Goin' Campin'...Campin out under the stars...

This week, before we left to go camping on Thursday afternoon, Mira laughed a funny cackle laugh and Joshua enjoyed storytime with Memaw and Stephanie. But, Thursday afternoon we left to go camping. Joshua was super excited since I bought his sleeping bag a week and a half ago and has been having us read "Curious George Goes Camping" every day 5 times a day.

Thursday we headed out to a local state park and set up camp then ate dinner and walked where we could on foot. Driving into the park we saw a deer. We are using my Grandparent's tent and thankfully it was easy to set up. Josh wasted no type starting his search for worms in the dirt with my trowel that we brought from home. We took the swing for Mira which was a very good choice and she spent a lot of time in that. Joshua loved being in the tent and went right to sleep without a problem. Jack made one escape around dinner time and we later changed his hookup but he did come back after running around where we will never know.

Friday, we enjoyed bacon and eggs from the camp stove before heading out to the camp store, playground and our first hike. We started with a two mile hike we had also done before Joshua was born that took us out to a lighthouse and back. It was rated easy and there were lots of other people and pets on the walk with us. Joshua made it over half way before he slowed down so much we had to throw him in the backpack carrier. He was excited to see other dogs, water, butterflies, flowers, and sand. We wore Joshua and Jack out on that hike. So back at camp we ate lunch and headed down for a nap. After a difficult nap (for Joshua) we made a camp fire and dinner. Joshua loved the fire, it was hard to keep him away from it! and enjoyed roasting marshmallows. Bedtime was again easy.

Saturday, we got going on our hike sooner and chose a difficult hike that took us to a beach and back. Soon into our walk, Jason spotted a snake slithering into the root system of a fallen tree. Then just a little bit ahead we saw a garter snake laying across our path. That guy didn't want to move but Jason nudged him with a stick and he finally slithered away. Then a little bit farther up we saw a large black snake sliding away over a log. I was just about ready to turn back at that point but we went on. We saw a marsh, beaver dam, blue herons, lizard, butterflies, a ground hog and ants (a highlight for Josh). This time he made it halfway before we stopped for a snack and put him in the backpack. After the hike we again had lunch and mandatory nap/quiet time, we explored a playground made from used tires at another beach site and had ice cream cones we picked up from the camp store. Saturday's dinner was spaghetti over the campfire and off to bed for Joshua.

It rained Saturday night while we tired to sleep. Joshua slept through the rain but Mira did not like it and Jason and I worried about it coming in the tent all night. We had a little puddle that we sopped up with dirty clothes and were pretty much ok the rest of the night. We just packed up this morning and headed home instead of staying to play on the playground or attempt another short hike because of the mud.

We are all contentedly tired and Joshua is in bed for the night. He had a good nap after a long weekend of sunshine and exercise. It was awesome to be together and trying something new. I can't wait for our next adventure.

Our Walk

The March for Babies yesterday morning was a lot of fun. I carried Mira for the first half and Jason pushed Joshua in the stroller and then we switched. The walk was 4 miles long and we were home by noon. Joshua did get out and walk part of the journey. He was very observant and even found numbers on the road, motorcycles driving toward us and lots of doggies. Mira was awake and alert during the majority of the walk. She even had her photo taken. After the walk, there was food and games. Joshua had his first chance at playing in a big moon bounce. He was a bit skeptical at first and then we couldn't get him out. We ALL took a nap in the afternoon. :-) Gotta love wearing the kids out!





Joshua, in the last several days, has grasped the concept of 'I'. So now we are hearing things like, 'I want that', 'I actually picked it up,' and 'I am done eating'. I think his speech is becoming a lot clearer.

Mira has really found her hands and is trying desperately to suck on her thumb. She will spend a long time at this task while sitting in her swing and all we hear is sloppy, sucking sounds. Her 'coo's are becoming more varied and she is sleeping less and less during the day.

