We have a cat?!?

That's right. In addition to the two very in-your-face dogs, we have a laid back and somewhat shy cat.

The cat has been getting neglected lately, and not just on the blog. She's such a sweet and special kitty, putting up with a cross country move that ended with the addition of a full-time dog instead of an occasional visitor, then a second and very annoying dog, and now a baby. Thanksgiving seems like the appropriate time to remember her and how thankful we are to have her in our little family. We love you Sammy.

Yesterday she got the joy of going to the vet for her checkup and she came back all clear, just gaining a little weight. So we instructed Ellie to chase her around some more. She happily obliged.

This is a new thing for us, coming home from the vet with no new things to monitor or worry about, no new pills to try to force down a throat. Deserves special mention.

Birthweek Part 5: A Grown-up Party

To round up the event marathon, we had a party for our local friends and family Sunday afternoon. We had a great turnout and so much fun celebrating with everyone.

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Aunt S made an amazing cake, with sparkly "ribbon" and everything.

Ellie was running her first fever for the party (we're thinking it was from her 1 year shots), so she wasn't the best hostess but did really well given how poorly she must have felt.

She managed to have some intermittent fun when the Tylenol kicked in, and a couple of our guests took advantage of a clingy baby to get in some cuddle time.

Pete did all of the food, including making cookies, and most of the cleaning - both before and after. He's amazing.

Phew. What a week!

Birthweek Part 4: A Baby Party

Are you tired yet? I am. Saturday was the much anticipated group birthday party for my online mom's group. There are 7 of us, really 8 but our 8th moved too far to make it. It was total chaos and a lot of fun. We did a little gift exchange and gabbed and watched the babies go crazy.

As if that wasn't crazy enough, we set them all on a sheet and gave them each a cupcake.

Birthweek Part 3: Cake

Friday we hauled out the cake. It was getting late and she'd already had a bath, but if we didn't do it then we weren't going to get around to it. So, we sang "Happy Birthday", blew out the candle, gave her the cake, and stood back and watched.

I think she actually got a little bit of cake, but it was mostly all about the frosting. Then it was another quick bath to get it out of her eyes and hair, and she and Daddy read a couple of her new books before bed.

Birthweek Part 2: The Actual Day

November 13th, 2008, was pretty quiet, uneventful, and nice. Ellie woke up as usual, happy and ready to start her day.

{good morning birthday girl}

We went out to dinner to celebrate but Daddy forgot the camera. Then home to open some pressies. I've never bought one of those balloons before, I think Pete thought I was a little crazy but I couldn't resist. She only turns one once after all.

{getting good at that standing thing}

We were going to give her a little cake to play with but it was getting late and she was running out of steam.

Birthweek Part 1: Remembering

Remember when birthdays were on one day? Yeah, that doesn't happen here. We managed to stretch Ellie's first birthday over 4 days.

Before we get into that, I think I'll reminisce for a bit. One year ago we were asking our OB if we could go home before heading to the hospital for my surprise induction and he was recommending, given morning beltway traffic, that we didn't. At least we had an inkling that this would be the case and Pete had thought to load our hospital bag into the car. The whole thing was rather surreal, that we had left the house as two and would be returning with a third. I hadn't quite accepted this whole baby thing - 9 months is too long for some, not long enough for me. So I sit in blissful denial.

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I was trying to remember why in the world I wore my glasses - I think it was because I wanted to see the t.v. And then she was here and we were parents!

And now here we are a year later. I think in some ways we're still in denial, wondering when her real parents will be coming by to pick her up. But mostly we're really enjoying the new monikers and all that comes with them.

The Stand

I was trying to get a picture of the beautiful sweater Ellie's great aunt sent for her birthday when she let go of her little walker toy and just stood there. She stood long enough for me to get 5 pictures taken before she quite gracefully sat down.

No big deal, not a problem, could do this all day.

Fall Has Arrived

It's officially fall around here. I LOVE fall.

Go Hawks!

Turned on some football for background noise yesterday and was very surprised to see our favorite team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, being broadcast out here!!! That never happens. We were very excited to get to watch them, and man what a game! So we quick put on our Hawkeye gear and popped some popcorn and planted ourselves in front of the tv for the afternoon.

{touchdown!}

I can't believe the Hawks actually pulled out a win against #3 ranked Penn State. We're still all in a tizzy over it. Hawkeyes Rule!

Dogs Dogs Everywhere

Having two dogs sometimes feels like having 10. They seem to be everywhere at once, and with Ellie always getting in their faces or them getting in hers. It's enough to drive a person crazy, and it's easy to see why Ellie's first word is "NO." But recently it seems they've figured some things out that makes having dogs and babies living together more fun. Or less painful.

1. Dogs play with toys too.

2. Babies hand out food.

{I know it looks like Ilow wants to eat the baby, but really she just wants a pretzel}

3. Treats come from Daddy and they're usually tasty.

p.s. I'm watching the news and they're doing a story on the future first dog. I love how this has become a big story, it's a nice break from all the crud going on. I also love that they want a shelter dog. We love our 10 shelter dogs. I mean two, two shelter dogs. Really, just two?

History In the Making

Whether you are happy or sad today, I think we can all agree that yesterday was a momentous day in this country. I hope we can all set politics aside for a second and remember that less than one generation ago people with the color of Barak Obama's skin were thought so little of that they were denied, not just not allowed but denied, the right to vote. And now, such a relatively short time later and thanks to some very hard-fought battles, someone of that ethnic background is President-Elect of the United States. That's huge, people. Huge.

{Thanks Aunt A for the cozy jammies, we couldn't help ourselves and already opened them}

If the Sweater Fits...

Way back when I was pregnant with a mystery baby, my mom knitted the most beautiful sweater. I was so excited to have a baby to wear it, but I had to wait for her to grow into it. Patience. Finally in February, with the sleeves rolled a few times, she was big enough.

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Oh, how I loved that sweater. The detailing is amazing, down to the beautiful buttons on the shoulders. And it looked fabulous on her. But before I knew it, the weather was getting warm and it was time to put the sweater away. So sad.

Now that the weather is getting cooler I thought I'd see if it still fits as it still seemed a little big for her at the beginning of the warm weather. And lo and behold, it does!! Hooray!

So, we're going to get a few more months of use out of this fabulous thing before we have to pack it away for good. There's a matching hat that still fits, too.

{yay}