An Afternoon at Turtle Back Zoo

4 days, and the rain let up for about 2 hours for us to enjoy this little zoo. To Emily, everything was a doggy. At least she was almost on target with the giant wolf that looked like a steroid-pumped version of her very own Sadie dog. This was the first time she really got to see a lot of these animals from her picture books- up close and personal. And Lexi, well, she was a good sport and slept the whole time we rolled her around!

Grandma, Mama and Em on Mr. Turtle

Em, are you the size of a Chinstrap penguin?

Mommy and Em

Em, what is that? No, it's not a doggy. It's a penguin!

Going to check out the moles in their holes

Mommy and Em with Mr. Ed, not pictured.

"Every single one of you are in my way!!"

Mama and Em with a big ugly bison!

"A birdie, a birdie!!"

Em starting to get pooped. Cheetah too.

Grandma and Grandpa S. Come to Jersey!

Grandma and Grandpa S. visited next and although they brought a rain for the ages with them from the south (yes, it rained every. single. day. until the day they left and the sun came out), we had such a good time, and some great meals! Poor Lexi didn't get to enjoy any of them this go around but Em sure did- Cheesecake Factory, Rainforest Cafe, the Diner! Not sure which she liked more- the mechanical animals with fake rainstorm at Rainforest Cafe, or jumping up and down on the bouncy booth cushion at the diner.

On the Menu: TICKLES!

Bread, definitely requires double fisting.

Grammy and Papa, We Will Miss You!

There isn't enough room to share how much we loved and appreciated having Grammy and Papa here. Such a big help watching Emmy while we were both at the hospital with Lexi. Grammy and Emmy reading stories, Grammy somehow managing to get Em to stay in her own crib when she had a nightmare. Baby whisperer, come back- we tend to cave on this one and our room is starting to feel like Noah's ark with the two kids, a dog and 42 stuffed animals.

Last Days in the Hospital

After 4 nights in the hospital, we were ready to take miss spiky hair home! We would definitely miss the round the clock help of nurses from the nursery, but we were ready to have us all home together.

Hanging at Overlook - Day 3

Some pics of the family...

More Pictures

Alexis Grace Camilla Arrives

She's here and she's healthy!  So here are some of her earliest pics!!

1st Pic!

6 weeks; 1 day

8 weeks

9 weeks; 1 day

12 weeks; 3 days

20 weeks; 6 days  -- It's a Girl!

Look how tiny my face is!

Alexis Grace Arrives

What can we say, we are so blessed. Another beautiful, healthy baby girl.

Lexi, meet Mommy

Lexi, Mommy and Mama!

Proud Grammy and Papa with Mommy and Lexi

Uncle Scott, you have the best grin!

Emmy, this is your baby sister, Lexi. You can point. No hitting.

Some more pics from the big day!

Impatiently Waiting For Her Arrival

Since Karen had a scheduled C-section, we knew exactly when newbie was coming. Unfortunately our Dr. had an emergency come up so we had to sit and wait for what seemed like forever. We spent the extra time going through what felt like our

ever-expanding list of baby names. And, of course we had to check out what the paper's horoscope said since it was Friday the 13th!

Emmy waited so very patiently in the waiting room for her sister to arrive. Here she is with Grammy. Papa and Uncle Scott are hanging too.

One More Lunch For 3

Newbie arrives tomorrow so we decided to have a lunch out- just the three of us. Em is beginning to take more of an interest in holding the crayon, than eating it. As long as they stay off our walls, we're thrilled.

Who me?

This is the look of knowing you're busted after having just ridden over Sadie with your Giraffe-cycle.

Animal House

There aren't very many things more exciting than smearing mashed potatoes in your hair at this age.

Aunt Joy Comes to Visit

Aunt Joy came to visit us for the weekend all the way from Charlotte. We worked on some crafts - a shadowbox for Emily- and a pregnancy bust of Karen/newbie (which was quite exciting since Emily refused to nap so we kept having to shoo her away from the wet plaster strips.) Wish we had some pics of that comedy show! But we'll post a pic of the bust as soon as it's done!

Breakfast Time

Just a quick pic of Em enjoying breakfast! This was a wonderfully event-free morning.

Em's New Best Friend

Em's new best friend is Elmo. Seriously. Also, please note that we didn't create this hair "do." That would be a daycare creation. Apparently Emily likes to have it done and will very patiently wait in line until it's her turn to sit in Monica's lap to get her ponytail made. We just wish Monica would be around to take it out at night. You try pulling rubberbands out of a toddler's hair while they scream and wiggle out of your grasp. Fun times.