Jordan’s Aunt Ann, Kathy’s sister, passed away on Monday, after battling lung cancer for four years. We will miss her dearly. She will especially be remembered for being joyful, strong, optimistic, generous and loving. Here is a special picture of Aunt Ann and Natalie in Chicago last fall…
Jordan will be going to Florida next weekend to celebrate her life and Natalie, Elliott and I will be sending our love from Chicago.
What significant things have happened on March 19?
1917 The Supreme Court upheld the eight-hour work day for railroads.
1918 – The U.S. Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time.
1931 Nevada legalized gambling.
1953 The Academy Awards ceremony was televised for the first time.
1962 – Highly influential artist, Bob Dylan releases his first album, Bob Dylan, on Columbia Records label.
1995 After giving up an attempt to become a major league baseball player, Michael Jodan returned to pro basketball with the Chicago Bulls.
It is also Saint Joseph’s, which is Father’s Day in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Honduras, and Bolivia.
Elliott also shares a birthday with actor Bruce Willis (1955) and Earl Warren (1891), the 14th Chief Justice.
It is also 3 months after my other favorite day – his big sister Natalie’s birthday. I suppose I have a new favorite number: 19!
Natalie went to a trial dance class. Despite no leotard and the only pink being in her socks, she rocked the party! This girl has moves. She loves dance parties with her Dad, be it in front of the mirror in the living room, while brushing her teeth or when mom is making (eg microwaving) dinner. I am not sure ballet will be her dance of choice, but this is a fun start!
Here’s the continuation of the first Elliott post….
My labor started the previous evening, when Natalie and I were baking pumpkin muffins.
The avid LinvilleUSA readers may remember that I baked cookies while in labor with Natalie.
A big thanks to Nana, Poppy, Grandma and Grandpa for taking care of Natalie while we were at the hospital. She was showered with lots of love and super fun activities while we were gone. She also came to visit her little brother at the hospital.
She was eager to point out all of Elliott’s features, from his cheeks to his eyebrows. Elliott also got lots of kisses and pats.
Jordan took Natalie on a trip to the escalator, which allowed for G&G to hold Elliott too…
Nana, Pop and Uncle Alex came to visit later that afternoon too. Unfortunately, Aunt Jira – who is entering her 2nd trimester! – wasn’t feeling well, after a long trip in from Thailand.
We headed back home on Thursday… we couldn’t wait to get home, as our family didn’t feel complete without Natalie with us!
Jordan picked up Natalie from preschool and this is what I heard during their 2 flights up the stairs… “Elliott, I’m coming! Elliott, I’m coming!” Natalie was quick to wash her hands and kiss her baby brother. Jordan suggested they read a book…
I cannot help but chuckle, knowing that Elliott’s first book is “Dora’s Book of Manners,” whereas Natalie’s first book was probably something like “How Do I Love You”. Little Elliott will no doubt be heavily influenced by his big sis.
Natalie was really sweet with Elliott the rest of the night, but a little crabby with Jordan and me… mostly not liking not being carried as much or held in the same way as the baby. So, our night concluded with Elliott lying on Jordan’s chest, while Natalie laid on my side (as my hips could withstand her 30 lbs a lot better than my stomach). Needless to say, that was a short story time!
We feel so incredibly blessed to have two amazing, adorable children and many family and friends sending their love and wishes. Thanks for all your support!
Natalie had a hair cut scheduled on Elliott’s birthday. That got postponed for obvious reasons and Daddy took her on Saturday. She took awhile to settle in on the police car – the same one her friend Molly had chosen. (We showed Natalie a pic to get her geared up for her own visit.)
Peace Peeps!
Elliott William finally decided to make an appearance! He arrived on Tues, March 19 at 10:09 p.m., a week after his due date.
He was 9 lbs, 15 oz (yes – that’s right… an ounce shy of 10 lbs) and 22.25 inches long. Even with being a week late, he was still unexpectedly heavy, which means that he got extra glucose tests for the first 12 hours of life. Nothing to be concerned about though!
