Blessings

I am so thankful for Thanksgiving. I got to see all my wonderful family, including my best friend, Cole. I was so excited to see him! I did such a fantastic job eating all my food that Mommy let me have desserts - that's right, with an "s". She said it was a holiday and I was being so good that I got to try pumpkin pie, apple crisp, cookies - yummo! I even got to help her make the pumpkin roll for Daddy. I got to add the egg. I had no idea they were so fragile! It exploded! Oops! Mom laughed and said the same thing probably happened to her the first time she cracked an egg.

We decided to have a list for some of the things we are thankful for. I had several things that you might guess, like TV, Uno, Dad, Mom, Evelyn, Cole.... but I also had my cold on there. Mom reminded me that we should be thankful for colds because we appreciate our healthy days much more. She's so smart!

We put up the Christmas tree last night. It looks fabulous, and I helped! There are so many fun ornaments, even some with Daddy's name - you know, the one I'm not supposed to call him (Ed - shh, don't tell). I opened up one box and couldn't believe the beautiful, shiny, red ball that I pulled out!! I also love the jingle bells. Mom said it was better if they weren't all on the same branch. Mom and I are so disappointed, though. She took a lot of extra time to put the bubble lights on, and we can't use them. They got too hot last year and melted (some aren't exactly the right shape this year). How disappointing.

There are only 2 days left before we go to visit my other best friend - Cinderella. I am SO excited to meet her and see her castle!!! I better get to packing!

Love to all,
E1

Germs

You won't believe it! I have GERMS! I woke up with them yesterday morning. Somehow, they got to me when I was sleeping. I woke up and Mom asked if my nose was stuffed up and I said no way. She had me sniff. She was right (I should have known, she's right a whole lot). It's stuffy. I tried hiding from her how runny it was by wiping it on my sleeve, but it left a mark - and she found it when it was all crispy dried on my sleeve. I tried doing everything I could to get rid of the germs. I washed my hands, blew my nose and sneezed onto my arm. They are still here today. Mom says I'll be stuck with them for 7-10 days. That's a LONG time! But, she also said that if I drink lots of water, get lots of sleep and take my vitamins, that maybe it'll only be 7 days and not 10.

Daddy has his own germs, too. Except his germs give him a sore throat and a headache. Last night he wanted to give me a hug and I told him I didn't need any more germs - I didn't even want to switch germs!

One of the worst things I have to stay back from my lil sister. I don't want to get her or Mom sick. I really miss getting in her face and making her smile. I can't even help get her pacifier or toys because there are germs on my hands. :(

I saw on the calendar this week that Mom & Dad will celebrating the day they got married. I told Mom that when I get big like her, I'm going to marry Cole. She laughed and said I can't do that. I almost started crying. It turns out, you can't marry your cousin. How silly is that? He's my best friend! Mom said I do want to marry a good friend like she did, but that I would need to pick another boy. At first I thought Eli might make a good choice, but then I remembered Benjamin. Mom said he better watch out, but I reminded her that I am a princess and he is ever so lucky! But, right now we are pretty busy (I saw the calendar and it is full of things to do), so I'll wait until I'm bigger to marry him.

Love to all!

E1

Picture Time

Just some fun pictures that Mommy took of us girls having fun. :)

What I love

Some things in life outside the womb are great! Like a great stretch after being in my carseat for so long that my bum is wrinkled. The feeling just after Mommy puts me in the warm bath water - it feels so good it makes me pee. I love the way my fingers taste and sound when I slurp and lick all over them. I am sure my toes will be just as fantastic once I can get them to my mouth (so close but yet so far). I love it when my big sister comes and gives me a hug. I also love the way my heart feels (and my face too) when I watch her dance around the room. I love how beautiful God made the sky - I could stare at it for hours. I love the way a good growl sounds and feels in my throat - I also love that this gets everyone's attention - double bonus! I love the way my head feels now - it is so soft and fuzzy! I love to be held by Mommy and Daddy

I love to see Mommy or Daddy first thing in the morning when I am all cinched down tight in my sling and swaddled in my blanket. They set me free and I stretch and stretch - and nothing, and I mean nothing, feels better than letting out a gigantic fizzle first thing in the morning. Better out than in Great Grama always says. :)

When I grow up

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do when I grow up - you know, when I'm 10. And I have thought about being a teacher like my Mommy is to me, or a doctor or a baseball player (my friend Eli thinks this is a cool idea) - but I am pretty sure I have decided. I have this new baby sister that I love and adore and she had to have a tube because when she would drink her milk some of it would go in her lungs. I learned on Sid the Science Kid that lungs are for breathing and the air you breath gives your body energy. I also learned from Sid that your purple stomach (it was purple on TV) is used for digestion of food. I am not sure how God figured out that the air that goes in your mouth goes to your lungs and the food that goes in that same mouth goes down to your purple stomach.....but He did....and my baby sister didn't understand it either. SOOOoooooooo, I have had to watch my Mommy help my baby sister so much with her tube for feeding (she even gets to use a stethascope - how cool is THAT!), that I think that is what I want to be when I grow up. A nurse for babies with tubes. You know what - I could probably be one now. I see what my Mom does and I'm pretty sure I can handle it. I had to even hold the baby's head while Mom poked the tube down her nose. Sissy didn't like that much (and neither did I really) - but I did it! So now, when I grow up, I want to help other babies like I did for my baby sister.

