Ellen Angeline

FInally, the post you've all been waiting for! Here's our beautiful angel. :) She's the most adorable baby girl in the world.

Ellen, originally uploaded by RaisinBread.

For the first few days, whenever we told Luke that her name was Ellen, he threw back his head and made an elephant sound. He's gotten past that now thankfully, although it was really funny. Now for some reason he calls her dada, in his sweetest and highest voice.

I came down with a high fever a week before her due date, so we needed to induce rather than to keep her in that dangerous environment. So long story short, she did well, and she's here and safe. She was 7 lbs 9 oz, which seems tiny compared to our 3 other babies who averaged at 9 lbs each. The boys are so sweet and tender with her. She's definitely the family celebrity. We're so incredibly grateful to have her in our family! How sweet to have a little girl, for all of us to love. :)

All before breakfast

The day started with the funniest adventure. We all ended up in Luke's room to say good morning to him when I was getting him up this morning. Everyone just trickled in and it was a beautiful spring Saturday morning. And before I could stop what I saw happening, Seth had closed the bedroom door with all of us inside.

The only reason that would be bad (other than the growing smell of Luke's diaper) is that I had recently discovered (and that's another story,) that Luke's doorknob won't open from the inside. The knob just turns around and around, and won't open. So there we all were - all 5 of us - stuck inside Luke's second story room with no way out. It struck me as incredibly funny, and Seth, a little worried at our predicament and nervous that he had inadvertently been the cause, finally asked in desperation why I was laughing. It was just a beautifully funny and silly thing - that all of us had casually managed to get stuck in a little room (with a stinky diaper, and no breakfast) and no one else in the house to let us out.

How completely convenient that John coincidentally had already put his iphone in his pocket, or else we would have had to yell across the street to the Olsons (I could hear someone out playing basketball) to come free us. So after trying for a bit to slide something through the crack to open the door but to no avail, we called and Joanna (whom I had to convince that I was really serious,) came over to let us all out. Another coincidental thing: normally we lock the doors at night, so I thought that both doors would be locked and I wasn't sure how anyone would be able to get in, but fortunately (?) we had completely forgotten to lock up last night, so she didn't have to find some obscure, creative way into our house, which would have greatly added to the adventure.

All in all, it was a great way to start the day - with a good hearty laugh. :)

Third time's the charm.

We have a lot of small amounts of leftovers from the meals of the week, so for dinner I brought the boys to the highly acclaimed Anderson Restaurant. I wrote up a quick little menu for each of them and listed all the things they could choose to eat and drink, with little boxes next to the item for them to check what they wanted.

It was such a big hit. They were exhausted from hours of play, but as soon as they heard me welcome them to the restaurant, show them their seats and hand them each a menu, they were completely engrossed in the play, and they immediately adopted a very gracious and polite manner in everything they did and said. They were delighted, under a very mature and sophisticated guise.

I pretty much knew what each of them would choose, but I think they really liked having the choice. Who wouldn't. We had so much fun with it, and the charade lasted the entire way through dinner, with them asking the waitress questions and complimenting the chef. I think we should do this all the time. It encourages dinner etiquette, it's killer easy, it makes 3rd time leftovers exciting again, and it's really fun. :)

Right of Passage

Jonathan told me when he got home from school today that at lunch recess he got "huddle-trust." He told me that that means he was allowed into the huddle of a club that a few of his friends have, and is now a part of the huddle when they are making plans and deciding on imaginary story lines to play. He shone when he told me about it, happy and proud and bashful almost. I love it - Getting a glimpse into what's important on the playground to a 6 year-old, and that they even have a specific name for being initiated. Brings me back to what it feels like to be young and out at recess, learning how the social world works and seeing how you fit in it all. It may be silly, but I'm glad he's accepted by his friends at school, and that he feels like he's part of the group. How cool to get huddle trust, and to be in a club.

Overheard the other day :

John: "Seth, how does it feel to have a mom that is so beautiful?"
Seth: "Good. (Pause) . . . We're happy to be a family."

I just wonder how on earth I got so lucky. I love these boys.

Heartbreak successfully averted.

Jonathan lost his 4th tooth while he was at school. He's been wanting to have it fall out at school because you get to go to the office (very cool to him) and get a little tooth container on a necklace to hold your tooth for the rest of the day. So when he got home he ran up the stairs, so excited to show me his toothless smile and his little tooth case. But when he opened it, his lost tooth was...lost. Somehow he had dropped it during the day and he was so sad, near tears.

As I talked to him about what could have happened to it, I was discretely getting a dollar and putting it down in his room under his pillow. (Side note: I know I never got more than a few coins for a tooth when I was little, but inflation touches us all, and plus, it's a whole lot simpler for him to calculate 10% for tithing and 40% for savings if he starts with a dollar.) Then I wondered aloud if the tooth fairy had already somehow gotten his tooth out of his little tooth necklace while he was at school. Maybe she was passing by and decided to pick it up while she was there. Immediately his face brightened and he said "I'll go check," on his way down to his room. I waited upstairs to hear his response, and seconds later I heard the gasp and the exclamation that "she got it already!" He was dazzled and amazed that she could get it from right in front of him, without him even noticing.

She really is pretty sneaky, whoever she is.

Proof

I know it's hard to believe that we could possibly have a girl, so I'll give a little proof. Here's the ultrasound video, if you care to see for yourself how cute she is. :) Some of the best full body shots are at the end (like starting at minute 6.) Both Jonathan and Seth have been sure it was a girl from the moment they knew we were expecting. Shoulda listened.

John takes every opportunity now to refer to me in the plural, as in, "Hello ladies," and "How are my girls?" I picked out my first pink thing today that I've ever bought for one of our own. This is going to be way too fun. :)