That's a Wrap!

Dear Baby Waider + Little Brother Too,

If you ever want twelve weeks to fly by just have a baby. Twelve weeks can be quicker than the blink of an eye. I could swear it was only yesterday that I was saying good bye to Baby Waider and sobbing as I entered the emergency room ready to have Little Brother. Speaking of Baby Waider where have the past two years gone? So it is that my maternity leave is over. The magical time that you only get once in the lifetime of your child. The time where it gets to be just mom and baby. When I had Baby Waider I spent probably three straight weeks of my maternity leave crying about having to go back to work. I was fairly certain someone was ripping my beating heart from my chest. (Yes. I was THAT sad). But this time has been different. I knew what was coming. Just as Little Brother was starting to be his cutest I would have to leave him with grandma for the day. Just when I was getting the hang of having an infant again he would not be only mine anymore. No more cuddles for hours on the couch soaking up daytime TV. No more long afternoon walks with Mia. No more napping together. It would all end. But, instead of being sad that it was ending all too soon I soaked it up. Every. Last. Second. I cuddled until I could cuddle no more. I would just smell Little Brother's adorable head for hours. We would take pictures for hours on end. I just took it all in the best that I could. 

I found a quote that rings in my head often. It is, "So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."  I did pretty well following this, but then I realized that a dirty house makes me very crazy and crabby so I did keep up on the cleaning. But, I am happy to report that for the most part I took the time to enjoy my little boy.  

SICKNESS
Just as I was about to begin my last days of maternity leave, with my feet propped up, drinking a cup of coffee and watching Kelly and Michael I got a text from Grandma Halter. "Baby Waider has a fever." UGH! I thought in my head. The nephews had been super duper sick so I knew this wasn't going to be a quick illness. I knew I was signing on for a long haul and some tough times. And that was the truth. Just as I went to pick up Baby Waider, Little Brother started to cough... Monday and Tuesday dad had to work. Since I was on maternity leave (Keep in mind it was no longer PAID maternity leave so I was actually paying $211 per day to have all this fun) it was me + 2 sick kids=nearly crazy mama. Seriously. I have an immense respect for single moms. I can't imagine doing this job alone. Ever. Anyway. Baby Waider did have quite the cough and fever. I had suspected that both kids would require a trip to the doctor. Thankfully our nurse, Shar, rules and she just made us an appointment for Wednesday morning, first thing. Dr. Lynn took a listen and it was determined that we had to get an x-ray to determine if Baby Waider had pneumonia, which she of course did. By the time we got home she was basically a disaster. Crying, fever, coughing, the works. It. Was. Glamorous. At the height of glamour she actually coughed up...well...you know..phlegm. After coughing it up Baby Waider put it in her hand and brought it to me and said, "Here mama." It was fantastic. Little Brother was also a snot fountain. Basically, I was covered in snot, spit, puke, you name it, I had it on me. I was hoping by the time I went back to work tomorrow everyone would be better. Unfortunately, Little Brother's cough got much, much worse last night which required us to bring him to the doctor this morning. After running some tests they were able to rule out RSV, Influenza, and something else...Results for whooping cough don't come until Wednesday. Thankfully they are treating him for whooping cough anyway. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. There is nothing worse than watching your kids be sick.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving signaled the end of my maternity leave. I have always loved Thanksgiving. Wonderful food, family, fun, and SHOPPING. This year I felt that I had so much more to be thankful for. A new baby, modern medicine, health, dad's broken ankle healing, dad's new job, and so much more. Life is just pretty darn good for the Waiders. So despite the major illness we had a good day. It also helped that Baby Waider took a five hour nap. When she woke she was pretty much a disaster which led to us going home shortly after she woke up. That evening Lady Gaga and the muppets did a bizarre special on TV which Baby Waider actually watched from start to finish. All in all a good day. We did some Black Friday shopping from our laptops and dad went out to snag a few bargains. We didn't really partake in any of the traditional holiday season kick offs like the light parade or Christmas tree lighting. We stuck close to home and relaxed. Hopefully this will be the last bought of illness until the holidays are past.

So it is with a slightly heavy heart I go back to work tomorrow. In some ways anxious because I am excited to see my students and coworkers. I know that I want both of you, Baby Waider and Little Brother Too, to have excellent teachers when you go to school. I feel that I am a good teacher and that my students need me to return. I do an important job and I thank God everyday that Grandma Halter can care for you while I am away. She does a very important job too. Little Brother, it's been really fun and I will miss you like crazy. Three weeks until Christmas Break!

