Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

This year was a very special Thanksgiving because it was Caitlin's 1st Thanksgiving!
Here's a recap of our Thanksgiving in pictures!!!


Our little turkey! We picked this onsie out back in August, so it was so special to finally have our daughter here to wear it!


Abigail and I made chocolate-covered pretzels to bring with to Thanksgiving. Abigail ate one pretzel for every 2 I dipped in chocolate. Check our her new slippers...Thanks Tracey and Andrew for the gift, she LOVES them!!!!

Caitlin catching up on sleep with Aunt Katie on Thanksgiving Eve. Aunt Katie spent the night visiting with the girls and the morning of Thanksgiving helping get the girls ready! Kate, the offer to hire you as our nanny is still on the table!

Miss Abigail on Thanksgiving. This cup of water was hours of entertainment for her.

Beth, Great-Grandma Fran, Bob, Neici, and Rob. Rob and I are so blessed that our families spend Thanksgiving together!

My dad with Turkey#1.

My mom with the turkey.

All the Thanksgiving excitement really wore Caitlin out. She never woke up once the whole day!

Our Thanksgiving Family Tradition...Shots when we turn on the Christmas lights! Rob and I were watching Nat'l Lampoon X-mas Vacation and we decided that next year my dad is going to have to add a "Joy to the World"...but we did get a great drumroll this year!

And the lights!!! The whole house used to be full of lights...but my dad is getting wiser with age! :) For those who don't know the "ladder" story from when I was a kid, that's for another time!

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And who could forget this adorable picture of Abigail when she was a newborn???? We found a very similar bowl at my mom's house and decided to recreate this picture with Caitlin.




So after a few drinks and a shot....this is what we got:

Okay, the bowl is too small, Caitlin was not happy, and the effect is NO WHERE the same....but it sure was funny when we did it! Poor Caitlin.

It was a LONG and WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!!! We have so much to be thankful for this year....namely 2 little miracles!!!!!!

*Thank you to Aunt Katie for your pictures...because I didn't take many pictures I don't have any of Aunt Katie because they are mostly from her Camera!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

HAPPY 2 Weeks, Babycakes!!!!


HAPPY Due Date!

HAPPY 23 Months, Princess! (1 month away from the big 2!)

We've been keeping busy in the Wennerstrom Home! As you can see, today Caitlin is 2 weeks old! Also, today was Caitlin's due date! Today Abigail is also 23 months old! Lots of mini-milestones for us! Mommy and Daddy are learning a lot about balancing 2 kids...1 being in the PRIME of her terrible 2's!

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Everyone has been asking how Abigail is doing with the new baby. She LOVES Caitlin and wants to change her diaper, hold her, kiss her, and play with her. She asks for her "baby sister" 1st thing when she wakes up and has to say "Bye Bye Baby Sister" whenever she leaves the room, and wants to only pray for her baby sister before bed. She also has discovered her maternal side...every baby doll gets love everyday. She feeds them, walks them in her stroller, rocks them, burps them, and loves them. However, Abigail is having a little bit of a hard time with the less attention she has been getting from Mommy. I'm learning how to balance the two, and she's adjusting to our new normal...and things get better each day!

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Miss Caitlin Elizabeth is doing GREAT!!!! She's a very content baby during the day! She eats A LOT (we have a dr. app't tomorrow and I can't wait to see her weight). She is awake most of the night (last night I got a total of 3 hours of sleep between 10pm and 6am) but I know this stage will go fast so I'm trying to just enjoy our quiet time together. Other than that, she's only awake a few hours during the day...but we know in a few weeks from now how old she is going to look to us!

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Here's some pics of our week:

Mommy got me a Wubba-Nub (basically like a beanie baby attached to a paci that holds the paci in place) and I am very happy with my monkey!

Playing together (sort-of)

Aunt Julie came out to help for a day this week. Thanks so much!!!

They were staring at each...but Abigail saw me get the camera. Priceless moment for this proud mommy!

Abigail decided to teach Caitlin how to read her flashcards! This is how I found Caitlin! :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Luca! We had so much fun at your Cat in the Hat Party!!!!

Sunday Night was Pizza Night. Daddy taught Abigail how to make a pizza...and how to keep everything CLEAN! Oh No..I'm outnumbered!

Sunday night was also Caitlin's 1st bath since her umbilical cord finally fell off! Abigail LOVED bath time as a baby...in fact, the only time she didn't cry during her baptism was when they were pouring water on her head...but Caitlin does NOT love bath time. Although they look a lot alike, Rob and I are already noticing so many differences in the two girls! We can't wait to watch them grow up!

