Happy Birthday Papa

My dad made a trip to Chicago for his birthday weekend. What foodie doesn't want to spend their birthday weekend in the fine dining city of Chicago? He was treated to grilled cheese at the aquarium, messy hands after each meal, food throwing and spilt milk all over the kitchen floor. I suspect his trip had more to do with meeting a little girl and seeing her big sister.....

I took advantage of having the extra set of hands to bake my dad a cake. I spent a lot of time trying to decide what kind of spring cake to make then it occurred to me that I have never made the infamous $300 cake. The recipe is in the Evans Family cookbook and according to my grandma, my dad and his brothers requested it every year for their birthdays. I didn't allow the butter for the icing to get to the right consistency before making the icing but aside from that i think it was pretty darn good. In essence it is a red velvet cake unless you are my uncle Dan who used green food coloring once for my grandpa's birthday. I don't really recall how bad the cake looked but do remember Grandpa looking at his piece and yelling, "groooooos." Dan - we may have to have a $300 cake bake off as I think I have you beat.....

Amelia is always willing to help open presents. We were treated to a KU romp on the night of my dad's birthday. I will withhold comments regarding the next game and remind myself, "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all."

Why of course with my dad around we had some photo shoots. I can't post all the pictures or Juliet's birth announcement wouldn't be fun to get in the mail!

My dad really was a lot of help and if he were to share his babysitting success steps it would go like this; wait until the baby has been fed then offer to hold her and give the toddler your iPad. Neither one of them gave him any trouble as long as he followed those two steps!

Our home has gone from three adults and two kiddos to one adult and still two kiddos as Mark is out of town all week for work. It didn't take long for me to confirm that taking care of a newborn and toddler on your own is hardwork. Merrill arrives Thursday and I am pretty sure I will be happier than I ever have been to see her.

Big Sis

Big sister Amelia has really been hanging in there and adjusting well to life as a big sis. She loves all the visitors who have come to meet Juliet and especially loves to open the presents and eat the cookies (Kate and Lane) they leave behind. Since Juliet spends most of her time sleeping Amelia has somewhat lost interest in her. She still loves to hug (crush) her and play with her toes. Once Juliet gets more awake and active I'm sure Amelia will have a thing or two to say about her, I just hope it is on the positive side!

Right when Juliet arrived Amelia moved to a different two-year old classroom at daycare. Now this transition has not gone as smoothly. Amelia was very attached to one of her teachers, Ms. Rosy and has not exactly warmed up to her new teachers. Drop-offs are agonizing as she cries and between sobs tells em things such as; "I stay home with Mommy and Juliet. I go to my old classroom. I no like my new classroom." By the time Mark picks her up she is happy and her teachers report that she stopped crying very quickly after my leaving. I do know she loves being with her friends and it is really good for her to keep going while I'm on maternity leave. I continue to hope for a tears-free drop-off as leaving her whens he is crying breaks my hormonal heart.

..proudly showing off her new shirt.

We all have a bit of cabin fever and I think Amelia is feeling it the most. Last weekend we took her to family swim at the local pool which she loves going to. We just need to get our lazy selves together on the weekends and take her more often. Mark loves playing with her in the pool and until Juliet can join them we just get to hangout and watch. This weekend we took her to Target so she could pick-out a tricycle which for now she rides around the house. Please spring, arrive in Chicago as we are very ready for you!!!!

Happy First Week

We have managed our first week as a family of four. In reality we have managed due to my mom being in town and all of our friends who have kept us well fed. Thanks to all who have brought us such great food. Our fridge and freezer are stocked!GranAnn and granddaughter #2. We were trying to get a picture of my mom with both girls but granddaughter #1 was too busy running laps around our kitchen island.

The biggest reason we are managing so well is that Juliet really couldn't be an easier baby. Of course she wakes up every two to three hours during the night but she is suppose to. This series of photos shows her chill personality. I am by no means bragging as we have lived through a semi-colicky baby who took four months to even start learning how to sleep. I know Juliet can change in a moment but for now we will enjoy her being such an easy baby. We are fully expecting more difficult days and nights ahead of us.
Amelia for the most part is adjusting well. She is a toddler so it is almost impossible to decipher when her toddler moments are just that or her expressing her feelings about our new house guest. She loves to give Juliet hugs and kisses and as I imagine all parents do we are working on her being gentle as her hugs typically resemble a wrestling match.
She does open her eyes! Juliet was happy and cozy after her first bath. We spoiled her and steamed the bathroom up for her!

So our next big adjustment is that of Mark going back to work this week. Of course I'm a bit anxious but I keep telling myself that I'm not the first mom to have two little girls to take care of. Amelia is going to keep going to daycare Tuesday-Thursday. She really loves her classroom and we decided it would be good for her to keep life as she knows it. This week with Mark home Amelia has had a constant playmate. She used to be satisfied putting all her "friends" to bed but has learned that using daddy as her doll is a lot more fun!

Juliet Jennifer Lang

I suppose I was wrong when I thought our little one would arrive close to my March 13th due date. Juliet Jennifer surprised us and came just after lunch yesterday. She is our little 6lb peanut and perfectly healthy.

Sorry to disappoint those hoping to hear a good "arrival" story but her entry wasn't as eventful as Amelia's. It did go just as quickly but we were more prepared this time and arrived at the hospital much earlier. Thankfully our neighbor doesn't work on Fridays so Maria and her two little boys William and Henry were happy to have Amelia for the day. Amelia LOVES playing at their home so it was reassuring to know she was happy and well taken care of. Thanks Stephans!

