A bunch of updates...including our first trip to the ER

I'll start with the ER trip as I'm sure many of you are wondering if it was from Francesca jumping off our ottoman...her newest trick (Thanks to Hailey!). It wasn't. I woke up last week to find some drainage from TJ's ear. After a trip to the pediatrician's office, they sent us to the ER because (little did I know) they don't treat an ear infections in a 6-week old with oral antibiotic. So, we sat in an ER room from about 4pm until we were admitted at 2:30am. Do you know the kind of clientele an ER solicits at that time of night...it was an interesting experience to say the least. My little man was a trooper though and after a couple of doses of IV antibiotics we got to go home the next afternoon. It took us all a day or so to catch up on rest, but everyone is feeling much better. Thanks to Gramma P. and David for taking good care of Francesca while we were gone.

It is good that everyone is doing better because we celebrated Daddy's birthday on the 15th. Francesca helped me make a cake (She dumped everything in and licked off the beaters). Thanks to Grammie and Grampie who came up that night to watch the kids so Mommy could take Daddy out to dinner, and then we came home to enjoy the cake. Happy Birthday is certainly one of Francesca's favorite songs (as a matter of fact she wanted me to sing it when she saw me posting the pics below). She especially loves to have it sung about her...so we'll be practicing until her birthday rolls around in March!! The twins were 8 weeks old yesterday - where has the time gone!!! They are getting big and starting to coo and goo. I hear it all the time now (even from their swings or cribs) and just love the sound of their sweet little voices. We're also getting a lot more smiles (some of which I tried to capture in the pictures below). Francesca continues to be a fran-tastic big sister. She loves TJ and Ella. She loves to give them hugs and kisses and tries to share just about everything with them. Her vocabulary continues to expand everyday, and she loves to now take baths in mommy's big tub. We are very lucky to have such happy and (now) healthy kids and are excited for them to continue to play with and love each other.

OK, so not the best picture after they had all just woken up, but the three of them none the less!!

Francesca really did enjoy making the cake - despite me not being able to capture a smile.

Daddy blowing out his candles.

The next few capture Ella and TJ's 8-week antics.