Zoo Trip...#3??

I forget if this is trip #3 or #4. Either way, we are defiitely getting our money's worth out of our membership.  

It was a perfect day for a zoo trip earlier this month, so we gathered up a couple friends and went on an adventure.

It was warm enough that there were some animals out that you don't get to see in colder months. Like this large tortise.
Papillon wanted to walk (or rather, run!) the whole way. She is usually pretty introverted in new or busy settings. But not this time! She got so focused on exploring that she didn't respond when I called her and on one or two occasions I had to abandon the empty stroller to run after her cause I truly didn't know how far she would run! I am glad she was having fun though.

There were some new born baby warthogs. They were cute...in an ugly sort of way. The mother warthog was pretty much freaking out. She paced rapidly back and forth nonstop.
Here we all are, enjoying the giraffes and the sunny weather.
Oh. and, side note. This was Hibou's first official zoo visit. Just for fun, here is Papillon's first zoo trip.

More Braids!


I am getting better and better at this french braiding thing, if I do say so myself.


I really wish I could figure out how to do it on myself...

The Girls

There is nothing that makes me smile quite so much as watching my girls interact.
Papillon laughs delightedly at Hibou's every act. She constantly gives her hugs and kisses and tells her "it's otay" when she is sad.

And Hibou loves to watch her and listen to her and, I am pretty sure she even enjoys Papillon's overly enthusiastic hugs.
And I love every minute of it!

Cloth Diapers for Hibou

Tada!  Hibou's first cloth diaper.
We did disposables on Hibou for a while. Its just easier that way at the beginning. But, this picture is from probably about a month ago, and she's been in cloth ever since. Excepting of course those times when I don't get the diapers washed quickly enough and a disposable is the only option. Its amazing how fast we can go through 20 diapers with two kiddos needing them. 

It's also amazing how fast Hibou is growing. You can see in this picture how the velcro on the diaper overlapped in order to be snug enough on her. That is not the case any more - she fills them out just fine without any overlapping. 

Now that Hibou is hogging most of the cloth diapers, its time to get Papillon potty trained... We're in no rush, but by this fall, I'd like to be back to just 1 in diapers.

Sister Love!

This was just too darn cute not to share right away!
(note: if you click through and watch it in YouTube, you can actually see Hibou...apparently my blog layout is too narrow for these videos)



My favorite part is when she says "Last time" - apparently there is a limit to the number of hugs Hibou can have.  

That favorite moment is followed closely by my equally favorite moment when she says "I love you, Hibou" (only she uses her real name of course)

And, in case your curious, Yes, Papillon is pretty much always this affectionate with Hibou. She is a very sweet big sister and loves nothing better than giving Hibou tons of love! I love it

A Re-upholstry Project

You've already seen the finished product (again, these pictures are from February - pre-Hibou's arrival).   But, in case you were curious, here is the mini-sofa that we got from Goodwill for $12, before I re-upholstered it.
And, of course, the fabrics we chose to cover it with.















And the finished product.


Ironically, Papillon was born the day I finished re-upholstering the glider rocker that we got at a yard sale.  And Hibou arrived just a day or two after I finished this project.  Must be something in the Stitch-Witchery....




Nana

I just love this picture.  Nana, Hibou, and Papillon.

So sweet

Sleeping like a Big Girl

Apparently right before Hibou arrive I was half way through a few posts...so these are from 3 months ago now. But, still cute, so I may as well post them. 

Here are some pictures of Papillon sleeping in her bed.  This was before any of her sleeping-by-the-door troubles.




Anniversary

Not too long ago (ok...like a month ago) Hibou and I got to visit with Grandpop and Nannie (my grandparents).  It was their anniversary  (59th!).  And it was very special to be able to see them and introduce Grandpop to his 2nd Great Grandaughter


He was fascinated by her tiny toes!
Happy, very belated, Anniversary!

Hibou and Grandpa

My dad loves babies. He loves toddlers too, of course. But he has a soft spot for tiny tots.  
Unfortunately, Papillon does not have any jealousy issues regarding Hibou....except when it comes to Grandpa.  So Grandpa has to sneak in time with Hibou when Papillon is sleeping. 



Braids!

About a week ago, I worked up my nerve to attempt two french braids in Papillon's hair. 
For being our first attempt, I would say it turned out pretty well!
I have tried again since then with mixed success. Sometimes they look great, and some times they fall right to pieces.

It will take some practice I suppose.

Reading

Papillon loves to read. She reads to herself. Reads to Hibou. Will let pretty much anyone read her pretty much everything.  Mon Amour even read her a work-report the other day, and she seemed to enjoy it. 

Here are some recent photos of my cousin (so Papillon's 2nd Cousin??) reading her the comics.

