Ridiculously Cute

You know that scene in Raising Arizona where Holly Hunter sits in the car and cries, "I love him so much. I love him so much." I feel like that sometimes when I look at this girl.

A Love Affair

I caught her for a moment...

...and then she found her fist.

Phoebe is having a serious love affair with her fist these days. Her thumb, her knuckles, her whole darn hand. Apparently, the more the better.

Just So Happy

If there's just one word to describe our Phoebe - other than beautiful, brilliant, edible, sweet, lovable or adorable - it would be joyous. Joyous. She's so happy to be here, so present and alive. What a gift she is to our family, and what a gift she will be to this world.

(I know I'm a bit drippy when I talk about this babe, but I assure you all that she inspires the truest and most sincere sense of awe. Everyone who's met her notices how delightful and, yup, joyous she is. Besides, it's my job as her Mama to be totally enthralled, right?)

Stella These Days

This is how I often find Stella these days - deeply transfixed by her dinosaur books. Did you think that previous video post was just for show? Nope. We're just barely keeping up with her serious hunger for all things dinosaur. Sweet little brainiac.

Hambone in the background. Cheeks in the foreground.

Having two kids is a trip. It's amazing to watch these two little beings evolve with each passing day. And their relationship is evolving. Stella is growing more and more affectionate with and protective of Phoebe, spontaneously doling out the kisses and "I love yous." And Phoebe simply beams when she sees her big sister. When we're feeling whooped by this new family of four, we remind ourselves of how lucky we are to have such happy and healthy girls and of the hilarity that is soon to come.

Little Darling

It's Awful Quiet Up There

The other night, Lena and I were sitting in our living room, chatting away while the wee babes played on our laps. Suddenly we realized it was awful quiet upstairs where Stella and Isaac were playing. We quickly popped upstairs only to find this scene. As Stella explained, they were "being cozy in the pretend big sleeping bag looking at the night sky." They each showed us their favorite stars (on the ceiling) and continued to cuddle.

Oh my goodness, these kids are cute.

New Kids on the Block

Phoebe & Eddie. A new era...

Just a Phase

Hmmm. Where to begin?

We're in a phase. Yup. A dreaded phase. (Nobody refers to good times as "just a phase," do they?) But this phase, just like every other phase, will pass. And we'll hit a smooth groove. Right?

Up until now, Stella has basically been an angel. She's been curious, smart, funny, sweet and gentle. And while she's still curious, smart, funny, sweet and gentle, she's now feisty, persnickety and frustrated. In short, she's two approaching three and finally giving us a run for our money.

We knew this developmental phase was inevitable (and necessary), and we knew Phoebe's arrival would most likely prompt such a shift, but I can't say it's been easy navigating this new era. We have mostly wonderful days, blissed out in our little family glow. But tantrums and fits have reared their ugly head, and it's so very overwhelming for the wee Scout.

For us? (For any parent?) It's very much like watching our beautiful babe stuck atop a rocky ship. She's being tossed around by her own (oh-so-intense and real) emotions and we're left to offer guidance... from the shore.

But, as we always do, we're figuring it out. With firmness and compassion, we're helping Stella find that balance between asserting her needs and behaving humanely. Sometimes she finds that balance. And sometimes she's totally and utterly frustrated. And while I do my darnedest to keep my calm so that she knows she's safe with me, I must admit that I've spent more than a moment lately taking a deep breath while locked in the bathroom for twenty seconds.

The tough part is that Stella is so darn smart. She's witty and sharp and fast. Brian and I don't even try to pull a fast one on her to distract or placate her because she's on to us already. So we're making do with calm words, clear expectations and many an "I love you." And really, she's such a joyful gift for the most part that we soak up as much of that goodness as we can.

It's painful watching Stella struggle, but it's beautiful knowing that this struggle is going to result in a stronger, more competent kid (and woman) who knows how to feel deeply and communicate clearly.

And in classic kid-style, Stella almost always peppers the tough moments with undeniably amazing and miraculous moments. Just when I need it, she'll wrap her arms around my neck and whisper to me, "Oh, I love you so much, Mama. Thank you." And that alone keeps me going.

Water Baby

Like Stella, Phoebe loves her bath. More likely, she loves her Papa time. Brian handles baths in our house, and Phoebe is already learning that bath time means time with a lovable, goofy Papa. Lucky girl.

Schooled by Stella

We busted out Stella's old activity mat for Phoebe this week. At nine weeks old, Phoebe was more than ready to happily spaz out under the toys, kicking to her heart's content. And Stella, of course, proved to be an inspiring teacher, showing her little sister how to rock it.

One of Those Moments

This was one of those moments where Stella took my breath away. It was an ordinary moment - nothing special - but she just knocked my socks off. So gorgeous. So honest. So raw. So here.

Strong Little Elf Noggin

Have you noticed that we make little elves? Seriously.

Who Is This Woman & Why Is She Always Trying to Eat Me?

Despite the shocked mug, Phoebe eats up the love. And I must say I can't get enough of her. Delicious!

Our Budding Paleontologist

pachycephalosaurus from Brian Bressler on Vimeo.

Stella is currently fascinated by dinosaurs. No, obsessed. She is downright hungry for information about these critters and can't get enough. She now describes everyone as far as what they eat - "Mama, Phoebe is an herbivore. I'm a carnivore." And the pachycephalosaurus trumps all other imaginary friends right now. Tonight, we ate dinner as a family of brontosaurus. Brontosauri? Hmmmm. Of course, it's hilarious to hear our wee peanut rattle off such sophisticated multisyllabic words - Pachea-what? - but it's more thrilling that she's truly interested in learning as much as she can.

(And I must say here that while this video seems a bit over the top, I promise that we're not the kind of parents who grill our child nightly. Yes, we "quizzed" her here, but she's usually the one asking the questions. For example, she would quickly and deftly explain to y'all that Mama made a mistake when she wrote that we were a brontosaurus family since that's an outdated name for sauropods ... oh, are our hands full or what?)

Upstaged

Upstaged By a Booger from Brian Bressler on Vimeo.

Listen closely.... as Phoebe flies with Papa, Stella can be heard on the monitor yelling, "I have a boogie!" Too funny.

A Good Egg

A yearly tradition. Simple and beautiful.

Thank you, Grandma Jannie!

Rainy Days

Well, the rains have hit the Northwest. It's about time, really. We've had an unseasonably warm and dry winter, so a little moisture is more than fair at this point. But we've sort of forgotten how to manage long days inside. But this Mama has been keeping the play-in-the-sink-for-an-hour-and-a-half trick up her sleeve for just this moment, and Stella was beyond thrilled. I know this isn't new, but I think I literally rocked Stella's sense of reality by suggesting she bathe in the kitchen sink. What's next? Sleeping in the bathtub?

A Field Trip

Stella, Phoebe and I trekked to Seattle this last week to introduce Miss Phoebe to more of the fam, most notably Auntie Tricia, Aunt Ann and Uncle Pat. Both girls were troopers and charmed the whole gang. And Stella had an especially fun time exploring the Seattle Science Center. Thanks to everyone who stopped by Grandma Carol and Poppy's for a visit.

Yes, that's Stella...

... in a guitar.

(Did I mention we come from strange folk?)