Little Sister

Poor big sister has been really sick the last few days. Here is a photo of her from last night, drinking two juice boxes at once! A juice box is a special treat for her, and she has been getting extra special treats lately to make up for enduring such a long and boring sickness! The poor girl just wants to play at the park again!!!
Grandpa Paul got this rattle for Greta before she was born, and now Therese enjoys it too. In fact, I think this is the first toy Therese has grasped and sort of played with--she even transferred it from one hand to the other yesterday.
Therese's first venture in the Jolly Jumper was yesterday! She was very quiet and mellow in it, but I'm sure down the road she'll get some good jumps in :-)
Pretty baby in a headband I recently found while going through her extra clothes...

Here's a little video of Therese.

A Little Bit of Summer

Such a little cutie-pie!

She really does smile quite a lot, but it's hard to capture on camera :-)
Me and my girls!
Photo shoot! We got a lot of these photos--it was hard to pick out just a couple for the blog.
We finally had a couple more days of summer sunshine around here! On Saturday we went to a place called Cates Park in North Vancouver near a little village called Deep Cove. I had heard lots of good things about this place and figured it was worth the 45 minute drive. However, we learned that if we want to go to a good beach (sandy, not rocky) with a playground at it (which was the main attraction for venturing out to this destination) then we should just go to the sandy beach/playground combo that's only about 10 minutes from our home--it's waaaaaay better! Oh well! It was fun having the adventure anyway!
Our little mermaid on the rocky beach.
Her hair is getting so long...she is such a little girl now!

Greta was really not herself this day--she was getting sick. On the way back we wanted to go into the village to get the famous honey donuts sold there. Greta expressed a great desire for some milk to go with her upcoming donut as well, so we reassured her over and over that we would also get her milk. She fell asleep before we got there (about 4pm) and mumbled pitifully, "Milk..." in her sleep. Alas, they had no milk. Fortunately when she awoke about 40 minutes later (Matthew just ran in and picked the treats up for us, rather than wake both sleeping girls) she was satisfied with the juice he had gotten her. Once home we put the donut in front of her and she ate maybe 2 bites before saying she was sleepy and wanted to go to bed! It was 5:30! We promptly put her to bed. The next day, Sunday, she clearly had a high fever--103 under the arm and she wouldn't even let Matthew finish taking her temp! She took a 5 hour nap on Sunday, was awake for 2 hours in the afternoon, and then went back to bed for the night! Poor girl. Today she is still not herself but doesn't seem to be feverish...now Matthew and I are starting to feel a twinge of sickness. I just hope Therese doesn't get it!

Therese is "talking" so much more lately. When I came back from a grocery trip the other night she was sitting on Papa like this going on and on and on about something very important!
Little sunshine! She is constantly sucking on her fists or trying to get her thumb in her mouth.
We tried to capture the sweet smiles she gives when I blow raspberries on her neck, but there was too much movement going on!




I love those cute saggy cheeks :-)
She really wants to start scooting around!

Firsts

Greta is so sweet with Therese. Lately she has been wanting to cover Therese up in her very favorite Pooh and Tigger blanket. I think this is a big deal, because this blanket is probably Greta's most prized possession! Therese seems to think it's a big deal too--she always coos and smiles at Greta when she does it!
Therese on her 3 month birthday! Sweet, smiley little baby!
Therese has already surpassed Greta's weight as a 3 month old. She is now about 13 and a half pounds, and Greta didn't hit this weight until she was at least 4 months--she was always so lean and active! We've been calling her our chubby little baby :-)

Therese is rolling over, though, and tries to scoot herself forward too. She sees big sister moving all the time, she wants to get around too!
Therese really likes to suck her thumb, and she is getting better and better at making sure her hand cooperates.
The girls!
Greta wanted me to take these pictures :-)
So sweet!
On Therese's 3 month birthday, which was Saturday, we went to this amazing indoor pool in Vancouver for the first time--it was also Therese's first time "swimming" (aside from in the womb, I suppose!) Therese loved the water. She was quite a celebrity there too--so many children and adults kept coming up and wanting to touch her and find out how old she was.
My little sweetie! The facility had several different pools, sprays and sprinklers, a "lazy river", and a huge hot tub! Greta was quite overwhelmed by the whole thing, even with a life jacket on and Matthew and I holding her in the water (they even had life jackets available to wear there!) so eventually Matthew and I took turns holding Therese in the hot tub--which she loved so much she eventually fell asleep in our arms in it--and hanging out with Greta in the wading pool area. Greta ended up having the time of her life splashing around in the wading pool! We will definitely go back there, it was so fun.
Today Greta went to the "cinema"--as she and Papa have been calling it. This was Greta's first time at a movie theater. Matthew took her to see the new Pooh movie downtown!
Ready for the show!
Her favorite character, Tigger.
Chocolate cookie face!

