And the reason for going to Dartmouth was...

- Baby Nicole who is a beautiful addition to our family. She's a beautiful baby, and seems to enjoy cuddling. But then, most newborns are easy to cuddle. She is working out her schedule slowly, and everyone is adjusting slowly to another little person in the house. We're not sure who she looks like - she has fine features and she is just herself. John did say though, that she has her Mommy's features.
I attempted to take several pictures of her with her eyes open, but as you can see, the flash was too bright!

Maria loves her little sister, and is quite gentle with her. She loves to wrap her arms around her and then give her kisses. Maria's kisses consist of her kissing her hand and then putting her hand on your mouth. So that's what Nicole gets, too!

Maria was so much fun to be with! We read books, and more books, and went outside every day. She manages to walk around the block quite well! And even bundled up in her snow-suit, she loves to crouch to look at things on the sidewalk.

Saturday morning, she came with me to go shopping for a new teapot for her Mommy, and to get a bouquet of flowers to celebrate Nicole. We put pigtails in Maria's hair before we left, with the assistance of Grandma's entertainment while on Skype, and this is the end result: too cute!!

Opa arrived on Thursday evening, helped Martin on Friday and Saturday morning, and we left Saturday afternoon - but of course, we had to pose before we left!

It was fun to watch Maria as she learns new things. One of the things that she learned was the "woof-woof" of a dog. The cocker spaniel she's holding in the above picture is her new 'hoof-hoof', which I couldn't resist getting for her when we saw it in the store!! She also knows "moo" for a cow, but I'll leave that purchase for Grandma when she comes.... ;) The house may end up looking like a zoo - with stuffed animals that is. Because of course, there is now another little girl to have fun with as she grows!

I thoroughly enjoyed the week, cuddling a newborn, chasing after a toddler, and taking care of some of the things that make a family and a home work. Being an Oma is very special!

P.S. The ride home was quicker than the trip out, but it was definitely colder. Brr, was it cold! Because of that, John didn't want to take the chance on a truck that wouldn't start in the morning if we stayed at a motel, so we pretty well drove all night! Another Saturday night all-nighter!