Land of Ill

The worst part Kate being sick for the last few days was that she was not her usual self. You could tell by her eyes that she just did not feel well. Her fever started on Thursday and was constant through last night(dr said she also had a sore throat). It is just a virus and since she has been fever free as of this morning, I think we are at it's conclusion. She did have to miss two birthday parties(but Lauren was able to sub in for her...).

Lauren at a birthday/costume party

Took some pictures today of a well girl(with M&M party favors dripping down her chin) and her sister.
Well again
Closest Kate has come to her sister in three days....
Smiley

Final note: At this very moment, Kate's father and Queenie are "rockin" to the Stones at Zilker park. "Start me up"...

Pumpkin Patch Take 2

Strollerfit had their own day with the pumpkins on Friday. After class, the girls and I checked it out.

Rainy Days

No Strollerfit class to teach this morning because of the TORONADO watch in the area. We have finally been hit with a good set of showers so I am not complaining! Plus it was a great excuse to bake in our pajama's and aprons!

Waiting for mom....

Where is MY apron???

Pumpkin Patch

Today we all got up early to head out to "The Big Marble"(i.e. Marble Falls) for a mops playdate. Sweet Berry Farm is just outside of town and holds an annual pumpkin patch (they also have a great berry picking season in the spring we hear). Dad's and big bro/sis got to come because it was Columbus Day-yea!! Here are some pics of the girls:

Kate wanted to pick up every pumpkin to take home

Dad and his girls(trying to sit still for a pic!!?!)

The girls with the Cinderella pumpkins

Michael Jordan paints her pumpkin

Kate LOVED this cow...plastic though it was

Kate showed no fear as she fed the goats

Everything is bigger in Texas..

Cooking with Kate

It is so hard to describe how much Kate loves to cook. You can't tear her away from her kitchen and when Giada/Barefoot/Tyler are on, she watches their every move. This morning I was able to capture the making of one of her creations(I should mention that many of her entrees end up in various toys, boxes, etc and mom/dad are getting a workout having to clean up after our little chef).
The assembly:

the finished product (Oatmeal a la yogurt)

the tasting

the one who almost got her own taste(before mom intervened)

Sleeping Peacefully or not...

We are in week 2 of the girls sleeping in their new rooms. Kate is so precious. When she hears her sister crying in the other room, she goes to her door and sings songs to her(a trick I use to make them both smile).
Kate does not always end up where she started-as seen in the photo below... (asleep in her playhouse)

Lauren is now big enough to realize that when she cries in the middle of the night I will come running.

That ended on Monday when we realized, after six months, we have never slept through the night. She did great last night with just a few cries and only one real feed at midnight. The next time I went to her, it was 5:45...I consider that a HUGE success.

Kate Update

We did take Kate to the doctor on Monday. She has pneumonia, an ear infection and a sore throat poor thing! They gave her a shot of antibiotics at the office and sent us home with more. No fever since but she is still very congested (and you can tell from her eyes that she just doesn't feel good).
Her sister, on the other hand, has been great throughout Kate's illness. She shows no signs of being sick and has not made a peep about all the extra attention her sister is getting.

Transition Weekend

What a wild weekend! To begin, Kate is not feeling well-fever both days and congestion is getting worse by the hour(going to the dr tomorrow). Despite the illness, we decided to stick with the plan to move the girls into their new rooms. Kate now sleeps in a big girl bed and Lauren is in Kate's old crib. Last night was the first night and it all went well considering...Lauren woke up three times(not unusual) and Kate was not ready to go down(not unusual when she is sick). Some pics of Kate's bed(she LOVES it and kept saying "how cute" as we put the sheets on)

The gang's all here

Baby and her diaper...

Dan's parents came down to help us and they have helped a lot. Kate and her Bieboo have read many books and her Nana loves to eat all that Kate "cooks". Lucky for us/bad for them, they had car trouble and had to stay longer. The extra help allowed us to move all clothing and "stuff" between rooms so it is all about done!

Sisters who bathe together...

We have hit another milestone in the sisterly bonding. Kate will no longer take a bath without her sister. The minute I put Lauren down on the bathroom floor, Kate is there "helping me" undress her. Lauren LOVES the attention from her sister and usually squeals with delight. These were taken last night:

Lauren also had her 6 month well check. I am still seething at the attention or lack thereof from the doctor. Our favorite pediatrician has left that practice and until she finds a new home, we are stuck with mediocrity. You just don't realize how good you have it until you are given the bad. Regardless, they did weigh her and she has leapt up to 14 pounds and is 25 inches long.

One final note, Lauren's sleeping has become much more consistent. Finally, with the addition of all the solids foods, she is waking only once during the night. Hooray!

Six Months Old

Can it be true that Lauren has been here for six months?!? Her little personality is coming out and we are in for a wild ride!

Starting solids has revealed a VERY hungry baby(maybe the reason for our sleepless nights??). She is inhaling the food we give her (and almost the spoon it comes on).

Here are some shots from today-the six month old:

Playing on her new toy(Kate loves it too)

This tastes DE-LISH

Dad and his girls

S T R E T C H

Rice Cereal Take 2

SO Day 2 of rice cereal was a little more realistic. Lauren's face on the first bite was hilarious-she did not enjoy the taste. The rest of the bowl ended up more on her bib than in her mouth.

"Forget the cereal, this spoon feels good on my teeth"

Also we pulled out the old exersaucer. Lauren loves it as does her sister(who has tried every which way to climb inside it). This morning we realized that Kate put more wear into it than we thought and we are set to get a replacement this afternoon. Look for shots of the new exersaucer in coming days.

Gameday

I promised these pictures to Uncle B months ago but it is so hard to motivate the babies to dress up when there is no UT game on.
Without further ado: the first official Saturday of college football...

She wanted to wear the hat(no joke)

So innocent...

We call this pic the "White Trash Fan"(insert UT joke here)

QB Controversy: McCoy? Snead? Benzon?

Looking forward to Ohio State...

Rice Cereal

Lauren and I have had some rough nights lately(waking up hourly from 11pm on...). Dr Cardwell advised me to try rice cereal when it seems like she just won't sleep through the night (night after night after night). Since she is almost 6 months old, I decided today would be the day. Have you ever heard of a baby who licks rice cereal off the spoon??? Here she is ...