Sunny Days

The weather has been so pleasant, I've been taking all the girls out for a walk the last few days.  Usually Rory is in a carrier, Taylor walks or rides in a stroller, and Phoebe tugs along on her leash at my side.  Toddler entertainment, Vitamin D, and exercise - a great combination.

Two days ago, we got together with Sarah, Samuel, & Joseph at the Botanical Gardens to check out a dinosaur exhibit (Yay Groupon, for discounted tickets!). They turned their Biodome into a prehistoric forest of dinosaur statues and plants that the dinosaurs would have seen or eaten.  The kids really enjoyed the adventure and it was great to get out and do something new.

Then yesterday, Mark took off early from work to meet us for lunch at a Korean restaurant and then go to The Butterfly House to see some prehistoric bugs (the second half of the dinosaur exhibit).  Taylor so wanted butterflies to land on her, as she had seen them do to other kids inside the conservatory, but all they wanted to do was suck the lotion off of my legs (eee, it's a creepy crawly sensation to have a large butterfly on you).  We walked over to a playground after The Butterfly House closed and Taylor went wild on all the slides and climbing apparatuses.

Taylor and a butterfly

At the playground

Rock climbing

Fast slides

Other news: Mark and Rory are pretty much over the sniffles they picked up last week.  Rory is 6.5wks and getting more attentive and interactive by the day.  She has such wide open eyes and even smiles a little now.  She still has big spit up sessions every other day, but continues to pack on the weight so it isn't a concern.  We also found a birthmark on her a couple days ago!  It was a bit of a surprise since we hadn't seen it before now and since Taylor doesn't have one.  It's just a tiny little spot on her left side.

Taylor's memory astounds me.  She recalls things from several months ago, like what she carried in her purse at the airport on the way to CA in April (a knife, a fork, and leftover pizza).  And her imagination is always booming with new games or adventures.  She is getting really good at putting on her own socks and sneakers and has even used the toilet (as opposed to the potty) completely on her own several times (once even without a step stool!).  She's finally comfortable going to sleep in her own room again, though Mark still sleeps there so he can get a better night's rest too.

Mark has made progress coming up with a business name and logo and he secured a website domain today, so he's really excited about establishing an LLC and getting his software out there.  He's getting very skilled at putting both of the girls to sleep, which is really nice when I've exhausted all my tricks with Rory and she's still crying before bed.

I feel a lot more comfortable taking care of both girls during the day now and have been trying to pay special attention to Taylor and involve her in playtime with Rory so she doesn't feel abandoned.  Today we read a book to Rory together and Taylor got a big kick out of it.  I've been good about staying on top of laundry - you kind of have too when most of the items in the basket have some sort of baby fluids on them - but sadly our couch has become barely visible under my clean clothes pile.  Today I broke out some of my pre-pregnancy clothes (the big ones) and was glad to find I finally have something new to wear that doesn't have a maternity label on it.  Here are a couple of snapshots of life at home:

 Sister hugs (I love how Rory is looking at the camera!)

Taylor takes a picture of me nursing Rory

This weekend there are a ton of fun events going on in St. Louis - Taste of St. Louis, Scottish Games, Oktoberfest - so we're hoping to get out and go to at least a couple of them.