March for Babies

Tomorrow morning we will walk as a family to support the March of Dimes. It is particularly important to us this year with the preterm labor that I experienced with Mira. I am excited that we are walking together and that Aunt Jo is walking with us. I hope that the weather continues to be glorious as it has been this past week. Tonight, we had our neighbors over again for a cookout. The kids in the neighborhood are fantastic with Josh and Mira. Joshua doesn't know he isn't one of the big kids. He wants to do everything they do and they do their best to include him.

Our Team link for the March tomorrow is: http://www.marchforbabies.org/514680 if you would like to help us reach our $500 goal. We are close but not yet there. Thank you to everyone that has contributed so far!

Happy Birthday, Mira - 2 Months Old

Mira had her two month check up today. She weighs 13.6 lbs (90th percentile) and is 23" long (75th percentile). She is right on for milestones. She liked looking at the dr. but wouldn't smile for her. She must have known that 4 shots and one oral vaccine were on their way! Joshua did great at the check up, too, and even said 'hi' to the dr. He has been quite shy up to now with her.

Let's go fly a kite

Mira, Joshua and I went to a kite festival on Saturday. It was lots of fun. We didn't take a kite to fly but instead wondered around watching all the other kites in the sky. Joshua enjoyed following the kites especially the 'whale' (a kite shaped like a shark) and we spent about 1.5 hours walking through the field of kites.

On Friday, Memaw and Grandad came up and we had a cook out with them. Joshua was so excited to see them! On Sunday, we went out to meet Memaw and Nanny for a birthday dinner. Everyone was sick at Memaw's house so we ended up meeting at the resturant. Dinner was yummy and we had Diary Queen afterwards at Memaw's request.

Joshua had three late nights because the weather has been sooo nice we have been staying up late and playing outside with the neighbor kids. We are starting to put him to bed now at 7:30 instead of 7pm. Today we picked up a tent for Josh to have for our upcoming camping trip. He is so excited. He wanted to sleep in it tonight. He is going to have a blast camping.

Tonight we went to sleepytime storytime in our pj's. They hold it once a month at the library. We have really just been having LOTS of fun recently!!

To the Dump

Joshua was so excited today when I told him we were going to the dump. He wanted to ride in a dump truck. I had hoped we'd at least SEE a dump truck but we did not. On the way home, we stopped at a really fun park that has an playground completely surrounded by a fence. It is great because Josh can run around and I don't have to be quite as vigilant about him running off. He had lots of fun playing in the sand, with the other children and on the tall towers. It was great.

The Strasburg Railroad

Yesterday, we drove up to Strasburg for a trip on the steam engine there. The train ride was 9 miles out and back through Pennsylvania Amish country. It was a lot of fun and Joshua was so excited to ride a train. We posted a few photos and are looking forward to going back in June when Thomas the Tank Engine is in town. Here is the website http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/



Today, we enjoyed Yanna's (our friends' daughter) first communion. Mira was passed around and Joshua played with the kids (sans nap) it was a good day.

Mira has found her hands and likes to stare at them watching them open and close. She was very alert and watching everything going on today at the party. I am guessing she will sleep well tonight!!

Hand Specialist

I've been to the hospital where Mira was seen today at least 5 times visiting other's people's children. And even though Mira is a very healthy baby, walking in there with MY child was a sobering experience. We are so fortunate that what Mira is being seen for is relatively simple in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you know the difficulty that some families experience.

Mira's appointment went really well. They were about an hour off schedule to see her but we expected that. She slept through the entire time waiting to see the dr. and then woke up to coo and stare and hold the dr's hands as she was examined. They looked to see that she had full movement of the thumb and that she used both hands equally. They examined her arms, other fingers and asked about her toes. All parts were in good working order. In fact, the extra digit or split thumb that she does have is a relatively minor case. Her dominate thumb is pretty much full sized. When she is over a year old she will have the extra thumb part removed. At that point she will be in a better situation for receiving anesthesia. The only reminder will be a small scar along the side of her thumb. There is still question as to whether or not there is actually a bone in the extra thumb but that will be answered in October when she will be seen again for a checkup. The dr. said that the surgery is fairly simple and quick (30-45 min) but that it is the 'going under' part that is trickier for little ones. Since she is a healthy baby and this thumb does not interfere with her daily life waiting until she is over a year is really the best option.