I guess when the movie was over she immediately requested "more", "again"--I'm not surprised! Maybe I'll take her next time :-)

Summer Times

We have a photo of Greta on the bed like this when she was Therese's age, so I thought it was fun to see the girls sitting like that together.
Sisters!
Therese fell asleep in the carrier and stayed asleep when we took her out of it and put her on the bed. Greta used to sleep just like this too! But I must say, Therese is a MUCH better napper than Greta was as a baby...she takes long ones and barely needs any help to go to sleep. Greta was my 45 minute--must be carried in the sling the whole time or else--napper. Therese basically needs a relatively quiet and calm place and she'll just sleep--sometimes for 3 hours!
Happy Father's Day!


Since our home is pretty small, Therese often takes her naps in the bathroom in her car seat or bouncy chair (unless we're out and about, then she sleeps in the Baby Bjorn carrier). It's cool, quiet and dark in the bathroom and she usually sleeps really well in there!
A couple days ago we returned from a 10 day visit to Washington. Our first stop was at the home of our dear friends Curtis and Julia. They recently had another baby too--Briar Jane--born a month or so before Therese. Here are the two girls hanging out together.
Coincidentally they were color coordinated that day!
Greta had a blast playing with Lillian in the pool in the backyard! During the rest of our trip she mentioned it several times. It's too bad we're not neighbors :-(
Our next stop on the way to my dad's was at Melissa and Kristen's to see our nieces Ida and Poppy, now about 14 months old. Here's Poppy. Her head is still healing from the intensive skull surgery she had in April (a day before Therese's birth actually)--she was born with her plates fused together and so the doctors had to separate them to make room for her brain to grow. She is a little sweetie.
Auntie Lissa--as Greta calls her--with her new niece.
And here is our other dear, sparkling niece Ida with her parents.
We stayed with my dad and Linda for 4 nights.
Jenny came over for a couple of visits and here she is with Therese. These two really bonded on our trip. Therese really mellowed out with Aunt Jenny in the evening when she is often quite fussy! Jenny didn't want to let her go!
Therese on her first swing ride ever--at Nana Judy's. Therese is actually a really smiley baby, but she looks rather serious here doesn't she?
The beautiful view Therese had from Nana Judy's deck!
My mom and Shayne came for a visit while we were at Hans and Judy's. We walked down to the beach.
On the beach with Nana Kaka.
Greta and Grandpa Shayne.
Great Grandma Hope and Therese meeting for the first time at my dad's church in Dupont. Matthew had the privilege of preaching there--it was quite a family affair!
Greta in an adorable dress from Nana Judy--on the 4th of July. Sadly our two little Canadians missed Canada Day and were forced to celebrate America's independence instead! :-)
Therese, Great Grandma Hope, and Great Aunt Debbie.
Out on the deck swing with Grandma Linda and Adda Dan (as Greta calls him!) A sweet picture! I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures on this trip--Hans and Judy took us all to the zoo and everything (Greta's first time--Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma) and I didn't even manage to get pictures there! Silly.
The girls with Aunt Jenny and Uncle Dalton.
Sweet Grandma Hope and I at my dad's on the 4th.
On our way back to Vancouver we stopped at the home of our friends Natalie and Ben. It was a beautiful summer day and we enjoyed lunch together and Greta had a fantastic time playing in the sprinklers before the rest of our drive home.
Greta helped water Natalie's plants, which she loved.
Getting warmed up with Papa!
Natalie and Therese.
Also, this picture gives you a glimpse of how incredibly cute Natalie and Ben's house is! Our whole trip we stayed or visited people in HOUSES--not tiny apartments. When we returned home our place seemed so small to us! And Greta keeps saying (I mean, literally, at least a couple times a day): "Someday Greta have a house too!" Ok, so the majority of the world lives in places smaller and less nice than ours, so we are definitely grateful and it definitely works, but having a house would be so wonderful!!! I just have to keep telling myself, "Someday we'll have a house too" :-)
Natalie painted Greta's toenails--I wish she lived down the street too so we could visit more often (and maybe even get some babysitting our of her? Greta would LOVE that!)