Weekend Roundup

Betsy has been very fussy for the last couple of days so I haven't been able to blog at all.

We did a bunch of things over the weekend. On Saturday morning we met the Carville family at PJ's on Camp then we headed over to the Farmer's Market. I bought lots of veggies to make gazpacho. After B's nap we had lunch at Hana (we always go to Kyoto first then realize it's closed for lunch on the weekends--weird) then headed to Metairie to do errands. We went to Toys R Us and Betsy threw a fit in the store when we wouldn't let her open crayons and wouldn't let her take home a gigantic keyboard. I guess it was payback for all of the times I would see kids having fits and wonder what was wrong with their parents. Oops. On Sunday morning we met the Carvilles at Riccobono's for breakfast--it was yummy. In the afternoon we went to Jama and Pa's house to celebrate Kathy and Bobby's birthdays. B was really excited about the cake and the candles. Peter, B, and I still have these crazy coughs, but hopefully we'll all be totally better soon.

Yesterday I brought Sadie to Sam and B and I went to do errands. Betsy cried almost the whole time. She wanted everything in every store, and either wanted to leave the store or stay there after we were done checking out. It was tough and everyone stared at us. Nothing would make her happy. I'm not sure if she is feeling bad because of her leg or her perpetual cough or if this is the terrible twos. Today we hung out at home, because it was raining. B was in a pretty bad mood today too. Below is a pic of her with her Play Doh. She was having a blast and decided the straws I gave her were candles and she made cakes and blew out the candles and was smiling. By the time I got the camera (2 seconds later) she was crying and mad at me. Oy. This afternoon Marme came over to visit then Katie brought B to Jama and Pa's for dinner.

On Saturday night Sadie starting sleeping in her crib and so far, so good.

B has been saying lots of funny things and speaking in sentences a lot. Here are examples:

--B asks me to kiss her bobos
--she says everything hurts
--the other day when she was eating she pushed me away from her highchair and said, "move, Mommy"
--she called me "Mom" instead of Mommy a few times today--Neila, you can relate to this
--when she plays her toys talk to each other and kiss
--she counts and says parts of the alphabet to herself when she thinks I'm not listening
--I put away her Play-Doh today and she said, "Mommy take it away, the Play Doh" after I did it
--if we're in the living room and she wants to play with her Little People zoo in her room she says, "Mommy, get Sadie, play animals."
--I put on B's nursery rhyme CD yesterday--she has always loved it--and when each song would start she would smile then dance for a second then say, "Betsy no like da song."
--she wants a pink cup and pink spoon or fork with every meal and we only have 2 pink cups, 2 pink spoons, and 2 pink forks so she usually doesn't get all 3 at the same time. Today I thought she'd be psyched at breakfast because I had a pink cup and a pink spoon for her. She said "pink cup, pink spoon" and when I brought both to her she said "blue cup, blue spoon." Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
--she answers every question with "no."
--when she makes a mess she says, "Betsy make a mess."
--when she doesn't like something she has started to say, "Betsy like it da ________. Uh uh."

I don't know if I've ever blogged about B's bedtime ritual. Peter says, "Betsy, want to sleep on the floor?" Betsy says, "Bye, Mommy" and goes with him then they lie on the floor on her Cinderella pillow and hug and count and say ABCs and talk. Then she either tells him that she wants to get in bed or Peter just puts her in bed when she gets really sleepy.

And Sadie is talking away right now to Peter and she can hold up her head for a while and stands while I hold her. Our little Sadie Boo is 12 weeks old today and is cooing and smiling like crazy.




Pics from today:

The Coughing Family

This week has been sort of rough. Peter and I both have these nagging coughs/colds. Very annoying. Betsy also still has a cough--I'm hoping that Sadie doesn't get it! On Tuesday we stayed at home all day. In the afternoon I gave Betsy a bath and I couldn't get the Xerosox on her. The Xerosox covers her cast and is waterproof so her cast stays dry. We could get it wet, but it takes forever to try. Getting the Xerosox on is a huge pain and impossible for me to do by myself. Well, I couldn't do it so I bathed B without it. When I got her out of the bath the lining of the cast started to swell and B was screaming every time I touched it. I was very freaked out and called Marme and Katie and both came over. Long story short--the cast loosened up and she calmed down. The cast stayed wet for a long time, but it didn't seem to bother B. Katie and I put B's hair in pigtails and Katie brought her to Jama and Pa's for dinner. Before they left Katie asked her if she was ready to go. She said "Ready to go, Katie, Betsy ready to go" and grabbed Katie's hand and said, "bye, Mommy." When she is ready, she lets everyone know and repeats "Betsy ready to go" dozens of times. She ate lots of gumbo at Jama's and had fun.