So, the dr. pretty much confirmed all that we had thought and had been told up to this point. He was very thorough in his exam and explained everything clearly. I think Jason and I were both comfortable with his diagnosis.

Joshua was watched by Mom Mom through all of this and did great. We were gone for about 4 hours. When we got home the weather had cleared up and turned out to be a beautiful day. We spent time out on the swing set before dinner and then joined our neighbors out front for vising and play after dinner.

Race Car and New Play Set

Our neighbors, since their daughters had outgrown it, gave us their gigantic swing set. I thought it was going to take an army of strong men to move the thing. But, Howard arrived Friday evening with one of the large towers attached to a lawn tractor having put wheels on the tower. There is a photo of the scene. I video taped it, too, it was so comical. On Saturday, the rest of the play set made it into our yard. The kids in the neighborhood helped bring all the pieces down and also helped swing on the swings. Joshua is so excited. Sunday morning he didn't even want breakfast. He just wanted to go and play. So, we did.





Jason's new Mini Cooper S arrived on Saturday as well. Now we are all set for the mini meet in July. He just needs his helmet so he can do the auto cross.

Mira is on a smiling kick. She'll smile at anyone that talks to her and she loves to be talked to. She'll through an oooh or ah in periodically, too. Yesterday she started really reaching for her toys while sitting in her swing. Today she reached up and touched my face while I was talking to her.

Videos

We have some videos up now. You can access them through the links to the right, "Family Videos".

Mira is smiling now, a lot. She 'talks' to you and is starting to hold on to items placed in her hands. She was already grabbing Nettie's hair and my necklace and holding on tight! The other day she even laughed in her sleep :-) So cute.

Joshua is getting a new swing set tomorrow. Our neighbors, whose girls have both outgrown the set they have, are giving their old one to us. We can wait!

Happy Easter

Joshua loved Easter! With all that candy, what's not to love! We tried to talk about the meaning of Easter but all Joshua heard was, 'The Easter Bunny brings candy.' We did have a fun time. We dyed eggs on Saturday and colored Easter pictures. He used his new 'cutters' aka scissors from Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara to cut out the pictures we were coloring. On Sunday, we had an Easter egg hunt at home when we woke up. The Easter bunny brought Joshua a new foam airplane that was huge! We went to church at my mom's and they had an egg hunt there, too. After church, Jason and the kids played in the field behind my parent's house throwing the airplane around. Then it was time for Easter dinner, naps and MORE play. Joshua got his exercise that day.

Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray came out to visit this week, too. We were so happy to see them. Joshua was asking when Uncle Ray was coming all morning on Tuessday before they arrived. He called Aunt Beth, "Memaw" even though he knew there was something different.

Yesterday, I took the little ones out to my parent's library for storytime with Stephanie. It is so nice to see Josh and Stephanie playing together now.

Mira is smiling now and really playing attention to what is gong on. She likes to be up where she can see the action. This morning she was batting at the toys hanging down from her play mat. With all her chubs she is quickly out growing her 0-3 month clothing. I think she weighs 11-12 lbs now but I don't know for sure. Her next dr appt isn't for a few weeks but she will see the specialist about her hand in the mean time. We saw the OB who delivered her for my 6 wk checkup today and she got a kick out of how chubby my little girl is. Looks like Mama's milk is working!

Milestones

Today, Mira had two firsts! She found her hand to suck on this evening and then tonight she SMILED! I am sure it was for real. She was looking at a little bear dangling from her bouncy seat and she gave a big grin, then did it again :-) Too bad my camera was downstairs. But I guess there will be lots of smiles ahead.