As always, Mama loves you.

Love,

Mama

Big Baptism Day

Dear Baby Waider and Little Brother,

Well today was another big day and milestone in Little Brother's life. He was baptized! Baptism is special to me for many reasons. Mostly, as I stated when Baby Waider was baptized that I am a cradle Catholic. That means that me, like the two of you were born Catholic. Thankfully, your dad is a convert. He converted to be Catholic when we got married. Not only are we Catholic, but much of the extended family is also Catholic. Today we were able to welcome Little Brother into the faith and it was a very special moment.

Godparents

Your Super Aunt Becky and Super Uncle Joe were your godparents. Super Aunt Becky was my godmother so I was excited to make her your godmother too. I remember being a kid and Becky would go to church with us. It wasn't uncommon for her to sit by us, make us laugh, and we would get in trouble. Not her. Aunt Becky was always super cool to me. For one, she had a Dodge Daytona which was a super duper cool car. I thought it was neat that she was in college and even neater that she was going to college to be a teacher. I attribute my own decision to become a teacher a direct result of watching her be an awesome one. Aunt Becky was like an older sister to me since I was the oldest in my family. One time, in fifth grade, I was sitting in church with my kindergarden buddy minding my own business during mass. Out of nowhere the kindergartner behind me puked all over my coat. Disgusting. So, my teacher, Mrs. Wagner, DRUG me out of church while she held my coat a safe distance from us. Aunt Becky was a teacher at my school so she saw me being pulled out of mass. I wasn't in trouble, but it sure looked like I was. When I got home I was prepared to tell my mom what happened, but she already knew because Becky had called and mentioned what had happened. She was always looking out for us which was good to have growing up. I was able to watch Aunt Becky do everything about 14 years before I did. She was a role model in many ways. Oh, and I was a junior bridesmaid in her wedding, which RULED. I got to wear the sweetest bright red satin bubble skirt dress. Loved it.


Super Uncle Joe has been married to Becky forever, and they've been together since I was a kid. Becky and Joe were always super important in my life. Their family and my family have always been super close and spend all holidays, special events, and much free time together. We've always had so much fun. My best Super Uncle Joe memory includes driving to Seattle in their red Grand Am. At least I think that's the car we took! Anyway, we drove to Seattle. Uncle Kelly and I rode with them much of the way and we blasted the Alabama song, Cheap Seats, for about 17.5 of the 18 hour drive. He would also speed and we just had the best time. Thankfully the first time I flew was with Uncle Joe. Had I flown for the first time with G and G Halter I probably would never had stepped foot on another plane. Joe and I had a blast complete with drinks on our layover. Super fun.


When we grew up they had little kids. Now that we have little kids their kids are grown up. While most super aunts and uncles would have SOME interaction with their super nieces and nephews Becky and Joe are completely immersed when they are with you. They buy you the most adorable outfits, hold you, play with you, and let you boss them around. Super Uncle Joe is known as the baby whisperer. Which means he can basically get any baby to stop crying at anytime. He will shake, bounce, shh, and rock until the infant is lulled to sleep. Aunt Becky also loves to cuddle. It's almost as if Super Aunt Becky and Super Uncle Joe are bonus grandparents to you. Bottom like you are darn lucky, as are your cousins, to have them in your life! I haven't even touched upon their children and how involved they are with you. Another blog for that.


Long Island Medium

Grandma Halter enjoys watching a show that is wildly popular called Long Island Medium. I've only watched bits and pieces of the show, but the basis of the show is that the woman is able communicate with people who have died. One of her beliefs is that babies are able to "see" or sense presences of those who have gone before us. After the baptism grandma revealed to us that she noticed Little Brother looking off into the distance, maybe even out the window. Her theory then being that the great grandmas were probably there and that Little Brother could see them. Now, I like to give grandma a hard time about this, but without a doubt I firmly believe that the grandmas, and possibly grandpas were there and incredibly proud that another great grandson was being welcomed into the faith. So whether Little Brother could see them or not, I know for certain that they were there.

