And then we were four

Our little family of Jen, Astrid, and I is my favorite thing about waking up these mornings. Astrid gets up quite early and we'll scoop her out of her crib and into bed with us. She'll tumble around and crawl over Loulou, or sometimes she'll bring a doll under the covers and play the game of putting the parents to sleep by whispering "Down" and placing a blanket over our chest.

Then it's on to breakfast, where a hungry toddler happily eats her morning mix of eggs, fruit and dairy. After breakfast, it's time for "school" and Astrid hurries to get her clothes and shoes on, before hanging on the doorknob to partake in her favorite game of opening all the doors and gates to get to her carseat. A few hours of daycare later and she's ecstatic to see us at the pickup gate, lunging at us with a running hug, where we'll maybe go for a quick dip at the kiddie pool or hit the slides at the park nearby before heading home for dinner.

Our almost two year old

At dinner, she babbles excitedly about her day, pausing to laugh at the best parts while Jen and I ask for more stories and listen intently. Sticky and crunchy from the day, she rushes to the bathtub as soon as she hears the water start. Doing the butterfly stroke across the porcelain and dumping half the water out of the tub, she lets us know when she's ready to get out and run the naked baby marathon around the kitchen and living room, or if she's exhausted and can barely keep her eyes open for a few bedtime stories. Either way, she's always sure to give Mommy, Daddy and Loulou a little bedtime kiss while clutching her teddy and water sippy cup.

It's these parenting routines that run like clockwork, but change in slight ways as she grows from infant to voracious baby to inquisitive toddler to fearless two year old, no matter where we are in the world.

Over the course of two years we became a tight knit unit of three through all of these places and patterns. Those memories will always be special and we'll forge a million more with the introduction of Stella Malin Steene-Connolly!

Born on August 29th at approximately 8:30 am, we welcomed an adorable, hefty little baby, weighing in at 9lbs 6ounces (sorry Jen!). The delivery went incredibly smooth and mother and baby are perfectly healthy, albeit sore and exhausted.

Moments after delivery

We had a hard time choosing a name, since we had a lot of ones that we loved and wanted to wait until we met the little lady. Stella, derived from the Greek origin for "star", was a perfect match to our little Astrid, also derived from "star" in a different language. We imagined ourselves having to say Astrid & Stella together repeatedly for the rest of our lives and we thought they sounded like quite the dynamic duo already. They'll be our little constellation of bright, fierce and probably pretty big superstars in the years to come. Malin is my godmother who officiated Jen and I's wedding in Paros in 2014 and holds a special place in all our hearts.

We'll look back on the days of when we were three, but we could not be more excited to see what happens with Stella in the mix.

A little jetlagged from that trip

Astrid and the Aunties came to visit the next day and fawned over the latest addition to the family. Astrid came rocking her big sister shirt and some gifts. She gave Stella a little teddy bear and a kiss on the forehead. Something tells me they are going to get along just fine.

Aunt Mimi getting weepy with another niece to spoil and love forever

Astrid giving Stella her little teddy bear

A full face of baby

Aunt Julie looooves her babies and seems to approve

We've had a lovely few days in the hospital taking our time to recover and do the dozens of health checkups that follow in the coming days. Meanwhile, Astrid is having sleepovers with her Aunt Mimi, Julie and her incredible cousins. She couldn't be happier over there, but we assume she wants to see us too, maybe.. someday? Ice cream and dancing til your heart's content? Kinda heard to beat!

Being "haa-ed" on by Zoe while getting ice cream

Big Kid Checking In

Astrid had her 18 months check up today. Weighing in at 28.5 pounds and a reach of 35" inches, Astrid Steene-Connolly is competing in the toddler heavyweight group. For kids her age, she places in the 99.5 percentile for her height and 96.7 percentile for her weight.

The doctor estimates that she'll likely be 6' or taller after puberty. Being the tallest girl in the class isn't always easy at the middle school dance and has Mom getting some flashbacks of being the early bloomer, but I hope she'll carry herself with grace and joy, because Daddy thinks she's going to be a rockstar one day, or at least someone who can see over the crowd easily.

PS: Sorry for the double chin photo beautiful.

Earth Day & The Resistance

It goes without saying that Jen and I carry a fairly progressive outlook on the world. Our mindset is that we as members of the great human race exist to create a better life for all. How we get there is, of course, the great debate, but one thing that surely no one can disagree on is that clean air and water are preferred and that the Earth, does have a tipping point for which life is sustainable for the human race.

The current White House administration has broken that promise to humanity in its attempt at gutting the Environmental Protection Agency and undoing so many restrictions on the very worst polluters that destroy the oceans and lands that jeopardize the cycle in keeping our planet healthy.

In response to this administration, resistances have risen across the country, decrying the anti-intellectual White House that calls climate change a hoax and threatens the very principle of clean air and water in name of generating higher profits. This crook would sell every last acre of national forest if he could. So on Earth Day 2017, Jen, Astrid, my niece Athena and I took to the streets to protest and march upon the capital in solidarity of those who are protesting in Washington DC.

It was a fun day with spirited chants, plenty of friendly faces, a chance to hear scientists talk about their professions, enroll in climate change activism and so much more.
 

We brought a blanket to chill out and watch the crowds while munching on sweets and snacks.

 After a big day, we feasted on strawberries and whipped cream, Athena's favorite and something that Astrid fell quickly in love with.

Easter House Warming

Finally, having our home set up with a bit more than the boxes in our living room and the backpacks we've lugged 5,000 miles in a few months, we thought it wise to have a gathering.

Dear friends from San Francisco trekked out to Sacramento and our local family wore their Sunday egg hunting best. The kids arrived and promptly tore through the house, finding all but a few eggs in a matter of 20 minutes. The last 4 were hidden insanely well to drive them a little nuts for the ultimate prizes. We had a baby version for Astrid with eggs laying in plain sight. Astrid had practiced all week at home and at daycare, so was primed to fill her basket to the brim and then find a seat to enjoy her goldfish crackers, raisins and a couple of chocolates.

Jen prepared a decadent feast of Greek and American favorites. A giant succulent ham, deviled eggs, spanakopita, baklava, greens, potato salad and plenty of beverages to go around.

Loulou will tolerate anything for ham.

Admiring her big cousins

No shortage of laps for Astrid to enjoy

It was a wonderful start to our time in Sacramento and we couldn't be happier to have so many wonderful friends nearby.

The Love of Playgrounds

It goes without saying that most kids love a trip to the playground, but at 18 months the passion is already so strong for little Astrid. 

While it seemed just a few months ago, you were mastering your first steps, you're now climbing small ladders and squealing with delight at every slide you can find. Not just the 3 feet tall toddler slides, but the big 20 footers that the pre-teens use in the big kids section. We try to keep you contained to the toddler area, but sometimes we go down with you.

I follow you fairly closely, but you have your parents strong independent streak and want to do everything yourself. I occasionally hand hold or give a little boost to get you over some of the walls and hurdles you face, but it's less and less with every trip to the park. 

Slides are your absolute favorite. As soon as you get to the bottom of the slide, You tend to race right up the steps again and scoot your little butt right to the edge before raising your hands and taking off. You aren't quite heavy enough to reach the bottom on some slides, so you have to wiggle your way to the finish. 

When you've had your fill of the thrilling slides, there's the slow play of the sand pit. You have a fiercely determined sandpit agenda. Holes must be dug, buckets filled, scoops organized, it's a tough job but some baby has to do it. You could seemingly spend the whole day here, and perhaps your love of the sand started early with your October afternoons on Paros beaches all to yourself.