Three Weeks Already?

So, Owen's three weeks old now (or was yesterday).  That flew by fast.  I'm still kind of in shock and awe with how great I've been feeling this fourth time around.  I was pretty excited to find that my normal 2-3 week postpartum mood swings (when I feel like I lose all patience and reason for a week or so starting around 2 weeks postpartum) were nonexistent this time.  Or so I thought, turned out it just waited 'til three weeks to start, but they've fortunately (for my children) been much milder.  So starting yesterday, I find the kids pretty annoying anytime they do anything crazy, weird or loud, but for the most part I don't lose it with anyone for no reason whatsoever.  :-)  I'm not sure if it's the hormones that are totally different this time, or if it's just that I'm getting pretty decent sleep (more than when I was pregnant.)  Probably a combination of both.

Yesterday I went to the dentist, then the hospital to visit my Grandma, who's had a rough week or so.  Greg stayed out in the van with the baby (I didn't want to bring him into the hospital, and I didn't want to leave him with anyone for that long), then afterwards came home, but stopped off first at the new Schmidt's Bakery and ate a sugar cookie while I nursed the baby (which is why I hadn't wanted to leave him with anyone, since he went CRAZY on the drive and insisted on eating that very second), then we headed back to my parents to pick up our kids.   I called my Dad, to let him know about the delay for feeding the baby, and asked if the kids had eaten anything.  "Yeah, I fed them . . . I gotta go, they're attacking . . ."  Click.  Then we called when we were almost there (since my Dad insists we do that so the kids have adequate time to find hiding spots).  He was all, "How far out are you?"  I said, "We'll be there any minute . . ." "Sounds good," he responded, then as he hung up I heard him yell, "BATTLE STATIONS!"  Should be no surprise that when we came in, Greg was attacked by several little kids with Nerf guns.  Then they excitedly told me about how they'd had ice cream and popcorn for dinner.  I think there's a reason they ask for Grandpa as their babysitter . . .

And right now, my sister Lacy just showed up to babysit the three oldest while Greg and I (and Owen, who we're hoping sleeps the whole time) go to Kneaders for a must deserved dinner date!  Wish us luck . . . I'd really like to get through this without the baby screaming mightily while we're out!

Of course, we also need some three week pictures of Owen . . .

Sunday Family Dinner

My Mom is an overachiever. Which means that despite having a hysterectomy earlier this week, she still planned a Family Sunday dinner today with all the grandparents over. Greg and I headed over a little early, to try and help out, but of course she already had almost everything done. As crazy as I thought she was planning a big meal the week of surgery, it was great to have all the grandparents around to get some pictures with Isaac. Plus, it's always fun to get together with my family and hang out. And, it gets me out of the house, but to a place where everyone plays with my kids and cooks my family a good meal. Works for me!

My cute little boy

Here's Isaac with Great Grandma

Grandpa Robert (or 'Bobby' as Ellie randomly started calling him awhile back) working out Isaac's biceps. Grandpa assured me that if Isaac exercised more, he'd sleep better at night.

My sleepy little boy with his Mama

Isn't he like the sweetest thing ever?
And, I'm happy to say I did my hair today. Straightened it for the first time since giving birth. Felt very human. :-)

Isaac with another Great Grandma

Greg freaking out all the Great Grandmas by flipping Ellie around in the air

Great Grandpa with Isaac

Isaac chillin' with Aunt Talina

Ellie and Mommy mugging for the camera . . . Ellie's ever-present 'cheesy smile'

Ellie with Daddy

Grumpy Ellie

Talina and Isaac again

Cheesy Annie

Grandma Karine holding Isaac while Great Grandma works the laptop, checking out the internet to read her grandchildren's blogs -- something I never thought I'd see.

Uncle Cody pretending to be asleep with Isaac. Isaac wasn't very good at pretending to sleep -- Cody kinda sucked too :-)

Have I mentioned the amazing sandbox my parents put in their backyard for the girls to play with? It's awesome. It's huge and the sand is literally a couple feet deep. Cody and Annie have been working in it all summer -- building walls and towers and flooding it at every chance.
I put Annie in there to try to show some scale, but I don't know if it truly does the sand structures justice.
The walls around the outside of the 'lake' are over a foot high in most places, and the towers range from short to huge.

It probably doesn't help too much, but for some perspective, the yellow boat in the lake (half hidden by one of the towers) is like two feet long.

Annie and Ellie could hang out with Cody all day every day, if he didn't have that pesky 'work' thing getting in the way of their fun and building.

Who's Got the Power?

Saturday morning, my parents came by to see what the Easter Bunny had brought the girls in their Easter baskets. Annie invited them downstairs to see her 'clean' playroom, where Annie and Grandpa became engaged in an epic battle.

We took a lot of video, and this may not be amusing to anyone that wasn't there, but Greg and I cannot watch this without tears streaming down our faces at the antics of our all powerful preschooler.

Highlights: When Annie informs Grandpa that Ellie couldn't hold onto her whale because she "has baby hands", unlike Annie who has bigger hands and will never let go of her dolphin.
"I have Fifty Hundred power!" To which my Dad responds, "You do math like your Dad!"


"1-2-3 gallup!" "Magic DOLPHIN!" "I did it!"


"I have my magic gown on, and Ellie!" As Ellie twirls on and off screen. "Ellie, you should have the MAGIC KILLER WHALE!"


