Take your offspring to work day!

There was an Under the Sea theme...I wasn't sure if some of the gummy fish on the buffet table were food or toys.

I really liked the great variety of fruits and cheeses, though!

Daddy took a picture with me in front of the ocean backdrop (my new turtle got a picture, too!)

And then we took another one of me jumping with Turtle.

Sylvie helped Daddy finish up some work on the computer....

Here she is telling him he should add a third monitor to maximize productivity (and coolness factor).

By the time we got home it was getting really nice out, so Turtle and I stayed outside and played on the swings!

Happy girl!

Why am I so happy, you ask? 

Because I am eating frozen berries and playing with this girl, my best friend, A! 

And just for fun, here are two more pictures of the two of us, almost exactly two years ago! 

At the zoo...

"Elsie, it is time to leave the zoo.  We have been in the sun too long!"

"Mama, I will stand in this Mama Kangaroo, and she will keep the sun from getting me!"

"Well, I am still in the sun.  Sylvie and I cannot fit in the Mama Kangaroo, too!"

"Yes, Mama, but you two can go sit in the turtle shell, and he will keep the sun away from you!"

 

"That is a really good idea, but we still need to go home.  How about if I take Sylvie and we go stand in the shade while you play for two more minutes?"

"Yes, Mama.  You need to go stand over there, because right now you are sitting on the Mama Kangaroo's foot, and when you sit on her foot she can't hop.  She doesn't like that."

Sister Tummy Time!

Late April Quotes by Elsie

While playing at her friend Simon's house in the evening:
Elsie:  "Mama, Elsie is very tired.  Maybe we should just stay here and I can go to sleep in Simon's bed tonight."
Mama:  "Simon needs to sleep in his own bed, and you do, too.  If you are tired, then we better go home so we can get ready for sleep."
Elsie:  "Oh, no.  Elsie's not tired."

***

Getting ready for our family photo shoot, Elsie decided her animals needed to be fancy, too.

***

While I am practicing the piano and Elsie is playing with her animals nearby:

"Mama, that is very pretty, but you are making me sad with that very sad, sad music.  These animals are happy, but I will have to hold this bunny because your pretty music is making him so very, very sad."

***

 Upon seeing a puppy in the window of a car in the Woodman's parking lot:

"That puppy is so happy, he is waving to Elsie with his tail!"

***

While driving in the car, Elsie was concerned that she couldn't see the moon anymore.  Andy took a picture through the window on his phone and handed it to her, so that she could see the moon.  When the highway turned, the moon came back into view in her window.
"Hey, look!  The moon!  And the moon is here in my picture, too!  These two moons MATCH!"

***

At bedtime:

"Elsie had such a fun day, Elsie don't know HOW I will ever be able to fall asleep!" 

***

 

***

After telling Elsie about the arrival of her new little cousin, Piper:
"Hooray!  And when my little Campbell cousin comes to Elsie's house, then I can say, "Hello, Piper!"

***

  

While making toots in the bathtub:

Daddy:  "It's funny to make toots in the tub, but please make sure they are just toots, and not poopers.  Toots are funny, but poop in the tub is not funny."

Elsie:  "But Daddy, look!  Those bubbles came out of Elsie's boonah!"

***

Daddy:  "Did you have any good dreams last night, Elsie?"

Elsie:  "No, Elsie did not.  I didn't even close my eyes!"

Daddy:  "You didn't sleep at all last night, huh?"

Elsie:  "No way!"

***

Sunday afternoon conversation:
Elsie:  "Where are we going today?"
Mama:  "Where do you want to go today?"
Elsie:  "We have to go to the hospital to buy three more little babies!"
Daddy:  "Three more?  That many?  I don't think they will all fit in the Kermit car!"
Elsie:  "Yes, they will fit.  You will hold one little baby, and Elsie will hold a little baby, and Mama will hold a little baby, and Baby Sylvie will be in her car seat.  Now let's go to the hospital to buy those little babies!"

***

Cuddling with Daddy

Elsie's plan for a Wednesday afternoon...

"I have a great idea!  Maybe we can build a space ship and fly to the moon!  And we can play with the moon monsters!  They are green, and some have green polka-dots, and some are yellow with stripes.  They have one eye, or two eyes, or three eyes, Elsie thinks.  And they have nice pets.  The pets are brown, and have one leg, and they hop-hop-hop!  That would be a fun afternoon, I think.  That is my idea."

She's pretty proud of herself...

First toy!

New Bike

Right before my first ride on my new bike:

"I can't do it!"




"A little bit scary."

A little late, but....Sylvie Harriet is One Month Old!

At one month old, Sylvie weighs nine pounds 4 ounces.  Sylvie gained ELEVEN ounces during her fourth week of life, prompting our lactation consultant to laugh and question weather she was really related to her big sister (in case you were wondering, Elsie was born five ounces heavier than Sylvie, but only weighted 9 lbs at this age). 

Sylvie is a happy, contented baby, rarely crying or fussing.

She naps easily and soundly.  She sleeps from about 9 pm until about 10 am, waking every three hours to eat, but going right back to sleep.

She is already outgrowing her newborn sleepers, and has moved up to 0-3 month clothes.

She seems to have avoided her sister's gluten intolerance, but (like her sister at this age) can't process dairy or soy.  Luckily, we suspected this might be the case and preemptively eliminated them from my diet before her birth, making the allergen testing process quick and relatively painless.

She loves watching her big sister play, and is very tolerant of less-than-gentle big sister hugs and cuddles.  Elsie, in return, loves her sister and constantly wants to play with "My Little Baby Sylvie".  

By her first week of life, she recognized Dad's voice from across the room.  She is happiest being on Mama's chest, and prefers to spend her days being carried in the Baby K'atan.   

