Happy birthday, Phoebe!

This Saturday, February 6th, our little girl Phoebe turned 5. She is 9 1/2 years younger than Sophie, so having her was a lot like having a baby for the first time. I hadn't been married when I had Sophie, so that was different. I had long forgotten the baby/toddler years now that Sophie was self-sufficient (for the most part) in terms of bathing, dressing, sleeping, and eating. I hadn't saved a lot from Sophie's babyhood, aside from a few toys and books, so the process of acquiring all of the baby things was again new and exciting. Anyway, though she was due on my birthday, she ended up being born 8 days late on Super Bowl Sunday. I think the Packers won. I put the game on in my room, but I was a bit tired, and just enjoying snuggling my delicious little newborn.

Birthday

She had her umbilical cord wrapped three times around her neck and wrapped around her arm and legs, so that lovely scratch on her forehead is from the catheter used to supplement the amniotic fluid to relieve pressure on the umbilical cord during contractions. Her heart rate would slow during my contractions, so they were somewhat worried. Luckily, we chose one of the best hospitals in the area for the births of our girls, and they managed everything really well. She was the most calm, sweet little baby. She didn't cry during any of her exams or injections in the hospital, and they kept telling me how awesome that was, considering some of them were considered painful. She was a perfect baby, and we all left the hospital after the standard 48 hours.

One year.

Two years.

Three years, first year in Germany.

Four years old.

5 years old with her 70 year old fossil dust. Chair picture coming soon.

For the third birthday in a row, we have visited a local dinosaur museum. It has a lot of information, but the coolest part of the whole experience is the habitats that they have recreated with animatronics. You feel like you've stepped into a dinosaur's territory. There are a ton of cool things to see, especially if you are young, love dinosaurs, and have a bit of imagination. They also have an indoor park, which is great for a February birthday. So, we toured the museum again. Phoebe worked on a fossil and was gifted some 70 million year old fossil dust (see above picture). And we played. Then, we came home, had friends over for beer brats and cupcakes and presents. It was a great night. A wonderful day and evening to commemorate the birth of our Phoebe.

Phoebe's fossil gift

One of the more intense scenes from medieval England

Nothing like some cotton candy after playing for a few hours.

Way too happy about medieval torture.

Vivi wanted to do it too.

Vivi is drilling away at the fossil.

Phoebe taking her turn with the fossil drill.

Vivi, Phoebe, and her friend who joined us at the museum that day, in one of the habitats.

Altogether it was a wonderful birthday. We're so happy to have such an incredible child in our family. Just for posterity's sake, let me talk about Phoebe as a five year old. She's still allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame, and it doesn't look like she will outgrow any of those allergies any time soon. She's pretty good at counting, and we're working on learning how to read. She knows a lot about dinosaurs and planets. She also has a healthy appreciation for princesses. Her favorite holiday is Halloween. Her favorite structured activity is gymnastics. She's also in a combination tap and ballet class that she enjoys. When school starts, we may not be able to continue with both, but we shall see what we can handle. She's still sucking her thumb. She and her younger sister alternate playing well together and fighting with another. She adores her older sister. She's looking forward to having a baby around and says that she can sleep in her room, under her bed. That's our Phoebe!