Missing...

...baby

Baby brother has not arrived yet. Due to the "prompt" arrival of both of the girls, we are a bit surprised, but Mike and I both arrived late so I suppose we deserve it.

...grandma

After 10 days, my mom left yesterday. We will all miss her a lot. She was so helpful and we loved the company. Abby was terribly disappointed when she realized she drove 90 minutes to the airport only to find out that grandma was getting on the plane alone.

...snow

So, the snow is missing, but we aren't really missing it. This picture was taken on Sunday. On Saturday, there were at least 8 or 9 inches of snow throughout the yard and big mounds along the sides where the shovels dropped it off. Yesterday was 58. Today is supposed to be 50 and it is raining so the snow is all gone. (I am not naive enough to not expect it to return.)
...binkie

She hasn't used the binkie at the house at all and seems to be OK.

In fact, yesterday we were walking through Ikea and I had to explain to her why she couldn't go into their playroom (because she doesn't wear big girl panties). We had a very nice installment of the ongoing what big girls do versus what babies do conversation. She volunteered that baby brother would need a binkie and it didn't seem to bother her that she doesn't have one.

She told me this morning that her binkies were at the hotel. I didn't lie to her, but I also didn't tell her where they really are.

There is a small problem though. According to my mom, who slept in the same room as Abby at the hotel, each morning at around 5 or 6 she'd wake up, find the binkie and go back to sleep. She is still waking up at that unsightly hour, but forgetting the fall back to sleep part. My mom was really nice and let Abby go into the room she was in and crawl in bed with her while Mike and I slept oblivious downstairs.

Grandma is gone, so Abby came down to our room "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" at 4:56 am. Mike let her climb in with him and as soon as she was asleep, he took her back upstairs. I can't complain at all because she slept until almost 9. I think she'll return to her great sleeping habits soon.

(I cannot complain. Abby is a fabulous sleeper even when she is waking up at 5 or 6.)