A girl and her boy

From the time we told Katie we were pregnant, sometime last spring, she would talk about her "boy."  She would say things like, "Will my boy come to Angie's with me?"  and "I can't wait to play Legos with my boy." 

She was devoted to him before he was born (except for that few minutes at our anatomy ultrasound, where we found out our baby was indeed a boy.  Then she threw a surprising fit about getting a baby sister, for about 5 minutes.)

And nothing has changed.  Wherever Bowen is, Katie is sure to be close by.  Whenever she comes into the room, he looks around at the sound of her voice.  She was rewarded with his first smile, his first giggle.  He is showered with kisses and snuggles.  After seven months, the shine is still not off her baby brother, and he is increasingly enamored with her. 

(photo courtesy Audelia Dobin)

I'm so lucky to have these two little humans in my life.  I'm excited to see what they do in their own lives, and how their relationship grows as they do.  And part of me is a little fearful, too.  What have I gotten myself into? 

Bandit's Bandits

I will never get tired of....

hearing my children giggling in the backseat.

Katie was playing peek a boo with Bowen, and they were both laughing so hard.

Katie's big ol' belly laugh....
Bowen's sweet little chuckle....

Mama has a full heart right now.

Peek a boo!

Bowen surprised us all last night. He's five months old, and loves peek a boo. Last night, he was chewing on his burp rag, and raised it up over his face, and then pulled it down really fast. He wanted to play peek a boo! He's a playful guy. He also likes to play the "got your tongue" game. When he sticks out his tongue, we'll tap it gently and say "Got your tongue!" When he sees Katie, he'll start sticking it out, waiting for her to notice. He'll keep it out until we start playing with him. He's going to be a fun kiddo! Love having him around!

Long delayed

My laptop broke this autumn, and we aren't replacing it. I didn't realize how my poor blog would suffer! That's better! Poor Bowen has been sadly neglected in these here parts. He's almost 4 months old! He rolled over on March 8 (Nana's birthday!) and giggled for the first time on Friday. He loves bathtime, and his big sister. Oh, that girl can always get a smile out of him! Speaking of the big sis, she's getting to be a busy girl! She is an avid reader, and loves going to preschool at Angie's so much! She loves gymnastics, and was recently invited to join the TOPS program. At the tryouts for the program, she had such a good time. During warmups, she yelled out "This is so much fun!" and had a huge smile on her face the whole time. Try not to be a stranger. I will, too.

Welcome!

We are so fortunate to have Bowen Dale join our family! He arrived November 26, weighing 9 pounds 2 ounces. Big sister Katie is over the moon!

Bedtime Book Review

The Monster at the End of This Book

By Jon Stone

Illustrated by Mike Smollin

I have always loved this book. I remember reading it when I was little and loving all the color and creative lettering. I used to pretend that it was really hard to turn the pages when Grover nailed them and tied them together. I was kind of a weird kid.

Katie's says, "I like this book because it is funny. There are lots of colors and the monster is silly."

Katie brought me breakfast in bed one day last week. A cold Coke (Daddy may have helped) and the last chocolate chip cookie. I tried to refuse the cookie, but she had "saved it for Mama." I tried to share it with her. "No, it's for you, Mama." Finally, I convinced her to crawl in bed with me, and we broke the cookie in two and shared an early morning cookie snack.


So far, my nefarious plan to keep her at home is working.