Breakfast with Sidney

As I mentioned in a previous post, we got the phone call that Charlie was coming back to us the night before I left for my two-week vacation in Italy. I can't even begin to say how much work it was for Tori to manage three kids ages three and under while I was away. Our friends were a huge help to us and we appreciate all of their efforts, but there was one friend in particular who went above and beyond the call of duty.

Sidney came over every single morning before work and helped Tori from 6:45am to 8:15am. I heard that she had volunteered for this right before I got on the plane and I felt so relieved and thankful that someone was going to be helping Tori in the mornings. Can you imagine waking up at the crack of dawn every day for two weeks to help take care of someone else's kids? According to Tori, she cooked, cleaned, played with the kids, and was an all around superstar.

When I got back from vacation, Tori shared this cute video of an idea Sidney had to surprise the kids by filling the bathtub up with balloons. I realize that all kids love balloons, but Skip has a very special obsession with them. It's unreal. So he was VERY excited about this and in the video you just hear him repeating "Boon! Boon! Boon!"

So thank you, Sidney, for all that you did while I was away and all that you continue to do for our family. We are very lucky to have you in our lives!

Balloon Mania from Kate K. on Vimeo.

New and Improved Charlie

Now that Charlie is seven months old, I think he's gotten over all his newborn fussiness and has been really great. He loves to sit on the carpet and watch Skip and Zadie (and especially Skip). They crack him up. And he also loves grabbing stuff, shoving it in his mouth, and drooling like a madman.

So this video is proof positive that Charlie is an adorable and happy baby. And very fat. He's gotten even fatter, but the doctor says that's okay.

Belly Laughs with Charlie from Kate K. on Vimeo.

A Trip to Italy and the Return of Charlie

My mom mentioned something a few months ago about wanting to invite her daughters on a special mother-daughter trip somewhere in Europe and of course I hopped right on that and shortly thereafter we had booked tickets for us to travel to Italy together. We spent two weeks in Italy (4/5 to 4/19) and it was wonderfully relaxing and beautiful. Kim and I were spoiled with great food and wine and the three of us traveled together really well.

I'd like to write more about Italy, but I almost want to share a very important update about my immediate family. The night before I left for Italy we got a call that Charlie was being removed from his sister's home and asking us if we would take him, which of course we did. As much as I felt happy that we could be there for him, I felt really, really awful about the fact that I was leaving Tori with three kids for two weeks. Charlie was coming that next morning (after I was gone) and we didn't have a crib, clothes, food, a car seat, etc. So we had lots of scrambling that night for sure.

The bad news is that Tori had a pretty rough two weeks. Our kids were sicker than they have ever been before and even Tori got really sick. I'm talking lots and lots of vomiting -- in beds, on carpets, couches, and everywhere in between. Taking care of three little kids in excellent health would have been challenging enough, but with her being sick it was just really tough. There's just no way I would have been able to deal with all that she did.

The good news is that (1) Charlie is WAY easier now than he was when he was younger. He's just a much happier baby and doesn't need to be held every moment, especially because now he sits up on his own and can interact with Skip and Zadie more. And (2), we had an array of friends and co-workers who totally rallied to help Tori out and come over in the mornings and evenings and weekends. I will write more later about that, but I so appreciate everyone's help with that. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We really don't know what is going to happen regarding Charlie's placement. We are hopeful that we will get to keep him, but we're really not sure and we just want to be focused on providing a happy and loving home for him. We love him and want the very best for him.

Visit from Suzan and Benny

Skip and Zadie were delighted when our friend Suzan and her dog Benny showed up last night right before their bedtime. Although Skip was at first afraid of the dog, they loved playing with him and giving him treats. They especially loved when he went under the couches searching for their long-lost toys.

Thanks for the visit, Suzan!