Little Princess

We got Emily's flower girl dress in the mail today for my cousin's wedding. I wanted her to try it on so that I could take some pics. She was pretty busy playing with her cousin Bryson so she wouldn't stop to pose for me. She even made sure to frown at the camera! She loves wearing dresses and playing in them and I thought these pics were too cute not to share.

Allison's Birthmark

I haven't written anything about Allison's birthmark but I feel like it's something that we should share about. When she was born, it looked like she had bruises on her back and on her side. Turns out they are just large birthmarks. They were not in the shape of a butterfly at birth, but it quickly developed into one. It's pretty heart warming to see it because we like to think of it as a kiss from Rachel. :) It's bizarre that it took that form so it really makes you wonder.

However much we love the mark it still brings much concern. The doctor mentioned when she was born that sometimes these kinds of birthmarks mean other things are wrong. Could be in the liver, heart, or just cardiovasculary. It was very alarming for me to hear that so I have been thorough on getting the birthmark watched by doctors. She has been to a pediatric dermatologist twice now so that she can watch it carefully for changes. Allison had an ultrasound on her organs in February to make sure they were fine. So far everything looks good. The dr. has debated if the marks are port wine or hemangiomas. I was hoping for hemangiomas because they go away on their own and port wine marks grow with her. Right now the dr. thinks that they are port wine and that they won't go away on their own. The marks are harmless but Allison will probably want them removed when she's older. We're going to let her decide what to do about it when she's old enough to decide. I'm just very thankful that she seems to be doing great so far!!

2 year & 2 month check-ups

Since the girls turned 2 and 2 months in the same month, February, we got to schedule their check-ups together. Emily was very helpful, probably too much, with Allison's exam. She pulled up a stool and had to help the doctor. She kept telling her that was her baby. The appt went good and so far no problems! Emily is 99th percentile in both weight & height. She has been since the day she was born! She weighed 36 lbs & is 37" tall- she's not going to be a petite girl! Allison measures a little smaller 94th percentile in height & 90th in weight. She's big too but she reminds me more of Rachel as a baby than Emily. Developmentally, both girls are right on track where they need to be. The pictures are a little fuzzy because they're from my camera on my phone.

Playdate at the Park with Daddy

We went to the park a lot while Michael was home. Emily had such a blast with him that she always tells me that she wants to go to the park with Daddy. Apparently, things are more fun when daddy is around! It will be nice to have him back in June so that she can have fun with him more regularly.

Not sure who had more fun on this! Michael had a hard time sharing.

Allison's Baptism

We baptized Allison while Michael was home. She wore Rachel's baptism gown. I really wanted to do something that day to remember Rachel and I thought it was a nice tribute to her that she wore her big sister's gown. As usual, the older kids had a hard time sitting through it but Fr. Tony is great with the kids and he tried to include them as much as possible.

My grandparents were visiting from Iowa.

 It was a nice treat to have them here for the event.

Callie & Em have to take dolls with them everywhere they go &

then they take care of them together. They are such little mamas.

My brother Tyler & Michael's sister Becky are Allison's godparents

The kids really like Fr. Tony & he seems to enjoy them too!

Cade loves Allison & wants to kiss and hug her all the time. :)

Michael's Family

Super Godfather!!

My family

So far, the only family photo of the 4 of us

Emily's Birthday Party

Emily had her birthday party at the children's museum this year. It's one of Emily's favorite places to play so it was a real treat for her to have her party there.

Allison had fun too!