The morning was beautiful and concluded at grandpa and grandma's house. We had breakfast burritos, cinnamon rolls, juice, and sausage. You got beautiful gifts and it was such a wonderful morning. Pictures below. A few things to note. 1. Baby Waider holding arms to Uncle Joe to hold her instead of mama. 2. The picture of Little Brother on the blanket surrounded by the cousins. That is a recreation of a picture we did with Lauryn, your Super Cousin. Maybe I can find a copy of that picture and add it to this. 3. Baby Waider picking her nose in the grandparent picture.

I will forever be grateful to Auntie April for taking these pictures during the baptism. They are amazing and really capture the emotions, feelings, and experience of the morning. By the time you are able to read this she may have quit being an accountant to be a photographer.



As always I love you!

Love,

Mama

8 Weeks of Wonderful

Dear Little Brother,

It doesn't hardly seem possible at this point to think that 8 weeks ago you were born. The time has flown by, which is a cliche, but so true. Things have been going pretty well despite a couple of bumps in the road. The major bump happened because you caught a cold. :( Complete with a cough that Dr. Lynn described as "alarming." It was alarming and loud. The cold brought another bump in the road. Loss of sleep.

Let me just give you some information about your mom that you may not be aware of. I. Need. Sleep. Without it I am a monster. When I was a kid I was the same way. I really didn't like going to sleepovers because it meant that I would lose out on sleep. I seriously love sleep. When I found out I was having you one of my first thought was that I was going to be losing out on sleep. I would tell you daily that you would sleep when I was pregnant with you. After 8 weeks the results are in. It's a mixed bag. Some nights you sleep like a champ. Six hours, then five more hours. Those nights are fabulous! Sometimes it is three hours, then two hours, then two more hours...Those nights not so great. However, with that being said I do have to say that you do beat your sister in the area of sleep. You actually take naps that last longer than an thirty minutes. Additionally, it is rare that you sleep less than three hours at a time at night. For the most part I am pleased with your sleeping. I believe that with babies you either win or lose the sleep lottery. With your sister we lost the sleep lottery. With you we seem to be winners. Not big winners. (You don't sleep through the night.) But winners. That being said, we have now won the sleep lottery with your sister. She is an awesome sleeper and has only heard you cry one time on the first night you were home. Besides that she sleeps through everything. Which you will do soon too. :)

Right now you are at such a cute, fun age. You coo, which means you make adorable and sweet little sounds. You also give us, big, gummy grins. It is so much fun to see your big smiles. You love to smile at Baby Waider. It is so sweet that it sometimes brings a tear to my eyes.

You don't have many other tricks per se. You enjoy sitting in your bouncy chair, swinging in your swing, and laying on the floor. Your absolute favorite place is on your changing table, which is where I took these adorable pictures of you. You like to kick your legs, stare at lights, and stare at your sister. Basically, hanging out with you each day is a treat. A time that will inevitably go by much too quickly, and much of it I will not remember years from now due to the lack of sleep. I know that these are days that I will dearly miss because they are so amazing. Nothing really beats newborn baby cuddles. Nothing. This time that we have had together has been a true gift.

Without a doubt you will be one tough cookie. Baby Waider is proving to be a slightly more brutal big sister. She started with just trying to pick you up. Lately she has pulled you out of my arms. (Well tried anyway.) Squeezed you to the point of crying in your little seat, constantly pulling your paci out of your mouth and then shoving it back in, jamming bottles (sometimes doll bottles) into your mouth when you are just chilling on the floor or trying to sleep. Most recently we came home late and were rushing to get Baby Waider ready for bed. Here's what happened.

BW: Mommy read story?
Mom: Sure!
BW: Daddy listen? (before you came little brother I would read a story and Baby Waider would sit on my lap and dad would listen sitting on the floor)
Mom: Sure.
Dad and Ben enter the room.
BW: NO! Ben go! (Baby Waider says as she pushes dad and you out the door)

As I finish this blog up I am happy to report that you slept for 7 hours straight last night Little Brother! Woo-hoo! That is a win.

Love,

Mama

Happy Birthday, Baby Waider!