Last Thursday, we had a visit from Aunt Jo. Mira loves the Peter Rabbit soft book that Aunt Jo brought and will stare at the pages for a long time. She likes you to turn the pages periodically so she can see what comes next :-)

On Sunday, she went to church for the first time. Another baby that was born just 3 days before Mira was also in church for the first time. It was fun to see them together. Miss Mira definitely had Piper beat in the chubs department!

Monday, Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara arrived for a visit. They were at our house 'til today and then Mira, Joshua and I followed them out to Mom's for the day. Stephanie and Noella were home from the sitter's and we took all the kids to a local Nature center. Josh and Stephanie loved all the critters: turtles, snakes, frogs, fish and birds that they could see live and up close. The kids even got to pet a rabbit. It was a lot of fun.

Frisbee

Jason, while out shopping the other day, picked up a frisbee to play with. Joshua love s it! He and Jason have been out every evening tossing it back and forth. To our amazement, Joshua is very good at frisbee. His throwing is great and he can pretty much get it to Jason. He almost caught it tonight, too. We also introduced him to bubble baths. You can see his first bath below. He loves it and looks forward to bath time even more now.



Mira is starting to get out a few 'ooo's along with her grunts and squeaks. She intently stares at toys and faces now and grasps hair, shirts, necklaces or whatever she can find to hold on to.

Alert Time

Mira is having more and more time alert during the day. She likes looking at her toys, being carried around the house and listening to her 'sleep sheep' when she is awake. Joshua has been interacting with Mira more, too. He gives her kisses and touches her. He has to know where she is at all times as well. I asked him what his baby doll's name was and he said, 'Mira Jean' so I guess she already has a name-sake.

Mira had lots of visitors yesterday. My friend Jessica and her boyfriend, Chris, came up to see us and brought a delicious lunch. Then Ron, Christine, Yanna and Val came over in the late afternoon and brought dinner. It was a yummy day :-)

Just the three of us

Joshua, Mira and I have been surviving without Daddy home for the past couple of days. Today we will attempt story time. Thank goodness Mira likes to sleep! I still have time to play with Joshua throughout the day and he has been good about the time I need to spend tending to Mira. We try a good outside to run around for a while each day. I am glad that spring is coming. I don't think I can handle being couped up much longer. The crocuses are peaking through, one has started to bloom and the temperatures have been in the 40's instead of the 20's.

2 week check up

Mira saw the dr today for her 2 week check up. She weighed 10 pounds :-) Taking after her brother and gaining a pound a week. Joshua kept it up for 5 weeks from birth. We'll see how long little Mira sustains her trend :-) The dr was impressed with how she held her head up and tracked faces. She is very strong.

We also had a great visit from Grandma and Papa this past weekend. I'll post photos once we get them downloaded. Joshua was sad to see them leave this morning. He liked the way Papa read books and played games and he liked how Grandma pushed him in the stroller and played puzzles. Mira snuggled with Grandma most of the weekend and was quite content to be held and sleep the entire time.

Photo Shoot

Before Mira was born we had a photographer come out to take pregnancy photos of me with Jason and Joshua. Today, the photographer was back out to take pictures of Mira with all of us and by herself. She was a trooper through it all. She was awake for the beginning and then fell asleep about halfway through. She had just had enough stimulation. The photographer took shots of her naked with her little tushie up in the air and we Jason holding her cradled in his hands. I am sure they turned out great! We'll see in a week or so. We are all pooped from the event. It was a challenge to get Joshua to behave long enough to have his photo taken and then to coordinate that with Mira. Jason and I both needed a strong drink by the time the photographer left.



Joshua received a set of 4 puzzles from Kim, Ryan and Ellie for Christmas that he has really taken an interest in lately. The puzzles each have 12 pieces and no 'frame' to put them in or match the parts to but he can pretty much put each one together on his own. It is one activity that keeps him quiet for quite a long stretch of time.



