Fun Facts

1:  We are moving in one week.  To a place down the street which has cheaper rent, only 1 bathroom (we really only use one of the two we have now...), and a HUGE back yard.  I have declined to participate in moving.  I will just meet Rob and the kids at the new place. He has assembled an army of people that love us enough to schlep our stuff down the street.

2:  Em has febrile seizures, and after her first one this past Thursday, had her first ride in an ambulance.  She was with Amy when it happened and it nearly scared everyone to death.  Now that we know what they are, I am hoping that will be her only ambulance ride in her lifetime.  But a blue baby that is foaming at the mouth-that's a scary reason to call 911.

3:  I'm behind on my homework.  Surprise!

4:  I CAN'T FIND MY IPOD.

5:  Harper is now 6 weeks old and smiles for real and on purpose!  She's still getting the hang of it, but it's the cutest thing since Em learned to smile for real.

A better update and some pictures coming soon. It's been a little bit of a weird month around our house!

A month!

Somehow it has been a month (technically 1 month + 1 day) since Harper joined us!  Obviously there is not a lot of time for blogging these days, since Rob went back to work, I started teaching a class, and I entered a Master's in Education program.  Yep.  I'm now a grad student.  Seems like a big step backward, but I know that in time it will pay off.  Plus, I got a scholarship, so I will get reimbursed for everything.

Harper has finally reached the 8-lb mark! She can almost wear her 0-3 month size clothes, which means she gets to wear something besides a white onesie.  For a while there, her pajamas didn't even fit.  This is in stark contrast to my new niece, Tailynn, who has more clothes than our entire family. We just weren't expecting such a small baby, so we didn't buy any newborn size clothes.  So, all we had were the ones we (thankfully) borrowed. Anyway, Harper is looking more fashionable these days.

I have been running, but I am getting very impatient with my body, because I want it to look like it did before and do all the things it did before.  But, as I said in the beginning, it has been a month.  To me, this seems like a long time, but in perspective, maybe not so much.

Okay, anyway, I know everyone is mostly interested in baby pictures, which is great, because I don't have a lot of time to write today.  This is because, turns out, in some graduate programs, you have to do HOMEWORK. Like, written homework assignments to turn in.  I am already realizing that I am a terrible student.  Oh well. Here are some pictures.  Hopefully I will be posting more detailed things in the future.

I don't get as much time with Em as I would like, but when we have a minute, we like to bake!  

So far, we have made homemade oreos, brownies, and muffins. 

She has consumed several servings of raw egg.

Good moms let you lick the beaters.  Great moms turn the mixer off first.

After Loly's goodbye party (she is moving to Boston!) in which we took both of our children to a bar,

we went to the park to chill with the elephant.

Celebrating the 1 month milestone with some tummy time.  Harper will not be defeated!

Em spent the weekend with her 2nd set of parents (Joy and Charlie), and Rob and I went to the baseball game.  Funny how it seems easy to do things with a newborn.

Harper wanted to dress the part.  This is the bowl they serve ice cream in.

Sunday.  Ahhh.  Sunday.

Hope everyone is having a nice week!

Two under two club

Hey I have two kids.  Both in diapers.  Both somewhat impatient.  Both adorable.

Last weekend I had my first time alone with both of them. (Em still goes to Amy's during the day to play with the girls.)  I thought it would be fun to build a fort on the deck and do painting with Em while Harper slept.  

The result?

 

But hey, everyone survived. And I might dare say that Em even had fun though her Dad was nowhere to be found.

I'm learning that the ErgoBaby carrier is going to save my ass at least once a day-you know that time of day when everyone wants to cry and be held?  It often coincides with that time of day when dinner needs to be cooked. 

We have a couple of new pics of the kids learning how to coexist.  And of the new kid just learning how to exist in the first place.  It's a tough game, being a baby. 

Harper looks like a toy under there.

Em wanted to play Harper some tunes while she napped...

Fisher price tunes about spiders crawling up waterspouts and whatnot.

This looks sweet, like Em is trying to kiss her sister.  

But I was there and I can tell you she is sniffing her sister.

But believe what you want. 

Hey, fun under the fort!

I will say this lasted about 30 minutes then I had to come up with something else.

Love a nap on the porch swing.

Although Em is not officially an outside baby, we do leave the back door open 

so she can just run in and out.  Whatever gets the laundry done.

Plus, look how happy she is!

I get lots of help with breakfast in the mornings.

Harper declines to participate.  Smartest person in our house, I think.

So everyone is doing well and I went for my first post-baby run today.  It was tragic, but not too tragic. Well, it was tragically short but that is ok. I think I'll do it again tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday!

Hey, I'm your mom! Nice to finally meet you!

Welcome Harper Lilyan!
Born on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 4:45 a.m.
19.5 in
6 pounds, 14 ounces

About 2 minutes old.  See how glamorous we look!

Big sis meets little sis.

