Cora's paint job, and a trip downtown

On Thursday, Cora had her final Terrific Tots class of the session, and her special guest was Nanny!

Nan went along to work in the classroom, and she picked a great day to work - it was the end of class party!

We (I!) will miss this class over the summer, and will look forward to it in the fall.

On Friday, Stace and Gord continued their mini makeover of Cora's bedroom, with Cora's help. They repainted the ceiling, walls, wainscoting and bookcase/hutch unit, and we finally put her pictures up on the wall.

The color is a little closer to seafoam than sage, and it's really pretty. The whole room looks similar to before, but much cleaner and brighter.

While they worked on that project, Sue, Violet and I obtained Violet's birth certificate so we can get her passport. We drove to downtown Los Angeles to visit the county health department's public record's office, because we need the certificate faster than you can get it normally. We'll be heading to England on the last day of July.

After getting the paperwork, we had lunch at the Walt Disney Concert Hall's cafe, and then went into the county Hall of Administration.

We visited with some of the people I used to cover when I was a reporter, including county Supervisor Mike Antonovich. We were all very well-received; the last time I was in their office was when Cora was about the same age, when we made the same trip downtown for the same reason.

We also checked out the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where we parked and had coffee when we arrived. Despite a bit of traffic on the way home, we had a great day together, and it was fun to show Sue downtown Los Angeles for the first time.

Nan and Pop are back!

Nan and Pop heard so much about our fun getting 99 cent ice cream on Tuesday night, they flew over to join in the fun!

Stace and Cora picked them up at LAX on Monday night, and they are enjoying getting to hold and kiss Violet, and Cora of course.

Nan and Pop brought over gifts for both girls, from themselves and other friends and family members. Here you see Cora loving her new play tent, which she has set up with her blankie and other toys.

On Tuesday, Cora had her Terrific Tots class, and in the evening we ate dinner outside before heading out for ice cream.

On Wednesday, Nan and Pop woke up when Stace went to work (early!), and took a long walk around Valencia. Mid-morning, they took Cora with them on the bus to the mall. With the addition of Violet and her car seat, we've actually lost two spaces in my car, as there isn't enough room between the car seats for an adult to sit. So, I can't drive we three adults and two children anywhere, and we'll be taking both cars whenever we all go anywhere. But, we don't plan to leave SClarita too much, so that won't be much of a problem.

The last photo is from the big park across McBean from us; we four walked there Sunday evening after dinner so Cora could run around.

Lastly, I'll note that our Violet Mae is one month old tomorrow! Stop, time, stop! I do love this newborn stage, particularly since she is my newborn. It's so amazing to look at her and know that however many weeks ago, she was inside me.

Violet is still doing very well. We're generally getting up for nighttime feeding around 2 or 3, and around 5 or 5:30, and then get up for the day a bit after 8. Not too bad. She has a stuffy nose now, and I'm using that blue bulb syringe the hospital gave us to take home to try to clear it. Never had to use this with Cora so this is a new experience for us!

A series of firsts...

Violet is now three weeks old, and we celebrated with a trip back to Baskin Robbins, a first bottle, and a first bath.

Cora also had her first bottle and bath at three weeks old, and with Violet, she was very excited to help with that first bottle.

Violet took about three ounces of pumped milk very well, and Cora was very pleased to be able to feed her sister. If you open the top photo to see it bigger, it appears that Violet will keep her baby blues... we'll see!

Violet's first full-immersion bath went very well. She was quiet and alert for most of it, and seemed almost to enjoy it, at least until Dad rinsed off her head and water went into her eyes.

Cora, on the other hand, screamed her way through most of her newborn baths.

Wednesday was a very nice day - the bottle and bath went well, and we had a nice lunchtime visit with a friend of mine I hadn't seen for a while.
After dinner, we took a nice family walk around the neighborhood, with Cora on her bike. The warm evening was perfect, after a couple of cloudy and cool days.

After Violet's bath, she actually went to sleep around 9:30 p.m., so much earlier than the prior two nights. (On Tuesday night, she wouldn't settle into sleep until almost midnight, and I ended up with her sleeping on my chest.) On Wednesday, she was awake for most of our lunch date, and maybe that helped her fall asleep earlier in the night. She then woke up for feeding about 1 a.m. and then at 4 a.m., and then at 7 a.m. Then we dozed until 8:30.

Today, Thursday, she's been very sleepy again. I wonder if we're in for a long night?
Even if we are, there's a big difference for me this time around as a mom - I know this infant period will be over in the blink of an eye! I'm not worried about sleep as much as I was with Cora. (Granted, easy for me to say, since Cora slept so well so young, and Violet isn't doing too badly, either.)

On Tuesday night, we made our return trip to 99 Cent ice cream night at Baskin Robbins. The last time we all went together, we were exactly a week away from Violet's arrival. Stace and Cora went back the night Violet was born on their own.

The final photos show Violet inspecting the activity mat - Cora liked helping her with it, and was trying to teach her how to hold the toys.