Yesterday we went to the Aquarium with Krista (Kiss as Betsy calls her), Lauren (Laween), and Ryan (Wyan). B had a ball and was really into the fish--especially since she's been watching 'Ariel' and 'Nemo' a lot. Yesterday afternoon B said, "Put Sadie down and dance." Once I put Sadie in her swing, B grabbed my fingers and started dancing. My sisters and I sing a medley of songs that get B to dance (shake it/shake it/ shake it, wave your hands in the air, dance/dance/dance, jump/jump/jump, clap/clap/clap, snap/snap/snap, shake your booty). She dances all of the time now and asks Peter and I to dance with her. She has also started walking around the house saying "'nap, 'nap, 'nap" and trying to snap her fingers.

Today we went to see Dr. Warren. Betsy had her pink cast removed and now she has an Aircast. It's great, because we can take it off while she bathes or swims. The incision is nearly the length of her lower leg and looks scary to me, but it doesn't seem to bother B. We can't really tell if her leg looks better because there is a lot of swelling, but Dr. Warren was very happy with her progress. We go back in 3 weeks.

Betsy has also been telling me to "put Sadie in da swing." Betsy likes to describe everything we are doing and identify every object we come across. She loves to talk!

NOTE TO SELF: Do not ever, ever, ever blog about or talk about how well your baby is sleeping, because the next night she will not sleep. And it happened to us--she barely slept Monday then was up most of the day on Tuesday. Last night she went to bed very early (8:00), but she woke up at midnight then at 4.

I bought Betsy a hot pink potty and she loves it. Last week she insisted on having it in the living room and sat on it while she played with her toys. I managed to get the potty into the bathroom. Today we received a book I ordered called My Big Girl Potty and the potty is back in the living room. I'm not trying to pottytrain yet, but we're trying to get her used to the potty. We also received Betsy's backpack for school--it's tiny and pink with her name on it--so cute!

Weekend Roundup

On Saturday Sadie and Lawson were christened. Lawson was very good, but little Sadie Boo cried almost the whole time. I think she had a tummy ache. Bee and Gumbo hosted a party after the Christening--thank you both so much! It was a lovely party and both babies were so good. That night the Carvilles came over and ate pizza. Yesterday we didn't do much, because I wasn't feeling very well. This morning I still felt bad, but I was really bothered by the cough Betsy has had off and on for the past couple of weeks. We originally thought it was caused by her breathing tube from her surgery, but it was just lasting too long. Well, I took little B to see Uncle Tommy and both of her ears were infected. My poor boo! She has not acted like she was feeling bad; she's just been a little bit fussy, like most toddlers. I'm hoping her prescription will clear everything up quickly! This afternoon Gumbo took Betsy to get a Krystal hamburger again. She came home and slept for 2 hours. Then Marme came to visit us.

Sadie has been sleeping better (knock on wood). She slept from 8 until 345 last night then up again at 6. On Saturday night she slept from 11 until 530 then back to sleep until 730. She is starting to coo and is starting to enjoy her activity mat. Betsy has started to not only talk nonstop, but she sings too. It started when she saw 'The Little Mermaid' and she'd try to sing like Ariel. This morning on the 45 minute drive to Tommy's office she sang the whole way.

Yesterday was Taddy's birthday--hope it was great! And today is Cal's bday--Happy Birthday!!

Sammy Sam

The girls have spent lots of time with Sam this week, because the Carvilles were out of town. Betsy loves playing with Sammy Sam as she calls her. I was able to get a lot of errands done and I got to clean out the pantry--a task I've been meaning to do for months. This morning Sadie and I went to Andrea's house for a baby playdate. Sadie got to hang out with Julia and McCall and I got to hang out with their moms. We have had a mellow afternoon. Tomorrow is Lawson's and Sadie's Christening so it's going to be a very busy day. Sadie is lying on a blanket and kicking and smiling and laughing right now while Betsy plays with her See n Say.


Here are some cute pics Gumbo sent from a couple of weeks ago of Betsy and her first Krystal hamburger and one of her trying on a hat:







And here's a shot of Sadie Boo:

Weekend Roundup

On Friday afternoon Gumbo brought B to ride the up and down then to get an Icee. Gumbo said she insisted on buying the straw hat she's wearing in the pic. On Friday night Peter and I went to dinner at Bayona. It was delicious and we had a great time. We had grand plans of going to get a drink afterwards, but I was exhausted. Marme was sweet enough to watch the girls at our house and we stayed at hers. She turned her apartment into 'Marme's B&B.' She had cake and flowers and a lovely breakfast for us. Thanks, Marme! I slept for 8 1/2 hours--what a dream! We had a leisurely breakfast on Saturday then we went home. After B's nap we went to Ryan's first birthday party. B got to swim and play with Lauren and eat ice cream and cake; she was in heaven. Yesterday the Carvilles watched Sadie (thanks, guys!) while we took Betsy to the Insectarium; the building is beautiful and we really enjoyed it. Betsy loved seeing the butterflies in the Butterfly Garden and she enjoyed the movie in the super cool theater and she and Peter sampled cooked worms and crickets--gross! B did not like the worm (she screamed 'Yucky!'), but she did like the crickets. Today I took the girls to Sam and I walked in the Park. We had a mellow rest of the day at home.

