Holiday Baking

Well, we cheated a little and bought the pre-made cookie dough. However, the cut outs and decorating we all done with the love of a toddler.

Work Out

Here's how I justify not going to the gym...carrying around my two lady friends. Don't worry, I swap arms/kids to keep my arms balanced.

Margot is 4 Months Old!

Well folks, here's the current stats on Margot. For those familiar with baby stuff at four months the baby goes in for shots and the doctor lets you know how big and in what percentile your child falls into. These numbers give parents something to talk about and compare with each other's children. So, drumroll please....Margot weighs 14 pounds 6 ounces (80th percentile) and her length is 25 1/2 inches (90 percentile) Yes, she is a tall drink of water.

To me, the BIG news is that Margot is a happy, fun baby. She smiles, giggles, gurggles, and loves bouncing in her jumperoo.

Here's a picture of Margot being attacked by a mean couch on Thanksgiving.
And here's a picture of Margot on a nice couch.

Elsie and Margot Update

Here's the latest dish on the Erickson girls...

Margot has found her hands and fingers and spends most of her waking time enjoying them, which results in lots of drool and sometimes even gagging herself. I guess she hasn’t picked up on the cause and effect of this situation.
I think she also feels pretty sassy to be able to sit up in her chair and just looks too cute. Also, Sören figured out that you can use the letters in Margot’s name to make a new name: Mr. Goat, which will now be her alias.
Elsie continues to take really great care of all her dolls. Here’s a picture of Elsie’s daycare center. This is how she starts most mornings: Rounding up all the babies, feeding them, and putting them down for naps. Hmmm…sounds a lot like my mornings!

Elsie now loves picking out her own clothes and as you can see from the picture has her mom’s fantastic fashion sense.

Halloween Line Up

We had a Halloween party at Grandma and Grandpa Gs with cousin Stella and Gabe. We are so lucky to have those crazy monkeys for cousins! Stella and Margot are only 20 days apart! My sister and I look forward to all the trouble this crew will get into as they get older.

Say Cheese!

Yahoo for a smiley, happy baby! Margot will be 12 weeks old on Wednesday. She is giving us lots of smiles, coos and even a few giggles. I think her favorite toy is Elsie. She loves watching her big sister and with the roller coaster of emotions Elsie goes through in a day, I think Margot is entertained and confused by her mood swings as much as I am!

Margot's Bedroom

This will be one of the stories Margot will hear several times when she gets older and roll her eyes every time its told. I've mentioned before that our house is cozy/cute (small). Eventually Margot and Elsie will share a bedroom, however that transition has yet to be made. So, Margot sleeps in a basinet in the kitchen, which is very close to our bedroom. I (and several other people) always laugh when we talk about Margot's kitchen bedroom! But, most nights Margot and myself spend several hours snuggled up the couch together. Here's a picture of us dreaming together

Too Quiet

Big lesson learned today: If it’s too quiet in the house Elsie is up to no good. Here’s what the stinker colored while I was making dinner. At least she didn’t color her sister, although I wouldn’t put it past her. Thank goodness for washable markers.

Two Girls = Two Times the Drama

I’ve quickly learned that staying at home with two girls is just like any other job… some days are better than others. Today would be one of those “others” days. The combination of being two, having a new sister, and dad being at work was just too much for Elsie today. Whining, tears, and a few visits to take a break made up her morning. Margot on the other hand has been getting easier (thank goodness). She’s on some meds for acid reflux, and will be seven weeks old tomorrow. Sören and I are both crossing our fingers that this means her “fussy” evening times are almost over. By “fussy” I mean crying for anywhere from 1 to 3 hours while NOTHING we do seems to help her.

In the midst of this Elsie looked at me today and said, “mom, you pretty” (I’m 8 weeks overdue on a haircut and still wearing maternity clothes so pretty isn’t something I feel!) and Margot looked at me and smiled. Just those two small acts remind me I’m happy and lucky to spend my days with these two ladies even if most moments are chaotic, messy, and leave me counting down the minutes until 5:15 when Sören walks in the door!

Here's the two ladies who can make or break my day. I love how Margot looks so unimpressed by her surroundings! She has smiled a few times, but not for the camera yet.

Introducing...Sally?