She was being really shy about it, but you could tell she couldn't resist being a part of the read-adventure.

In light of her love of books, we are very grateful to live near "The Book Thing" (basically a warehouse of donated books that are free for the taking).  On a recent trip, we got a bit carried away and came home with 40+ kids books. But who can resist classics like Curious George and Big Dog Little Dog?

Hibou - 2 months

 Or, officially 9 weeks today.  2 months was on Saturday. 
It's hard to believe that it's been 2 months already, but what is harder to believe is that Hibou is neck and neck with Papillon for weight gain.  Check out Papillon at 2 months.  At that point, Papillon was 10lbs 3 oz...she had gained a whopping 1 lbs. 

Here is Hibou at 2 months...officially weighing in at 10lbs 2 oz. She has gained almost 4lbs.

Oh the joys of a baby that knows how to eat! Eventually I may stop marveling at the miracle of a growing baby, but for now, I am still in awe every time I think about it.

I also continue to be amazed at how well she sleeps! She is generally a once-a-night-snack kind of baby.  And these days said snack only last about 15-20 minutes. I keep telling Mon Amour the she is the sleepiest baby in the world. He reminds me that Papillon was the Sleepiest...but Hibou is the Best Sleeper.  A slight but crucial difference.

Here are some pictures from our 2 month photo shoot. Papillon had to join in - she will be 22 months on Thursday.   
 
Sisters!
Hibou and her Dollie

Happy as can be!

Just chillin on the sofa.

Going in for the kiss!

Full on tackle-hug and kiss. That's sisterly love for ya'! Papillon very dutifully comes up from every hug and says "no squish" in order to assure me she knows that she can hug as long as she doesn't "squish". Occiasionally squishing does happen...

Awesome socks!

Totally bored with the photo shoot.

Also not a huge fan of the bows....I love them though, so they stay :-)

Papillon thought a little kazoo playing would help Hibou feel better...

At 2 months Hibou...


....weights 10lbs 2 oz.  25% for weight.  She's 22 inches long.

...she nurses like a champion.  Usually every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Occasionally an extra bit of sadness will have us nursing more often than that, but not often.  She is also getting quite efficient - most of the time nursing doesn't take more than 20-25 minutes.  The night time being the exception.

...likes to nurse non-stop in the evening. Sometimes from 7:30 or 8 until 10pm. With only small breaks.  But I don't mind, cause she sleeps great after that. 

....is usually asleep for the night between 9 and 10pm.  Get's up once (usually) between 2 and 3am. And then gets up for the day between 6 and 7am.  I call that super-sleeping!  One night she even went from 10pm - 5am without waking - phenomenal! 

...is pretty good at napping. A lot of her naps are in the car, or sling, or bouncy seat. But there have been some excellent crib-naps.  One day, I was in particular need of a nap, so I fed her and put her in her crib, wide awake but happy.  I heard her wiggle around and make sounds to herself for about 45 minutes or an hour, then it got quiet. I went in to check on her - sound asleep! She entertained herself, and then put herself to sleep. Love it!

....loves her mobile a ton.  Next to watching her sister give her kisses and hugs, her mobile is her favorite form of entertainment. 

...loves her vitamin D drops.  Papillon hated them, but Hibou seems to enjoy strange tastes. She even enjoyed her rotovirus vaccine (an oral vaccine) today. Weird.

....has a "herniated umbilical cord".  Which is a fancy way of saying she has a really ugly outie for a belly button.  Apparently it should heal on its own by the time she is 1.  

... turns red as a tomato when she cries. Its very sad. Fortunately she does not cry often. (When she does, Papillon is right there telling her "don't be sad, Hibou. It's ok. We love you. No crying" or some combination of those phrases) She is generally a very laid back baby.

...wears 0-3 or 3 month clothes. 

Happy 2 months Hibou!  We love you so much!



Kite Flying

Grandpa recently introduced Papillon to the joys of kite flying.
And Papillon loves it! "Run, Grandpa, Run" she yells as they try and get the kite up in the air.
She helps unwind / rewind the string.

She frequently talks about her kite flying adventures when we are home.  She will hold a blanket over her head and run around the room stating very loudly.  "I fly. Kite. I flying".

This video pretty much sums up the fun.  Its hard to hear what she is saying, but pay close attention, because it is downright adorable!




Making Cookies

On a recent visit to my parents, we "needed" to test-bake their bakery's chocolate chip cookie mix/recipe, just to be sure it was as awesome as we were telling people it was. 

Papillon had a lot of fun helping with this official-bakery-business.




Notice how she dutifully reaches in to taste-test in the midst of the mixing process?
Cute toes!

The verdict: Every bit as delicious as we hoped. And just as fun to mix up!