Alex's new trike!

So, Alex's reward for going 7 days without wetting or dirtying her pants or nappy was a trike - strategically placed in her room up high so she could see it but not play with it. But it's taken quite a while to get there - and we're not completely there yet. But she did do 7 days and now is a proud trike owner, "parking" it next to Daddy's in the bike rack. We were getting a little worried that it'd snow before she got the chance to ride it, but here we are at the start of Autumn and all's well.
Her legs are only just long enough to reach the pedals - she can pedal along the flat but if there is a bump, she just can't make it over it. She just needs an extra 1/2 inch in her legs and she'll be right as rain. But she is very proud and happy with her bike - it even has a registration sticker just like Daddy's!

Oh, and this trumped Sebastien's arrival - at least for the moment!!

Three become Four

The new family - just before we head for home.
I'm a big sister! I want to hold him "by myself"! He's looking at me!
Mummy, Alex and Sebastien - let's head for home.
Father and son. Taking a break on the couch/bed in Carle Foundation Hospital.

Sebastien Nevin Graham...Come on Down!

At 14:04 on Sunday September 23 2007, Sebastien arrived to join our family. Although the labor was only a little shorter than it had been with Alex, at least this time round there was no drip and hardly any electronic fetal monitoring to tie me to the bed.

Vital Statistics: length 20 inches, weight 8 pounds 7 ounces

What to do with 5 minutes alone and a pen...

Well, give Alex sufficient time and an available pen, and she tattoos herself! Yep, both arms and legs - I guess I should be happy that the shirt missed out on some pen action...

She even added "nailpolish" on all her fingernails - ever the girlie-girl. So here's a photo of her looking proud as punch about her activity - I asked her daddy to get the camera once she'd come in to show me her efforts (I was napping - good thing too cause Sebastien arrived the next day).

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

And the third bed was just right...

Nothing much to this one, Alex's bedtime routine includes a story and she's taken to asking Daddy to read to her in bed. A mean feat given her bed is a toddler sized one! She's aware that Mummy is "too big" to read in her bed so instead we read on the Mummy's "animal chair" - a recliner with an Ark theme quilt (made by my grandmother) on it's back. Note the princess quilt on the bed - we're still very much taken with princesses...especially Cinderella!

Career Matchmaking

Try this out:
Go to www.careercruising.com, enter user name "nycareers" and password "landmark". Then go to Career Matchmaker and see what comes of it.

My top ten, based on my answers, were:
1.Plumber
2.Furniture Finisher
3.Picture Framer
4.Bicycle Mechanic
5.Musical Instrument Builder and Repairer
6.Massage Therapist
7.Glazier
8.Sign Maker
9.Electronics Assembler
10.Upholsterer

But once I chose a level of education (university) that I was interested in (because I already had) they were:
1.Human Resources Specialist
2.Midwife
3.Occupational Therapist
4.Foreign Service Officer
5.Probation / Parole Officer
6.Clergy
7.Auditor
8.Speech-Language Pathologist
9.Special Education Teacher
10.High School Teacher

Then I cleared it back to the original and answered additional questions, it became:
1.Foreign Language Instructor
2.Translator
3.Naturopath
4.Paralegal
5.Editor
6.Adoption Counselor
7.Certified Public Accountant
8.Human Resources Specialist
9.Communications Specialist
10.Writer

This last list is probably most what I think of. Out of the 10, I think I've thought about pursuing 6 of them - not bad really. The second list I'd thought about 3 of them, certainly better that the first list of which I thought about zero!

What about you?

Preparing for a little brother

Part of helping Alex with the imminent arrival is her helping us prepare - folding clothes and working out which drawers are Sebastien's, bringing out special baby toys, getting his bed ready etc. So this morning Alex and Daddy spent some time putting the pack'n'play together, complete with bassinnette and change table. Alex immediately wanted to get in it and needed to be convinced that it really was just for babies and not for little girls.

38 weeks and counting...

OK, so I'm over the "no photos" thing and decided to post this last photo of me pregnant. I just asked Alex where Sebastien was and she told me my tummy - and Brett caught this photo. I'm really impatient now, as Alex was 12 days early which means in 2 days time for Sebastien - but he looks like he's way too comfortable there and looks to have no intention of following his sister's eagerness to "escape"...here's hoping!

Turkey Run State Park - More time off for good behaviour

Today Lys got more time off for good behaviour as the impending arrival of Sebastien approaches. Alex and I took the bus to Turkey Run State Park in Indiana early in the morning to experience some 'nature'. After the 90 minute bus ride we were ready for a 'little walk'.The day started off well, enough, overcast and warm. Perfect for a stroll in the 'Spooky Forest' with our new new friend - 'stick'. We chose a walk that Alex could get her teeth into with lots of stairs to climb and even a ladder or two.
However, by the start of the second hour the heavens opened and the rain coat had to come out. For someone who likes pink though this was more a cause for celebration than sorrow. It also created lots of muddy puddles to 'avoid'.The raincoat did a great job of keeping her clothes clean. Now I just need something for the rest of her.

30 Months Council Of Friends

So we've graduated from taking the "Council of Friends" photo monthly (up until HRH Alex turned 2) to six monthly. Here is the most recent one taken on 2nd September 2007 when Alex was 2 1/2 years old. We find the most fascinating thing about the photo now is the number of friends she's accumulated over the time - and the fact that we haven't bought any of them ourselves! Of course, we used to measure her against "Big Bear" to see how big she was getting, but now it's more a case of how much bigger than him she is!