Ever since Corinne bumped her head, our house has been a little bit more busy. Even though she’s been back to her old self after returning from the hospital, for some reason, things have been busier. Michael stayed home on Wednesday to keep an eye on Corinne (and to give me some time to rest…between going to bed late from Corinne’s accident & nursing Eleanor, I think I got about 3 1/2 - 4 hours of sleep on Tuesday night). Lilli, Eleanor, and I still went to the assisted living community - where the majority of the residents asked where my “other girl” was - and handed out “Autumn Trees” that we made from construction & tissue paper. As always, we had fun and look forward to next week!

Lilli has her second to last day of gymnastics tomorrow. She’s been doing it for two years and although she has enjoyed it, she is starting to loose interest - we feel it’s time to move onto something else. Come November, Lilli will be taking swimming lessons. After swimming, who knows? I’m inclined to say that it will be ballet. During one of our “Clarke Girls Dance Parties” yesterday afternoon, Lilli busted out a temps leve & an arabesque:

So she’s (way) turned in and she landed on a rolled in plie…we can work on that. But look at her line in her arabesque! Must have good genes….
Corinne is almost potty trained! We’re into our second week and she is doing MARVELOUS! We still use a cloth diaper for nap & bedtime, but other than that, Corinne loves her “big girl” undies & tells us when she has to use the “big girl” potty. Another plus - Corinne’s head is looking better. The swelling has gone down drastically, but of course there is a nasty bruise.

I thank God that we were able to see a doctor immediately. Do you know how many children are not able to get the medical attention they need? Do you know in many countries, there is a language barrier? Do you know that many children die from a single mosquito bite? I feel so silly worrying about a bump on the head.

I am thankful for this coming weekend….time with the family, coffee with my pastor’s wife, church, a picnic, & of course - more apple picking
What are your plans for the weekend?

This is what happens when you have an adrenaline junkie for a two year old daughter:

Michael usually tosses the girls into bed - it’s fun. they laugh, beg for more, you get the idea. But last night, Corinne literally launched herself at the same time and hit her head on the window sil. Thankfully, my good friend, Rachel, is a nurse and came over to assess the damage. She said even though it looked terrible, things were probably fine…but just to make sure, we should take her in. So late last night, Michael and Corinne went to the emergency room (did I mention we have awesome insurance and didn’t have to travel the two hours to the in network hospital?!). After an exam, the doctor said not to worry, that Corinne’s injury should go away within 5 days, but keep a close eye on her for any out of the ordinary symptoms.

Praise God!

Eight weeks! Tomorrow, that is, but we’ll be on a mini vacation and I wanted to get this posted….now.
Eleanor had her two month old check up this week and did quite well. I was so surprised when she weighed in at 12 lbs 1.5 oz.! What a little porker! She is in the 90-something percentile for both weight and height, so she’s quite proportional. Eleanor was not to thrilled with the THREE shots she had to get - she was so mad she screamed for the whole hour and a half ride home, but conked out as soon as we got there.

Corinne also had her physical (hey, living an hour and a half from the nearest HMO, I get everyone who needs a visit within similar timeframe done at the same time). She also had a shot. She didn’t scream though - only a few tears, a long snuggle from Poppa, and she was over it. She’s was eager, however, when asked by the doctor, to show off how smart she is: she could “jump,” point to different body parts, and say specific words. Corinne is also in the 90-something percentile for both weight and height.

All in all, it was a looong, but productive doctor’s visit. I’m so thankful that my girls are able to receive vaccinations. So many others around the world are not so lucky. (You can read about Jimma University pharmacy student, Endalkachew Fekadu’s, battle with TB here)

Here are a couple pictures of Eleanor at 8 weeks old. I couldn’t make up my mind which picture to use - I love her little Hanna moccasins, as well as her Robeez! She just looks so dang cute!

And I don’t know how I left this picture out from her 6 week birthday:

I love her little smile!

WOW! It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, let alone written a blog about a “Work in Progress.” Lilli has had a stomach bug going on four days now. (No worries yet though. Dr says it has to run it’s course…just keep her hydrated and rested) At first she didn’t think it was all that bad - what kid doesn’t like to relax, watch movies, & get out of doing chores? Especially since we had rain ALL weekend. Now that the sun is out again and that she had to miss a gymnastics class, Lilli’s getting “frustrated at the “buggie” in her tummy.

I, however, have had a little bit more time to sit and knit. I finished a soaker for Corinne and started on some longies for Eleanor. Let me tell you, I’m so excited about this longie project because:
#1 it’s my first attempt at longies
#2 they are knit on FLAT (woo hoo!) needles
#3 the designer has been so thorough that I don’t think I could mess this up (yes, I’m woo hooing even more now).
They are knit in two sections, a right and left side and sewn down the front and back. I’ve finished one half already and can’t wait to start the other side. I know I have a couple more months until Eleanor makes her debut, but one can never be too prepared
Since Lilli has also had some *down* time, she has joined me in knitting. For her birthday, her grandfather sent her a weaving kit to get her started. (I personally love this because it’s a great tool for hand-eye coordination). She’s been having a blast “knitting” and is in the process of making a pillow for her stuffed animals. She’s finished one half of the pillow…all that’s left is the other side, some stuffing, and them mom to sew the halves together.

Until next week…