Hospital stay

Once we left the hospital after Annie was born, I didn't expect to be staying there again quite so soon. This past week Ms. Annie was admitted to the hospital with RSV - a respiratory virus that is particularly dangerous for infants. Lily was sick last week, and apparently shared it with her sister. Toddlers, kids and adults experience the virus as a bad cold, but poor Annie got slammed. She was put on oxygen and given regular nebulizer treatments until her oxygen levels were high enough to go home. A lot of kids around Denver are getting this, and many are getting really sick. I feel fortunate that we only had to spend two nights at the hospital.

It was a bit strange to take a few days off of work after only having been back for 5 days. These kids seem to have a way of getting in the way of all sorts of plans. Bother. Annie is sleeping peacefully in her swing right now. The upright position helps her clear her airway when she gets an especially rough coughing jag. Lily had a hard time while I was away with Annie, but she handled it fine for a two year old. She was very happy when we got home, and couldn't wait to see her sister. She's a sweetie. No pictures to put up, but I just wanted to report on what has been going on!

Twinsies

As I have been looking at new pictures of Annie and going back through old pictures of Lily, I am amazed at how much they look alike. They aren't carbon copies of either one of us, but they seem to be of each other. I remember as a student in catholic school, there were often families with lots of kids. It was always interesting to me how all the kids in one family could look so similar, but not really like either parent; like the genes just always game together in the same way. Here are the two babies that we have put together in the Cribari house. Pretty crazy...

Lily

Annie

Lily

Annie

Cute pictures of the girls

With these two little girls, we are going to spend a fortune in clothes, shoes, silly jewelry and photo processing. Here are a couple of very cute shots from the past week.

Checking in

Recent radio silence is indicative of the way things are going here in the Cribari household. We are busy, tired and just making it through! Annie and Lily are doing really well, and everyone seems to be adjusting to the new family unit. Lily has become my shadow, and wants to either play with me, color with me or sit on my lap ALL THE TIME. It's very hard to turn down her little face saying "Mommy, stay here!" when I try to get up and go do something else. Annie is thriving and doing what a newborn is supposed to do. She is eating well, and sleeping in mostly 3 hour segments. She is definitely a snuggler and likes to be held as much as possible. Lily likes to hold her while she's watching Dora.

Paul and I are hanging in there. Paul is busy with teaching, studying for his doctoral qualifying exams and the general chaos of having a new baby in the house. I've been recovering from way too many complications with this pregnancy, and starting to feel better. Annie isn't super cooperative when it comes to the camera, but here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

Sisters!

Lily's budding fashion sense emerges

All smiles!

Who me?

Annie can't take her eyes off of whatever is in Nick Jr.

Time for a big update

Since Thanksgiving things have been both boring and busy. 8 weeks on bed rest made for some really boring stretches of time, but the holiday season with a toddler and a new baby on the way kept Paul really busy.

We are very pleased to welcome Anne Elizabeth Cribari to the family!! She was born on January 1, 2011 (1-1-11!) at 8:10 in the morning, weighing 8 pounds 1 oz, and measuring 22 inches long. After a few days on the blue bilirubin bed, she is doing great, sleeping, eating, and doing all the other things that newborns do. Lily wants absolutely nothing to do with her, and so far keeps calling her "Nana's Baby." She will not be so happy when Nana leaves and forgets her baby. Here are some pictures from the last month and a half or so, just to keep things up to date.

The Holidays are Here!

This time of year always seems so far off, but once it gets here, time flies by so fast. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Cassells and the Fords. We all met up in Evergreen at Dennis and Kelly's house for a wonderful meal and a lot of good time together. Sometimes I can't help but think about that fact that one blind date all those years ago in Houston, TX brought about this big family. What a great thing! Here are a few fun pictures from the weekend.

Screaming in the stairwell

Jerseys

Wearing Aunt Michelle's hat

What a beautiful girl!

All because two people fell in love

Happy Halloween 2010!