Just like Mommy

Natalie has become a charming little helper for me and Bret. She usually can handle small, specific tasks quite well, such as emptying the dishwasher (by handing me individual items), stirring things, throwing garbage away, etc.

She was a great help to Aunt Emily a couple of weeks ago when it came time to make salad...



And she helped me make banana bread the other day by mashing the bananas and holding the measuring spoons and cups as I poured ingredients into them.



At this rate, it won't be long before I'm her sous chef!


Today, I unpacked New Baby's bed -- a mini cosleeper. Before I'd finished setting it up, Natalie had collected her baby dolls and began changing their diapers in the new bed.



She also nursed one of her dolls in the storage compartment below the cosleeper, which I think Natalie thought was her new bed.


Don't worry, she will not be sleeping there on a regular basis!

New baby Tilly

We were blessed to get to meet new baby Matilda Jane Miller just hours after she was born on Monday, May 18. Tilly is tiny and beautiful and beautifully healthy and whole -- I can't look at her or her loving family without getting tears in my eyes. She makes me excited to have our own new little baby in a matter of weeks ... and at the same time, Bret and I are extra blessed to watch carefully as the Millers learn the ropes of parenting a toddler and a newborn.







I cherished watching Natalie's reaction to a brand-new baby. She was enthralled by Tilly's smallness and enjoyed pointing out her tiny facial features and gently patting her head and feet.

Our babies and their babies

The other day, Natalie and Hattie practiced some beautiful motherhood moves. I love watching them care for their baby dolls, and it's particularly cute when they wear them in their slings and carry them around the house.

In case you were wondering...

I was just updating the new baby's wish list and thought I'd preempt any questions about a possible baby shower... Right now, I'm thinking I'll reserve any shower possibilities until after the new baby arrives, especially if we have a boy.

In the meantime, I'm keeping the family Amazon wish lists updated :)

One of the neatest gift ideas I've come across is a Dream Dinners gift card, which would be handy before the baby is born. One Dream Dinners session (for about $170) would allow me and Bret to assemble 12 dinners and keep them in our freezer for up to four months...

Otherwise, we're pretty set on big-ticket items needed before the baby's arrival. I was able to find a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio infant car seat for $40 (it's a $275+ car seat!),
and a new Arms Reach Mini Metro cosleeper for less than $100.

I came to the realization that we won't be able to get Natalie feeling completely secure in her own bed before her sibling arrives, so a cosleeper seems like the best option. New Baby can sleep next to mama in the cosleeper, while Natalie can continue sleeping in the middle of the family bed. Plus, I really want to make sure she will not feel excluded from the bed she's grown up in...

I nearly forgot to mention that I also bought a nice and spacious diaper bag for $10 -- it will function as training wheels, so to speak, while I'm figuring out how to pack the requisite stuff for two kids. Some of the other diaper bags I've had my eye on were as much as $80 (they're still on my wish list :) )...

Not red yet...

Natalie is anxiously awaiting the ripening of our tomatoes. She will walk out into the backyard, peer at the tiny green fruit, and say "not red yet." Bret's teaching her that the tomatoes shouldn't be picked until they turn red -- an important lesson because she has picked at least one little green tomato before its time...

Easter, etc.

We Rookses have been enjoying some down time after a busy March and April. Here are a few snapshots of our growing family, starting with my growing belly (which is quite a bit bigger now, nearly a month after I took the photo).


We had a lovely Easter Sunday with our friendamily, the Millers. They came over for an early dinner after an Easter egg hunt in the back yard. Before the festivities, Natalie decorated some boiled eggs using washable markers and stickers. She had a great time, and the eggs were rather ... striking

Finally, some photos of the Fresno Zoo

At the end of March, we visited Grandma and Grandpa Rooks in Fresno. We spent a lovely Saturday morning at the Fresno Zoo, a place Grandma has wanted to take Natalie ever since she was born!

Starting strong with the elephants -- it was a blissfully warm (not hot) day...


Natalie particularly loved the monkeys and their acrobatics and jibber jabbering.


I have to confess that I was a little surprised that Natalie actually touched some of the animals in the petting zoo.



Bret said that she had a good time with the animals until she saw one poop on the ground.


Our growing family...


Finally, an answer to the age-old question: Is Bret taller than a gorilla?


All tired out after three hours walking around the zoo... Other favorite animals for Natalie included the prairie dogs and the sea lions.


Me (and Baby No. 2), Bret and Natalie, Grandma, and Uncle Wyatt (aka Uncle Woot)