J's new Bitty Baby

Our friends gave J a new Bitty Baby doll for her 2nd birthday and all the same gear that Rebecca and I carry for a day out on the town. There is a diaper bag, with diapers and wipes, and there is even a baby backpack so that J can carry her baby just like Rebecca carries A in the Ergo carrier. J was in heaven opening up each new package, she loves taking care of her dolls and now she has a set of everything that she doesn't have to share with A.

J's second birthday, and a bunch of other photos

J had her second birthday today. We have been celebrating her birthday all week, slowly opening some of the gifts we have received from family and friends. This evening we had a small party for J with her Grandpa and Grandma Skinner. Here is the cake that J and Rebecca made. Rebecca likes homemade frosting and I like store bought chocolate frosting, so we compromised and went 1/2 and 1/2. Then to make it somewhat make sense, I tried to make it look like a numbers flashcard for J's birthday. I kind of think it looks like "12", more than "1" and "2".




J made sure we knew that she liked cake, by saying "I like cake!" over and over...




Here are random birthday pictures











A continues to grow quickly. Here is a picture of her in her car seat.

Note from Rebecca: A gained one pound her first week alive, thanks entirely to me. She is a non-stop feeder. Unlike J, A doesn't like a binky or any of the other tricks we used to calm J. A basically likes to nurse or be walked around while being held - not in a sling, or a car seat, or a bouncy chair... just in your arms, preferably looking out at the world. She was sleeping pretty good for the first two weeks or life... usually blessing us with a four-five hour stretch of sleep. However since she hit her two week birthday, she has been up every two hours every night. I freaked out on Mark a couple of nights ago after an especially sleepless two days. It is impossible for me to be with both my girls at the same time, and so I end up feeling guilty for not being totally present with each of them. I tried nursing A while reading bedtime stories to J, but it just didn't work. Anyway, after my meltdown things seemed to improve. I'm trying to embrace the fact that this is such a short period of time in the girls lives and that I will make it through the next five months even if I am totally sleep deprived and hungry. Though the pictures make it look like a huge cow, I have managed to lose quite a bit of baby weight very quickly. This I believe is due to the fact that I am trying to do too much, too soon. That's all for now. P.S. My husband is a living saint. I am so grateful for everything he does for our family. His bond with J is amazing. She has become a real "daddy's girl" in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully he will have the same relationship with A.




Here is J modeling some fun sunglasses that Rebecca's friend from work, Shelly, gave her. They are extra cool because the lenses flip up too.




Here is our poodle Lance looking very stately with the women in the house.






I have my arms full with both my daughters, trying to get organized and out the door in the morning. I am sure I will get better at this.






Our friends, Karine and Jens came by with their sons to to meet A. Here is a photo of Karine and A.




J loves to have her picture taken (and to take photos, when I have more time, I will organize some of the photos she has taken with our Canon point and shoot camera). Here is J posing with some of her babies.




Here are some artsy photos I took in our backyard, trying to keep learning more about my new camera. These pictures are very representative of the June we are having, very rainy.