Dear Baby Waider,


Birthdays are a funny thing when you are a mom. When I was a kid birthdays were cool. You got a year older, got presents, mom usually made your favorite food. All in all good stuff. When you are a mom it is different. It's a little happy-sad. Happy because your child is getting older, which is what you are supposed to do! But you are getting older, which means that time is passing. Ultimately meaning that you are getting older and will eventually leave and potentially not be a mom adoring, adorable, sweet little girl. Birthdays are a reminder that you will not be this challenging age forever. See, it's complicated. It's happy-sad. I found myself a little teary eyed that you are TWO. The night before your birthday I couldn't sleep a wink. That may not seem like a big deal, but since I haven't slept forever because of your baby brother it is a big deal that while he was asleep I was awake. Anyway the reason for my sleeplessness was that I wanted to remember everything from the past two years. Your first smile, when you rolled over the first time, (at grandma'a while I was working!) the nightmare that was teething, your blatant refusal to sleep, your laugh, smile, giggle, when you learned to walk teetering between dad and I in your purple and pink soft soled shoes, the first time you said mama, or when you said, "no,Mia!" The first time and made me laugh out loud! I laid in bed just reflecting on how fast it has gone, yet it really seemed as though I've known you my whole life. You make every day better and even at your worst (you are two...you have some dark moments) you are still simply amazing. 

Your Birthday Party

We planned your birthday in May. We reserved Storybook Island for ten days before your real birthday. Figuring this is the LAST year I can choose the theme I went with Wonder Woman. You love your costume! Your cousins also wore superhero costumes. You had a blast. Your cousins and Payton, Hailey, and Brandon came along with the grandparents and aunts and uncles. You played, ate pizza, cake, and played some more! You had a blast. You give me moments sometimes that I freeze in my mind. While at the party I was busy with Little Brother, serving food, and taking pictures. I saw you briefly here and there, but never spent a good amount of time with you. At the very end of the party I took a load of stuff out to the car. I came back into the fence and you were standing there in your cute little Wonder Woman costume. 

I said something like, "Hi, Bear! Whatcha doing?" 

BW: "Hi, mama. This?" Pointing at some daisies. 

Mom: "Those are daisies! Aren't they pretty?"

BW: "Ya!" Bends down and smells the flowers, jumps, and smiles. "Ya,mom."  

I think back to that moment often because it was then I realized that you aren't a baby anymore. You are a little toddler out learning all about the world around you. You are smart, inquisitive, and I am ever proud of you. Its little moments like that that make me realize how fortunate I am to be your mama. 

Your Actual Birthday

I always thought we would just have one birthday party for our kids. That is yet to be true. This year we had a party party and then on your actual birthday we had grandpa and grandma Halter over for ribeyes. You love steak so it was perfect. Even though I made you a giant birthday cake for your party with auntie April I still made you ice cream cone cupcakes with chocolate frosting for your real birthday. I rule. Mom and dad bought you a baby nursery. Interestingly, you refused to open the present forever. We finally coaxed you into it and you loved it. 

Sometimes you like to get inside your nursery...

Being Two 

Basically I feel like you turned two and instantly your level of drama increased exponentially. Tantrums, screaming, and saying, "no" are regular occurrences. Mom and dad have become dicipline experts (we try anyway). This age had challenges. You like to take things and run, hide, and laugh. You are relentless to poor Boo and Mia. You will SCREAM at the top of your lungs if you don't get what you want anywhere we may be. Yes, even at Walmart. I am that parent with the screaming child, but your dad is too so that helps. Bottom line we will fight you because you will be a good kid. You will fight us because you are strong willed and my descendent. You also acquired the bossy gene and can be quite the little scrapper. 

Along with all of the typical two year old behaviors you are also incredibly endearing. You love to play dolls, which is adorable. You love to go on walks and play in your playhouse. You love grandma and aunt Becky. You always talk on the phone, sometimes fake, sometimes real, and you like to pretend to call Brooker or Becky and Doe (Joe). You always have dad and I laughing and often shaking our heads.  

I say it often that you have changed our lives for the better but it is so true. We love you big time and can't wait to see all that you become in the next year. 

Love, 

Mama 

Blizzard 2013

Dear Baby Waider + Little Brother Too

We are coming off of one of the worst storms in South Dakota history. Interestingly you both were relatively unscathed by this storm and aside from a little crankiness your routine was not too disrupted. 

A little blizzard history. Mom and dad used to rule at blizzards. Our preparations included getting some adult beverages, junk food, cribbage board, and playing cards. We have weathered some blizzards out here in Weston Heights. We even built world famous snow sculptures. Never. Not one. Have we lost power. So naturally it did not even occur to us that this storm would cAuse such widespread outages that it would also impact us. Had it been mom and dad alone we would have rocked no power. We would have welcomed the adventure. Possibly built some snow forts, and definitely not cared that we had no power. Okay. We would have missed the tv for sure. But after 8 years of no outages having the first one with a three week old and nearly two year old seemed cruel. I wanted to curl up on the couch and cry because I was pretty sure we wouldn't make it. Obviously we did because I'm writing about it. 