A longer post is soon to come but I wanted to get these cute pics up!
Big Sis, thanks for RoRo (robot’s nickname)! He is almost as cuddly as you!
I am ready for a real sister or brother to boss around… Err, I mean play with!
We are not the type of family that leaves Christmas decorations up all year but I have trouble taking down Natalie’s artwork. What do other moms do? How much should I keep? This is a favorite that I couldn’t part with so I did what any mom would do… Delayed the decision by putting it under the bed for now!
At 4 days overdue, Pinto is fully baked. More baked than his sister was (who was 4 days overdue, but at least had the courtesy to come that morning!) “They” say boys are more likely to be late, so maybe Pinto really is a boy. Natalie, on the other hand, remains convinced that Pinto is a girl. At dinner tonight, we told her that we’ll change Pinto’s name when he/she comes out and told her the name for each. Jordan quizzed Natalie, “what will Pinto’s name be if she’s a girl?” and Natalie responded (insert name here – we’re not going to give that up yet!) with some help. When Jordan quizzed Natalie, “What will Pinto’s name be if he’s a boy?,” she just responded “NO”! Oh my – we reminded her that we love Pinto if s/he is a girl or a boy.
Since only 25% of you know what its like to go 4+ days past your due date, you might wonder how we spent our day. Since this Saturday was all about Natalie, I’m wondering if she’s been telling her little sibling to stay inside longer. We started the day with Natalie requesting that Baby Ellie and her umbrella come with us to the Children’s Museum. We’ve been “lucky” to have main opportunities to utilize our rain gear – thanks Nana for the new rain coat to accompany Grandma’s umbrella!
Just singing in the rain!!!!
The Children’s Museum was a blast, of course… we spent nearly 30 min playing with sparkly play dough. Considering we have play dough at home, Jordan and I were happy to make our way to some other exhibits – aren’t these two just the cutest?
St. Patrick’s Day twins! For some reason, Mommy couldn’t find any green to wear, like us!
When at the Museum, I saw an email from Kathy, saying they were at Navy Pier for a gardening show, so we called them to see if they wanted to meet up for an impromptu lunch. The child-to-adult ratio increases further… what’s not to love about 4-on-1 (when you’re 2-years-old that is… maybe less so when you’re 16).
Weeee – more, more!
Post-nap wasn’t Nat’s finest hour. We had a mood reset while watching Dora – an episode about the map getting lost. Dora and Boots needed to make their own map to find The Map! Natalie and I decided to make our own maps too.
When will the weather be nice enough to go to Oz Park again, Mommy?
Mama, you just put your leg up like this. Its really easy. Just try. You’re always telling me to try new things.
Throw in some sweeping, laundry, Mac & Cheese cooking and a trip to Potbelly’s for a shake (past pot smokers and about 100 other St. Patrick’s Day patrons), and you have yourself a great day for being 4 days overdue.
Even though a birthday on St. Patrick’s Day might mean even more cause for raucous when Pinto is a college student, I’m really hoping that St. Patrick’s Day is the day! (I even re-packed my suitcase, which was originally packed about 2 weeks ago, to include the St. Pat’s day outfit!)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Natalie is a busy little girl with a lot of friends! Last week, she and her Little Gems friends enjoyed a morning in the snow….
A play date in the snow - Brilliant, as my Aussie teacher Ms. Jennie would say!
And, last weekend, we had a super fun play date with Natalie’s BFFs, Taylor and Molly (complete with Daddy’s too)! The girls actually did a great job of sharing with each other and the level of silliness was off the charts!
Have you girls heard of London Bridge? Come on - let's party like its 2002 (when our Mommies were in London together!)
(The picture above may already look crowded with 2 adults and 3 toddlers… but if you look harder, you may be able to see two in utero babies. One due tomorrow and another due on March 31st!)
Nothing like getting together with the girls over a bowl of yummy grapes!
