Our Saturday Afternoon...

Jack isn't quite ready to brave the cold yet so while Grace was outside sledding with Daddy, Jack played on his play mat and experienced his very first tummy time! Maddy & I loved watching Jack explore his hanging toys with his hands. Jack seems especially interested in music and musical toys. He did such a wonderful job turning his head toward the direction of the music.

While Jack was comfy cozy warm inside, Gracie girl was enjoying all of the newly fallen snow outside. Grace had such a fun time sledding with Daddy. Maddy & I could hear her giggling the whole time. We are expecting another large snowstorm tomorrow and we can't wait to take Grace outside again to make snow angels.

Waking Up To Fresh New Snow!

Grace was so excited to wake up to nearly ten inches of snow that had fallen overnight! After getting dressed Grace excitedly grabbed a hat, slipped on her Daddy's boots and proclaimed she was ready to go outside!

Bath Time!

Jack took his first at home bath last evening. We have already discovered that Jack wouldn't mind wearing the same clothes ~ a typical boy!

Finally all comfy, cozy, and warm again in the arms of Maddy.

Four Days Old!

Three Days Old!

Welcome Home Jack!

Jack is home. Hooray! Just prior to leaving the hospital, Maddy enjoyed some quiet time with Jack while Grace introduced herself and said "hi" to everyone in the hospital. Grace was so very excited to finally have Jack home. Grace stared with amazement at Jack in his car seat and then proceeded to give him a tour of each room of our house.

Two Days Old!

Our beautiful Baby Jack is two days old. We are all very excited that today is our last full day at the hospital. We are going home tomorrow! Our only concern is that Jack doesn't get any cuter overnight or he may be held for observation and further study.
Sitting on the window sill is an adorable reindeer that Grace made especially for Daddy. When Grace visited us in the hospital yesterday she brought handmade gifts for each of us that she made with Maddy. In addition to Daddy's reindeer, Grace made Mommy a beautiful picture using crayons, markers, and scented dot markers and made Jack a reindeer ornament that he can hang on our Christmas tree tomorrow.

Big Sister Grace

On Monday, Grace patiently passed time in the hospital waiting room by reading nursery rhymes while waiting to meet her little brother Jack for the very first time. Maddy & Poppy watched in amazement as Grace read all of the stories to them (she has the book at home and has memorized all of the rhymes). Grace even knows what parts of each story to emphatically emphasize.

Grace was eager to introduce Ella to Jack and to give him a new book on his birthday. This picture shows Grace walking down the hallway of the hospital in her Big Sister shirt just moments before she meets her new little brother!
Grace didn't hesitate at all in introducing herself to baby Jack. She was so excited to see Mommy and to finally meet Jack. Grace greeted them with a loud clear "Hi Mommy!" and "Hi Baby Jack!"

Grace is anxious to start doing big sister things and showing Jack the ropes. Grace has so many wonderful stories to share - The Bear Snores On, Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm, Baby Bundt, Gossie, Baby Yoga, and many other great books.
Grace wasted no time in expressing her affection for baby Jack. Grace gave Jack a big hug and a big kiss on his cheek.

Rebecca & I are so excited to see the bond between Grace and Jack begin to form. Grace is a caring, loving, beautiful, precious little girl and we are so blessed to add Jack to our family. We can't wait to go home tomorrow and begin our life as a family of four!

One Day Old

Jack had a big day today. He had his first bath and was dressed in his first outfit. He looked too cute in his striped footsie and baby hat with his name delicately stiched across the front by Maddy. He had a great mix of sleeping, feeding, and checking out his surroundings. Thank you so much to Memere and Pepere for visiting and to Maddy and Poppy for taking care of Big Sister Grace and driving in to Portland. You are all so very much appreciated and loved.

Rebecca is still doing an incredible job of taking care of all of Jack's needs while recovering. She has kept a great attitude and surpassed everyone's expectations following her major surgery.

"I'm Here!"

Welcome Baby Jack!

Rebecca, Grace and I are thrilled to announce that Jack Robert Leger and his chubby yummy legs arrived in this world at 12:54 PM today weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces and 19 inches long. We couldn't be more excited. He is a vision on perfection, matched only by his big sister and beautiful, courageous mother. Rebecca did marvelously and is now feeding and cuddling our miracle.

More pictures to come...

Livin' the Life in Limerick

We received this picture from Bob's cell phone. So unbelievably cute! Beans and cheese by headlamp.

