Big Sister Party

Our good friends,Grant and Kelly, have two adorable little girls, Leighton and Avery.  We are so excited they are joining us in the new adventure of a little boy!  They are due about a month after us and we can't wait to make more family memories together!

Kelly had the fabulous idea of having a Big Sister Party to get the girls excited about the new baby coming into the house.  Yesterday we got the girls together to celebrate!

First Kelly read them a big sister book and they all eagerly agreed on helping out with the new baby:)

Next was the activity of "Countdown till Baby Brother Arrives".  The girls got to put glittery, puffy balls into a jar and each day they get to take one out.  When the jar is empty that means that baby brother is coming very soon!

Next it was time to decorate the onesies.  Kelly had this neat book where you can make animals out of finger prints.  You will see me trying to manage where Whitney put her finger prints, much to her dismay.  Of course when I let her at it on her own, she perfectly plotted her finger prints without a smudge!  You will see her yellow one that one we will turn into a bunch of bumble bees!  

              Leighton was very cooperative and patient while placing her finger prints!

                        Little Avery just went for it!

                      And what's a celebration without cookies!

                           We had such a fun morning with such great friends!!

To top it off, Kelly and I prepared three freezer meals for each other for when the babies arrive!  Thanks Kelly!!

The 40th Annual O'Neill St. Patty's Day Party

Sue and John have been hosting an annual St. Patty's Day party and this past Saturday marked 40 years!  It is filled with friends, old and new, green beer and car bombs.  My dad hasn't missed many of them.  Friday my mom, Sue, Whitney and I made some Shamrock cookies!

As most of you know, Whitney can be quiet around people she doesn't know.  However, she thrives on a party and was Miss Social Butterfly.  As people started to arrive she asked me, "When my friends come"?  When they did, she passed out a few green necklaces and partied with some bubbles.  I would catch a glimpse of her every once in awhile as she would run from one end of the house to the other.

Then we lost her.  Her friends had left and soon I didn't see her fluttering about.  We searched the house top to bottom...even looking outside.  I did start to panic a bit.  Where could she be?  Then our friend Brian spotted her in the corner behind the big arm chair with a flashing green light necklace.  Thank you Brian and also Kay for sharing your necklace!

We look forward to many more O'Neill St. Patty's Day celebrations!

 I decided to just let Whitney party until she crashed and figured I would be ready to go home too.  Now she probably hasn't stayed up past 9pm so when 10pm came, tears started to fall and we headed home.

The Circus

After a fun outing to Sesame Street Live, Tim looked for the next show we could go see.  Barnum and Bailey Circus was it!  Tim took the Thursday off and we headed to the Verizon Center for a 10:30am show on March 15th.  We didn't get out till 1pm, but Whitney didn't mind.  She was totally intrigued the whole time.  She danced along to the music throughout and excitedly applauded the many acts.  It was so fun to watch her enjoying the show!

                                      This photo sums it up!

Sibling Class

If I had read about this in the hospital booklet, I would have easily passed it by.  But with suggestions and  lots of positive feedback from friends who had recently done it, I decided to sign Whitney up for Siblings Class.

The most valuable thing about this class was that we got to visit a room like the one I will be staying in and the nursery with all the babies.  Whitney thought it was so exciting and seemed to understand that I will be spending the night there but that she can come to visit.  Also, how cool it is that the bed moves up and down!  They got to help diaper a baby doll.  How convenient (and surprising) ours was a boy! They watched a video about becoming a big sister/brother.  While other kids ran around Whitney soaked it all in and is already taking her role very seriously :) A successful Saturday morning!

A Sprinkle

A few months ago a family friend asked if she could host a baby shower for me.  I was totally surprised by her thoughtful gesture but was a little unsure.  One, because a lot of anxiety comes along with a pregnancy after a loss.  Fearing the worst might happen again and bringing baby things into the house was a scary thought. Secondly, I felt a little hesitant since I had many baby showers before and wasn't sure if it was the "right" thing to do.  After a lot of thought and some encouraging words from a close friend who said to me, "You deserve to be celebrating right now", I decided to say yes!

My first request was that it be called a 'Sprinkle', suggesting that it was a celebration and only a small gift was needed.  Also, I wanted to keep it small, so I decided to stick with a few close families I grew up with and aunts and cousins.

I looked forward to March 3rd for months and woke up so thrilled that the day was finally here.  I had gotten to a point in my pregnancy that I was able to relax.  He is looking strong and healthy and I have had to push any other worrisome thoughts out of my head.  (Though I won't feel totally happy until I am holding him in my arms.)  It was time to celebrate and I joyfully got ready for the Sprinkle.

Claire Amodio and soon to be daughter-in-law, Lindsay, threw me a fantastic party.  They put so much thought and time into the delicious food.  What is a party for a little boy without "wieners in a blanket" and "dirty diaper" appetizers!  And we finished the meal off with amazing cake pops!  Of course, we played a few games and Kristin guessed my belly size exactly!

Everyone totally spoiled us and we were showered with many amazing gifts.  A huge thank you to everyone, especially Claire and Lindsay!

 "Our Mom's are the best for bringing us home cake pops"... thought Whitney and cousin Theron.