Colorful

We had a colorful day on Friday, and I just had to document it, starting with a delicious treat from our favorite local bakery/coffee shop, Bittersweet.

We got home, and ran out



to try and catch some of the gorgeous wildflowers that have been blooming near the lake recently. We just missed the peak, it was an exceptional year, what with all the rain we've been getting, but we still managed to get some pictures of the remaining flowers.

We came back home just in time for one of those aforementioned rain showers, and as it let up, a beautiful rainbow arced across the sky. We ran out and took dozens of pictures of daddy and Sabine admiring it.

Sadly, none of them came out, the light was too bright.

There's a huge rainbow in the background, I swear.

Fortunately, with some diligent editing on my part, I was able to get the rainbow to appear with some color tweaking in Photoshop.

Ready?

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Ta-da! That's exactly how it looked that night.

More or less.

21 Months

Sabine seems to be in a constant growth spurt these days. She's taller (which means she can now reach the countertops, as well as a host of other formerly-out-of-reach things, so we're re-child-proofing), her hair's longer, and she's talking more (and singing! See post below) and eating less. I don't quite understand how that works, but she seems to have no problem growing despite the fact that she's only eating a little mac & cheese and zucchini these days. She also doesn't turn down ice cream when it's offered.

The language is fun, Sabine is now speaking in 4-5-word sentences, and can say things like "Go sit on the potty?" and "Mommy get the train book."

I spoke too soon on the sleep though, she's had a rough week, waking up a couple of times a night, and often we need to go in to comfort her before she can get back to sleep. We're guessing it's her top canine teeth coming in. We can't see anything yet, but since the bottom ones are in and she's drooling more these days, those are both good signs that the next set could be coming.

We're also seeing the beginnings of the terrible twos. There's a lot more whining, and we've had to institute time-out for when things get too chaotic, although right now it's more of a game. Somehow screaming "TIME OUT!" and gleefully running to the corner of her own volition isn't exactly how I read it's supposed to work.

Otherwise, though, Sabine's a happy kid with a big imagination. She likes making tea and pastries with her tea set and serves it to whomever's available, including Tatum.

We've gotten some good time in with family recently. Grandmom and Grandpa continue to come down on Fridays, and Sabine is always happy to see new faces at the house. I often get told "bye-bye, mommy" and pushed out the door. At least she doesn't seem to suffer too terribly from separation anxiety....

We've also been down to Denver to visit Aunt Dani and cousin E. Sabine occasionally visits when a nice nurse is on duty, and she gets to come to the door and blow E kisses. Otherwise, she waits out in the waiting room and entertains everyone out there.

Baby (doll) and Bunny are still her favorite toys, and they sleep with her every night, but a lot of the other stuffed animals have gotten a lot of love recently. She usually asks if one can go with us when we go for walks or to the store.

Sabine also likes to watch Sesame Street clips on YouTube (when Mommy is catching up on email) and she really favors Snuffy these days. We've also branched out from strictly-children's entertainment, and she likes to watch clips of ballet dancing and songs from musicals, as well. Daddy's really been encouraging the sing-a-longs, and I think we are both looking forward to taking her to the theater someday.

It's really been a fun summer so far, between all the play dates, dance classes, longer days, ice cream, and fountains to play in. It'll be interesting to see if we can keep up this pace when the weather gets cooler. Fortunately, it's not showing any signs of doing that any time soon!

Our Budding Broadway Star

Mostly for the Pictures

We have been staying busy, going to the zoo, baking pies, visiting friends and Cousin E, and making lots of tea with Sabine's new tea set. But we've also been just enjoying the outdoors. We don't have a backyard, but we do have a nice green space in front of our house, so often in the afternoons and evenings we'll play by the sidewalk and burn off energy close to home.

There've been a lot of rain storms roll through recently, so Sabine has become proficient at identifying thunder vs. bulldozer vs. train noises (all of which are very common around here)

As well as spotting rainbows

And just being her own, perfect little sunshine. This age has been pure joy.

We love you so much, big girl.

Summertime

Popsicle + sunscreen + mud + sidewalk chalk + friends = ultimate summer bliss

We are enjoying ourselves immensely these days.

Sabine is sleeping through the night regularly, which is wonderful for all of us. It even makes getting up with her at 5:45 AM bearable. (Mostly.) Sabine is also singing more, she can get most of the alphabet out, and she can now count to ten, although she usually leaves out six. Poor six.

She likes to gallop, and is working on skipping. She dances to music more, and she likes to read books...especially while sitting on the potty. She really loves Dr. Seuss right now, and it's fun getting through a book with her from beginning to end, instead of just flipping pages for the joy of flipping pages and occasionally pointing out a nose or a cat.

Cousin E is doing really well, he hasn't needed oxygen, and is drinking from a bottle. Hopefully he'll get to come home in another week or two, if he keeps up this well. Sabine isn't allowed in the NICU, so she's seen him through the door and of course in pictures, but we're very excited for when she gets to meet him in person.

A Very Special 4th of July

We had an unexpectedly special fourth of July this year. We spent the weekend going to BBQs and birthday parties and being quite social. Sabine looked very festive, complete with traditional watermelon stains right down the front of every outfit she wore over the weekend.

The big event, though, was Sabine's cousin E arrived early, making a spectacular Independance Day entrance into the world! We met Aunt Dani at the hospital, and Sabine gave her belly a gentle pat and signed "I love you" before she went home with Grandmom and Grandpa while Mommy and Daddy stayed at the hospital.

Well after Sabine's bedtime, little E arrived. We are so, so thrilled you are here, sweet boy! We love you so much already.

(Status update for anyone who knows this side of the family, little E is doing wonderfully. He was born six weeks early, but came into the world strong. He was 4 lbs 9 oz., and 19 inches long when he was born. He hasn't needed oxygen yet, but he'll be staying at the hospital for a couple weeks for monitoring, and to make sure he's eating, breathing, and gaining weight like he's supposed to. Aunt Dani is an incredible mother already. She had a great delivery, and is recovering beautifully.)