Grandma Tia is Here!

My mom could not stay for long this time -- she's busy getting ready for a 3-year mission in Russia. However, she was still a trooper to fly all the way out here and deal with jetlag just to return a week later. Sadly, I was in the hospital most of the time she was here, so I only had 2 days with her. But Anna and Mariah loved having her around. She brought them new books and they made her read them all every night.

Books to Anna's heart's desire!

Did Frog and Toad really do that? . . . Let me see. . . No, let me see!

Tyler is kicking back with Daddy on the couch. See how nicely he takes that pacifier? Good boy!

Welcome to the World Baby Tyler!

Introducing Tyler Madden Woolley, our newest addition to the family.

He was born Saturday morning, January 17, at the healthy weight of 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Tyler has a legacy name. It is the name of Rob's grandfather, who passed away this year, and also Rob's middle name and his father's middle name. Madden is Rob's other grandfather's family name. This baby has a lot to live up to. We are absolutely thrilled he is here!

Here are a few pictures, not really great but something.

Hello World!
I was actually due on January 15 and I had terrible sciatica, so I begged my doctor to induce me. He agreed and I started with prostoglandin on Friday morning. Unfortunately, this didn't go so smoothly and the whole ordeal took 16 hours -- quite exhausting. But we are so glad to have him here healthy and sound.

Tired but Proud Parents. . .
The girls came to visit later in the morning. They brought their baby dolls so that they could show Baby Tyler their babies too. When they realized that Tyler wasn't as interactive as they expected, they lost interest and just ran around the room. Anna also asked me "Why is your tummy still big?"

A first visit from two happy big sisters.

You will note that Tyler is not wearing the typical blue-and-white-striped swaddling blanket that is worn by most babies born in U.S. hospitals. (Who controls that blanket monopoly anyway?) Oh no, the Swiss do it their own way. No swaddling or hard beds. Instead, the baby wears cute little pajama clothes, sleeps on a soft mattress and is surrounded by puffy comforters. They don't seem to get smothered as they warn you in the U.S. However, things did get a little funny when they brought him to me Saturday morning all dressed in pink with a little pink cap. (I guess pink is okay for European guys, right?) I sent him back, requesting blue or yellow.

Baby Tyler snuggling all comfy in his soft bed.

Daddy bonding time with his new son.

My mom has been a lifesaver, as usual. She flew out Thursday evening, which worked out perfectly for us. She's been taking care of the girls non-stop ever since, despite her jetlag.

Yeah, Grandma's here.
Did I mention that I'm hanging out in luxury? I'm in a private Swiss clinic that is more like a hotel than hospital. Every meal is gourmet and delicious and I get to stay here 5 days while nurses care for my baby (if I want it). I'm getting a little restless, but I'm going to take advantage of this break as much as I can before I'm home alone with 3 kids!

We're waiting, baby, we're waiting. . .

Here I am, 50 pounds overweight and ready to pop. . .This baby needs to come soon.

I Wish My Freezer Were Bigger Than a Shoebox

Okay, so I admit it, I'm nesting. I'm 2 days away from my actual due date and I'm dying to get this baby out. I've already cleaned and organized things several times over. I keep buying loads of groceries, thinking that I need to stock up in case I have to go to the hospital. The only problem is, this has been happening for 3 weeks. That means I have to keep cleaning and organizing and restocking food. I love the fact that all the food in Switzerland is fresh, fresh, fresh. But this freshness creates a problem -- perishable goods last 3-4 days max. Well than, just freeze it, you say. This is a problem too. Most freezers here are just about the size of a shoebox. Why? I have no idea.

Quote of the Day

Daddy: Anna, are you going to go to Harvard Business School or Stanford Business School?
Anna Claire: Silly Daddy, I'm going to go to kindergarten.

Happy Birthday Mariah!

We celebrated Mariah's 2nd birthday today. Partly because of Anna's enthusiasm, Mariah has been looking forward to this day for awhile. She told everyone at church today "I 2-years-old." I sent some cupcakes (sans frosting) to her nursery class so that they could all celebrate with her. We are so glad to have Mariah bring sparkle to our lives. At dinner, we went around the table talking about all the things we like about Mariah. Daddy said he liked her enthusiasm, her willingness to snuggle, her infectious laugh and her independence ("No, I do it!" "No, I sing it."). I said that I liked that she was such a healthy eater (As I said this, she stole my green beans--she can't get enough of them.), that she was truly sensitive to others' feelings (she brings Anna her blanket when she gets hurt), and that I love her hippety-hop skip. Anna Claire said that she liked that Mariah played with her and did lots of fun things with her. We truly love you Mariah!

Here is the birthday girl blowing out the candles!

I made Mariah a white kitty cat cake with pink strawberry flavoring inside. She loves kitties right now and crawls around the house saying "meow, meow". It is always tricky making cakes here because the ingredients are different. I wanted sugared coconut, but they only have dry, unsweetened coconut here so I ended up adding a touch of milk to make the powdered sugar stick, then toasting it. It wasn't quite the same as the American kind, but it worked.

Here is little Mariah showing the train wreck in her mouth.

"Hey, Mariah, I can do that too."

Opening gifts -- the first one was a kitty cat, of course. But her big gift was a backpack for school. Mariah begins her first day of pre-school tomorrow.

Once There Was a Snowman. . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

We rang in the New Year last night with a family pajama party. After eating dinner at our local American diner -- Cindy's -- we headed home to eat banana splits and popcorn while watching "Dumbo". All of us were tuckered out by about 8:00pm. I crashed before midnight -- but was quickly awoken by all the fireworks and churchbells ringing around our neighborhood. Normally, the Swiss are extremely protective of the peace -- but apparently not when ringing in the New Year.

This morning, Rob made us a delicious pancake breakfast, complete with Mickey Mouse pancakes for the girls. I didn't know he was so talented at tossing flapjacks. Then he took the girls outside to build a snowman in the fresh snow.