Happy Birthday, Yianni!

At 3:00 am on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, my cousins Lisa and Tom gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Yianni Marinos Flevotomos. He weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 oz., and measured a whopping 22 1/2 inches. Wow!!!

I was more than ecstatic to be in the waiting room with the family eagerly watching the door for news of Yianni's arrival. I was even able to see my cousin Lisa a couple times before she delivered. She did great through the entire labor and delivery process. And once Ya Ya and Daddy Tom shared the wonderful news of Yianni's arrival, we were all lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the not-so-little guy. He is a cutie, but I think he is going to fit into 3 month clothes right off the bat. Lisa, you did amazing! Her in-room support team (Daddy, Nonna, Ya Ya) did great as well! Tommy even cut the cord.

I am thrilled that my girls have a new cousin their age to play with. We look forward to many play dates and fun outings together.

It's truly amazing how much love and joy one little person can bring to so many. I know first hand. There is nothing like it - that wonderful chaos we call parenthood.

Rachelle

a proud mommy and cousin

Rainbow Park

July 21, 2008

On Tuesday, Dean and I took the girls over to "Rainbow Park" in Dublin. Lauryn was quite content with the outing, while Jordan loved it! They had a cool rock structure with two slides coming down from it, a couple play structures, a huge sand box, and of course a water play area.

Jordan was having a blast just by running around the area and seeing kids everywhere she turned. She also liked the slides quite a bit. In fact, after she became comfortable with the slides, she told Dean and I, "Go far, far away. I want to do it all by myself!" I must admit, I was a bit nervouse as she climbed up and down the rocks by herself (they were pretty high), but she did it no problem. I am a bit proud of myself for not sneaking up behind her to make sure she would be okay. Alright ... I did try to, but Jordan caught me. I was waiting for her at the bottom of the slide when I was busted. She came back down the stairs (as I was waiting for her to come down the slide mind you), and said, "Go far, far away ..."

She also enjoyed the water area, as you may be able to tell from the picture.

We will definiteley be going back to "Rainbow Park" soon.

-Mommy

Pictures

She doesn't miss a beat

Jordan and I were wrapping up our nightly bedtime routine last night, and I dared to request a bedtime title of my choice. I thought we could read Little Melia's Big Poi Idea, but Jordan didn't seem to agree on mom's selection. I didn't expect her to say okay anyhow, so we proceeded to her bookshelves so she could pick her own book. I wasn't sure what she was waiting for (although she is great at stalling st bedtime), but she turned to me and said "Mommy, you go in my bed ..." She wanted to surprise me with the story choice for the evening. So, naturally I played along and got nice and cozy. Jordan then comes over to the bed with a big smile on her face and hands behind her back. Her surprise story for Mommy was in fact Big Poi Idea. She was so sweet about it, and so thrilled to surprise Mommy in that way.

After we read our book, we cuddled for a little bit and she asked me, "Is this my left hand, Mommy?" Indeed it was. She asked, "Is this my right hand?" It was. I then asked my little big girl, "How did you know?" She quickly replied, "Because I'm smart. I don't miss a beat."

-Mommy

A FUN MORNING (7-14-08)

"I go with you to the library if you want, OMA."
On the way my 'backseat driver' told me when to stop or when I can go. Then I was told that milk comes from cows and not from Safeway or Costco. We checked that out at the library and yes, milk comes indeed from cows. The farmer squeezes the cow's utter milk into a bucket, then he pours it into a big can and takes it to the dairy. There the milk gets worked on and then put into cartons and jugs and all goes to different stores.
We looked at some other books, walked the grounds outside, visited the Frog King and decided to have an ice cream at Fosters Freeze because it was a really hot day. Jordan ordered and paid for the cone all by herself. She looked like a mini-teenager in her ponytail and cropped jeans standing there by the counter... When we got the cone (and a spoon for me to help), she picked a seat by the window, so we could watch what's going on outside and we played, "I see...". There was really nice music playing in the restaurant and suddenly Jordan reached out her hand and said, "Do you want to dance, OMA?" She was already done with her moves by the time I worked myself out of the seat. Then we bought a big chocolate milkshake to take home for mommy and daddy to share.