I guess time has gotten away from me. It has been almost 2 months since my last post. Let me check you up on what has been going on.

Ella Jane is getting bigger every day. She has a very mellow easy going personality. She absolutely LOVES Claire. Claire can do whatever she wants to that girl, and she just smiles at her. As you can see from the picture. I seriously just went upstairs for a couple minutes. Ella has started babbling, and giggling. She has the biggest cheesiest grin that melts my heart. I can't believe how fast she is growing. They don't stay little long enough.

Claire is getting bigger too. She had her first dentist appointment. She did really good with the hygienist. She opened her mouth and let her clean her teeth. But when the dentist came in she got really nervous and he only got to see her teeth when she cried. Claire is still determined to be the baby and not be potty trained. It is going to be a battle of wills. She says the funniest things. Some times it is just absolute nonsense. I am still trying to figure out what a "pongo wongo" is. She is starting to sing all the time. Some of the time I can actually tell what song she is singing.

Mark and I are both doing well. We have started going to the gym 5 days a week. I have lost 13lbs so far and Mark has lost 5. I am trying very hard to become healthier. I really want to teach my girls healthy habits, and be an active fun mom. I still have a lot of weight to lose. I wish I would have made the effort to lose all the weight I gained during Claire's pregnancy. I was careless and gained too much. I did so much better with Ella. I was careful to watch how much and what I was eating. I have lost everything I gained with Ella. Now I am working on the weight from Claire. It is a challenge for me. I love food. If I could eat all day long, I would. I am going to keep working at it. I'll report on my progress.

We are well and happy. I can't promise I'll post on a regular basis. But I will try to go this long in between posts

R.I.P Dorothy fish

She was a good little fish. Don't tell Claire she's dead. :(

Dorothy

Claire is now the proud owner of Dorothy the goldfish. Every time we go to Walmart Claire asks to see the fish. We spend at least 10 minutes looking at the fish and her yelling "MAMA ITS DOROTHY, IT A SISH. For you who are lucky enough not to have to watch Elmo's world. Elmo has a pet goldfish named Dorothy. Claire and I were once again looking at the fish while Mark and Ella were doing other shopping. . Claire yelled DOROTHY!!! over and over again. When an employee asked if we needed any help getting a fish. I guess he thought any little girl that excited must be getting a fish not just looking. I looked at the price once again 28 cents, and decided that Claire was going to get a fish. Claire finally broke me. As the man was catching a fish for us, I heard a "WHATS GOING ON HERE?" I was busted. It was Mark. I was hoping that Claire would carry her Dorothy up to him and show him and leave me out of it. I wasn't that lucky. As Mark went to find a fish bowl and some food I could see him shaking his head. Next time I am going to send him to look at the fish with her while I do other shopping. It was only a matter of time before I gave in. He is stronger and can resist that Claire charm. I cannot. Claire had to have Dorothy sit next to her in the car seat. She put her arm around the bag, like they were best buds. She kindly asked "You alright Dorothy" as she poked the bag. I'm surprised she made it home alive. She did, and is now swimming around her new home. I guess now I'd better learn how to take care of a goldfish

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Photo shoot

I decided to have a photo shoot with the girls. Here are the ones that turned out the best. Our camera does not take very good photos. I made Claire and Ella coordinating dresses. There were a couple of super cute pics of them together, but they turned out blurry. I will have to try again another day.

Learning Curve

It has been 3 1/2 weeks since Ella joined our family. I feel like there should be some sort of motherhood manual out there for adapting to 2 children. Having Claire and going from none to one was a little overwhelming, because I was a new mom and nervous about breaking her. I innocently thought going from one to two wouldn't be that hard, because I wasn't going to be as nervous. Lets just say, I am not adapting so quickly. For 8 hours a day I am outnumbered. I find that my girls like to do things at the same time for example : poop, cry, want to be held. The only thing I can't seem to get them to do at the same time is nap. For some mom's it seems they are naturals at balancing their children. I on the other hand have a lot of learning to do.

Its silly but of all the things I miss most is being able to sit at the table and eat a meal. I dream of the day when I will be able to sit down and eat a whole meal, with both hands. Right now I do most of my eating with either one hand while holding Ella and spilling some on her (sorry girl but you insist on being held) or I don't actually eat a meal, just grab a bite here and another one there.

On another note, we have been trying to teach Claire to say gesundheit when someone sneezes. The other day in the car Mark sneezed. I told Claire to say "gesundheit daddy". She looked at me for a moment, then said "Hold on tight Daddy" Oh I love that girl. I guess that as close as she could figure I was saying. Now when Daddy sneezes he is told to "HOLD ON TIGHT".

Ella Jane

Its been a week since Ella joined our family. It is amazing how this little stranger belongs so completely in our family. I can't imagine not having her here with us. Although at the same time we are just getting to know each other. Some of the things I have learned are: she is the slowest drinker. On the few occasions we have given her a bottle it will take her 45 minutes to drink 1/2 an ounce. This explains why nursing takes so long. She hates having her diaper changed. She loves having her hair(fuzz) washed especially when I use a toothbrush. I look forward to learning more about my little one.

Ella has arrived

She was born Saturday May 22nd at 6:40 pm . Weighing in at 7 lbs 12 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Her eyes are dark grey. I think she will get hazel eyes like Mark's but we will have to wait and see. She has light brown fuzz on her head. It will probably fall out and she will end up being a baldy until she is 2 like Claire was. She is a snuggler. The internet here at the hospital isn't the greatest so I will have to add some pictures after we are home.