UW Family

Auntie Michele just doesn't stop... Clara, and now Janie, have a ridiculous amount of UW gear (clothes, toys, accessories) courtesy of my dear friend Michele. It has become a joke in our household because every time she visits the she brings gifts for the kids and most of it has a UW theme. Of course, we do think they do look adorable in their Husky purple...

Janie's first Husky Game - big win over USC

We probably wont make it to any games at Husky Stadium this year, but we make sure to have fun watching the games at home. Clara seems to really get into cheering the team on and can recognize Jake Locker from the other players on the TV... credit goes to Michele on that one as well!

Auntie Michele with Gem and Scout

Husky baby

Janie & Clara - Sisterly Bonding

Janie meets family

Personalize your own picture collage

The "New" Michael Family

Getting a family photo just got a little trickier - but this is one of the first of many! We are so blessed!

Thankful for Grandmas!!

As our family has made this beautiful transition in welcoming Janie, we sure have been thankful for our help from Grandma Jan and Grandma Carol. Grandma Carol came over early to spend time with Clara and keep some comfort and consistency for her while we were at the hospital. Grandma Jan came to be a part of the labor and was able to stay and enjoy Janie's first week along with us. Having the extra help was almost essential with the second child so that we could focus on bonding with our new little one trusting that Scout was in good hands.

Gem's name in fact is variations of our mothers' names. Janie after Grandma Janis (both names are from the same root and mean "God's grace") and Caroline after Grandma Carol. We are so thankful for our wonderful mothers, how much they have shaped our lives and their important role in the lives of our sweet little ladies.

*Of course we have great Dads as well, and our girls are lucky to have them, it's just that Grandmas are a little more "hands on" during this phase.

BIG Sister Scout

Clara's pal Davis sent her a great cookie bouquet. As we received deliveries and visitors, Clara seemed to think they were all for her and ate up all of the attention.

Once Clara was finally feeling better, she got to hold her baby sister. It was so neat to watch her beam with pride in her new role of BIG SISTER!

Enjoying a fruit flower from the edible arrangement we received from the Ryan Family - such a hit with our kiddo!

Clara LOVES to help with Janie's care. She runs to get things for us, gets the diapers and wipes ready and wants to be a part of all the new routines. We are finding ways for her to participate, but not without a few minor disasters. During Janie's second bath in this tub, Clara unplugged the FULL tub and since we were trying to be as quick as possible (Janie has yet to become a fan of bath time) and focused on getting the job done, we didn't notice until GALLONS of water created a water feature rolling off our kitchen island in all directions. Poor Kevin had to clean out drawers and cupboards that had standing water in them - we won't make that mistake again!

Now Janie seems to respond to Clara a little. She likes it when she sings or talks to her and Clara is so sweet and gentle with her baby sister. Watching tender moments of the two of them together has been a joyous experience for Mommy & Daddy who feel so amazingly blessed with our two sweet little girls!

Transition from 3 to 4

Ooops, I am a little behind on blogging. There are so many wonderful things to post about and so much less time to do so. This past weekend my Children's Hospital Guild hosted a fundraiser that I have been working on for months so most of my spare time since Janie's arrival has been spent working on spreadsheets and sending e-mails. The Tea for Hope event was a success and now that I have fulfilled my commitment, I have more time to chronicle these important moments as we have transitioned to a family of four!

Going back a few weeks... Above, we were able to enjoy a special tuck-in with Scout the night before Janie's birth. We were planning on going to the hospital first thing in the morning the next day for my induction and knew it would be our last time with Clara before Gem's birth. Together we sang a few songs, talked about what was going to happen and read Clara's Big Sister book. Since Grandma Carol and Grandma & Grandpa Stevens were already at our house, we were able to capture one last photo of just the three of us.

Only a short time later I went into labor on my own, progressed fairly quickly and we headed to the hospital around 1:30 am. At 12:54 pm, Miss Janie Caroline arrived and later that evening, Kevin & I had the honor of introducing our sweet girls to one another. For Clara, it has appeared to be instant love.

The next day, when we brought Janie home, Clara was thrilled to see her sister. Unfortunately, she had come down with a mild cold and we had to closely monitor how close she got to Janie. After spending 24 hours with our newborn, Clara felt so HUGE and grown up.

Janie also arrived with gifts for her big sister... When she visited the hospital, Clara received some Calico Critter bunnies that she loves to play with at the local toy store. Then when we brought Janie home, Clara got a play house for these bunnies. What a hit!

In the picture above, Clara is wearing the same dress Mommy wore the day I met my baby brothers. Auntie Pat came across some of my dresses that Julie had also worn and gave them to me - how special!!