Changes

Hello! I think you remember me telling you about that itchy nose that I have - well, "had". It isn't itching now. That tube that Mommy had in my nose is gone! You know what else is gone? That bottle looking thing that hangs above me when I eat. Mommy always took part of my yummy bottle and poured it in this tube looking thing and hung it up above my head. Now, when I eat, I look and look for it - and it isn't there. You know what is here now - HUNGER PANGS!! I am hungry all the time. And you know what? I have to work for it now. Used to be I'd eat a little out of my bottle, take a lil nappy and wake up nice and full. Now I have to actually get it all out of the bottle by myself. And if I fall asleep without eating it all - I'm SO hungry when I wake up! I can't complain too much. My "extension cord" is gone and I am free to roll around on the floor as much as I want..... well, that was until......

You know, I love my Mommy so much, but she keeps pulling out these different things that I am not sure I'm so happy about. Like, she used to let me lay on the floor and look at my beautiful quilt. Now, she puts me in jail and my moving space is so limited! She calls it a "play pen" but that is just a cutsie wootsie way of saying "baby jail". I can barely see my sister and can't hardly roll anywhere. She just tosses me in there, throws a pacifier and some rattles at me and leaves me. If I start to fuss, she comes and shoves that passy in my mouth...like being confined and muzzled is what I'm wanting. Sigh. Guess I'm just gonna have to learn how to use these cute feet and hands of mine so I can plan my escape from the baby jail.

Grama and Grampa came to visit yesterday. Well, I thought it was a visit but all of a sudden, Mommy, Daddy and Sissy all disappeared! I don't know where they went. And who are this Grama and Grampa anyway. Who is to say they can be trusted with such a cute, delicate baby as myself? I wonder did Mom check out their resume? The woman - also known as Grama, kind of sounds like Mommy, and she kind of looks like her (if I close one eye, cock my head to the left and really squint the other eye and use a LOT of imagination)....but she can't fool me. I could smell my Mommy out of a post-Thanksgiving sale at Walmart. And does Mommy know that the old man squeezes and pinches and tickles this much? One good thing, he has a noticeable smell, so I know when he's close. I could smell him all the rest of the night, so I kept my eyes peeled waiting for him. The smell did seem to fade a little after my super fun dip in the baby Siefker pool (aka bath). Mommy, Daddy and Sissy all came back (finally) and all was good. I guess it wasn't so bad with Grama and Grampa - I could see doing that again next year. :)

Love to all,
E2

Fun Stuff

I have learned a new trick. It is called a laugh. Not just the simple noise that you make when you smile sometimes, but kind of. You smile real big and then a noise comes out, and then it doesn't stop. It just keeps going and going. Especially if I am looking at my sister. She always makes me laugh. She is always saying and doing all sorts of silly things. The other day, she wasn't being silly..she was BEAUTIFUL! She kept running around the house saying Happy Halloween Harvest Party, so it must have been a super special day. She was dressed like a princess. I don't mean her ordinary pretty clothes she wears every day - or even her Sunday best....this was shimering, flowing, poofy - the real thing! She was Cinderella. And O So Beautiful!! She was dancing around the house like she was waltzing with Prince Charming. Then she'd just stop and take a look at herself and smile. I am sure she felt so pretty. :)

Well, I think I am doing better with this eating and breathing thing. Mommy has started adding something new to my bottle that makes it a little thicker, but it is still smooth. It seems to help me eat a little better. I sure hope that I figure this out soon. Mommy has gotten good at putting that tube back in (which I hate!), so yanking it out of my nose isn't such a good idea. I thought if Mommy was home alone, that I'd get some relief until Daddy got home to help, but yesterday, she recruited my sister. Sigh....guess I'll just have to learn how to live with the silly tube for now.

I have found a couple new things. One is this black, furry thing that walks around the house. She also makes some funny noises. I don't think she is my sister, but she is always here. She won't let me touch her yet, but she sure looks soft. I also found out that I too have feet!! You know what that means? I'm gonna be able to walk and dance like Sissy! Woohoo! I have been practicing. And, if I say so myself, I'm pretty good at this stepping thing. Only one problem, I'm heavy! It is hard to hold my round body up. I mean even sitting, which is really only half of my body. I guess it is the bigger half, including that squishy belly Mommy loves (she tells me that all the time). The doctor said I was in the 97th percentile for weight and length - that's a lot to hold up! The other day, Mommy's friend was over and helping me sit up....well, she wasn't helping much and next thing you know, I'm seeing knees! I was folded in half. I started grunting and making noises so she'd notice, and she just kept on talking. Finally Mommy noticed and asked her to set me up more. She saved me (again)! :)

Oh, and a shout out to Grandpa Siefker for his birthday! I don't know how old he is but Sissy guessed him at 44 since he's gotta be older than Daddy. :)

Love to all,
E2