Baby Sadie smiles whenever she looks at Betsy; she loves her big sis. Betsy is still talking away and repeats EVERYTHING we say so we have to be careful!

Here are the girls in the matching outfits that the Coopers sent--thanks, Mary!

Happy Anniversary, Peter!

We have been married for four years and you make me happier than I ever thought possible. I love you.

Tonight we celebrated by going to dinner with the girls at Cafe Rani. This was the first time the four of us have been to dinner together and it went pretty well. Tomorrow night we are going to dinner at Bayona--can't wait!

Peter brought Betsy to Dr. Warren this morning to have her fiberglass cast put on. Peter said that she didn't make a peep and she loves her bright pink cast and keeps saying "pink cast" and smiling.

On Tuesday I brought the girls to Sam again and walked in the Park. Yesterday we met Caroline and Aidan at PJ's. Betsy and Aidan had a lot to say to each other. We had playgroup today at Ticia's. It's getting to be crazy with all of the kids and the little babies! And we have two more babies on the way!

I'll post pics later--Sadie is fussing!

Weekend Roundup

Betsy is really walking a lot now. She isn't slowed down much by the cast. It is absolutely amazing to us. The first time she walked on Friday she said, "Betsy walking. Yay!!!" and clapped her hands. Over the past few days she has said "Betsy walking" while she walks. We have an appointment with Dr. Warren on Thursday to have B's fiberglass cast put on.

She is back to her old self and has been acting like a toddler--she is very picky about what she eats and which cup she uses and which bow I put in her hair and she screams and cries when things aren't just the way she likes them.

After our morning at PJ's we invited Katie and Peter over for lunch. They actually brought the food and prepared most of the meal. Peter A made an awesome tomato and mozzarella salad with tomatoes from Grandpa's garden--yum! Attie and Lawson came over later in the afternoon. On Saturday morning Attie and I ran to the Mall then the boys played tennis in the afternoon. On Saturday night Peter and I ordered from Raw (Betsy ate nearly all of P's squid salad--her fave. There are very few things that B will definitely eat other than desserts--squid salad, black beans and rice, spaghetti, homemade pizza, mac n cheese, oatmeal, corn on the cob.) On Sunday we hung out at home and watched Wimbledon. Gumbo picked B up in the afternoon and took her to ride the "up and down" then they picked up Katie and ate dinner at Nacho Mama's. B apparently loved the guacamole and she told me she had iced tea to drink. In the past week she has had so many off-limits things (chocolate milk in the hospital, cookies 24-7, tons of ice cream) due to her surgery. I'm trying to get her back on her regular diet. Today I offered her yogurt, diced peaches, pasta, and chickpeas and she spit everything out except for the chickpeas--last week she hated chickpeas. This morning I brought the girls to Sam so I could walk in the Park by myself. It was great although I'm already a bit sore. I'm going to start trying to get back in shape. Wish me luck!

Sadie is very smiley and is constantly kicking and moving her arms and laughing. She's starting to have a little personality.

Last week B was taking marathon naps--like 4 or more hours. She must have been catching up on her sleep. She's back to her 2-3 hour naps as of yesterday.

B now loves "The Little Mermaid." She watched movies in the hospital and at home while she was recovering. Today she must have said about 10 times "Ariel again." She even sings one of the songs from it. It's really cute.

Quick Update

We have great news--Betsy is already walking!!! She started scooting on Wednesday morning then crawling by Wednesday evening and she was crawling a bunch on Thursday. On Friday we walked to PJ's and she started walking while holding Peter and Peter A's hands. By last night she was cruising then walking around by herself. Today she walked from the living room all the way to her room. She isn't as nimble as she used to be and stumbles a bit, but this is way sooner than we thought she'd be walking. We are so thrilled!!! So much for a month till she can walk!

Recovering

We got home from the hospital yesterday. Betsy is recovering nicely. Yesterday was pretty tough because B was in pain and frustrated that she couldn't walk. She cried pretty much all day. Last night was ok and today she has been feeling a lot better and she even took a 4 hour nap in her crib; she needed it. She has been saying "cast off" and "sock off" several times today. We found out yesterday that she may not be able to walk until August, but we are hopeful that our little girl will bounce back quickly and start walking sooner. Momma Lady headed back to Vacherie yesterday--thanks so much for staying with Sadie and helping with Betsy! We had visits from Gumbo, Bee, Katie, Peter, Attie, and Lawson yesterday. Today Katie, Attie, Beau, and Lawson came over. Betsy has been hugging Sadie and wants to be near her all of the time; she missed her sissy.

Thanks to our families and friends for all of their love and support. And Betsy wants to thank everyone for the many wonderful presents and cookies!

Happy Birthday, Pa!









Hospital Pics:








Home again:





Tonight while eating a cookie--looks like she's feeling better: