Can You Tell The Difference?

One of these pictures was taken on August 23, 2006 and one picture was taken almost three years later, on June 28, 2009!





Can you tell them apart? Which one is Paprika and which one is Ginger? :-) It's funny because when Ginger was born, I didn't think she looked anything like Paprika. But every day, I see more and more of a resemblance.

Evening Walks To The Park

Tonight, we took Paprika to the park. I carried Ginger in the sling, and she was fast asleep by the time we got half a block from our house. I love our evening walks together as a family, when it's cool outside and we can watch the sunset on the walk home. Summer nights like these are so good! Wheee!

Best Friends

Relaxing Weekend!

We had a very relaxing weekend around our house. On Saturday, Ginger was a good sport and let me dress her up in some ridiculous outfits!





We spent a lot of time this weekend hanging out the four of us. Paprika is a real protector of her little sister and always wants to make sure Ginger is warm, well-fed, and comfortable. Whenever we go anywhere, she always asks, "Can Ginger come with us?"



Paprika loves holding her sister, "petting her" (as she calls it), and helping out with changing Ginger's diapers and dressing her. Paprika is actually proving to be a big help...I am really proud of how wonderful she's been this past week!

On Sunday night, we even went out to dinner with Paprika and Ginger to one of our favorite local restaurants. Ginger slept through the entire car ride, meal, and ride home. I don't think she even knew we left the house! Success!

Pretty Girl!

Over the past few years, I have been blessed to make some very dear friends who are also moms with kids the same age as Paprika. My friend, Michi, lives in Germany and has four sons...the youngest is the same age as Paprika. Michi has her own shop where she makes beautiful handmade items for babies and toddlers. Michi made this gown especially for Ginger, and she sent it in a care package along with a gorgeous handmade hat for Ginger, and German toys and treats for Paprika.



Ginger looks pretty gorgeous in her gown...I plan on keeping it for her to pass down to her daughters and granddaughters. It is an heirloom we will definitely be keeping in the family for a long time. Thank you, Michi!!!

Due Date!

Today is my due date...June 27th, 2009. Today I would have been 40 weeks pregnant with Ginger, had she not made her entrance into the world 9 days early!

She is a sleepy little baby, a mellow one, and overall just a wonderful addition to our little family.

Happy Due Date, Ginger! I am glad you decided to make your entrance a little early!

Sisters!

There is something very special about sisters. I've never had a sister...well, except Ann who I count as my sister because she has been my very best friend since I was 14 years old.

We've seen eachother through ups and downs, through great times and terrible times...and we're still best friends. She lets me be myself, and I let her be herself. We're not afraid to have lots of fun when we're together, and to do really really cheesy stuff...like get our pictures taken at the mall together! (She's probably gonna strangle me for posting these pictures). I mean, if you can't go to the mall wearing matching outfits (down to the socks) and get your picture taken with someone, can you really call them your best friend?! These pictures were taken about 7 years ago, I think!



I hope that as they grow up, Paprika and Ginger have the kind of friendship and sisterhood that Ann and I have. Even though she lives in Indiana and I live in California, we still talk just about every day on the phone. When Mr. Mustard and I lost Vivian and Annemarie, she got on a plane that very day and was in my hospital room hours after I delivered. She is just about the best sister a girl could ever ask for...and I am so lucky.





A sister is a gift...I want these girls to grow up loving each other and being each other's best friends. So far, they are off to a pretty great start!

Ginger's One Week Check-Up!

I can't tell what Ginger was trying to tell me in this photo...is she a future activist? A revolutionary leader? Cheering for the home team? Or just stretching? I don't know...tell me, sweet Ginger! Maybe she's excited because she had a great first doctor's visit!

Ginger had her one week check-up on Thursday. She was seen twice by a pediatrician in the hospital, but this was her first trip out into the world since she came home from the hospital. I even put clothes on her, but when we got there, I had to take them off for the nurse to weigh her. So, she wore her cute little outfit for about 20 minutes total.



Mr. Mustard has been joking with me because I bought Ginger a vast wardrobe of clothes- I mean, she has more clothes than Mr. Mustard and I both put together...and that's just for her 0-3 month outfits! But, since she's been home, I have wanted to keep her in her birthday suit because she just seems more comfortable that way, and I love her newborn skin.



So, who knows how many of these newborn outfits will get worn. She wore one outfit home from the hospital...and one to the doc's office today. And that's pretty much it! I do have a few special outfits I want to take photos of her wearing...on my list of things to do! And, of course, when she starts getting out of the house more, she'll definitely have to wear clothes...so all in due time.

The doc appointment today was a success. We go back in a week for a two week check-up! Everything is looking good, and we are so grateful for that clean bill of health! She is just about the same as her birthweight (breastfed babies tend to lose more weight the first week), and the doctor checked her heart, lungs, etc. and all are in great shape.

Ginger is such a mellow baby- she slept through most of the appointment, and would occasionally open her eyes, look around, and yawn once or twice before falling back asleep. Easy peasy.

Paprika was superb at the appointment and really impressed the office staff with her funny jokes, and her sense of humor. She is such a wonderful, special girl...a true gift to her mommy, daddy, and her baby sister.

One Week Old!

Today Ginger has her one week birthday. This time last week, she was born into the world and we held her for the first time. Time is going by way too fast already!



Later today, she'll have her one week check-up with the pediatrician. We'll all load into the car and head over to see the good doc. Paprika really likes our ped's office, so she'll be excited to go! It will be only the second time Ginger has ridden in a car...the first time, of course was her ride home from the hospital!



Paprika continues to be an awesome big sister. I'm so grateful for Paprika, and how well she's handling Ginger being part of our family. It already feels like Ginger has been part of our lives forever - and I think Paprika feels that way, too. We are in a cozy routine, and enjoying the company of one another.



Ginger has started to wake up to the world more...she is opening her eyes a lot more now. I love looking into her soulful peepers!



I want to say to her something Paprika says to me all the time, which is: Whatcha thinkin' about? Whatcha dreamin' about?

I think this little girl, Ginger, has lots to think about and dream about already...

Predictable!

Ginger is behaving just like she did in the womb. She likes to sleep all day long, and be awake all night long. I'm not joking. She is awake from midnight until 7am, and then will not open her eyes again all day until it's time to wake up at midnight and start the whole process over again.



So, things have gotten very practical around here. Mr. Mustard is getting shut eye on the spare bed in Paprika's room (a very comfortable Queen sized bed, I might add!) One of us has to be awake to take care of Paprika during the day, so he really needs his rest.



I am staying up with Ginger at night. She is an all-night nurser, and does not want to fall asleep for anything. During the day, it's a different story. You can plop her down anywhere and she will sleep, sleep, sleep. At night, if she's not attached to me, then she's one upset little lady!

During the day, I wake her up every two to three hours to nurse. Even though it's very hard to wake her up, I have to do it...she needs to keep eating, and I need her to keep eating for milk supply reasons. She takes about an hour to do one feeding (because she sleeps through half of it), and we time feedings from the start of the first feeding to the next...so that means I get about one hour of downtime between feedings during the day. I really don't mind it, though.



Paprika still requires very little sleep for a two year old...she doesn't take naps, and went to sleep last night at midnight, woke up at 6am, and then went back to sleep for a few more hours. These girls have minds of their own when it comes to sleeping. Every baby book I read tells me the opposite of how these girls behave, so...yes, I've decided to throw all those books away! LOL!



Mr. Mustard and Paprika are off on their adventures daily. I am really enjoying this time before Mr. Mustard goes back to work! Yesterday, they spent the day at the Children's Museum. Ginger and I stayed home...and she slept...and I tried to sleep a little, too! But I also took lots of pictures of her. What can I say, I can't stop looking at her even when she's asleep! These pictures were all taken on Ginger's fifth day of life. Five days old!



Occasionally, Ginger will wake up enough during the day to yawn, before she goes right back to sleep. I am so happy when I catch those moments on camera!

Quality Time

So good...so very very good.

Mr. Mustard and I have been making sure to make sure both girls get their one on one time. I make sure to spend at least an hour or two a day with Paprika by myself. She gets to pick what we do, and we enjoy just spending time just the two of us. While I'm with Paprika, Mr. Mustard gets to bond one on one with Ginger.



Yesterday, Paprika wanted to play with her water table on the front porch. Of course she got soaked, but that was half the fun! I cherish these moments with Paprika, and love our time together just as much as I always have.



While I'm with Paprika, Mr. Mustard spends one on one time getting to know Ginger. Mr. Mustard and Paprika have such a strong bond, and I know Mr. Mustard is building just as strong of a connection with baby Ginger.



Of course, the rest of the time, we are all together as a family. We spend lots of time the four of us all together. And I spend lots of time with Ginger feeding her soothing her, and holding her while she sleeps. Mr. Mustard spends lots of father/daughter fun time with Paprika. We like to keep it all balanced, and so far it's working out well!



I am so grateful for these days...and amazed by how much happiness these two little girls bring into our lives!