Elsie has received a few dolls as big sister presents. She LOVES these dolls. They spend the day playing, eating, and napping with us. I find it a little overwhelming because taking care of two living children is hard enough and now I have to worry about Sally and Joanie getting a bottle and being read to, per Elsie’s demands. Yes, their names are Sally and Joanie. Sören helped name them and then mentioned to me that if we get any more dolls they may have to go up for adoption! Things keep getting more interesting in the Erickson household!

Margot, something is on your head...

Here's to the beginning of Elsie playing with/picking on her little sister.

Turning Two

Elsie turned 2 on August 21st! When asked how old she is her response is now “Two!” This isn’t as funny as her old response “I two in August”, which she said after her birthday and was starting to drive Sören a little crazy. So, she is just 2 now and we can hardly believe the talking and FUNNY things she says. Here are a few pictures from her big day. We started with a smoothie treat from Caribou and ended with an ice cream treat with candles. That’s right, no birthday cake…with a newborn in the house planning ahead to have cake just didn’t happen! Elsie didn't seem to mind!

Settling In

Margot has been with us for 8 days now and we are settling in to being a family of four. Overall, things have gone great. Sören and I are getting used to the fact that we have little or no control over things anymore…a simple stroller ride now takes at least 20 minutes of prep time. I’m sure we’ll get the hang of it by the first snowfall!
Here’s Margot doing one of her favorite things: sleeping. She’s also good at spitting up and making us smile.

So far Elsie has really embraced her big sister role. Lots of kisses and hugs for Margot.

Here’s the happy family!

Introducing ...

Margot Belle Erickson, born 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009 weighing 7 lbs, 13 oz with a length of 19.5 inches.

The Waiting Game

We are trying to patiently wait for our new little lady to arrive. I will be induced on Wed. (Aug. 6th) if nothing has happened before then. Yes, I was somewhat prepared for this since Elsie was induced 11 days after her due date. I guess I just make too comfy of a home for these babies!

Each Erickson has done his/her share of nesting. Sören has cut down branches from trees, has the car seat installed, and done a fantastic job of putting up with a very uncomfortable wife. I have cleaned and organized drawers, diapers, clothes, and even prepared meals from Let’s Dish.
Big Sister Elsie has been practicing having a little sister by playing with her dolls. In the pictures below you’ll see how serious she is about her preparation. She laid out her babies on blankets and made sure they had plenty of toys to play with. Hopefully our next post will be to share pictures of the newest Erickson!

If Elsie Could Blog

Here's how I imagine Elsie repsonding to our latest summer fun photos...

I fed a giraffe and got up close to his HUGE purple tongue. I think this giraffe might like crackers more than I do. You can’t see me very well because my mom’s big belly is taking up most of the picture.

My parents took me to an all you can eat waffle breakfast, but who can eat waffles when there’s this delicious whipped cream to eat and spread all over my face.

Keeping Busy...

I’m at 37+ weeks in my pregnancy and trying to keep up with my busy toddler! Zoo trips, visits to the park, story time at the library…I’m trying to squeeze it all in before we are back into newborn mode for awhile! Here Elsie is getting messy with finger paint. This kept us busy for about 4 to 6 minutes and then Elsie was “all done mom” (she repeated this about 50 times). Of course the set up and clean up took much longer, which I’ve learned is usually the case when playing with Elsie.

Pool Time is the Best Time

Elsie is loving the water this summer. Here she is in her new swimsuit that is already a little too small. Maybe my ice cream habit isn’t a good thing to share with Elsie! But really, who needs a swimsuit when according to Elsie the best way to swim is “naked!”

Father’s Day Note…
Here’s the latest example of how Sören has happily embraced his role of being a father. He was pushing Elsie on the swing and her nose was having some serious booger issues. So, Sören used the inside of his t-shirt to wipe her nose as to not interrupt the good time on the swing. (sorry, no photo of shirt + Elsie’s mucus. you’ll just have to trust me on this one.)

"Watch This Mama"

“Watch this Mama” is just one of the new sentences Elsie has been using this week to get my attention. As you can see from the pictures she’s usually doing something I’d rather not watch her do when she says this. Climbing on the table, up onto her booster chair, over the couch…in general just climbing like crazy. This is something new for our typically cautious daughter.