First date with Dad (so I could get some sleep!):

Home a day early from the hospital-because we are evidently "experienced" parents.

;)

This weekend, I finally captured a video of Em trying her damndest to wink.  It's the funniest thing.  Ok.  It's the funniest thing to me.  Here is a video in case you want to see if you agree:

We also didn't let the crappy weather lately keep us in the house.  Because honestly, the weather has been crappy the past few weekends and I can't stand any more time in the house!  So we got a groupon and went to McWane Center.  The World of Water was Em's overwhelming favorite.  Luckily we brought along an extra shirt.  You know, for Rob. :)

She also liked building stuff with Dad in the Construction Zone.  We got her a Home Depot toy tool box with tools this weekend, and she has "fixed" most things at our house already.  Lucky to have such a handywoman around!  Of course, she is particularly fond of putting the toy screwdrivers in her ears.

On the Harper front, no baby yet.  She is due on Sunday, and I imagine she will be late like her big sister was.  I had an induction scheduled for this upcoming Saturday, and decided not to do it.  I like the idea of giving Harper a chance to make her own plans.  So...babywatch 2013 continues!  

Signed,

The Elephant.

Crafty friends strike again

Usually my posts regarding the craftiness of my friends are restricted to some ingenious idea thought up by Joy or Amy.

(My ingenious ideas usually die of loneliness.)

But Lesley brought me the cutest handmade dolls to work today, one for Em and one for Harper! What a great surprise :)

Totes Adorbs.

It's been a week

Last Saturday, Rob and I took Em to the zoo!  It was really fun! I have lots of pictures to show, but first here is a rundown of the past week (including tomorrow).

Saturday, April 20:  Postdoc family fun day at the Birmingham Zoo!

Saturday night (all night long):  Keri has food poisoning (see above).  Now, in addition to not eating food from a truck, I also do not eat food at the zoo.  This is probably extreme, and I will get over it.

Sunday:  Receive invitation to interview for faculty position at Auburn University.  Rob had his interview there for a different position (same department) last week. Learn that I am to give a talk on protein secretion.

Monday: Go to doctor and learn that I am allowed to go to my interview if Rob drives me there and back. Get into trouble for losing 5 pounds during illness and being quite dehydrated.

Decide to work at coffee house for the day. Receive itinerary from Auburn.  Interview is to begin in 24 hours (3 p.m. on Tuesday).  Go buy something professional that fits.  This includes shoes.  In case you have lost track, I am now 37 weeks pregnant.

Monday night:  Stay up until 2:30 a.m. working on talk.

Tuesday:  Leave Em with neighbors (Thank Heavens for the Castello Family). Drive to Auburn with Rob and the dog.  Start interview with graduate students and dinner with search committee. Return to hotel at 8:30 p.m. Search committee learns that I am pregnant, ha!  I make it clear that the baby is due in 2ish weeks, and I will definitely be able to start the job in the fall.

Tuesday night:  Stay up until 2:30 a.m. working on talk.

Wednesday morning, 6:45 a.m.:  Meet search committee for breakfast.  Full day of interviews. Dog tries to eat the housekeeping lady. Rob has to hang around Auburn all day waiting for me. 

Wednesday evening:  Interviews end at 5 pm.  (I pretty much rocked it, FYI!) Drive back to Birmingham, stopping for milk and bread on the way.  Em proceeds to sleep like shit (understandably) all night long.

Thursday:  Go to work and facilitate lab tours with visiting undergrads.  Thank God for free lunch and the fact that I delegated most of this to Joy.  Go home early.  Fall asleep on bed sitting up, sleep for 1.5 hours. By the way, today (4/25) was our 4 year wedding anniversary.

Friday:  It was somewhat normal.  Haircut, lab, order cake for upcoming piano recital.

Saturday (that's today, 4/27):  Last minute piano rehearsals with students.  Leave Em with Teruko.  Check into Tutwiler for the night-anniversary celebration finally!  Go out for dinner.

Sunday (that's tomorrow, 4/28):  Pick up Em, check out of Tutwiler, go for breakfast, host piano recital. I am 38 weeks pregnant and DONE.

I should mention here that I have a husband who ROCKS AT LIFE.  Otherwise, the preceding week would have killed me. Dead.

WOW.  Are any of you surprised that I haven't gone into labor yet?? After tomorrow, this kid can come out!

Now that you understand the reason for my long absence lately, here are some pics from our zoo trip.

Rob is incognito:

Mike and his niece, Addilyn:

Not so sure about the lorikeets:

Waiting for the train:

At home, the chores never end.  At least this mower blows bubbles. And, of course, Em parks her mower right beside Rob's.

Her hair had been braided when we picked her up from Amy's house Wednesday night. Then I took it down and she looked like Tina Turner.  Here are some pictures of Em looking completely psychotic (she looks the way we feel right now!).

Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend :)

Keri