Rock Star!

Lizards and turtles.

 

Ian's 2nd Birthday!

Here are a few pictures from Ian's 2nd birthday!

We had a very small family party the day after we arrived home from the hospital with Caroline.  Whew. 
Thankfully I was not stressed, we kept it really simply and Grandma Holmes, Aunt Kate and Uncle Paul all helped supply the food for the party!  We grilled hotdogs, had a first-time-ever-for-the-kids-birthday store bought cake, potato salad, squash and zucchini casserole, chips and drinks.  It was a beautiful day and we sat outside, let the chickens run around, and passed Caroline around :)

Ian had a fun time, but as soon as I pulled out the camera he froze and would not smile or make eye contact!  Ah well....it is what it is!

He was excited to get a giant plastic truck to push around outside, a wheelbarrow that is just his size, some garden tools so he can do "big work" like mommy and daddy, and some trucks to play with inside.

 

 

 

 

CLICK HERE to watch a video of Ian opening a card from our friends in Texas, Carolyn and Gene.  He LOVED it!!  Thanks, Carolyn!

 

 

Some new pictures...leaving the hospital and more!

Here are a few pics of Caroline before we left the hospital on Saturday.  It's hard to believe that she is one week old today!

(above:  6 days old)

 

 

 

 

 

(First sponge bath at home).

 

 

Caroline at one week old is nursing really well, but mostly has her days and nights confused.  Last night she nursed 4 times in 3 hours (yikes!)....she was borderline jaundiced at the hospital and we have been keeping an eye on her color to make sure she isn't getting any more yellow (you can see the difference in her color on the bathtime picture- the yellow is from her head down to about chest level), but at her first well visit she had gained four ounces since leaving the hospital and is not due back for another well visit until she turns 2 weeks old!  Ian is doing really well with her, and likes to bring us diapers and blankets.  Today he actually said her name very clearly, and we were kind of shocked because he has refused to call her anything but "baby" for the first week!  



Meet Caroline Ruth!

Sound like the newest American Girl Doll???  Well she IS a doll!

Born on Thursday, April 4 at 5:15am after a 9 hour induction due to high blood pressure.  8 pounds, 20.5 inches.  She is a little chunker!

It took one contraction worth of pushing to get her out.

 

The kids getting ready to find out whether they have a new brother or sister!

 

Isabel was out of her mind excited and in shock that the new baby is in fact a girl!  She was just THRILLED, and instantly in love with her new little sister!

Ian was unsure of what to think about the new baby and the hospital surroundings, but he did give her one kiss on the head.

Very first pic as a family of FIVE!

 

Caroline close up after her first bath!

She has lots of hair that is a medium brown with little blonde highlights, the fattest little neck and cheeks, and a very laid back personality (at least for the first 10 hours that she's been with us)!