Mommy Booga!

Well, isn't it so sweet when your toddler begins to speak! And we've heard that kids can say the darnedest things, too. So good thing we were in the privacy of our own kitchen, enjoying an afternoon lunch together when Erika was informed by her soon-to-be two year old that she had a booger in her nose! "Mommy, booga!" Embarrassing, right? Well only if we were not in the confines of our own home and thank goodness no one else was around to hear about the booger, let alone SEE the booger! Can't a mom get a break around here!??!? Ha!

Mommy's two "boogas!"

Carlson Update

Phew! Hard to believe little Caroline is already 3 weeks old! We feel like it was just yesterday that we were coming home from the hospital - boy, so much has changed since then! Caroline continues to be a good baby and is sleeping about 3.5-4 hours at night before waking up for her early morning feeding. We've gotten used to this however and after going through it first with Ella, the second time isn't so bad...really! Ella is the ever so doting big sister, too - unfortunately, we really have to watch her around her little sister, though. She LOVES to hold Caroline and the problem is, she also LOVES to pick her up! Yikes! No accidents (yet!) but we're trying to teach Ella that she needs to wait for Mommy or Daddy before treating Caroline like her baby doll! She likes to help us with in all aspects of caring for Caroline; sometimes this is "helpful" and sometimes, well....not so helpful. For example, giving Caroline a bath involves finding a balance with Ella so that she can help bathe her sister but not drown her sister at the same time. Ha!

Aside from her big sister "duties," Ella continues to develop in many ways; she's really starting to talk now and is stringing three words together all the time now. Her ability to recall things is amazing, too - for example, we'll put on a pair of shoes that Tim bought her recently and she'll say "Ella shoes, daddy!" She is also mimicking us in many ways. The other morning, she walked into the kitchen pushing her doll in the stroller with her purse over she shoulder saying to Erika "bye, bye mommy!" When asked where she was going, she replied "Work!" She is also such a sweet little girl (although we've been saying that since the day she was born!); the best is when she surprises you with a kiss or will come up behind us to rub our back and or gives us a hug or now, she's really into playing and stroking with Erika's hair. Now don't let all this paint the perfect picture of our little Ella; ask her how she plays with her friends and she'll say "I push" and make the movement with her hands! That little stinker! Lastly, she's starting to count! Erika is super proud and it's so, so, so neat to see things come together for her. Everyday is something new!
Well, here are a few pictures to summarize the past few weeks!

First day home with Caroline

Erika with her two little girls

Whoa! This was a surprise to us the first time she did this - when did she learn this?!?!

Second morning home with Caroline- Miss Bed Head checks in on her little sis

Sweet Pea

Family portrait at Caroline's first doctor's appointment - she is 4 days old

All curled up

Visit from the grandparents! First weekend with Caroline.

First sponge bath for Caroline - notice Ella helps and bathes her "baby" too!

Ella giving Caroline a bottle (in the middle of her pool time!)

A visit to Reston Zoo!Wagon ride!

Sleepy little Caroline

Enjoying an afternoon out and about

Miss Bed Head again holding Caroline

We spent an whole afternoon on a long walk, a trip the playground, and a picnic in the grass!

Daddy and Ella playing in the grass

Ella wears her Big Sister shirt from her great Aunt Tonya (holding Caroline....starting to see a pattern here!???)

So awake and alert - good thing this wasn't at 2am!

Getting ready for Caroline's first "real" bath - Ella is all ready to be little miss helper!

And finally, taken tonight. And yes, we normally fully clothe our children but she had just spit up all over her shirt. And no, Erika still hasn't learned to have a burp cloth on hand at all times!

Little Sister Caroline Anne

And little she is! It's easy to forget just how tiny a little newborn is and oh how sweet they are! We are the proud parents of a little baby sister for Ella - Caroline Anne Carlson was born on Monday, September 7, 2009 at 8:22pm, weighing at 7 lbs 11 ounces and 20 inches in length. Tim had a hunch it was a girl this time around and mommy's instincts were apparently way, way, way off - not to mention the trusty, reliable (well, not so reliable anymore!) Chinese Calendar! Nonetheless, there is something pretty special about having two sisters so close in age and the idea of providing that sister bond for Caroline and Ella is pretty remarkable. We are absolutely over the moon!

Things are a "little" crazy around here - by that, we take it all back about having no time pre-Caroline to get anything done. Now, well, let's just put it this way: don't expect multiple weekly blog updates! Ha! Regardless, we're starting to get into a good routine and after a week, we realize that anything that needs to get done will ALWAYS require a 45-60 minute prep time!

