Indoor Fun

Hi girls!

The other day Michela was pretending to call Penelope on the "itzbeen phone".  She said  "Peppy" then grunted!  I guess you can say you a grunting machine Penelope.  hehe.  Don't worry you are also starting to make other sounds too.   By the way, I love your smile complete with dimples.  :)

Michela, you have been very interested in cooking recently so the three of us have been cooking together.  I wear Penelope in the Ergo carrier while we're mixing and making our masterpieces.  On Thursday while Penelope and I were making baked oatmeal bites, Michela was experimenting with instand cream of wheat.   We have learned that we don't like cream of wheat so I let you play with it.  I put two packages of instant cream of wheat in one bowl and water in another bowl.  Then I gave you measuring spoons and let you play.  You had fun mixing and stirring.  When you get older Penelope we'll continue to play in the kitchen together.

 You even keep your workspace clean!

 We also had fun with a big box!  Look at the different things we discovered you can do with a box!  We only touched on a few but when you two get older we'll have more fun with big boxes.

With all my love,

Mommy

Letters to my girls

Dear Penelope,

You are awake for longer periods during the day and I love talking with you.  We often hang out on the changing table a few extra minutes just talking with each other about anything and everything.  Sometimes our topics are so complex you go cross-eyed.  It's okay - some things in life are just mind boggling.

On Sunday we had a "meet the baby" shower with Yammie and her friends.  Nana came to town and stayed with us on Saturday and Sunday.  You received many cute outfits and shoes.  I didn't get any pictures of the party but know that all the ladies loved having you present at your shower.  Everyone loved holding you and said that you are perfect.  Michela came too.  She decided to open all the presents with Nathaniel while we were at the table having a tea party.  Instead of opening presents I simply held up each item and asked who gave it to you.  It was a very nice party in your honor.

I love you Penny Pie!

Love,
Mommy

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Dear Michela,

I love working in the kitchen with you!  I'm so happy I have managed to find time to cook with my favorite sous chef.  Yesterday instead of your afternoon walk with Daddy you insisted that we cook.  You put on your apron and chef's hat and said "cook".  So I had you help me make dinner.  We made butternut squash macaroni and cheese.

While I was using the stove I gave you a bowl with a cup of water inside.  Then I gave you some spices to shake into the bowl of water.  If you wanted more spices you said, "more" and pointed to the spice you wanted.  With each addition of spice you stirred the contents in the bowl then stuck your finger in to taste.  When you were happy with your soup you dumped it down the front of you!  Cooking with you may make extra mess but I sure love spending the time with you!

I love you Michela!

Love,
Mommy

Love

This is love...

 ... and out of control hair!

One month

Dear Penelope,

You are one month old!  You are growing so fast!  I need you to slow down a little and stay my itty-bitty for a little longer.  You are nursing and sleeping like a champ!  You tend to cluster feed between 6:30 - 9:00pm then sleep until 1 - 2AM!  You only wake up two times a night which is wonderful for me!  Last night you slept 6 hours before waking up!  Thanks for the long stretch!

You gave me your first smile (while awake) on Wednesday, Jan. 4th!  You have a beautiful smile complete with a single dimple!  You're so cute!

I love you Little Pea!

With all my love,

Mommy

Below is Michela at 1 month - family resemblance? 

messy fun

Dear Michela,

I know I am holding and feeding Penelope a lot these days.  That means I can't always play with two hands or pick you up when ever you request.  I have to take care of both of you so our days are a little different.  Luckily you're not bothered by the changes and you're still as happy as a clam.  I have made sure to spend some special time with you while your sister sleeps.  Twice this week we had some messy fun.

On Tuesday, we made soap mud and made a big mess in the bathroom.  Luckily soap mud is made out of soap, toilet paper, and water so clean up was easy.

Friday we made a mess in the kitchen with homemade cloud dough (moon sand).  We may not be able to go to the beach everyday but we can pretend to bring the beach to our home.  I was pleasantly surprised that you played with the moon sand for 45 minutes!

I promise to continue to have messy fun with you!

Love you!

Mommy

So Far So Good

Hi Girls,

Today is the first day I'm home alone with the two of you.  I have to admit, I was kind of nervous.  I know it's going to get harder once Penelope starts waking up for longer periods and learning how to move around on her own.  None-the-less, today can be a challenge for me.  We will get in our groove soon enough; until then we'll make the best of it!  

So far so good.  Michela goes down for a nap at 9AM and it takes me 5-15 minutes to get her relaxed and asleep.  Last week I had Daddy here to watch Penelope and take care of her if she woke up.  Today Daddy's at work so my plan was to make sure Penelope was changed and fed at 8:30AM and asleep by 9.  It worked!  I put her in the rock n' play at 8:50 while Michela and I read a couple books in the family room.  Once I was sure Penelope was asleep I took Michela to her room and finished off our nap time routine of songs and rubs.  Michela was asleep within 8 minutes and Penelope stayed asleep in the rock n' play!  YAY!

Thank you girls for being sleepy at the same time!  I know I wont be so lucky every day but I'm hoping most days can work this way!  After you two wake up I think we'll go for a walk around the neighborhood.  We wont use our new (used) double stroller but I'll wear Penelope while Michela explores the neighborhood on foot.

I love you baby girls!  Thanks for working with me this morning!

Love,

Mommy

Pictures

I haven't posted in a while and have a letter in the works.  Hopefully this will tide you over in the mean time.

3 Weeks

Dear Penelope,

You are three weeks old and we couldn't be happier to have you in our family.  You are a stellar sleeper (thank you) and a great eater.  We have had zero breastfeeding problems and I think it's because you were the only one who needed to learn how to nurse.  It didn't take you long to figure it out and we have been smooth sailing since day one.  During the day you want to nurse anywhere between 1.5-2.5 hours and at night you will give me 3-4 hours.  There are nights that I still need to wake you at the 4 hour mark.  Your pediatrician, Dr. Chou, said I should continue to wake you after 4 hours until you're a month old.  I think she's crazy and last night I decided that I wasn't going to wake you any longer.  You are now 8 lbs 9 oz - well beyond your birth weight - so I think I'll let you wake me up when you're ready.

Your sister loves you and asks about you first thing in the morning.  When ever she sees you she wants to give you a kiss or a snuggle.  You respond to her voice when you're awake.  It's really cute to see you turn to look in Michela's direction when she starts talking.  I think you two are going to be great friends.  That is unless Michela smothers you to the point you get sick of it!  :)

You are one special little girl and I love being your mommy.  You're not a huge fan of the bouncy seat or swing.  You tolerate them for short periods but you would rather be held or in your rock n' play.  The rock n' play is great until your sister comes in and starts violently rocking you!  Someday you'll want her rocking you so hard your head bounces around but today you're a little young.  Daddy and I are constantly reminding her to rock you gently but what can I say?  She gets a kick out of you bouncing around.  I thought the rough housing started later - guess not!  You're going to be one strong and resilient little girl simply because you have Michela for a sister.  hehe

I love you Penelope Marie!

With all my love,

Mommy

These are some of my favorites from your newborn photo shoot