Happy Birthday to Me

Another Prime birthday (geek joke).  I had two parties, one at home today, with taco salad--a pedestrian name for something exquisite, especially John's fresh salsa and Amy's homemade lime cilantro salad dressing.  And triple chocolate cake, which always makes me look this way:

Amy and I went to a party yesterday in SLC, which included a visit to Colette's school art fair.  Johnathan and Colette showed off their mad playground skillz, as a prologue to the festivities.

We saw Colette's class' projects, played games, ate treats, and watched performances at Ensign Elementary.  We had pasta, pizza, and chocolate brownies at home when the fair became just too exciting to bear.  Rob gave me a set of four vampire movies, and Nicolle gave me a succulent planting which she had put together.  When I brought it home, John found a tiny plastic snake to add to the collection.

Today Betsy, Ellie,

and Ethan came to lunch, along with Amy, Jamison, and Dex.

We sat out in the sun and the rain with the kitties.

I might need to rename Claudio "Cheshire" (he sort of looks like it, except for the lack of a smile), because

my Alice statue finally arrived.  As you can see, I need to decide on siting, what sort of base to use, how to do the garden around her, etc.

Lots more fun presents, including music from John, a Mary Poppins bag of fun stuff from Grandma Gene, and a date in with Amy.  Betsy's going to help me find a base or plinth for the Alice statue.

But best present and last of all, we caught Ellie's first real smile on camera!  She was talking to Amy:

and had a lot to say:

although some of it wasn't that interesting:

Still, what a cutie.  Three weeks old.

Betsy promised she was going to post pix on her blog, so check it out.

More Pix from 4th Ave

I had so much fun staying for the week at B&B's place.  Thank you for having me over!  Below is the whole family: Alice (on the arm of the sofa), Cordelia on the stairs, Betsy, Brett, Rayen Ellie, and Ethan. 

  Below is Ellie's first bath at home.  Wow, everything is new.

 Worried face (and fuzz-head).

Ethan is quite careful of his little sister.  Below, he rests with Ellie and his Snoopy toy from Uncle Jamison.

On the last day I was there, we made it out to the neighborhood park.

Ethan likes the swing and the slide.

 Oooh, cold hands.  We forgot to bring gloves.

 And I can't resist one last photo of baby Ellie doing a silly face.  She is her own little person.  Definitely blond, but she looks a lot like Betsy to me.

Again, thanks to B&B for asking me to come for the birth and a few days afterward.  It's hard to go back to my regular life now.  I'm glad you live only a 50-minute drive away.

Ethan and Ellie

I get to stay with Ethan and Ellie, and it's been fun to play with them and get to know them better.  Ethan likes me to sing songs to him before he goes to sleep, and although we watched "Cars" two times in two days, he also likes to play and talk.  A lot.  Below, with his daddy, doing their camera faces: 

 I had to include this picture of Ethan on the drums because he looks so much like Dave just before he turned two:

 Rooster-tail Ethan:

Camera face!

John brought dinner yesterday (which we just finished for today's lunch).  Here he sits with Ellie, while we all watch Ethan.

Ellie sleeps, which is very good.  But I know she's up plenty of times in the night.  She and Betsy are working on the timing and amount of feeding--a process involving ice packs, hot compresses, and pumping.

She woke up!

A very pretty little girl.  She reminds me of Betsy when she was tiny.

Advent of Rayen Elizabeth

Amy and I left Provo at 4:30 pm (16:30), and Amy stayed back with Ethan while Betsy, Brett, and I drove up to the hospital.  Right after we got there it was snowing outside.  We were in the same room where Ethan was born. No drama as there was with Ethan--no gas leaks and threatened evacuation.  Things were pretty slow for awhile.

Things were pretty slow for a long while.  

Brett went home for a nap.  By early morning, things were heating up again.  This (below) is not Betsy's natural resting smile:

At 6:16 we texted Brett to come back.  And hurry.

Taking a tiny break before the final lap:

Dr. Bennett, who made it there even after Brett:

Rayen Elizabeth, born 6:55 a.m. Feb 17, 2011.  Weight 9 lbs 1 oz, height 21 inches.  Blond, curly hair (but the curly probably won't last, as both parents and Ethan have straight hair).  At 9 lbs she is all filled out and cute as a button.  Her skin is perfectly translucent, and it was so interesting to see her change color when she was born and as she cried, from blue to purple to white to red.  Oxygenated blood! She seems to me, at home now as the grandma downstairs, to sleep quite a lot.  She had no difficulty learning to latch on--I suppose some of that had to do with being Betsy's second.

 Hello Ellie!  Welcome to the world. 

Daddy Brett caught her on the way out, and snipped the cord, and took her for her first check-over, and helped with her bath.

 The new room was nice--in the new hospital wing, with a beautiful view.  The best view was of the ladies:

Ethan came to visit.  Of everyone involved, he will probably have the hardest adjustment.

Thank you to Brett and Betsy for letting me be there.  I am honored.  I love you all.

Betsy and Ellie's Baby Shower

So Betsy's having a baby, in case you didn't know. Due February 13, and named Rayen Elizabeth. Big brother Ethan is excited, although it's hard to imagine what he actually envisions the baby to be, in mama's tummy. He calls the doctor's office the "baby Ellie store."

The shower was fun--a brunch with sweet fruity whipped cream and powdered sugar crepes and savory egg, pepper, mushroom and onion crepes, hot chocolate, tea, and oj (we accidentally left the yogurt sitting in the cold garage on top of the freezer).

Ethan, Betsy, (baby Ellie), and Grandma Gene were there (above), as were Rachel, Barbara, Susie, and Samantha:

Liz and Karma Sue (not sure what Karma Sue is thinking):

Amy, Rachel (again) on Mary Ann's lap, and Grandma E:

The guys (besides Ethan) came too--Alan (and Rachel--she's gets in all the photos--good thing she's so photogenic:

Grandpa declined to come into the party room, preferring to read his Kindle in peace and quiet. Notice that he did have a crepe:

Ellie got a lot of practical girl things. Amy stayed up all night finishing her a lovely crocheted receiving blanket in rose, blue, coral, yellow, and soft green. Is there a chance at all that this baby will be anything but a princess? Although Betsy was never content with the princess role--Amy could be the princess, but she was the QUEEN.

I promised Betsy I'd take a week off work and go stay at their house when Ellie comes. I've been warning my patients that we will miss a session. Hooray for granddaughters!