Fun in February!

It is the last day of February and it has been quite a month. Not only did we have visitors, but Sarah also had to begin preparations for her return to the work force. For both of us it is hard to believe that 11 weeks have already passed since Reese made her appearance in the world. Yet as you will see in the pictures that follow, she has grown quite a bit already.

In order for Reese to continue to grow, she needed to be able to take milk from a bottle. We were a bit anxious about this because you never know if it is going to be a smooth transition or not. Apparently Reese doesn't necessarily worry about the vessel for the nutrition as long as the dinner bell rings on time and the meal is delivered quickly. This was her first bottle and she was more than happy to drink it up. The only issue, which is the same one we deal with when Sarah nurses her, is Reese's irritation with the mid-meal burp.


One of the big events in February was the visit from Nana Banana and Sport. Nana Banana was able to fly in early and stayed for a week. This meant that she got a ton of quality one on one time with Reese and Callie.



Reese enjoyed all of Nana Banana's funny songs and sounds. They had some great conversations over the course of the week, though only the two of them know what they really talked about.


Callie loved having Nana Banana around. What made her parents especially happy and proud was that she had no problem sharing her grandparents with her little sister. It seemed that Callie just wanted everyone to be involved - at least as long as everyone was following her directions about how to play, what to play, and so on.


Sport arrived a couple of days after Nana Banana, but he came by car. He jumped right into the thick of things. When Callie wasn't occupying his time he was getting to know Reese. And Reese dressed to impress with her finest pearls and handbag. She knew that Sport was the only one in the family who could truly appreciate her outfit and attitude. Perhaps she was just hoping that Sport would recommend her for membership at the old Bowes stomping grounds in Mamaroneck, NY, the Orienta Beach Club.


We would like to insert this picture in a blatant attempt to post as many pictures of Reese at this age as we did of Callie. It's tough trying to make sure you don't forget about baby number two. But it does happen. Life is definitely a bit crazier. Fortunately Reese is a mellow girl who rolls with the punches. Perhaps she is still trying to figure out if we are worth the trouble.




Speaking of necessary pictures, here's a great one of the grandparents with their two granddaughters. It is still crazy to believe that we are the parents of two little girls. But pictures like this make it real. We can't wait to compare this picture to the ones we'll take in the future with Sport and Nana Banana.



It is obvious that we are not the only ones who need to keep staring at little Reese. The great thing, though, is like Callie she is alert and taking in the world just as much as we are soaking in all she has to offer.


It was a great week with Sport and Nana Banana. More often than not, Callie and Reese kept the two of them on the go in separate directions. But every now and then the grandparents got to focus their love and attention at the same time on their youngest grandchild.


As we have already mentioned, Callie has been wonderful with Reese. Yes, Reese has endured her second cold, been knocked in the head by Callie's flailing foot, and has been squeezed like a tube of toothpaste more times than we can count. But it is all out of the intense emotional love that only Callie can express. Callie also wants to take a picture with Reese every time we pull out the camera. More evidence of this appears below.



In the end, Callie is a big sister in every sense of the word. We can only hope that as Reese grows older she has the same passion for Callie as her big sister has for her.

Once Nana Banana and Sport headed back to Connecticut we had to find ways to entertain ourselves. Fortunately, like her father, Callie is easily amused. Nothing says fun like making ridiculous faces while sitting on the couch. And if she inherits her father's sense of humor then Sarah is really in trouble.


And while Reese grows like a weed, Callie continues to show off her developing skills as well. One day while we were driving in the car, out of nowhere came a recitation from the back seat. We made her repeat the performance for the camera.



And for the record, we have two books with that nursery rhyme. One says "the little dog laughed to see such sport" and the other says "to see such fun" so who knows which one is the official version. In any case, we think its pretty awesome. In other words, we are just another set of gushing parents.

Every now and then we have to include a picture of the four of us to show that we do spend time together. Callie has gotten used to her parents being paparazzis. However, as you can see from this picture, Reese has yet to grow accustomed to life in the spotlight. She will learn with time.





Sarah heads back to work on Wednesday, which means Reese will be joining Callie at daycare full time. Callie's former teachers are ready for the new arrival. In fact, Miss Donna says she will spend extra time teaching Reese to walk so that she can advance into her classroom sooner. It definitely makes us feel a bit better about the transition. It will still be tough, but it is good to know that a lot of different folks will be looking out for her.



And what does Reese think of all of this? As you can see in the picture above, she's still trying to decide. We'll let you know how things go soon.