Airlie Jane....new pictures

While big sis whiled away the afternoon with a much needed nap the other day...I took advantage of some "awake time" with AJ and snapped a few photos. What a sweetie!

Ella...the little funny girl!

It's safe to say she's driving us nuts with the acting out and not listening, mostly attributed to the new addition in the house. But, Miss Ella is funny and at times when we should be stoned-faced it's hard not to laugh.

Sometimes I hear her repeating phrases or reprimands she's heard from us. For example, Matt was getting in the car to run some errands the other day and Ella ran after him. Opening the door to the garage she exclaimed, "Now don't drive crazy!"

Then a few days ago when playing sidewalk paint (which is awesome!!) with our friend Ava across the street Ella reprimanded her with this: "Now leave me alone right now because I'm trying to work, I'll play with you later!" Apparently Ava was trying to get some paint out of the same container Ella was using. I've heard Matt say the same thing to her when he's busy on the laptop.

Yesterday she walked up to me and said, "My daddy gave me poop yogurt!" What the??? Apparently we were all out of Diego yogurt so Matt fed her Activia. A few hours later she yelled from the bathroom, "Mommy, it worked, the poop yogurt worked!"

Just this morning while I was trying to update this very blog and chat with my friend Heidi she came running up to me exclaiming, "Mommy, I put my pull up in the toilet and I can't get it to flush!" Crap...I gotta run...plumbers are expensive!!!

What's in a Name?

First tub bath!

A sweet kiss from big sis

Daddy's girls

We have given our second daughter a unique yet meaningful name, at least for us. But we realize it's going to be tough for her because it is not your typical name...and you can't find it in any of those baby books.

So...how did we come up with it? Airlie is the name of a beautiful little road in Wilmington, NC, one of our favorite places; we miss it dearly. The road is canopied by tall live oaks and pine trees draped in Spanish moss. There are picturesque farms and homes along the way. As you round the bend you can catch a glimpse of the azaleas and huge live oaks of Airlie Gardens through the brush and iron fencing. Soon you come into the light and you are looking out onto the beautiful waters of the intercoastal waterway. Then you catch a whiff of seafood as you near Dockside, a wonderful on the water restaurant. We loved it so much we had our engagement pictures made there.

You can check out the website hyperlinked above...or I suggest you just visit someday...it's beautiful...and a perfect name for our little peach pie!

Jane is a family name traced through both sides of the family!

Airlie Jane is Born!

Airlie Jane joined us a smidgen early (about two weeks) because my blood pressure kept climbing and that made everyone nervous.

She was born April 23rd (her due date was May 4th) at 7:46 a.m. A.J. weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 18 inches long. She is a tiny little thing! So far she's been a pretty good eater and sleeper, unlike her big sis. She nurses every two hours or so during the day and goes every 3-4 hours overnight!!

It's hard to say who she looks like at this point. She has dark hair, my head shape, my nose, mouth and chin and she has Matthew's eye shape and brow line. Oh, and she has those darned long skinny feet. At least I can start spending more on those high priced narrow shoes for Ella...seeing as they'll be handed down.

We had a wonderful hospital experience. A planned c-section beats the heck out of laboring for nearly 24 hours and then getting the cut -- that's what happened with Ella. The only negative...the drugs for pain they put in the spinal made me puke for two hours after delivery!!

Returning home has had it's ups and downs. When I had a c-section in California with Ella we lived in a small one story bungalow and I could walk to the grocery store. Here in suburban Atlanta one must drive everywhere and most houses...including ours...are two stories. The doctors say I'm not supposed to drive, go up and down the stairs (more than once a day) or pick up anything heavier than the baby for six weeks. It's going to be a long and difficult six weeks.

Both moms have pitched-in, taking turns helping us. But...that ends in a few days and we'll be on our own. Fortunately, Matt isn't traveling until after my six week check-up. Whew! By then the neighborhood pool will not only be open...it will hopefully be warm. That will keep Miss Ella busy...that is if this relentless rain lets up for a few hours a day.

Speaking of Ella...she's having a tough time adjusting. It doesn't help that she decided to drop her nap the same week we brought Airlie Jane home from the hospital. She's been having massive meltdowns during which she screams for me. Typically she chooses to do this when I'm nursing or unable to appease her pleading.

She's also been acting out and pushing buttons. Everyone says this is normal and it will pass but no one can give me a time frame. Ella has been very sweet to the baby so far and seems more than eager to help with her. She's just being a little butt when it comes to Mommy and Daddy. Oh well...we did just deliberately turn her world, Ella's World, upside down.