This week Aunt Katie (O'Connor) came out to meet Caitlin (Thanks for breakfast and coffee). Also, we went to the Hackneys so Caitlin could meet her auntie Nay Nay, uncle Jay, and "brothers" (they call Baby Abbi their sister...now they call Baby Caitlin their sister too) and Auntie Lia and Uncle Eric..plus some soon-to-be friends. Caitlin can't wait to meet her new friends that are soon to come...and start kindergarten with them! ;)

Mommy found a new favorite past time. She used to love shopping for Abigail. Now she loves shopping for Abigail and Caitlin. Just wait for Xmas pics to come...Mommy got matching pj's and coordinating Xmas outfits! Oh, the joy of 2!!!!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Week!

We Need to Fight..Because Babies Shouldn't Have To!

Today is National Prematurity Awareness Day!

We are forever grateful for the research done by March of Dimes that gave us our daughter, Abigail...and for the research that continues to be done to save more and more babies everyday!!!! Did you know that 1 in 8 babies will be born premature in the US?

Today is a reminder to support your local March of Dimes and your local hospital so more babies have outcomes like Abigail!!!! We will continue to support March of Dimes and Central Dupage Hospital to say Thank You for our beautiful, healthy daughter! We pray that other families won't have to experience a preemie in the NICU, but if they do, we are so grateful for places like CDH!

Here's a look back at our preemie, Abigail!

Born on December 22, 2007 weighing 3lbs, 3 oz. This was our 1st family hold...X-mas morning in the hospital!

Mommy's 1st hold on day 3...we were only able to hold her once a day for 15 minutes at the beginning...imagine not being able to hold your baby!

Abigail's 1st bottle! She was tube fed the first few weeks of life!

Watching our baby thrive in CDH thanks to the amazing staff...and research by March of Dimes.

Abigail at 2 days old in her incubator.

Abigail almost 2 years later! All we have to say is "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!!!"

Happy 1 Week Birthday, Caitlin Elizabeth

We love you from your head....

to your toes!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Abigail, & Kramer

Sisterly Love

What we want most for our daughters is for them to be healthy, happy, and close to each other! So far, we are 3 for 3 and feel beyond blessed! Some more pictures of our 1st week at home!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse time

Abigail loves to hold and cuddle Caitlin

Abigail with her two babies

Big Sister and Little Sister

L-O-V-E

Caitlin took over Daddy's spot on the couch!

Visit with Great Nani and Great Papi

It has been a really great week at home. Very calm and quiet....and full of LOVE! Caitlin is doing great. She is eating like a champ and sleeping fairly well for us (She was up about 3 hours last night, but we are hoping she doesn't get too used to that). Her jaundice is better so she never had to go under a light. All in all, she's perfect. Abigail is also adjusting better. After a rough start, she is now a helpful big sister who loves to help change diapers, give Caitlin dolls, and hold her! Auntie MoMo and Uncle B visited us this week, but mommy forgot to take a picture (She was too excited about them bringing her pop and wine...and gifts for both kids and breakfast).

Rob goes back to work on Monday. We are so grateful for Rob's work that they gave him this time off. He actually wanted to go back on Friday but his boss wouldn't let him...what a great place to work!!!! We are so thankful for all this time together...it's the most unforgettable time in our lives! Monday will be a little hard after all the time we have spent together, but I wouldn't trade this past week for anything in the world.

As I type, I think back to one week ago...at this exact time last week I was timing my contractions at home, but thinking that they will pass. Little did I know that 18 hours from now, we would meet the last piece of our beautiful family puzzle!

And here are a few "comparision" pictures....I'm not gonna compare the girls their whole lives but I really can't get over how much they look alike.

Abigail:

Caitlin:

Abigail:

Caitlin:

Tomorrow is Caitlin's 1 Week Birthday....so more pics to come! Thank you to everyone for your nice comments, visits, gifts, phone calls, emails, etc!

72 Hours of LOVE

I don't think life can get much better than the last 72 hours for us! Here are some pictures of Caitlin's stay in the hospital, our trip home as a family of 4, and our 1st days of getting settled in!


Caitlin getting a quiet nap in the hospital


Abigail visiting her little sister and her Mommy (and her Mommy needed her visits!)


Daddy and his little girl hanging out!

Aunt Julie and Uncle Joe visiting their 2nd niece.

Abigail trying out Caitlin's new present from Aunt Julie and Uncle Joe

Grandpas and their girls

Wennerstroms

Caitlin surrounded by presents from her big sis

Our beautiful little girl

Heading home from the hospital as a family of 4!

Abigail holding her little sister...

and giving a kiss!

While Mommy and Daddy were busy in the kitchen, Abigail found her Pooh and gave it to Caitlin...she placed it right on her...so cute!

Caitlin helping Mommy on the computer

Abigail's big sister gift from Caitlin

Abigail watching over Caitlin...just checking!