Saturday Evening Update!

It is Mary Ann, again. Here is the latest update on the Legers. All is still the same, no electricity, no hot water, no lights on the Christmas tree (Grace's biggest disappointment right now!) and as Rebecca said, "Still, no shower"! They have decided to stay put at their home, batten down the hatches, and hold down the fort. Bob is cooking hot meals on their gas grill. The generator is providing power to the pellet stove. Grace is having her meals heated on this stove along with pots of hot water. They are all doing okay and making the most out of this situation. When it gets dark they are wearing headlamps. I think that they are brave and as Walter keeps saying, "Real-true Mainers". We are leaving tomorrow morning and will be there to help out in any way we can. Bob has made plans for Rebecca to take a shower on Monday morning so all is looking up! Get ready Baby Jack you'll be here in a day and a half entering into a special, caring and loving family. And we can't wait! See you tomorrow Grace!
Keep warm and sleep well, Little Legers.

In a State of Emergency...in More Ways Than One!

It is Maddy here, posting this from our home in Middlebury, Vermont. Rebecca and Grace phoned early this morning to say they have lost power due to a huge ice storm that has struck Maine. The entire state of Maine is in a State of Emergency. There are 500,000 homes in Maine and 220,000 are without power. Bob and Rebecca have a generator that is enabling their pellet stove to provide heat to their home. They are heating food on this stove. They are expected to be without power for days! Baby Jack is scheduled to arrive around noon on Monday, December 15th. What a story this will be for Jack to hear as he grows up! They will be traveling to Portland (where the hospital is) to spend tomorrow and Sunday at a hotel. We are unsure of our travel plans right now. We'll probably be leaving on Sunday. We have snow in Vermont but the travel conditions between our houses doesn't sound good. Oh my, the weather outside is frightful but they are trying to make this into a mini-adventure. We hear that Grace has been wearing a headlamp all day! Rebecca said that she was reading books from the light! Any advice for them...what would you do if you were having a baby in 2 days, have a two year old, couldn't take a shower, and were without power for days? Send them up some good thoughts.

Picture on top~Maine's ice storm

Picture on bottom~our front yard

Our Special Countdown To Christmas

Every morning after calendar time Grace & I sit near our Christmas tree and read a book together called Snowbear's Christmas Countdown by Theresa Smythe. The story is about a busy bear who gets ready for Christmas. The book is arranged so that you read one page per day until Christmas, similar to an advent calendar. However, I must admit that we have peeked ahead in the book! Grace & I really enjoy this time together each morning. Grace also loves her advent calendar. Every morning Grace peels off a numbered sticker to place on her calendar. This is a tradition that my Mom started with me once I left home for college and it has now become a special tradition that I love sharing with Grace.

Color Matching & Patterns

Grace had fun matching colors and making patterns using bear markers. This morning Grace helped me cut out several strips of paper and together we put colored stickers dots on the strips. Grace was then presented with a bowl of different colored bear makers. She did a wonderful job finding the correct colored bear and matching it to the corresponding colored dot. Grace then told me what color pattern she created (e.g., "green bear, yellow bear, green bear, etc..."). Grace enjoyed this activity and ended up making several different colors patterns!

Identifying & Matching Scents

Grace & I filled containers with a variety of scents today. Each container had a match so Grace could identify matching scents according to their smell and by sight. Some of the scents in the containers included: vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, shampoo, cayenne pepper, dill, and curry. First, Grace matched the scents within the containers by sight or according to the way they looked. Then Grace closed her eyes and told me whether the two scents I presented to her were the same or different. Grace really enjoyed this matching activity and kept asking for more. Later, I pulled all of the spices from our spice rack. Grace & I named each spice and talked about how each one smelled.

Foot Painting Friday!

Grace really LOVES to paint. I always try to incorporate some type of painting into Grace's art time each day. This summer Grace enjoyed painting her feet and walking along a long piece of paper to make a footprint painting so I decided to bring this summer time painting fun indoors today. Grace chose her paint colors, painted her feet, and created a beautiful masterpiece! We had such a fun time with this project and we can't wait to do it again!

Games!

Grace's new love is playing games. Grace does an amazing job spining spinners, taking turns, and understanding the concept of one-to-one correspondence. Some of Grace's favorite games include: Hi Ho Cherry-O, the Goodnight Moon Game, Memory, Oh Rats, and picture Bingo.