"I have all the power!" Grandma refusing to tickle Annie, despite, Grandpa's threat of not doing the gardens this year if she didn't switch allegiance.
"NO! You will tickle HIM Grandma!" Annie demands. She commands her Dad to come, Greg gets referred to as her minion, but she insists he has actual power as well, "He has ten power! Just like I have FORTY POUNDS. Pire? Power . . ."
Annie refusing to get Grandpa a magic gown of his own, as he can't fit in any.

"I have the veil of the dolphin."
"I have the ring of the princess!"
"I have the socks of the dwarves."
"I have all the magic power with my magic scarf."
"I have . . . um, I don't have my wedding ring . . . " Grandma pipes in, "You do have some pretty powerful reading glasses in your pocket." He finishes, "I have the power of Horizon!" (He meant Verizon -- he's not the one who pays the phone bill).

You just can't beat a girl with an all powerful Dolphin (whose main power was keeping her from getting tickled by the evil Grandpa) and a magic ball gown. (And a magic bracelet, a magic crown, magic high heels, a magic wand, a magic scarf . . . all while repeatedly shouting, "I have ALL THE POWER!")

Daily Calisthenics with Grandpa

My parents stopped by last night to see the girls. The girls got a pretty good workout, playing hard with their grandparents. Grandma & Grandpa probably burned their fair share of calories too! There was running around chasing a laser pointer light, endless rounds of "Ring Around the Rosies" (my poor Mom was really starting to look dizzy), running from the Tickle Monster (i.e. Grandpa), walking on the ceiling, and my childhood favorite: being bench pressed by my Dad.

Here's my Dad benching Ellie. We did this ALL the time when I was a kid -- it was all about balance, and seeing how long you could keep from being wobbly, before Dad would suddenly vault you into the air and catch you on the way down. Ellie would have pretty decent balance, if it wasn't for the fact she tries to 'bounce' the whole time she's up there.

Annie helping to steady Ellie.

Go Annie! No hands!

Then Grandpa got tricky! Team lifts!

Ellie's bouncing was making it harder for Annie to stay up straight and for Grandpa to keep them steady.

Annie put on her sunglasses, and informed us that we all now looked like rock stars.

Here's video of the girls being lifted up together.


Annie then wanted to try lifting people too. She tried lifting Daddy to no avail. She did a bit better with Ellie!


Ellie, much like a Labrador, will happily chase around after a laser pointer light, for long stretches of time. She'll 'catch' it under her foot (whoever is operating the laser pointer quickly turns it off when she steps on the right spot on the floor), then when she slowly lifts her foot to check it, the light 'escapes' and runs away again. It's great exercise, and highly amusing for the rest of us. Is that bad? :-)
On Sunday night though, she found she could dive to the floor and 'catch' the light in her mouth. Then spit it out forcefully and it would appear again and take off and need to be chased again. This was cracking us up to no end. So, we tried to get some video of it when she was doing it again on Tuesday. This was the best video we got. It doesn't do the whole scene justice, but it was was something.

(We were also doing laser shows on the ceiling with all the lights off on Sunday night with multiple laser pointers. Annie exclaimed that it was the best night ever.)

Then Annie practiced walking on the ceiling.

Grandpa 24/7

Ellie talks about her Grandpa's all day long. She's constantly asking about them, wanting to know where they are, wanting to call them on the phone, demanding we say our breakfast prayer over again because we forgot to mention Grandpa in it . . .

When my parent's pull up, as soon as Ellie hears the car she starts to shriek, "Ampa, Ampa, Ampa!" and excitedly jumps around in place or twirls in circles until she falls. (Of course, soon as my parents walk in, she yells, "Ampa!", but then runs right past him into Grandma's arms.)

Same deal when we go to Greg's parent's house. As soon as we turn down their street she starts to cheer, "Ampa! Ampa!" The whole time we're getting her out of the carseat, it's all, "Ampa! Ampa!" Then we head inside and she runs for Grandma and settles in on her lap with a book.

This morning before preschool, Annie was watching Dora, and responding to the television at all the appropriate places in the show. The Map song is playing and they're asking who you call when you need to know where to go, or something like that, and right as Annie shouts, "Map!", Ellie chimes in, "Ampa!" Then, of course, you repeat the question and answer ('cause everything is repeated over and over again on this show), and Annie again responds, "Map!" and Ellie even more emphatically shouts, "AMPA!"

Don't mess with this little girl's love of her grandfather(s), she's mildly obsessed . . .

Also this morning, at breakfast, I asked Ellie, "Who does Ellie love?" "Ampa!" she shouts.
"Who else?"
She pauses for a second, then responds questioningly, "Esus?" (Jesus)
I laughed, "OK, who else?"
"Ampa!" Then a pause, "My Dada!" Another pause, "an Ampa!" (and Grandpa).
Yep, we got it kid. You love your Grandpa. :-)

Edited to add: I wanted to add a quick Annie story. I was telling her Uncle Cody all about her happily singing the word "Metamorphosis" over and over and over again during the ultrasound, and how the tech, Greg and I found this so funny. (You really have to hear Annie sing it to really get the adorableness of it though, it's so cute). Cody asked, "What does metamorphosis mean, Annie?"
"Um, it's like a big change." she responded.
I now feel like it's only fair for me to make some kind of financial contribution to PBS or something.