Austin and Lucy

This is Lucy's friend Austin Reed Deegan. Austin is one month older than Lucy. Jess and Chris welcomed the little guy into their home February 6th. Austin had a jump start in weight, he was 2 pounds heavier than Lucy. Lucy is quickly playing catch up in the weight gaining arena. They love to get together for playdates. Austin's dad, Chris, says we can't start planning their wedding yet... But we are planning some fun summer outings with the kids this summer.

Elena still thinks that babies are pretty special and is enjoying her little sister and new little friends. She is also enjoying all the fun toys everyone got for her when she became a new big sister!

Visiting at Church

This is Grandma Audrey with baby Lucy. They coordinated jackets for the occasion. We went to church when Lucy was 4 days old to meet some relatives and friends.
Here is Great Auntie Gwen holding Lucy and her newest granddaughter, Ava. Ava and Joe were visiting from Atlanta for the weekend.

Just call me spike

Mom thinks I'm going to lose all this black hair, just like my big sister. I'm kinda attached to it though!

I'm a little pumpkin...

Lucy doesn't look too happy about being placed naked in the window! She made sure mom got up and out of the house plenty of times that first week. By Tuesday(when Lucy was only five days old), her pink skin was only visible on her hands and feet, the rest of her body was covered in a nice orange glow. So we made daily trips to the clinic for the next 3 days. Lucy slipped by without needing phototherapy(to treat Jaundice)...but just barely! Mom thinks it was all the close skin to skin time they spent together that made all the difference (or maybe it was all the eating and pooping that has been going on.) Please add to mom's do not eat list: BROCOLLI! --I was up all night after having that green stuff!

SHE'S HERE!!!

Lucy Christine Ross was born at 8:34pm, (that's 20:34 for you military peeps,) Thursday March 9th, 2006 Weighing in at 6 pounds and 2 ounces, she's a bit light for the Ross side of the family, but will no doubt make it up soon, as she has taken her appetite from her dad! We had a minor scare when Emily didn't dilate for several hours, but once C-section was threatened, things happened rather fast!
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!?!"
After being 3cm for a while, she ended up going from 6cm at 7:30, to 9cm at 8pm, and Lucy born at 8:34, almost before Dr. Less made it back after his initial assessment!
She was very responsive, albeit not happy about being out!

Happy Family

The beautiful girl was fairly responsive, crying briefly after mom became the first person Dr. Less has ever seen dry and stimulate their own baby as soon being placed on mom's chest.

Happy Family. This is about one hour after birth. Everyone complemented how great Emily looked afterwards, (She actually had a stunt double fill in for the last couple hours of birth;) and how beautiful Lucy came out: no bruises or bumps, and minimal head shaping.

Clean and Print

Around 12:30am, the nurse took Lucy out to clean her up, and give mom a few minutes of rest.

After the bath, she soaked up the heat from the lamp.
Then it was time for prints before being returned to mom. As you can see, she's so stressed, (still sleeping.)

This is my little sister...we brought her home last night!

Elena had very busy days on the 9th and 10th. She came to the hospital with mom and dad and then Linda picked her up for a day of fun. Elena came to visit her new little sister right before bedtime and didn't want to give her up! It was a teary exit on Thursday night.
Wearing mom's sweater, (and about 3 blankets) Lucy was ready to venture outside for the first time, (it was after all, a chilly 50 degrees.) We left the hospital at 25 hours old.
Let's see, what troublesome tricks can I teach her first?
"I love my baby sister!"
This is a common phrase from the proud big sister's mouth.

Just Elena

Here are some pictures of Elena around the house and being silly. The third pic is her painting a onesie at Jess' baby shower. She loves arts and crafts time!

Baby Belly!

In response to belly picture requests here they are. The first was taken at 8 weeks(that's what the little sign is supposed to say). The second was yesterday - 37 weeks, not much room left!

Kevin Contracting

I thought I would post something other than Elena! This is Kevin contracting with ROTC last December.

This is fun!

Elena has been trying out all of the new baby stuff we have aquired. She loves to put her babies and stuffed animals to sleep in all of the different contraptions. She even "tried out" the crib last night, by sleeping in it!

Cloth Diapers

Here is Elena posing with our stash of small cloth diapers. If we are able to stick with the cloth diapering system we should save 1 ton of disposibles from going to the landfill. Elena assures me that she will help with the diapering and washing!

Dancing at the Mall of America

Elena's 2nd performance of the year! The little dancer had no problem going up on stage, but there was an issue with concentrating on her dance instead of the rowdy crowd. She really got into showing off - after her appearance on stage(as you can see by the pic of her alone.) I practically had to bribe her to take her tutu off for lunch! Look how close in size Elena and Maya are(the pic with their backs to the camera) and there is a 15 month age difference!

Elena's Winter Dance Show

Bet you can't guess which little dancer is ours(the littlest one)! Elena loved getting up in front of the crowd and sharing her Dora Dance with everyone. She is performing again on January 21st @ 10:30 in the Rotunda at the Mall of America.

CHRISTMAS

We had a very busy and eventful Christmas. We saw lots of family and friends and even had a visit from the Fire Department on Christmas day (we smelled some gas, they made us evacuate, but in the end everything and everyone was fine.) We thank everyone for the great gifts. I had to go through Elena and the baby's room to reorganize after the holidays!

CHICAGO

We managed to find a few days before Christmas to escape to Chicago. It was our first roadtrip in our new (used) Dodge Grand Caravan. Santa visited a little early and found a portable DVD player while he was shopping for food for the trip. We wish to express sincere sympathy to all who have done road trips with children who did not have this "necessary" device. We parked our Minivan at our hotel-6 miles from downtown- and used public transportation the entire time(i.e. the bus and our feet). It was sooo cold. Elena looked like an eskimo when we got her all suited up, but rarely complained of being cold. Elena loved the Chicago Children's Museum and spent most of her time making gingerbread cookies in the kitchen. She still searches for a "little potty" every time we enter a public restroom now. They had a miniature version of the public toilet. We also visited the Winter Wonderland on Navy Pier and saw the newest "Harry Potter" on the IMAX.

Winter Wonderland on Navy Pier

Minnesota Winter Snow!

We finally had a large enough snowfall to enjoy our big hill in the back yard. Kevin and Elena made trails through the trees, and I watched from the warm house! With the 40 degree weather we have had the last two days, most of the snow has since melted.

Big Sister-in-training!

I found Elena changing her baby santa bear and "quieting" her with the pacifier. She also likes to put her babies in the bassinet or crib and tells everyone they need to be quiet, "the baby is sleeping."