play date with maddie & sydney

We had Maddie & Sydney—my friend Melissa's little girls—over for a play date this morning. Libby ADORES Maddie, who is 4, (and Maddie adores Lilah, lol) and she loved swimming with the girls at their grandma's pool this summer, so we thought we should host. It's hard to get posed shots of two 2-year-olds and a 4-year-old, but here are a few and some candids from our fun morning!

little mama

Libby has been very into mothering her dolls since Lilah was born and has been mimicking everything we do to care for Lilah, including changing their diapers in the pack n play (we have to keep the diaper ointment out of reach) and "nursing," which mostly involves using the Boppy pillow to feed her babies bottles. Here's a pictorial of "daycare" with Libby.

fingerpainting

It was 80 degrees yesterday, so I decided it would be fun to take Libby outside and introduce her to fingerpainting. She was super excited about the Crayola "art dress" I bought for her to wear. When I first squirted the red paint onto the paper plate, she happily exclaimed, "ketchup!" I think her favorite part was mixing the colors together on the plates. It was a quick project, but I think she had fun because first thing this morning she said, "Mommy: color outside. Get shoes on!"

pre-painting snack

testing out the "ketchup"

hard at work

all done and ready for more snacks

Libby's masterpieces

welcome lilah

Here's a video of Lilah's first moments in the world.


And here's another with Libby's first moments with Lilah.

introducing lilah grace whitman

Our latest addition arrived yesterday morning. Lilah Grace Whitman was born August 17, 2010 at 9:27 in the morning, weighing in at 7 pounds, three ounces and measuring 21 inches long (another string bean).
Mother and baby are doing fine, recovering well in the hospital. Libby is having a blast hanging out with Pop Pop & Grandma Whitman, so I'm sure she hardly misses us. We're looking forward to coming home on Friday so "our girls" can meet for the first time. Here are a couple of photos to wet your appetite, but check back often at our Mobile Me Gallery (see link on the right) for new photos and video. Cheers!

toddler tunes

I babysat Casey and Morgan (and Libby) for a few hours a couple of weeks ago while Kevin and Katie helped move my mom into an apartment down the street from us. (We're excited to have her so close by now instead of all the way up in Middletown!) The kids love the piano, and it's hard to keep them all in one room or chase them around while I'm pregnant, so I broke out the piano rolls and lined them all up on the bench. They loved playing along to the music. Here are a few photos and a short video. Enjoy the performance!

fifth third day at the zoo

Fifth Third held its annual picnic at the Cincinnati Zoo this year. We skipped the picnic lunch because it fell during Libby's nap time and the hottest part of the day, but we took advantage of the 2 extra hours the zoo was open just for Fifth Third employees in the evening. It wasn't crowded at all, so Libby got to see lots of animals up close, including several big cats, which is usually a challenge from her stroller-bound vantage point. There were lots of zookeepers out with animals, so she got to pet a baby crocodile and meet a real bearcat. We also went to Lorakeet landing where you can feed the birds seeds and nectar, and they'll land right on you. Libby LOVED this part, including the bird that sat on her head and tried to steal her barette, until a bird actually landed on the stick she was holding and she kind of freaked out. After that we rode the train, fed some goats and sheep in the Children's Zoo and played on the brand-new playground. We had such a fun time and, even though we have a zoo membership, it was well worth the price of our picnic tickets to enjoy the extended hours!

swimming

Last weekend Libby kicked off summer with 2 days of swimming. On Saturday, we broke out the awesome inflatable pool Daddy got on clearance at the end of last summer that has not one, but two flower sprinklers! Libby loved splashing in the pool and getting sprayed! On Sunday, Libby went to Sydney's 2nd birthday party and got to swim in a big pool for the very first time (at the Carusos' house). She loved floating around in the little inflatable boat with Daddy. She can't wait to swim with Sydney and Maddie again this summer!

getting sprayed!

flower power

having a blast

pimped out for the pool party

not so sure about getting in the water but her suit sure is cute!

of course, she loved it

posing with daddy

refreshment break!

goofy grin

If Libby looks a little goofy in this latest chair photo, it's because we told her to smile and she gave us her first-ever fake one. The chair photo has become a bit of a challenge, so we were just happy to have her cooperation. It seems she's suddenly able to connect an action with a consequence or reward, so we finally got her to sit still for a quick snap by telling her that she could go to Sydney's birthday party and swim after we were done. Of course, when we start taking chair photos of her little sister, she'll probably try to sit on top of her just to have her own photo taken. She has a bit of a jealous streak!

butterfly show 2010