Ella holding her little sister for the first time. Afterwards, she continued to make the cradle motion with her arms indicating that she wanted to hold Caroline again, and again, and again...!

Obviously, we're pretty biased but seriously, look how perfect she is! This picture reminds us a lot of Ella, too. While they each have their own distinct features, it's pretty obvious they are sisters!

Less than 1 week to go....but who's counting?

September 7th is quickly approaching so we're thinking this baby will be here pretty soon! Ella was two days early so maybe by this weekend? Yikes! Well, aside for a "small" school paper due on the 15th, there's not much that needs to be done to prepare for this little one. We're getting anxious to welcome the new little addition to the Carlson clan!

Belly Shots at 39 weeks and 2 days:

Erika with her two babies:

(can you tell Ella JUST woke up? She's such the morning sleepy head!)

Ooh and Aah!

This past weekend, we took Ella to an amazing playground and park - it was HUGE! All Ella could say as her father excitedly dragged her from one structure to another was "ooh" and "aah!" She was entirely overwhelmed but totally excited about it all....especially when it came to riding the carousal. Round and around she went and when the ride was over, her horse received a big good-bye kiss from Ella!

On the carousal ride with mommy

Let's get this ride started, Daddy!

On the see-saw with Grandma and Pappy

Ella with her daddy and Pappy

Beep, beep!

Whoa, this plane is just a little too small for Erika and her belly!

Knock, knock, I see you!

Enjoying a post playground beverage and snack at the Old Brogue

I'm a big girl!

Come On!

So maybe Big Sister Ella knows more than she's willing to lead on about her knowledge of mommy's growing belly. Yesterday, while getting her snapped into her car seat (which has now been moved to one side of the car so the new baby's seat could be installed on the other side), Erika asked Ella "So Ella, who's seat is that?" Ella's response: "Baby!" Erika: "That's right! And where is baby?" Ella (after pointing to Erika's tummy): "Come on, baby!" It was all pretty comical considering she says the same thing to Cooper when we're coaxing him out the door for his hot afternoon walks: "Come on, Pooper!"

Totally Trucks! (Not just for boys!)

Last Friday, we took Ella to a Reston event called "Totally Trucks" that allowed children to climb, touch, and ride about two dozen different types of trucks ranging from mail trucks to fire engines. In prepping Ella for her morning adventure, Erika explained all the different machines she would see and how many of them would be similar to the trucks she reads about in her "Things That Go!" book (which she totally loves). Her response with a simultaneous hand clap: "Yeah! Trucks! Yeah! Trucks!" And Tim thinks she's too girlified! Whatever!

"Driving" an ambulance....she just found the horn and was feeling a little shy about the noise she made!

So excited to be in the fire truck!

She's ready to put out some fires - Ella to the rescue!

Watching some live action - the "diggers" and "loaders" and dump trucks were a major hit

Ella, do you have a license to drive that?

Ok, she can reach the hand bars, but her feet don't quite reach the pedals.....

Ella with her mommy

All the children received free construction hats; Ella proudly wore hers!

Bump, Bump, Bumping Along

"Are you sure you're not having twins?"
"Erika, you're really big!" "Why is there a ball under your shirt?"
"So, how much longer do you have?" "Is it uncomfortable?" "When are you due again?" "Looks like you could dust corners with that belly button!"


These are just a few of the comments Erika's been hearing for oh, the last two months of so. It's all pretty comical and admittedly, the belly is BIG! At our 34 week ultrasound, for example, the baby measured a whopping 6.5 pounds (for comparison, Ella measured at 5.25 pounds during the same week) and when the doctor announced that we had "nice, healthy baby," we knew we had a whopper growing. We were immediately assured, however, that 99% of second births are delivered naturally so there should be no problems....this of course, is coming from a MALE doctor who never in his life has given birth to a baby, let alone a 9+ pounder, which we're guessing the weight to be! Tim says it's going to be boy (rather, he hopes given the weight!) and mother's instincts agree with his premonition but with that said, we'd love to welcome another little girl, too. We'll be happy with either and Erika's really more interested to know if this next one will resemble her in ANYway.....Hmmmm. Just a little over 3 weeks to go before we'll know!

One day shy of 24 weeks

One day shy of 24 weeks

One day shy of 27 weeks

Almost 31 weeks (yes, that's correct. 31, not 37)

And, most current: 36 1/2 weeks