Baby Awake?

One of Cole's most often asked questions is, "baby awake?" So often the answer is no. Luckily, for all of us, Hope sleeps well during the day (and after midnight). 

So, Cole jumps at opportunities to spend time with her when "her eyes are open". It's pretty sweet to come around the corner and find this. 

A classic Cole face when he's with Hope. He's great at gently "shh, shh, shushing" her when she begins to make noise. 

I wonder what their relationship is going to be like as they get older. Fun to think about!

Pumpkin Purée

What do you do the day before thanksgiving when you aren't traveling or preparing for visitors or baking for a family get together?

You make pumpkin purée from your Halloween pumpkins!

Cole was a good, engaged (albeit messy) helper in the kitchen. Notice in the picture above, he "hooked" (as he said) the stems of the pumpkins on the bowl. 

Projects like this always take longer than I think they will. And there is always some opportunity cost - in this case, I forwent a shower, emptying the dishwasher and doing the laundry, going to the bank - leaving my afternoon a little less relaxing. Was it worth it? For the memories? For the pumpkin scones? Maybe... 

Hope

After having a day yesterday where Hope literally slept nearly all day and then needed tending to from 9 pm-1 am, I decided I would work harder to have her awake after she ate - kind of following the eat, play, sleep model. Here's a picture of her awake time before supper. When she got fussy, I put her in the front carrier and she settled down right away and was asleep soon. 

Tonight we gave her a bath in the big bath tub after Cole's bath - since she lost her umbilical cord stump a few days ago. It worked really well. She cried the whole time, but it was fast and efficient and Cole was very attentive. 

She's been a really good baby! 

Hope Christine

The many faces of a pooping Hope

These were taken as I got off the phone with Norma. What a fun thing to get a call from her!

Hope, so far, has a track record of sleeping nearly all day and then coming alive around 9 pm until 11 or midnight. And this poop was the beginning of that for her tonight. 

Grateful for the peaceful days but mama's ready for bed!!

Suckers

What do you do when you find out the library's closed for Veteran's Day on a cold and blustery fall afternoon?

Go to the Presto convenience store for a sucker, of course!

#mamacoletime #dadsathomewithbaby

First Solo Run

Today was my first solo afternoon with both kids after having mom and dad here and then Marc's family at the Voth's. Not bad to have 12 full days of help. Marc had a meeting in Liberal and was sure to check in to make sure we were doing ok. Also, Shirley was home if I needed her, which I did end up calling her. 

A little sandbox time after lunch. Hope was asleep but got some fresh air. 

Hope not sleeping (for long) when Cole slept. 

I called Shirley to come sit with Hope while she slept so I could take Cole to the park after his nap. I wanted to give him some one on one time. We ended up inside the rec center mesmerized by the big boys playing basketball. 

We had some rough times and calm times but we survived them all - and even managed to have a hot supper (thanks to a freezer meal from a friend), get a bath for Cole and got to bed by 7:30 (this time change is working in our favor this time). It made me glad and so grateful for all the help I've had. 

I came around the corner to see that Cole had "buckled" Hope into her car seat after I laid her there to sleep during dinner.