Violet at three weeks

Here's Violet today, at almost three weeks old. She's still a sweetie, sleeping much of the time. When she's fussing and won't settle quickly, I put her in a carrier or wrap, and she then quiets down and generally goes to sleep. The pacifier/dummy helps at those times, too. She's still so light, I barely notice the weight on my chest.
So here's Violet, above, and Cora, below, at about the same age.

There are similarities, but I don't think anyone could confuse them.

Getting bigger, and kisses

Our tiny peanut is becoming less tiny!

OK, she's still smaller than the doll (whom Cora named Duckie as well), but at her two-week checkup Tuesday, she weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces! Normally the professionals want to see newborns back up to their birthweight within two weeks, and our Violet shot way past her 6 pounds 10 ounce birthweight.

She also grew two inches, to 21 inches, if the nurse got the measurement correct. It's a little hard to imagine that she grew that much in two weeks...
Compared to other baby girls her age, Violet's weight put her in the 22nd percentile, and her length was at the 76th percentile. Her 19-inch birth length was in the 33rd percentile.
Dr. Brockett said she looked beautiful and healthy.

Another big-girl sign - Violet's cord stump fell off Friday. Sleeping wise, we've been going to bed around 11, and she wakes up once or (usually) twice before 7 a.m. Now that nursing's going well, it isn't too bad to wake up with her, since I can bring her into bed to feed and go to sleep while she's nursing.

Cora and I visited Juliana and Maya on Monday, and the girls had a great time playing in the back yard.

Two Cora tidbits - when she is blown a kiss, she likes to catch it in her hands and then eat it.
And when we put her to bed, she now likes to name a number of kisses and huggles for us to exchange before we can leave.

This started several nights ago, when I kissed and hugged her good-night, and left, and 10 minutes later or so, she called out, demanding more kisses and hugs. So the next night, I asked her how many she wanted, and said that would be what she got, that I wasn't returning later. She said, "One-Two-Three-Four-Five-Six-Seven-Eight. I want eight kisses and huggles."

From then on, the number has increased, and she always counts out every number. It worked well for a few nights, until last night, when after we went through the routine, a half hour later she called out, demanding more kisses from me. I refused, not wanting to drag bedtime into the 10 p.m. hour, and Stace and I heard her for quite some time, yelling, "TWELVE! I want 12, Mummy! Twelve kisses and huggles!"

Around the house, and Mother's Day

My fourth Mother's Day started off well - Cora was helping me change Violet's first diaper of the morning when the baby started fussing. Cora helped put her pacifier back in, and Violet was happy, much to Cora's delight. Cora then said, "I love you, Duckie!"
Doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Stace spent the morning with my dad, watching Chelsea win the league by kicking tail in their last game of the year. He felt bad about leaving me home without breakfast in bed on Mother's Day, but I encouraged him to go watch the game, as he really hasn't watched much football this year, and this was a huge game for his favorite team.

Anyway, the morning went awry as I tried to get we three girls ready and out the door for 10:30 church; it was to be our return after a few weeks' break. We left quite late, and when we finally pulled in next to Stace's car, he got Cora out and noticed that she was bare-bummed under her dress. Sigh. So, back home we all went. We later laughed about it, but I wasn't laughing this morning. We were able to make the noon service, and it was, to be expected, an encouraging message for all the moms in the room.

In the second photo, you can see Violet's brick on the church walkway (you might need to blow up the photo to read her name clearly).

The rest of the photos are from around the house the last few days. Violet enjoys her pacifier, especially in the evenings. The photo of her sucking away shows the first time we gave it to her.

Then, you can see Cora entertaining her (snoozing) sister. She loves playing with Violet already. When I change her diaper on the changing table, Cora will stand beside me, holding Violet's hand, shouting, "Help! Help me, Duckie! I'm falling into the river!"

Cora's imagination has been running wild. In the car the other day, a motorcyclist passed us, and Cora said:
"When I was little, I was on a motorcycle, and I got hit by a car, and I got hurt."
Sadly, she must have overheard Stace and I discussing an accident just like that last week, when an off-duty Sheriff's deputy lost his life. I told Cora, "I'm so glad that didn't happen to you! I love you and don't want you to be hurt!"
But, she insisted it did happen, a long, long time ago, when she was very little.
"And then," she continued, "The ants helped me. The ants with faces, from the Ant Show, they helped me." She was referring to the ants in A Bug's Life, the movie that became a show she's seen at California Adventure.

Cora also surprised us when she came out with the following... She had taken the doorknob cover off her door and kept opening it and shutting it, and at 10 p.m. Stace told her that if she opened the door again, he'd put the lock back on.
Cora: "If you put that thing back on the door, I'll cry. Then, I'll knock the door down, and then you won't have a house."

Not sure if that's more funny or frightening? Aunt Patty pointed out that it shows very logical, if-then thinking from such a little girl.

Happy Mother's Day to all the great moms I know and love, especially mine!