We went out to dinner the other night with my parents. The meal took about 2 hours and both little ones did great through it. I was very impressed with Joshie's behaviour since he has been a challenge of late. Mira slept through it and Joshua played and ate his chicken and fries quietly.

Time to do a few bills and head to bed. Mira wakes up every 1-2 hours to nurse through the night but twice a night for about 1.5 hours she is up eating, burping and being changed. Usually it is right when we go to bed and then once more about 4 am.

Snowy Day

It snowed a little bit more last night so schools were closed and the library didn't open until noon. Storytime was canceled but we ventured out after nap to try and have Joshie's hair cut and return library books. The barber shop was closed, too. So, when we came home we made snow sundae's with lots of fun toppings. Joshua is enjoying his now but eating everything except the toppings he put on, funny boy.

Mira is sleeping. She was awake and alert this morning for a while and then again after nap. She is already 'tracking' faces, turning towards sounds she recognizes and holding her head up. We had 'story time' at home for Joshua and she enjoyed the books as well, ok so she slept through them but she will enjoy them later :-) Her umbilical cord stump fell off this morning so we will give her a little bath tonight, probably.

We are hoping that Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara will make it down to visit tonight but the weather may prevent that. We'll see!

Mira's First Dr. Appointment

Mira saw our pediatrician yesterday (I think Joshua was thankful it wasn't his turn!) and weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She has already surpassed her birth weight. I imagine today she weighs even more. She is a very good eater and I already notice her becoming less wrinkly and more filled out. Her cheeks are getting bigger. She did great at the dr's and was pronounced, 'Healthy'. :-)

She is a very agreeable baby so far. She had a busy time between 10pm-2am when she likes to eat, poop, eat, eat, spit up, change her clothes.... You get the picture. During the day when she is not eating or pooping, we either hold her or put her in the pack n' play bassinet. She loves it and either looks around or sleeps. I think she likes the noise of the house. We have gotten a couple of 3 hour stretches of sleep from her and have hopes that she will be a better sleeper than her older brother.

Joshua is doing great as a big brother and adjusting really well to the change. The toughest time of night is bed time when he asks for a laundry list of things (more kisses, hugs, stories, water, blankets...you name it). During the day, however, he is most helpful bringing toys and other items, asking about Mira, playing nicely, etc. Daddy and I are doing our best to give Joshua one on one time throughout the day. Visitors have also been very good about saying hello to Joshua first, coming to play with him and bringing him gifts. I think he may think all this fuss is about him becoming a big brother.

Sounds like the boys are ready to go, better sign off!

Joshua has a little sister!

Mira Jean, our brand new beautiful baby girl, was born February 15th at 12:39a. She weighed 7 lbs 7 oz, is 20 in. long, and ended up with 11 fingers :-).



Joshua is not quite sure what to make of her, but he knows he's the "big brudder" and carries the little baby doll Mira gave him...

Daddy and Carie were there helping through the whole thing and experienced the amazing event first hand. Kimberly and Ellianna visited first thing Friday morning; Memaw and Joshua came Friday afternoon to visit shortly (since Joshua's attention wanders easily); Granddad stopped by after work on Friday on his way to join Joshua and Memaw; Christopher (aka The Godfather) came later Friday night (bearing much-needed survival supplies); and Tia Amy and Tio Omar visited with Dylan, Stephanie, and Noella Saturday afternoon.

Mom is still at the hospital with Mira, since the attending doctors want to keep an eye on the baby since she "lost so much weight." Ummm... it's quite normal to lose up to 10% (which is what she lost). Nevertheless, she eats like a fiend (absolutely no problem breastfeeding or taking a bottle), and poops like one too :-) We think they are over-cautious, but they put up a fight so we yielded (at least until tomorrow.) Daddy took over Joshua's care (Memaw had him since Thu. night!), and is now back home with him; hopefully, we'll be on our way to pick Mommy and sister up in the morning.

I posted a few pictures on Flickr, check 'em out!