Baby Bennett is Here!

Caroline Bennett Webster (previously referred to as "Cousin Baby") has arrived! Bennett is the daughter of Frank's twin brother, Rob, and our twin-in-law, Lauren. She has tiny little features (like Sophie did!) and, underneath that hat, some strawberry blonde hair. (A good thing -- since her family's blogpage is known as The Red Webs.)

On Tuesday morning, driving Sophie to pre-school, I explained that Bennett was on her way.
Momma: Aunt La-la is going to the hospital today and she's going to have Baby Bennett!
Sophie: She's going to have a little sister for meeeeeeee?
M: Well, not exactly. Bennett will be your cousin baby, remember?
S: Oh. Her my FAVORITE FRIEND.

Welcome to the world, Bennett! We can't wait to see you in March!

A Typical Conversation with Sophie

Standing in line in the pharmacy, I realize that Sophie has been talking to me and I've been zoning out:
Sophie: Yes or no?
Momma: What?
S: Yes or no or just okay?
M: What was the first question?
S: Yes or no?
M: No, I mean before that. What am I answering?
S: Just okay?
M: Okay.

Then, loading her back into the car, I offer Sophie some Smart Puffs (a sort of popcorn-flavored cheese puff thing):
M: Want some of these Smart Puffs?
S: Fart smuffs?
M: No..Sssssssmart Puffs. Sssssuuuummmmm-mart.
S: Sure. I'll have sssssuuuuuummmm more.
S: I wanna hold that thing (indicating the whole bag of Fart Muffs).
M: You wanna hold what? (trying to get her to say Smart Puffs).
S: The wrapper. I wanna hold the wrapper.
So I hand it to her, and she looks at Albert Einstein on the bag and says:
S: Oooooh, Daddy! I'm eating these just like Daddy!

So I shove a handful of Fart Muffs in my mouth and shut up.

Sick Day

Sophie's school called me at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday to tell me that she had a 101 degree fever, needed to be picked up immediately (umm...we always pick her up at 5 o'clock -- did they fear the plague?), and could not come to school on Wednesday. After a few moments of panic about work stuff, I realized that Dante could wait one more day to reach the ninth circle of hell. I spent a day in my own special realm of "My washcloth fell off! I wanna watch Sesame Street again! Cow's sick...cow needs a washcloth, too! More mediciiiine!!!" By the way, her fever dropped to 99 degrees by Tuesday night, but hovered there on Wednesday. We had a nice day of cuddling on the couch and painting and reading books (and dragging her up to school with me because I had to be fingerprinted and then dragging her to the doctor with me for a Little-Critter check-up). My diagnosis based on the evidence below? She's FINE. It's back to school for both of us today.

Shoebox Bounty

This is Sophie on Valentine's Day, 2008, just before she heads off to school. Mommy and Daddy gave her this little stuffed puppy (thank you, dollar aisle at Target) which she quickly named "Alex." There's a Xander at her school, but no "Alex." This afternoon I asked her what the dog's name was and she said, "Mango." Then "Alex!" Then she started singing the "Signing Time with Alex and Leah" theme song from one of the two television shows we let her watch. Sigh. Just another t.v. junkie!

After school, here's Sophie's shoebox-mailbox bounty of VDay cards. Hooray for mail! (Especially when a lollypop is taped to the mail.)

Valentine Video

Sophie is making a card for her friend, Samantha, but you know what she writes on the Valentine? "I LOVE MOMMY." That's my sweet girl!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Maggie wrote a HILARIOUS blog-post on Monday about standing in the grocery store aisle looking at the slim pickin's of Valentine's cards, and it occurred to me that we were facing another Sophie First: "the first Valentine's Day that counts." The first that involves shoebox mailboxes and candy and stickers and...popularity. So after bathtime and storytime, and during Frank and Sophie's singing time, I snuck away and high-tailed it to the VERY EMPTY Valentine's aisle at Target. I've never seen anything like it -- not even the school supply aisle the night before school starts -- it was a rocky, barren place. So at 9 p.m., my contacts blurry and my outlook bleary, I found myself staring at a looooong row of empty shelves and about six remaining boxes of cards. Our choices included: BRATZ (teenage hoochie mamas with lipgloss and boobs) SHREK III (not a bad choice, but Sophie hasn't seen the movie and it IS a big, green monster -- potentially scary), and a Cathy cartoon reading "Cupid is Stupid." Oh yeah...and one remaining box of Spiderman.

So I crossed the store and went to the outrageously priced scrapbooking aisle where I found some V-Day stickers and character-free cards. It took us a bit longer to decorate and write messages in all those cards, and I hid the stickers that said "My Crush" and "Flirt" and "Ooh La La" until we got to Laney's card (they do plan on getting married, after all, and I didn't want to freak out Jason or Xander's moms).

I guess it was worth the extra time and money -- Sophie had a great time playing with the stickers and licking envelopes. Next year, I'll buy the cards when they first go on display -- sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Saturday, at the park...

We're living the life of Riley, here. I hope the groundhog was wrong, I really do. Let's just keep it in the 70's until late March, when Texas Summer begins. I know what you're thinking...are you sure about that, Preggo? Are you really ready for another hot summer if you're going to be all roly-poly by the pool? Yes. Yes, I am.

It's blue, baby!

Sophie has a doll she calls Baby Tom. She has a similar looking girl doll that she first named "Jesus," but that name morphed into Pink Baby Tom.

Frank and I went to our 20 week ultrasound appointment today and the verdict is in: it's a BLUE BABY! We're thrilled to know that we're going to have one of each, and a little overwhelmed, too (I speak for myself, here) to know that we're entering into a whole new realm of parenting. I know what to do with Pink Baby Tom (aka Sophie), but I guess I need to hone my destructive, dirt-eating, scab-picking, football-throwing skills.

Good news for our soon-to-be-here cousin babies, Bennett and Sadie Kate: we've got some girl clothes we won't be recycling in the Webster household! Oh, we're not opposed to little "Stevie Ray" wearing pink, but anything with bows or laces is now up for grabs. And if you see a football on sale, send it our way. :)

Playground Photoshoot

Frank has been experimenting with the new camera AND with some photo layout software -- check out his playground photoshoot by clicking on the link below:

http://www.frankandstacy.net/Sophie/

You ARE a pill

Subtitle: Because I said so.
Sub-sub-title: Oh, Pickles!

A few quick Sophie-stories for ya...

Lately, she likes to pretend like she is sick. (I was sick for a couple of weeks with a sinus infection, and I think all my couch-lounging and whining set a bad example for her.) Anywho, she demands a pill when she's sick. Since we don't want to over-dose on Flinstone's vitamins, we've started giving her mini-marshmallows as "pills." She's fighting an addiction, now. At least three pills a day. We may have to stage an intervention soon.

And the word of the day is... WHY?!? She has asked this question before, but never with the frequency and ferocity that started this weekend. Oh yeah...Frank was out of town this weekend. So our entire weekend went something like this: Me: Time to take a bath. Sophie: Why? Me: Because you're dirty. Sophie: Why? Me: Because you turned your pbj into an open-faced sandwich and you have jelly on your nose. Sophie: Why? Me: Because it protrudes from your face. Sophie: Why? Me: Because you'd look funny if it went the other direction. Sophie: Why? Me: Because society has certain expectations of the way faces should look....GET IN THE BATHTUB!!!!

And one last update. Every morning she demands a granola bar and milk. Sometimes we manage to get some egg in there, or cereal, but breakfast always begins with a granola bar and milk. Today she stumbled groggily into the kitchen and said, "I want some water. And a pickle." And she ate it up, folks.