Here are a few other things Elsie has learned to do this week..

* She kisses and hugs the slide good-bye when we leave the park.
* We made cookies and before we enjoyed our tasty treat she looked at me and said “cheers!” So we did cheers with our cookies.

After one week at home full-time with my toddler here are a few things I’ve learned…
· Always put the milk into the bowl first then the cereal. It took me a few mornings full of tears to figure this one out.
· There’s no limit to the amount of times I can read Knuffle Bunny to Elsie.

Mr. E Says End the Blog...

OK, so we (Anne) haven't done the greatest job keeping up-to-date posts, but I think ending the blog is a bit dramatic. So, in my quest to prove my husband wrong, I'm going to attempt to really get on board with this whole blog. I'm sure hundreds of people are breathing a sigh of relief.

Today marks the first day of my 15-month maternity leave. Yes, school's out for the summer and I'm taking next school year off to stay home with the new baby (due Aug. 1) and our crazy toddler. So I should have a little time to blog, right? Plus, if we end the blog we won't be able to share photos like this...Elsie eating breakfast with her sunglasses on, per her request.

Elsie's First Wedding

Uncle Clifford (Sören's brother) got married a few weekends ago. Attending a wedding was another first for Ms. Elsie. Luckily Elsie is obsessed with Cheerios and will sit through anything if these tasty treats are in front of her. So we enjoyed a lovely ceremony while munching on Cheerios, fish crackers, and fruit snacks.

Food in Plastic Eggs!

Elsie enjoyed the magic of an Easter egg hunt with plastic eggs filled with marshmellows, crackers, and gummy goodness. Thanks to grandma and grandpa no nutritional value was found in any on the eggs ... which led to extreme hyperactivity followed by a prolonged nap, refusal to eat nutritious food, some unexpected crabbiness and an early bedtime. But it was still a great day.

Elsie eyes up her competition. Cousin Gabe didn't have much of a chance with Elsie on the loose. Once she learned food was inside the eggs any concept of sharing went out the window.

Feeding Time

Elsie surprised us again. We took a trip to the baby farm animals at the MN Zoo and enjoyed watching Elsie go crazy for the goats. Turns out she LOVES feeding goats. I thought our (at times) nervous nelly would be a little leery of an aggressive, odd animal licking from her hand, but nope, she got a big kick out of it.

I Am Seriously Cute

Just a picture to share today. I am obsessed with putting Elsie's hair in pigtails. It is just TOO cute!

Stuffed Animal Madness

As I was cleaning up Elsie's toys one night I realized she has a LOT of stuffed animals. So I started counting. We got up to 20, this is not counting furry friends in the car, under the couch, inside the refrigerator. You get the idea...they pop up everywhere! Sören thought this must be a typical amount of critters for a toddler to have so I called my sister to ask how my friends of the stuffed variety my nephew has. Her answer was "Maybe 5 at the most, why?"

Why?! Becuase for some reason the amount of stuffed animals Elsie has collected is driving me crazy, and we haven't bought her ONE! I was at least hoping my sisiter was in the same boat of annoyance as me. So as I stumble over another stuffed dog I wonder why I'm so heartless in the area of stuffed animals and fear that this blog post will lead cruel relatives to buy Elsie more stuffed animals just to drive me crazy. Be warned...any more stuffed animals into the Erickson house will find a new home at a garage sale or charity pick-up :)

Anywho...here's a picture of Elsie with a few of her friends.

Happy Reading

Here's our little bookworm reading to some of her best friends, Elmo and Piggy. Recently Elsie has become much more attached to her stuffed friends. We learned the hard way that it's NOT OK to throw her baby doll across the room when cleaning up. The anger and fear in Elsie's face when she saw her beloved doll fly across the room was hilarious. By hilarious I mean trying really hard to not let Elsie know we are laughing while acting very concerned about the head injury Bobble (Elsie speak for the doll, who we call Lupita) had sustained from the random act of violence that happened in the Erickson household.

Do the Elsie

The hot new dance craze, sure to take the world by storm:

The Picture Says It All

Elsie is proud to announce that she will be a BIG sister in late July. I (Anne) am finally enjoying food again and am having lots of fun living a nauseous-free life.