee left.  Hopefully, she'll go back to Grannie soon.

Jillian's New Bed

For the past 6 months or so, Jillian has had a large queen bed in her room to sleep on. Actually, it's just our big inflatable mattress, but she loved it because it was big and bouncy. Unfortunately, it developed a leak (no surprise there) and was slowly deflating. So, we went to Fred Meyer and picked up some foam pads to make a new temporary bed. It's a little smaller, but Jillian still thought it was pretty cool. She immediately started jumping on it and rolling all over it (like this photo shows).

Little Cold

Bridget caught her first cold these last few days. She's actually had a bit of a runny nose for a while, but then it turned into full-blown congestion. When she breathes, it sounds like a little snore. Mommy has tried to suction it out to give her some relief, but it's mostly way back in her nasal passages. So, we are just waiting for her to get over it.

Meanwhile, both Jillian and Mommy are sharing this little cold, as well. We've got a bunch of sick girls in the house right now.

Too Many Leaves

I never have my camera when I see something so funny that Jillian does.  Today we were outside walking and went down the path where there are a lot of maple leaves on the ground.  She said, "Look at all the leaves."  Then she said, "I need to put them back on the tree."  So she proceeded to pick them up one by one and set them on a low hanging cedar branch.  I guess she finally realized the futility of that project and proceeded down the path.

State Volleyball

     Jillian with Mommy at the 1A state volleyball tournament.  We would box Jillian in with 2 or 3 seats in between so she could play with her sack of toys.  Rielee usually joined her and they had a good time coloring or playing store with the cash register.  One time the coach's daughter, Kinzie, joined them so it was a lot of fun for Jillian.  But the last game of the last day she crawled on my lap and promptly went to sleep for the whole 4th place game.  That meant she could stay awake for the whole ride home from Yakima watching videos and playing with Tierney.  I think she had enough volleyball for awhile. 

     Bridget either slept, ate, or was held by Julie or Mommy.  She was a super traveler on the trip over and back-sleeping all the way.

    

Cheering the Team

I had to add this one of the whole group (minus those taking pictures or video) as Jillian is deciding on whether she wants to do this or not, wondering who are some of these people.  Rielee is in the lavender coat in the foreground.  Jillian did end up having me hold her and she did wave to the vans as they passed by. 

Little Talk

If you get Bridget on the changing table, odds are good that she'll do a little bit of talking, like this video shows. Sometimes she works herself up to it pretty good. She gets a little red in the face, and scrunches up her nose, then lets out a big "oooh" or "aahhh".

Future Cheerleader

Thanks to Billie Allegar for this photo! Grannie Woodruff took Jillian to the send-off for the Castle Rock Volleyball Team, who were heading to the state tournament in Yakima. We're certain that Jillian loved waving the pom-pom!

New Stuff XXXII

It's a bunch of fun and cool things from our two favorite little munchkins:

1. The Negotiator : If Jillian wants something, or wants to do something, and we say "no", she immediately goes into negotiating mode. She responds with "No, no, no, I just want one more", or "No, no, no, just a couple more minutes", etc. And, she's very firm about it, not backing down.

2. Sleeping In : Thankfully, Bridget is sleeping more these days. We've seen her sleep time stretch out to 4 or 5 hours at a time, so Mommy is feeling much more rested.

3. Post-Halloween : Even though Halloween was a week ago, Jillian still remembers it very well, and talks about it all the time. She likes to talk about her princess costume, and saying "trick-or-treat", and she especially likes to ask for some candy from her candy bowl (mostly the suckers).

4. Silly Girl : Jillian's silliness comes out a lot, because she likes to try and make us laugh. Usually, she just ends up making herself laugh. Her silly things are to attach the words "in the world", "cheese" and "summer" to the end of songs and stories.

5. "Don't be sad ... be happy" : Daddy was telling Jillian not to do something, and Jillian responded with this.

6. The Looooong Bedtime Delays : Bedtime is not one of Jillian's favorite things, so she makes every effort to prolong the inevitable. Once she lays down, she immediately starts coming up reasons to get out of bed, including "I need a drink", "I have to go potty", "I need a tissue" (to blow her nose), "I'm hungry", and on and on.

7. "Stay Out!" : It's the privacy thing, again. Jillian yells this at us when she goes potty. Only after she's done will she let us into the bathroom.

8. Little Giggles : Bridget is not only smiling, but also breaking out with some little laughs.

Buckle Up, Barbie

If you look into the backseat of Mommy's car, you'll find a Barbie doll buckled into the middle seat. Jillian learned from her Dora videos to "buckle up, so we can be safe". So, she made sure that her doll was safe, too, by buckling her in.

Smiling Girl

More and more, we are seeing Bridget flashing big smiles, just like this photo (see Ty, she does smile!). In this case, she had been fed, changed and rested, so she was in a happy mood. Plus, she was on the changing table, which is one of her favorite places.

Last nice days and early release

The kids got outside to enjoy the summer-like weather and the last days of early release.  Right after this picture was taken they got in the "bouncer" for a rowdy game of wrestling with Jillian holding her own by tackling the boys.  Tierney was content to hold Bridget and just watch.  Bridget really enjoyed being outside a lot today and hearing new sounds and seeing the colors of the leaves.  Jillian was also delighted that Rielee had early release that day and could come play.