She gave Mama her first social smile just before her one-month birthday, and proves her empathetic nature by sharing most of her subsequent smiles with Mama during the wee hours of the night when she knows Mama needs some encouragement.

She has taken her first ride in the double stroller with Elsie, but apparently wasn't too impressed with the speed of Mama's running as she slept through the entire trip.

First sister bath!

Sylvie took her first bath with me!  It was lots of fun (even my elephants had a good time!).  I helped wash Sylvie by pouring water on her tummy with my boat to keep her warm.  Baby elephant pretended to help by spraying water on her, too!  Sylvie liked being a big kid like me, and didn't even cry once! 

Who is who? One month and two month pics!

Sisters

Family Photos

Early April Quotes

Mama:  "Sylvie's smiling at you!  Do you know how much your sister loves you, Elsie?"
Elsie:  "Too much!"

***

Silly smiles in Elsie's iphone self-portrait.

***

Mama:  "You are such a good helper!  What would I do without you?"
Elsie:  "You would just be sad."

***

Elsie:  "Mama, what are you doing?"

Mama:  "I'm looking at dinosaurs on the computer.  Daddy and I thought we might get you a dinosaur for your birthday.  Would you like that?"

Elsie:  "Yes!   And after my birthday, that dinosaur can teach me how to rollerskate."

***

After waking with a bad dream:
"Maybe this bed can try, try, try, and it will grow big, really big, big enough for you to sleep in, Mama!  As big as Baby Campbell's big bed!  And you can sleep here with Elsie, and then Elsie won't be scared anymore!"

***

"Look!  Elsie's Little Baby's jammies have so many manatees on them!" 

(Almost- as you can see, they are mermaids.)

***

Some of Elsie's night time worries: 
What if the moon breaks?
What if my wall gets a crack in it and the moon shines in and wakes me?
What if my ladybug breaks?
What if my music stops playing and I don't know that it is sleeping time any more?
What if the sun doesn't come up and it is never morning time?

 *** 

Playing "doctor" and "checking" her animals...we may have to talk about how breathing works:

"Your eyes are okay.  Your ears are okay.  Your heart is okay.  No more breathing...you are okay!"

***

Upon waking on a dark, rainy morning, I asked if Elsie wanted to turn on her bedroom light so she could see to play:

"Mama, I can't turn on the light. Then it will be night time, and we will have to go back to sleep, and I want it to be UP time!  When the light is on, then the moon will come out and the sun will go to sleep and it will be sleeping time!  I don't want it to be sleeping time!"

***

While trying on a pair of jeans that were three inches too short:

Mama: "Elsie, you are growing so fast!  You are getting really tall!"

Elsie:    "Yes.  Elsie is a very tall man."

***

While eating a flower shaped cookie, breaking off a corner:

"Mama, how about you and I take this piece of cookie outside and plant it in the ground?  Then this piece of cookie will grow into a plant, and that plant will grow lots of cookies, and then I can eat LOTS of flower cookies that are so yummy and make my tummy happy!" 

***

Conversation while Daddy tucked Elsie in at night:

Daddy:  "Okay, Elsie, I am going to sing you one song before bed."

Elsie:  "Well, Mama said you were going to sing me....hmmm....FOUR songs!"

Daddy:  "Really?  Maybe I should go check with Mama.  Should I go ask her?"

Elsie:   "Well...maybe she said you were going to sing me...ummmm....TWO songs...?"

***

Elsie:  "Where is Daddy?"
Mama:  "Daddy is trying on a special suit that he is going to wear at Uncle G and Auntie Kristin's big party.  Daddy is going to wear a special suit, and Uncle G will wear a special suit, and Auntie Kristin will wear a special dress.  We will all go to the big party, and we will sing and dance and have cake and help Uncle G and Auntie Kristin celebrate their special day."
Elsie:  "Hmm.  Well, do you think Elsie can bring a game to the special party?  And I can sit in a big person chair and play my game at the party, and Baby Sylvie can watch me play?  That would be a fun party."

***

Elsie:  "Mama, what are you wearing?"

Mama:  "I am wearing my pajamas, just like you.  My pajamas have owls on them."

Elsie:  "I am wearing elephant pajamies.  They are fuzzy, brown elephant pajamies!  You don't have any elephant pajamies, so we will have to get you some.  We don't match.  If you had elephant pajamies, then we could match!  That would be nice."

***

Someone is growing lots of long, red, curly hair!

***

On a morning where Andy left for work before Elsie woke up, but left french toast waiting for her on the counter:

"Where is Elsie's Daddy?  I know Elsie's Daddy is here because I smell pancakes!  Where is Daddy?  Noooo!  These are NOT pancakes!  Elsie wants pancakes!  These are....yummy!"

***

While I am stroking Elsie's hair in bed:

"Mama, please don't pet my hair.  You will put tangles in my hair, and I do not want tangles at bedtime.  Here, you can pet chicken instead!  Chicken doesn't have any hair, so he can't get tangles."

***

"Elsie's little baby wants Elsie's cookie!  Little Baby, you can't have any big kid treats.  You have to grow big first!  You will have to drink lots and lots of milk, so that you can grow big and tall like Elsie.  Then you can have big kid treats, too!  I will save this piece of cookie for you for when you grow big."

Sylvie Harriet smiles

She's still trying to master the mechanics, but she offers up a couple big smiles at the beginning of the video.  If you are still watching at the end (a video only grandparents will appreciate), you can view her "quizzical" look as she tries to figure out just what kind of magical device Mama is waving at her. 

Naked Sister Time

Fun at Lazy Jane's

Sylvie Harriet Close-ups

Cousins

Five girls all in a row!

Outdoor Fun