Rosa was the cutest chicken for Halloween, Mommy was an egg, and Daddy was a farmer.
Then Rosa's baby sister Eliza was born the next day!
Then I spent a few months desperately trying to figure out how to be the mom of two kids. At the same time.
I see now that it is impossible for me to just skip to the present. A lot happened in between - a new being came into existence! So here's the catch-up, as concisely as I can do it.
My last bit of commentary - as of now, this blog is officially about Rosa AND Eliza. I didn't have the foresight to name it something that would work if we ever had a second kid. And I'm not going to rename it at this point. So Eliza, my sweet, I apologize for this first, and probably not last, time that you may feel overlooked by being the second child. But know that you're in good company. Just today I asked my mom and dad for a picture of me when I was between 2 and 3 years old, to see if my hair was as blond as Rosa's is. They found one of me at 18 months, but couldn't come up with any photos of me between ages 2 and 3! They said maybe there were some slides...
Anyway, now, without further ado:
Thankfully, Grandma Lois came out and spent a whole month with us! What a godsend she was - it was always great to have that extra pair of loving arms to hold one of the girls when they needed it.
It was a wild ride sometimes!
But there were many, many sweet moments...
Papa Misha came out to spend Thanksgiving with us.
And then they both went back to Ohio. And suddenly real life started. They left on a Tuesday around noon, and then Rosa napped, and then when she got up, there we all sat on the couch, me nursing Eliza and Rosa trying to get onto my lap at the same time. I remember I felt paralyzed - like I should hold this position for as long as I could since I couldn't fathom doing anything else until Jeff got home from work.
But eventually, I learned how to do other things, and life carried on (I can say that now that Eliza is almost 5 months old!), and we actually did a lot of fun and special things in December.
We took Rosa ice skating for the first time at an outdoor rink they put up for the holidays.
We also took Rosa for her first sled ride! They had a "snow day" at City Hall one Saturday in December where they trucked in snow and made a sled run. Rosa LOVED it! I think she was the only kid in snow pants!
After sledding we went into City Hall, which was just beautiful with its glowing white marble and glowing white Christmas tree. I don't think this video does justice to the look of wonder in Rosa's eyes as she took it all in.
Tanti Kira came to visit us from Christmas to just before New Years. Just as she had with baby Rosa, she had a magic way of calming Eliza down and getting her to fall asleep.
Rosa made out like a bandit for Christmas, but probably the best gift was a rocking horse! It was sent to us by a friend of Tanti Kira's whose kids had outgrown it. Rosa is a most enthusiastic rider and has since named the horse "Cinnamon."
Here's a family portrait timer shot.
About a month after Eliza was born, Rosa started refusing naps, which almost killed me (and I almost killed her!). We tried "quiet time" every day for several weeks, with Rosa alone in her room, but she would scream and scream until I would give up. We tried napping all together (Rosa, Eliza, and me), but Rosa wouldn't settle down at first. But eventually, this is what worked - the three of us have been napping together (on a twin bed in Rosa's room!) for several months now. Not sure how long this will last, but at least I get some rest. I often wake up before them though, and sneak out to get s few things done. Here are my sleeping girls!
I'm trying to be good about taking a picture or two of Eliza every now and then!
This perfect line-up deserved a picture.
Rosa swinging with her friend Ember.
In February, we made our first big airplane trip as a family of four. We went to Ohio for Eliza's baptism.
Eliza with her godparents - Auntie Aly and Uncle Dan.
Some pictures just tug at your heartstrings!
It was wonderful to see everyone from both sides of the family despite some pretty rough Ohio winter weather. The kids enjoyed it though!
Grandma Judy holding the sleeping babe.
Eliza gets passed to Papa Chuck!
Nana Anita and Papa Frank
The Pilats
The Clines
Uncle Greg reading to his god-daughter
Everyone in the snow
They built a snowman - Rosa told us she made the ears!
Little angels making snow angels!
So many cousins! I think they're all being monsters in this picture.
Music time with Tanti Kira
Back at home (a month later), here's a great Eliza smile - good job catching it on the camera Daddy!
Here are the girls in their Valentine's Day dresses. Thanks Nana Anita and Papa Frank!
In the last week or two, I really feel like life has gotten a bit lighter and easier. We've all grown more accustomed to the new ways things work and are finally developing some routines. But also, Rosa and Eliza have really been interacting more and more. Eliza's eyes just light up and follow Rosa around the room, and in addition to entertaining Eliza, Rosa has finally started understanding that it's good to be quiet when Eliza is sleeping, and that she can entertain herself for a little while when Eliza needs to nurse, etc. I know there are many more stages of growing up with a sibling to tackle (Mom! Eliza took my dolly!), but it felt good to notice that things are feeling easier. One night at dinner when the two of them were making each other giggle and giggle, I saw my first little glimpse into a lifetime of sisterly shenanigans!
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