One week in...

Cora and Violet are both sleeping, so I'm seizing the quiet to share the ups and downs of our first week as a family of four.

First of all, what great timing God had for Violet's arrival! I was feeling so very ready to have her, and though I had been hoping to avoid being induced, the induction worked just fine.

And, it was perfect for us to have had a full day at home on our own before Aunt Patty came to help out. On Friday, we took Violet to the doctor's, and she had already gained back several ounces, weighing in at 6 pounds 8 ounces, just two ounces less than her birth weight. The doctor said she looked to be in perfect health. Once we got home, my friend Jaimie came over to take some photos of Violet. She's a pro, and you can see the results here.

Friday night, Stace picked up Patty from the airport, and what a lifesaver she was.

With our first baby, Stace and I really didn't need a lot of assistance, and I think it was good that we had some time on our own to figure things out. But with another small person around the house, we really appreciated the help.

She did all the cooking and dishwashing, and helped entertain Cora (and keep her in line, more on that later!). And, of course, she also provided another pair of arms for holding Violet when she was fussy, so I could shower or whatnot.

On Saturday, during Cora's nap, Patty, Violet and I went to the grocery store to replenish our supplies and get what we needed for dinner – homemade pizza and salad! Cora got to help make the pizza, and I loved the salad, as that is one of the many things that made me feel yucky when I was pregnant.

On Sunday we introduced Violet to our family in England via Web cam, and then my friend Jen came to shoot some photos of Violet. (You can see a few of them here, they're the first several to come up.) I'm blessed with some talented friends!

In the afternoon, we grilled carne asada and had my family and Genia, John and the kids over for dinner. It was a really great evening, one of those times I'll always remember fondly.

On Monday, Patty planned to take Cora to lunch and to the store to get some nail polish; she had offered to paint Cora's nails, and Cora was very excited about this. Sadly, Cora refused to come away from the McDonald's play structure when Aunt Patty asked her to, and was rude.

Eventually Patty was forced to change plans, and head home for nap instead of to the store. Cora became unglued, and threw a tantrum that lasted most of their drive home. The lowlight? Cora demanding that Patty stop the car and let her out on the side of the road, and telling Patty that she should go home and not stay at our house anymore. (Spitfires – they're not just classic cars or fighter planes...) Thankfully, all was better after Cora's nap.

Tuesday was a big day for us – we went to our last MOPS meeting of the year, and then took Cora to Terrific Tots. MOPS was fun, and Violet got a lot of attention.

While Cora was in class, we went to Old Navy and I bought two flattering tops – dressing my 1-week postpartum body isn't the easiest!

We then got Cora's nail polish, and Cora was thrilled with her first home mani/pedi.

So, how is Cora handling the transition? So far, she adores her Duckie. She wants to hold her and touch her throughout the day, and if the baby fusses, she'll ask, “What's wrong with my new baby sister?” She likes to help me get things, and she'll put her stool next to the changing table to see better. When Violet's awake, Cora will practically squeal, “Look, Mummy, look! Her eyes are open!”

In other ways, especially for the first few days, Cora was extremely emotional and high-strung. She was either happy and normal, or melting down and defiant. We know it's to be expected, and the fact that she missed naps here and there and was going to bed too late didn't help. We're trying to balance being patient with her as she adjusts to these big changes, while not letting her get away with the disobedience. I have to hand it to Stace, he has been so very patient with her, even when she's been at her most difficult.

And, as for Violet herself? So far she's a beautiful, lovely baby, and we are crazy about her!

For her first week of life, she wanted to nurse pretty often during the day, and every couple of hours at night. Tuesday night, though, after her 11:30 feeding, she only woke up once, around 4! For that feeding, I brought her into bed to nurse, and we slept together. I don't know if she slept better with us, or if it was a fluke, but I woke up at 6:30 and tried to feed her, and she wouldn't wake up enough for it. So we slept on until 8! It was glorious to feel rested before driving Aunt Patty to the airport.

So, there's our week in a nutshell – OK, maybe not a nutshell; this is a really long post. But, until we settle into a new routine, my posts will likely be fewer and farther between.

Gifts for Violet

We've received some beautiful cards and gifts to help us welcome Violet Mae, for which we are so grateful!

The flowers from Nan, Pop, Big Nan, Uncle Dean, Auntie Jen, and cousin Euan are so vivid and gorgeous, they don't look real!

John, Linda, Noelle and Mikayla sent a cookie assortment from Wonderland Bakery that we're enjoying very much. There were two other cookies, including one with Cora's name - nice touch.
Also included in the Wonderland box was a cupcake baking set and apron for Cora. Everyone has been so thoughtful to include Cora in their gift-giving, and we're so appreciative! Here, Cora is getting set to frost the cupcakes she and Aunt Patty made. They are yummy!

Mike, Trahnel, Noah and Calla sent this delicious Edible Arrangements bouquet. Wow, the fruit (and chocolate-covered strawberries) were incredible. Yum!