Interview With A Three Month Old

So Darcy, you're three months old today. How has it been to become the newest member of our family?

Aw, it wasn't tough at all. I'm a pretty easy going gal.

How are you liking naps?

Meh, I could take 'em or leave 'em.

How do you like your big sisters?

They're awesome!

The Big One brings me my pacifier and blankets.

The Not As Big One makes funny faces to keep me happy.

I'm not sure about The Furry One yet. She just sniffs me.

It feels funny on my feet.

What has been the worst part?

Two month shots were super scary.

But the nurses still made me smile.

What do you think of your daddy?

Best. Guy. EVER!

Seriously.

He can make me smile every time.

Even just thinking about him...

I get SO EXCITED!!

What's your favorite toy?

I just discovered my feet.

They kinda weirded me out at first. 

But now I'm pretty sure that I'm the one making them move.

Which is pretty amazing.

Maybe it's my super power.

Do you think you'll be able to hold your own when your sisters start picking on you?

Wait, what? That's not actually going to happen is it? 

Course not. I'm sure you're just kidding.

Anything else you'd like to add?

My family is awesome and I think I have super powers.
That about covers it!

Thanks for your time. Talk to you soon!

They Might Be Irish

Mark made green smoothies (spinach, carrot, orange, banana, and pineapple) as a St. Patrick's Day treat. To say that Penny enjoyed hers would be a grave understatement.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

Everyone Stand Back...

...we're doing science!

Mark got a small chunk of dry ice at the grocery store to keep the refrigerated stuff cold while he ran errands. When he got home, we showed the girls what dry ice does when you put it in water. The pictures aren't awesome, but the experience was!

Valentine's Day Crafts (Thanks Grandma!)

A little package arrived this week from California. Of course, it was Valentine's cards and a little craft from Grandma! The little animal masks were exactly the right level of difficulty for the girls. That is, they were pre-cut, came with all the pieces in one bag, and the instructions were pictures showing what each one should look like. There's also an adorable mouse hanging decoration, but I'm saving that to entertain them another time.

Anyway, here are the girls wearing the finished products. (Please excuse Penny's refusal to wear clothes. She is, apparently, "not cold!!")

Blurry, but both almost sort of smiling.

Penny, the shirtless, vaguely contemplative elephant. 

Norah and her lion claws.

First Cast, Twice Removed

When I took Norah to the appointment where the orthopedist decided to put her in a short-term cast, he warned me. He said that as the swelling went down, kids Norah's size can sometimes "shuck the cast like an oyster shell". Maybe he's originally from the east coast, because that analogy didn't make any sense to me, but I sure am glad he warned me that it could happen!
On Monday night - just one week after getting her cast in the first place - Mark was helping Norah get her shirt off for bed and sure enough, the cast slid right off with her shirt sleeve! We decided to make her put it back on until I could talk to the doctor. I spoke with his nurse on Tuesday evening and she said that as long as Norah wasn't complaining of any pain I not only didn't have to make her wear the thing, I didn't even have to bring her in again! Hooray for (slightly) smaller doctor bills!!
We officially removed the cast on Wednesday before nap time. By that evening, Norah was doing handstands against the wall of the living room. I think she's all in one piece again. The cast is also all in one piece, which means Norah will have a memento of her time as an "invalid" and the myriad of signatures she accumulated will remain in tact.
She'll have to find a hiding place to keep it away from her little sister, though. Penny has already taken to slipping it on (almost up to her shoulder) and running through the house yelling, "Oh nooo! My arm is brokened!!"

Guess Who Turned Two!

In the spirit of randomly catching up on stuff that happened while I was on blogging hiatus, here are some photos of Penny's second birthday party. Since her birthday is December 28th, her "party decorations" will probably include a Christmas tree until she's old enough to care. This year we did manage to get a cake she loved. It was a snowman - which she just happens to be obsessed with this Winter. This year, we had family up to our house for a small party. The highlight (for me at least) was that she managed to blow out both candles all by herself!

Not Exactly an Award...

...but it could be considered a trophy.

I took Norah for her follow-up appointment on Monday after having her "temporary" splint on for a whole week. Ugh!

The doctor still wasn't sure that he could see any growth plate damage, but he decided to put her in a cast for two weeks just to be safe. He said that he could put her in a plastic wrist guard but that kids her age tend to get uncomfortable and take off the guard.

The good news is that it's a short cast. She can bend her elbow, which makes getting dressed much easier. The other good news is that the cast is water proof, so she can take baths and go swimming. The final good news is that she only has to wear it for two weeks.

All in all, it's a pretty low-pain injury with a huge story telling upside. Just the way it should be.