Whidbey Island Weekend Getaway

We just spent a wonderful (birthday) weekend on Whidbey Island (thank you Wendie and Dan)! It was a magical and relaxing weekend. Check out the slideshow!

The Famous Yancey Pose - Also A Favorite of Sisters Michaela and Talya

Ayelet's Elusive Smile

I finally captured Ayelet's smiles on camera!! She has actually been smiling for a couple of weeks now, but every time she smiles, I get excited, then she gets scared and she stops smiling. Yes, it is true, I have even made her cry a couple of times... Finally she has realized that smiling is a fun thing, and she has started doing it all the time! There is nothing like it, her smile could make her mama move mountains.

Sleep, Glorious, Sleep!

I am a sleeper. I love to sleep, I have always loved to sleep. When I don't get enough sleep, I don't really function well, some might say I become a bit, well... difficult. Because of this, we have worked with each of the girls to teach them to sleep relatively early in their lives.

Recently, Ayelet has been so wonderfully giving me the gift of sleep! For the past few nights, she has been going down after her late night feeding (10:30 to 11:30 pm ish) and sleeping until 5:00 am ish! I forgot how excited I would be about getting 5+ straight hours of sleep in a night, I feel like a new woman! And, even after waking up at 5:00 am ish to nurse, she has been going back to sleep until 9:00 am ish! Thank you Ayelet! But wait, there is more - she has continued to sleep in her bassinet - not in our bed.

As wonderful as this is for me, I must admit, it is bittersweet. Since this is my third time going through this, I am realizing that she is entering a new stage of her life and that this is only a first step to her increased independence. I am acutely aware that by the time she is Michaela's age, not only will she be sleeping through the night, she will also be getting herself ready for bed, reading in bed by herself (sometimes with a flashlight under the covers), getting up on her own in the morning, getting herself breakfast, getting herself dressed, and so on and so on. Never again will I regularly spend that one on one time with her at 2 or 3 am.

I remember my cousin used to call those late night feedings business meetings. In many ways it is so true. When little ones wake up at those hours of the night, it is for a specific purpose. They wake up, need a diaper change and need to eat. Once those things are accomplished, it is back to bed, back to sleep. I believe that time together is more than that though - it is touch, snuggles, provision of sustenance. It is probably one of the few times in their lives where Mom is a welcome companion in the middle of the night. I know that I don't want to miss that.

So, as excited as I am to get my sleep back on track, I am also reminded once again, to cherish every minute of this journey - mine and my part in Ayelet's.

More Birthday Photos

Happy Birthday Talya

Today, Talya turned 5 (Ok, it was actually yesterday as I am writing this on April 18...)! She had a really full and really wonderful day!

It happened that Talya and a few of her classmates from the JCC were asked to perform at the annual JCC fundraiasing luncheon on April 17. There were 7 girls who went to the Fairmount Olympic Hotel (check out this very fancy hotel http://www.fairmont.com/seattle) in downtown Seattle and sung for the JCC supporters. They were SO cute, it was a lot of fun to watch them. The girls arrived at the hotel in the late morning so that they would have a chance to rehearse. Then at the beginning of the program (immediately following Herb Weisbaum's intorduction), they performed. After the program, they were taken to a special room where they ate lunch and then for dessert, the staff brought out treats in honor of Talya's birthday. She was really surprised when everyone sang Happy Birthday to her and of course, she was thrilled! After the birthday celebration, they were taken on a tour of the hotel and then they played games while they waited for their Moms. It was a really fun afternoon!

For dinner, we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory (yum, chametz) with Rebecca and Paul and Sophie and Hannah. It was good timing as far as Ron and I were concerned - our kitchen is kosher for Passover, there was no chance of pasta for dinner at our house... After dinner, the waitstaff brought out her cake and again Talya just glowed as everyone sang her Happy Birthday.

After dinner, we went home and conducted our search for Chametz. Michaela, Talya and her friend Hannah were so cute in their PJs searching for the chametz with the candle, feather and spoon. Tomorrow we will burn the chametz and then Pesach begins!

Ayelet is One Month Old!!!

Friday's Update - A Little Late

Friday was a busy day for the Yancey girls...

Friday morning, Talya celebrated her birthday with her class at school. They do a really cool thing where they give the birthday child the world (a plush globe) and he/she walks around the sun (a candle) once for each year of his/her life. For the children, this is a big deal with lots of excitement! Talya was thrilled, her happiness was evident on her face and in her eyes. The night before, I had created a small book of photos from Talya's 5 years of life. I shared those with her class - she was surprised and excited to see the fun pictures of herself from when she was first born. We shared a treat with her classmates too.

After I left her school, I went to Weight Watchers. Hard to believe - with Ayelet at 1 month, it is time for me to get busy getting back in shape. Before I got pregnant, I had been a Weight Watchers Lifetime Member. Since I had that status, Weight Watchers will give me 3 months from the birth of the baby to get back to my goal weight. Three months seems awfully short, especially since I have 22 lbs to lose. Amazing, as the mom of a new baby, I wish for Ayelet to gain weight and grow well, and wish for me to lose weight and shrink back. Stay tuned, I will get there, or at least close before I find myself on the beach this summer.

After leaving Weight Watchers, Ayelet and I took Michaela to an appointment and Talya to her swimming lesson. Ayelet better get used to the busy lives of her sisters, no rest for the weary in our house!

In addition to all that, Ayelet developed a bad case of baby acne. As soon as I was able, I did a search to find out what we can do about this new condition (hmm, did Michaela or Talya have baby acne? I can't remember). So what did I find out? Well, there is nothing to do, in fact, everything that I read says DON'T DO ANYTHING. That means, no creams, no lotions, no popping zits, no scrubbing. I also read that this condition can persist for a month! My beautiful baby's face is a sea of blemishes. OK, so I also read that the acne doesn't bother her, it just bothers me, guess I better get over it.

Michaela's Science Fair

Today was the annual SJCS Science Fair. Every year, the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders do science projects and then present them at the science fair. This year in particular, the projects were REALLY well done.

Michaela did an experiment to find out if different types of music affect heart rate. She used heart rate monitors to measure the subjects' heart rates and an IPod and headphones to deliver the various musical interventions. She had a lot of fun conducting her experiment and I think that her classmates had fun participating.

Passed Out!

Little Pumpkin!

Thanks Debrah!

Talya's 5th Birthday Party

Talya is turning 5 this April, April 17, to be exact! Since her birthday is just days before Pesach, we decided to celebrate her birthday a little early. She shared a birthday party with her friend Lily at Mountlake Terrace Recreation Pavilion Pool. What a lot of kids and what a great afternoon!

Tummy Time

Thank You Aunty Nicky - You ARE Cute!

More Sister Fun!

Two Week Well Check (at 18 days old)

Ayelet had her two week well check this morning and it is confirmed, she is a picture of health! She weighed in at 9 lbs, 4 oz, 21.25 inches long. All her parts are working well and doing just what they are supposed to be doing. As I was nursing her and chatting with the doctor, the pediatrician commented that Ayelet is the classic textbook nurser with the breathing, sucking and swallowing pattern. It is true, she is a pro.

Ayelet and I are getting out and about more and more, shopping, schlepping, etc. She does periodically remind me though that she prefers to relax at home.... I have to keep that in mind!

Ayelet Found Her Thumb!