Friday was when the storm started raging. It oddly began with downpours of rain. Then the next morning it started to snow. Coated with ice our beautiful tree, that I love, started to sag. Slowly it and our ugly tree started losing branches and then some more branches. 

All you could hear basically all day long was branches snapping and wind. Lots and lots of wind. The day was much like any other snowy day. We cleaned, baked, cooked, and napped. Then around 6:00 we lost power. 

Totally caught off guard we scurried around trying to gather up flashlights, candles, and blankets. At 6:30 the lights came back on. We cranked the head up to around 80 and got it really hot in the house. That probably saved us that night because at 7:00 we lost power for good. I was super scared. You two and dad were not. We went to bed and it got COLD. Well, it got down to 50. It was hard to keep you warm Baby Waider because no matter what we put on you you took it off. And you were like an ice cube. It was hard to know if I was keeping little brother warm or over heating him. I pretty much held him nonstop. 

By the next morning reports were that we would be without power until late Sunday night. Dad made the decision to move us to the camper. Problem was that we couldn't get to the camper. So dad being the hero of the day and an Eagle Scout literally built us a path to the camper. We had to go almost on top of the roof of the house and back down again to get to the camper. He even built steps down to the door. He had the generator almost on the roof of the house!!! It was unreal. I was super impressed and warm. Which made me very happy. 

Once we were in the camper Baby Waider started a game called shower. You played in the shower and opened and closed the door for over an hour. Little brother slept. As any nearly two year old you were a little out of sorts not being in your routine. You didn't nap and were sort of a disaster. But at least we were warm. Dad took you out to play and you had a blast with all the snow. Saturday evening we ate dinner (oatmeal) we let you pick. Then we played shower some more. You were sticking soap, body wash, and shampoo into your sleeper and zipping it up and walking around with it in your sleeper. Not sure why but you thought it was hilarious. Also, you jumped on the bed, and watched the Michael Jackson documentary, which you loved. You danced and danced.  Takeaways from this blizzard:

1. Be prepared. Always. 

2. Don't ever question the purchase of an obscenely large generator. The one time you need to use it it will be worth it's weight in gold. 

3. Electricity is the best thing around and should be honored every single day. 

4. Hot water should not be taken for granted. 

5. Cell phones and electronics really do rule and are dearly missed when they run out of power. 

6. Being with the right people can make any situation better. 

7. Always run your dishwasher and shower. Once you've lost power it's just too late. 

I'm sure there are way more lessons learned that we will discover even down the road. Until then here are some storm pics!!

All bundled up!

Stealing shower supplies. 

Jumping on the bed. Dad protecting little brother. 

Warm camper!

Generator almost on the roof. 

This is a creation of Baby Waider that dad calls, "mom freaking out and dad working his but off and no one supervising the toddler." You took corn chips and put them in this ice cube tray. It was 9:00 am and you were eating corn chips out of an ice cube tray. Don't judge. 

So glad we are all safe. Thanks for keeping us warm, dad!!

Love, 

Mama 

New Arrival!

Dear Baby Waider + Little Brother Too,

I'm sure you are wondering why I'm yet to post a blog about the birth of Little Brother. I haven't been blogging because I learned from when Baby Waider was a newborn. When Little Brother sleeps I try to sleep! Between that and keeping up with Baby Waider blogging hasn't really been happening. When I was in labor with Baby Waider I was blogging for much of the time. I started a blog with little brother, but I think I got Dear out before I started getting intense Pitocin induced contractions. Plus, there wasn't much of a story for Little Brother. Pretty much I woke up, called the hospital, and they told me to come into labor and delivery. For whatever reason as we tried to get to the hospital we could not get out of the house. Dad took the world's longest shower. I tried to get Baby Waider some food, get dressed, and get ready to go to grandma's house. I tried to make myself look slightly human. We got in the car and took the long ride to the hospital. It actually wasn't that long. Because we were so late dad dropped me off at the door of the ER and I had to go in and get registered and he could meet me after he dropped Baby Waider off at grandma's. Saying goodbye to Baby Waider was one of the saddest thing I've had to do. I'm not sure why, but I started sobbing and could not stop. Eventually dad just had to leave with you. I had to go into the hospital, alone and it was clear that I had been crying. The poor lady at the entry was pretty sure that something bad had happened. Not that I was sending my daughter to her grandparent's house so that I could have a new baby. The nice lady at the entry way got me set up and gently asked if I had a support person. I said yes he was on his way. She seemed relived. She got me checked in and they took me to my delivery room. It is strange to go to the hospital not in labor. I walked into the room that was all set up for me. The stand and bed for little brother. It seemed pretty scary, but I was ready to roll.

