Waiting for Dinner

Saturday at the Sustars'

... began with Siena dressing up Libby in Daddy's tie collection,




... continued with Libby and Mommy hanging out while Siena napped,




... and ended with Siena and Libby hanging out under the mobile together. I love my girls!

Spitting Image

Those of you who don't see Joe and Libby on a daily basis may not have noticed, but our little Elizabeth looks EXACTLY like her daddy. It's uncanny, really. I was struck today by their resemblance as I was taking a photo of Libby in the jogging stroller. It's not the most attractive picture of her, as she's squinting in the bright sun and has a nice double chin going, but as I was looking at her I realized that she looked just like her dad in a photo I'd recently seen of him as a baby. Sure enough, they're clones. Check them out here:



Crazy -- you'd think they were the same baby! Same expressions and everything. Those Sustar genes sure took over this time!

We love you, Nanna

Our family was deeply saddened last week by the death of our beloved grandmother / great-grandmother, Nanna. All who were touched by her life know that she was one-of-a-kind; a woman with a great sense of humor who was always ready with a witty comment, a love for reading and learning, a passion for travel and foreign cultures, and an unflappable positive outlook on life. We are all better people for knowing her. Although I have countless memories of Nanna from my childhood (her branschweiger and ketchup sandwiches with lemonade, her famous spaghetti, numerous family trips together, attending our various sporting events), the past two years have been even more precious as we've watched Siena get to know her great-grandmother. Since moving just down the street from Nanna and Daddio the summer before Siena was born, we've had numerous visits to their house and dinners out together. Siena loved playing at Nanna's vanity and getting into her makeup and jewelry, jumping on the bed, and getting into every little knicknack she could find around the house. All of this was to Nanna's delight, of course. Nanna loved babies and taught Siena the words to "Pat-a-cake" (which Mommy couldn't remember!) and was always there with open arms for her great-granddaughters to run into. She and Siena definitely had a special bond. I felt a little sad once Siena grew too big and squirmy for Nanna to hold, but thankfully once Elizabeth came along she got plenty of time in Nanna's lap, even during Nanna's last few weeks in the hospital. During these years of being pregnant and having babies, I've loved hearing Nanna's stories of her own days as a young mother. I pray that Nanna's independent spirit and love for life lives on in her great-granddaughters, and that Siena never forgets this special lady who has had such an impact on her first two years of life. We love you, Nanna!

Nanna meets Siena...

... and Elizabeth

2 months old!

Today was Libby's 2-month checkup, and everything looks great. She's definitely a good eater, weighing in at 12 lbs 14 oz -- the 92nd percentile! That sure makes a breastfeeding mom proud. :) As the doctor pointed out, breastfed babies tend to gain most of their first-year weight within the first 6 months, then the gain slows a bit. We experienced that with Siena for sure, as she was around Libby's weight at 2 months and is now in the 10th percentile at 21 months! She's a healthy kiddo, so I'm not concerned. Anyway, Elizabeth also received a number of vaccines today, and only cried during their administration. What a trooper! At 2 months, she's really starting to mellow out and loves smiling and cooing with Mommy and Daddy. She's awake and alert for much longer periods during the day, checking out the world from my baby carrier. Oh Moby Wrap, what would I do without you? Libby is a GREAT nighttime sleeper, often sleeping for 7 hours at a time. With Siena sleeping through the night at this point, Joe and I are enjoying more sleep than we have since Siena was born! That's almost 2 years... wowzers.

Enjoy these 2-month photos of our sweet Elizabeth Jane. I'm glad I finally got some good smiling shots.

Bathtime!

Tonight marked some big events: Siena's graduation from baby tub to big tub and the girls' first bath together. Siena loved "swimming" in the big tub and having her baby sister nearby. Lots of bathtime fun ahead for these two!

Ahhh... That's one relaxed Libby Jane.

Visit to Downers Grove

We had a wonderful weekend trip up to Downers Grove, where we stayed with Aunt Mary, Uncle Patrick, and Liam in their fabulous new house. Aunt Lizzy is also staying with them for awhile, and cousin Ian joined us for dinner one night as a special treat. Elizabeth loved meeting all of the new relatives!

The highlight of Siena's trip: playing with Liam's Thomas the Train set. Liam was a very patient playmate who hardly batted an eye as Siena would disassemble his train track again and again.

How great to have a park just down the street! I see lots of playtime here in our future...

Siena LOVES sliding!

Swings are fun too, but not as much fun as playing with woodchips.

Aunt Mary dancing with her newest niece. Mary was a big help with the babies, giving Mommy lots of time to relax (and even see a movie!). Thanks so much for having us, MPL!

Sisters

Siena has loved showing Libby the ropes of her old baby toys. Here are the girls checking out the animals in the "jungle gym"...

... and taking a ride in the swing. Siena loves pushing her baby sister, though she wishes she were still small enough to swing herself!

Once in awhile Siena will ask to hold Elizabeth, and luckily we had the camera ready this time. What a pair of cuties!

Libby Lately