With Amelia safely tucked away at "HenryWilliams" I drove myself to the hospital as Mark was at work. That was a bit strange to drive myself but I didn't really want to take a cab and with Mark's office the opposite direction of Prentice we weren't sure he had time to come get me. Around 1pm Mark told the nurses the baby was coming and they needed to page the midwife who was making rounds. I'm not sure they believed him but he was pretty adamant so they did page our midwife. Knowing how quickly Amelia arrived the midwife took the stairs to the labor & delivery floor instead of waiting for the elevator. She still wasn't quick enough so the nurses did a great job safely delivering Juliet. A fun fact; Merrill was also delivered by a nurse before a doctor could get there. It may have been quick but it was intense!

Sisters meeting for the first time! Amelia has taken to calling Juliet,"that guy" and already blames her for things. After tooting while eating dinner tonight she said, "who tooted? That guy tooted?"

Big sis enjoying the view, fishies and introducing Juliet to the KU/Mizzou rivalry. I'm still in a bit of shock that my baby #1 is a big sister. The thought that she is old enough to be a big sister may be too much for my hormonal self to think about.

We were given the option of going home today which is super tempting. However, the amazing view of Lake Michigan from our room is hidden by blowing, blustery snow. Spring is a lovely time in Chicago.... Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer so I think we will just hang here another night and head home tomorrow. Plus Amelia is at home being spoiled rotten by GranAnn so we figured she could use another dose of attention before her world is turned upside down.

Tomorrow we will head home to begin our life of a household of girls and daddy. Mark said the whole pregnancy that he knew we were having a girl so he must have know that he was destined to a life of pink, dress-up and drama.

Getting Close

We are getting pretty darn close to my March 13th due date and I have the appetite and stomach to prove it. I think our home projects are winding down and my work deadlines are out the door so I'm hoping for some good R&R until baby comes.

Our freezer is loaded with Trader Joe's, bags are partly packed, the infant car seat is installed, etc. So now we are just playing the waiting game. Considering how Amelia entered the world, Mark and I are both a bit anxious about the logistics of having Amelia tucked away in a safe place and making it to the hospital. Between our neighbors, friends, family and Jenn I think we have enough options to make it work. I don't get the feeling that this little one is quite ready to join our family. I'm feeling fine so I suppose I need to make peace with the idea that the baby will come when he/she is good and ready. Talk to me next week and I will probably feel very different! Amelia and I like to play, "whose stomach is bigger?" I passed her up months ago but it still doesn't get old especially when her response is, "DADA!"

Amelia is still showing her gift for fashion design. Yep, her onesie is buttoned over her pants.

Hanging with Baby Greta has been good practice for Amelia. Greta is a total trooper with the variety of vegetables she will eat so we are hoping her good habits rub off on Amelia. We are having issues now at dinner as Amelia could eat an ENTIRE cantaloupe (or orange watermelon as she calls it) in one sitting but won't eat anything else. I think we better not buy any cantaloupe this weekend at the grocery store so she is forced to eat something else. I suppose we will know soon if Charlie will get a boy to hang with or if he will be stuck in a world of lady Langs......

Now off to a box of Thin Mints that Mark claimed he had to buy from the Girl Scouts outside of the grocery store.

The Chicago Way

Here in Chicago we headed to the polls today to elect a mayor and neighborhood Aldermen.

After her first parent teacher conference we made our way to the poll. Not to digress but parent teacher conferences for a two year old, that is funny. We were not told that Amelia is the class bully, steals from other kids or is disruptive to her class so I would say it was successful.

Back to voting. I told her we were headed to vote. To which she said, "burp? say scuse me." I then tried to correct her by telling her, "no we aren't going to burp we are going to vote. But yes if you were to burp you should say excuse me." Her response, "I want to go with mama to ride a boat." Third time was a charm and she did walk into the polling place saying, "I go vote."

In the city where the deceased historically have voted and the presumed winner wasn't even cleared to be on the ballot until the day after they started printing ballots Amelia figured she could cast a ballot. She LOVED the touch screen ballots and proudly left with her "I Voted" sticker.

Feeling the Love

Surely Amelia felt lots of love this Valentine's Day. Her holiday started with a trip to Midway to pick-up GranAnn. We normally make our airport runs during nap time so Amelia thought it was pretty cool to get to go with me to the airport. Amelia and GranAnn spent lots of time in the kitchen making homemade play dough (a vintage recipe from Raintree where Merrill and I spent our young years), sugar cookies and washing lots of dishes. I really am beginning to think we could get Amelia a job washing dishes as she could spend all day long in front of the sink and we could use the extra money.

The hired help in action (with my flowers).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE french toast topped with a berry compote which I typically get homemade for Mother's Day, birthday, Valentine's Day and the like. Of course there could not be activity in the kitchen without Amelia helping out. Oh, and don't forget Elmo and "Monster Cookie" who are never more than an arm's reach away from Amelia.

One of Amelia's many Valentine's gifts was some kiddie kitchen gear from GranAnn. Here she is testing out her new giraffe whisk.

We do have utensils in our home and you can even see the one she had been given to use. When the goal is to eat nothing but syrup for breakfast I suppose licking the plate is more efficient than a spoon or fork.
Loving her sugar!
Our little fashionista loaded up on new clothes from both her Grandma's this Valentine's Day. This is a good thing considering she recently has started going through no less than three outfits a day. The outfit changes have nothing to do with potty training but are all about fashion. She takes her clothes picking out seriously.

Amelia got her first flower which came all the way from Papa in Phoenix and is still proudly displayed in a sippy cup.