Loves her brother

You can't really tell in either of these pictures, but Corinne is really starting to notice Barrett. She smiles almost every time he is nearby and I think it is adorable! Barrett speaks to her in a high-pitched voice, which I guess he got from us...even though our high-pitches aren't quite as high as his. Barrett gets a kick out of her response to him, which is equally as adorable. He gets a huge grin on his face when she smiles and "talks" to him. He was talking to her while I was changing her clothes in this pic:


Here, we were getting ready to go for a walk and I tried (rather unsuccessfully) to capture a moment between the two:

Barrett counting!

I didn't start recording until he was at "2", but you get the idea.

Zoooooooooooom!

Barrett recently discovered how to work the glider on his swingset. He used to want us to push it for him and one day, he climbed up and figured out how to push with his feet. He loves it and yells "ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" the whole time he's riding it!


Yeah, he's totally wearing his Thomas the Tank Engine jammies and his rain boots on the wrong feet.


But he's having fun, so who cares, right?

Momma bird

There were a couple of birds in our backyard that didn't leave, even when the dogs chased them off. Sure, they would leave for a few seconds, but they would fly right back into our yard after the dogs lost interest.


I looked them up and the birds are killdeer. Apparently they live in fields and dirt-covered areas, which perfectly describes parts of our yard. When I walked outside, the bird acted like it had a broken wing, so I thought that maybe our cat had injured it...but that didn't explain why it kept coming back into the yard.


So I looked a little closer, and this silly bird has decided to build her nest in our yard! Apparently it's normal for killdeer to build their nests right on the ground, but man, did this bird pick a bad yard! We have clumsy kids and a cat!


There are 2 eggs on the ground as of right now, but the internet tells me that they usually lay 4 eggs over the course of a week. The momma and daddy birds will take turns sitting on the nest for 28 days and then the babies will hatch. Here's the part that really worries me: the babies hang out in the "nest" until they can fly, which is about a month later! I'm afraid they won't survive for very long with a bloodthirsty cat on the prowl. In the past month alone, I've found a few dead animals in the backyard-- a mouse, a bluebird and a baby rabbit. I don't want these baby birds to be next, but I don't know what to do. Everything I've looked up about the birds says that the momma bird won't find the eggs if I move them, even if she watches me move them.

Sleepy girl

Corinne prefers to sleep near us, and even when Barrett is being super loud during the day, it doesn't seem to phase her. If we put her somewhere quiet, she usually wakes up within a few minutes and needs to be rocked back to sleep. I took these pictures on a Sunday, so we were all home. Her bouncy seat is right next to the back door in these pictures and in the few hours that she was sleeping, Barrett went outside/inside a few times, the dogs barked a couple times, the cat meowed a lot and Max and I talked in not-so-quiet voices to each other and to Barrett. She slept through it all! I guess she's the perfect little sister--she takes all the noise in stride!

2 months!

Corinne is 2 months old today! And Momma managed to take her picture on the right day this time! I guess I'm getting more used to being a mother of two. :)

At her 8 week check up, Corinne weighed 11 lbs and 6 oz (70th percentile) and was 23 in. long (75th %). So she's not as big as Barrett was, but still larger than average. She did a good job at the appointment, but she was quite unhappy about a few parts: the ear check, neck muscle check and of course, the vaccinations. She absolutely could not be consoled after her shots! I tried a bottle and a pacifier and she still cried all the way out to the car. She also ran about a 100 degree fever for the next 2 days! We gave her Tylenol, which seemed to make her feel better. That never happened with Barrett, so I was not expecting it at all, even though the nurse told me it was a possibility.

Her she is in the "picture chair":


Close up!


Almost a smile! Isn't it weird how different she looks when she's lying down (as opposed to when I prop her up in the chair)?!

Outside!

We had some beautiful weather this weekend and we took full advantage of it: yardwork, plenty of playing outside, walks, grilling, windows open...you get the picture. Daddy bought Barrett a t-ball set to practice with and Barrett loves it! He can't hit the ball very far and for some reason, he yells SANDWICH! every time he hits the ball, but he still has fun with it.


Too distracted by Momma to hit the ball:


Just a great pic of a happy Barrett:


Daddy brought Corinne outside to hang out with us:

Big Brother

So Barrett is finally getting this whole big brother role down. He doesn't hit Corinne anymore (well, hardly ever :)) and actually wants to play with her and not just steal the toys from her. I showed him how to play with toys with her, and although he shakes them a little too close to her face, he's getting the idea. When she cries, he tells her It's okay! in a really high pitched voice. If I put a blanket on the floor for Corinne, he's sure to lie down with her, which is what's pictured below.

Beautiful babies

Just a few pictures I've taken over the past couple of weeks:

Corinne smiles all the time now, but I can't seem to catch it on camera. This half smile is the best I've been able to do. Please pardon the baby acne and the formula crust around her mouth!


Being held by Grandma Holt on the back porch:


Super cute outfit...have you ever seen tinier shorts?


"Sitting" on the couch:


"Smile, Barrett!"


"No honey, close your mouth...that looks weird."


Best smile I could get out of the boy.