Welcome!

Thanks for reading and getting to know the Knolls. The States-side Knolls, anyway. Dylan and I love and live with 2-year-old Paul and 6-week-old Adeline in Minnesota, and I'm starting this blog in an effort to keep you, our dear family and friends, in touch with our goings-on ~ now that they've gotten a little crazier with the addition of baby #2. This first entry will be a recap of life since little Ada joined us, but please visit Tiny Busy Bee for a summary of her busy birthday weekend back in January.

Since then, we've seen 6 people to visit, one fall in an icy parking lot, one smashed pair of glasses, 8 cases of stomach flu, a baptism, 3 delayed and/or cancelled flights, icy driving conditions, the bar exam, at least 3 nights of inconsolable newborn crying, 2 nights of 6 hr sleep, delivered meals, the first week home alone with 2 kiddos, and Ada's first smile. Plus a bunch of other little things, but those are the major ones that stick out.

Now for a few details. Nana visited, joined by Gran Susan and then Pappy, Tante Ginny, Uncle Pete, and Uncle Ryan. With the exception of Susan and Ryan, everyone suffered from a 24-hr(ish) stomach flu, starting with Paul and working its way through the family to me, Dylan, Ada, Nana, Ginny, Peter, and finally Pappy. It was horrendous and needs no further chronicling. Better to discuss why all these folks were up in Minnesota in the first place during one of the nastiest winters in a very long time: Adeline's Baptism! She was baptized by Fr. Jim Steffes at St. Augustine's on February 16th, and it was lovely to be able to share that with the family - especially Gin & Pete, her godparents.

After her baptism, both of Paul & Ada's grandmothers got to spend a little more time with them while the others flew back South. Once Susan could finally return to Australia (after many changes of plans given the weather!), Dylan left for New Orleans for a week of taking the Louisiana bar exam, after which he enjoyed his very first (very small) taste of real Mardi Gras. He even brought me home a piece of king cake for my own tasting. Then Nana went back home after her longest stretch of being away from home - away from my dad and her dogs for 4+ weeks! 

Next up on the challenge list (as if the previous glitches weren't enough in the early postpartum weeks) was to manage both Paul and Adeline all by myself during Dylan's work day. How was I supposed to do it? Literally do it? Where does one go when the other needs x? How can I prepare lunch, just sandwiches? In an effort to help me ease the transition, Dylan came home for lunch everyday last week. Just to break up the day, if nothing else. But we 3 did alright! Out of 5 days, I only had one hairy naptime -- just had to figure out the Paul wants Ada next to him when he naps. And the other tasks just got slowly done. It obviously doesn't hurt that Dylan has neither bar prep nor study to do in the evenings anymore, so he took on much more. It's been awesome!

And now Adeline's 6 weeks old, that arbitrary, nonsensical date when things magically return to some degree of normalcy and "postpartum" is no longer a necessary label; someone at church even said she's not a newborn anymore. Anyway. It's been 6wks since our lives drastically changed, and they have indeed taken on a (slightly) more normal feel. I do still wonder how I'll manage to cook like I did pre-baby #2 ... but I guess I wondered that after baby #1!

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Our good friends in St. Paul, Pete & Denise, came down for a visit this weekend and shot some (excellent!) photos of us all. Here, a few examples: