April - May 1999

When we brought Jake home from the hospital, Becky quickly slipped into the doting big sister role. She ran to fetch bottle, blankets and toys for him, saying "sweet sweet Jakey." She helped change his diapers and even offered comforting words such as "Don't worry Jake...it's ok." She carried her baby doll around and said "Let's try a burp" to it. Becky was excited when Jake started smiling or learned to bat a toy or kick something. She applauded his efforts with "Good job!"

April was certainly a busy month for us! Along with bringing home our newest cutie, Bernie started a new job at Teamshare, the first batch of Snugaroo baby blankets were made, our landscaping was completed, and we got a tax refund for once!

Uncle Jon & Veronica came to visit us. We took a memorable trip to the zoo, and Becky decided that Veronica's name was Harmonica...and still proceeds to call her "Harmonga." In late May we took our first trip with 2 kids to Washington DC for Uncle Herb's wedding. We introduced Becky & Jake to many relatives, and Becky danced up a storm at the wedding reception. We even got to play with our friends Karen, Paul & Conner in nearby Olney, Maryland.

We bought Becky a "big girl" twin-size bed a few months before Jake was born. She loved pretending to sleep in it: She would get under the covers, put her head on the pillow, and act like she might nap there...only to shriek "No no no...cribby!" at the last minute. Finally we moved her crib into Jake's room right before we went on our trip. When we returned home, Becky started sleeping in her own bed with the dolls and favorite blanket to keep her company.

During this time, Jake developed a backbone and became less floppy. He graced us with big flirty smiles, and his eyes followed us closely. We thought he looked like Uncle Jon's baby pictures. Becky became quite a chatter box. Here are some of the things she was saying: "You go this way, I'll go that way"; "Baa Baa black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir three four five"; "Daddy's tired. He should go take a rest in the bed. Mommy's bed."; "...H, I, J, K, ELMO, P..."; "Pretty soon..."; "Someday..."; "That'd be fun!"