Fortunately, I knew the nurse that was assigned to me. She was Nurse Lori and she helped deliver cousin Vern. Grandma Halter babysat her kids, Hayden and Hailey just like she babysits Baby Waider and soon Little Brother. She was amazing. Unfortunately not much happened until my water was broken. Then things got going more quickly. As we waited for Little Brother dad and I kept debating names. For the past 4 months we've been thinking about names. We started with Michael. That was my grandpa's name, my dad's name, and my uncle's name! Seemed like a good fit. My main hang up was that my grandma Eleanor was married to my grandpa Michael. I couldn't get past it. I also liked James, Grandpa Halter's middle name, and I love the James Taylor song, "Sweet Baby James." but couldn't get into that name either. We liked Lucas, but more as a middle name, not a first name. Then, during labor I revealed the name Charlie. Your dad wanted a family name. Charlie was indeed our cat's name from childhood. He was a really great cat! Dad didn't love naming little brother after a cat... But he also was sort of in favor of using that name. The name we kept going back to was Benjamin. The suggestion of the pedicurist. Nothing was actually official until the next evening. But we decided Benjamin was a great name. I had a great uncle Benny. As a bonus Grandpa Halter remembered that his grandpa was Ben. His full name was Bernard, but he went by Ben. So it all worked out. Anyway, debating names and watching some Breaking Bad made for a pretty quick moving day. Before we knew it Dr. Bernhard was ready for me to start pushing.

Sadly, it was right at the time that Nurse Lori had to leave. But, luckily, Nurse Wanda was on the case. Nurse Wanda rules and was who delivered, rather helped deliver Baby Waider almost exactly 23 months earlier. We were 2 hours and 10 minutes off of having you two exactly at the same time of day! So, Little Brother was born on September 9th at 8:25. He was perfect in every single 8 pounds, nearly 5 ounces, and all 19.5 inches. I still find it hard to believe that he even fit in my abdomen. They put him right on my chest, which TOTALLY creeped me out. I know that I should have been grateful to have a healthy baby on my chest, but he had lots of stuff all over him and I can't say I was thrilled with all of that all over me. :(

The stay in the hospital really wasn't much different than when Baby Waider was born. We had lots of family come to visit. I got one sort of good night's sleep, which is really helpful right before going home. Lots of people have been wondering how Baby Waider is adjusting to the new arrival. The short answer is pretty good. Overall you are interested in helping. (Thanks to Baby Addy and Grandma) You loves to give him a paci, even if it isn't his. You also loves to give him quick kisses and say "Hi Baby Ben." You will also give him hugs. Now and again you will try to pick Baby Ben up, which freaks mom out. But, overall I've been pretty impressed with how well you are adjusting Baby Waider. This morning we were hanging out and you tried to push Ben away and said, "No, Ben, GO!" I had to explain that Ben couldn't go. He had to stay with mom. You did okay with that. It has been difficult with feeling like I'm not giving enough attention to Baby Waider and feeling like I dedicate all of my attention to Little Brother. Overall, Baby Waider likes Little Brother and Little Brother could watch Baby Waider for hours...Well for awhile until he drifts back to sleep.

Mom on her phone. That's how she rolls during labor.

Nurse Lori!!

Dr. B. suiting up!

Mom looking less than thrilled with the slimy baby on her tummy...

Awww Little Brother!

Dr. B. and her intern. Such fun gals!

Nurse Wanda!

Meeting Grandma and Grandpa Halter.

First photo with Dad.

Meeting Cousin Vern. He could be Little Brother's biggest fan.

Meeting Uncle Kelly.

Auntie Katie

Cousin Finny.

Cousin Brook.

Little Brother's story is a little less eventful, but no less special. I love you both to pieces.

Love,

Mama