Almost two weeks old!!

Our man Sully is growing up!! And we even got a shot with his hair lying flat - most of the time he has that David Bowie look!! Sometimes a little Kevin Bacon too!

And Miss Agnes, big sister extraordinaire, once again said, "Take a picture of me!"

So I did. I'm really going to miss these kids - Henry and Calvin too - when I leave!!

Happy Day to Annika Joy!

I had planned to do a b-day post for Annika and just schedule it - before I left to come to Oregon. But I didn't!! So I had to use Phoebe's photo archives.

Here is Annika - on her 3rd birthday - just like Agnes is three now!! It bears repeating - the years fly by!!

I'm looking forward to having a Grandma's Birthday Sleepover with her when I return. I so well remember the year she was born - on Harry Potter's b-day no less - and how the other girls stayed with us while her mom recuperated - those were fun times at the Duarte Pool, playing with Eve, watching movies, making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - and driving back and forth to Malibu to visit Miss Annika!!

And I remember how Ara, after she took the call from her dad reporting that they had a new little sister, said, "Now we are our own Little Women!!"

Happy Day to one of the best little women I know!

Happy Day to my BFF!!

I am still here in Oregon, so I don't have access to my photos, but if you go here, you can see any number of old photos of my friend and former roommate Joy.

Today is Joy's birthday - and I want to wish her many happy returns. Hitting this milestone is a little traumatic, but not much. These things do happen incrementally after all!

While visiting here with Phoebe, I have thought often about how important friends are in our lives. We have mothers and sisters, who are vital to our well-being, but we need our friends!

I am impressed anew at how grateful I am for all the wonderful friends Phoebe has. It's hard to live far away from your daughter. But when I think about her great friends and how much they care for her, I am truly comforted and know that she is in excellent hands!!

I have noticed this with all of my daughters. (Not so much with sons - not sure why that is, since Harry and Noah do have some great friends too.) They all have friends from church and school with whom they are still and regularly in touch. And they make new friends wherever they go - and hang onto the old ones as they move on.

These women are there for them with the moves, the pregnancies, the new babies, the projects, the recipes, the school issues, Cub Scouts, Young Women, the daily stresses, and probably most significantly, the listening ears!

When I visit my girls, I see that their friends are indeed there for them. And I see that the growth goes both ways - as they receive from their friends, they are giving also - and learning and growing in ways that will impact their lives as the years start to fly by - and fly they will. Very soon they will be helping with sending kids off to college, off on missions, getting ready for weddings and even grandbabies!

I'm at the stage where my friends are becoming more valuable than I ever imagined they would be. My old friend from Grenoble days was here Wednesday for lunch - and we chatted as though we'd just seen each other yesterday. I had dinner last night with the the Burkes, and we seamlessly moved into conversation about our children - even though we don't really know one another's children. In June with went to Ashland with two of Harry' s old college roommates - and anyone listening to us would have thought we'd been living on the same street for the last 30 years! I will never forget going to my high school 20-year reunion - over 20 years ago - and running into a friend with whom I'd gone to school K through 12. We picked up where we'd left off - just like that.

That is the blessing that is friendship - and that is why I want to wish Joy the happiest of days and a wonderful year ahead!!

Grandma and Grandpa Fillmore come to call!

Henry went to Cub Day Camp, David went to work, Phoebe, Sully and I went to her doctor appointment - and went across the way and visited Jinny afterward, and Calvin and Agnes had a play date. I went out to dinner with the Burkes, and Pam and Denny stopped in on their way back to Idaho.

It's a real social whirl around here!!

When friends come to call!

Our good friends Kirk and Sheri came to call tonight! It's always fun to get with the hometown folk!

Sully is mastering the "casual" snooze pose.

My old college and Grenoble buddy Lynn not only brought us lunch when she came to call today, but she brought dinner too!! It was great to play catch up!!

Phoebe is dutifully picking away at the thank you notes. She's had lots of friends drop by with gifts and goodies, and the mailman has delivered a package or two. Never fear, I make her take a nap each afternoon so she's up for these activities!!

Lest you think David is making himself scarce, just know that he resists having his picture taken!! (He's around all right - he did Cub Day Camp duty today - and it was cool and gray - perfect weather when you're the adult at day camp!!)

Baby Sully continues to charm us all. My visit is winding down - I will miss being here!! So I guess I'll go change him while Phoebe gets ready for bed!!

Reliving those "glory days" in Cub Scouts!!

Henry's been off to Cub Day Camp this week. I have been the one driving him to the church, where they meet to carpool. He's pretty excited about it. And he comes home tired and happy.

All the boys seem to love it too.

David is working there tomorrow - all the parents are taking turns going up with the boys - and Calvin is going with him. Calvin is pretty excited about it too.

If I had my own computer here, I could dredge up some old photos of Cub Day Camp with Noah. A day at day camp is long, hot, and tiring. But these great little guys make it "work worth doing!"

Meanwhile, Phoebe, Agnes, and I will have a "Girls day in" - with Sully, of course!

Week One accomplished!

Our boy Sully continues to have a mellow, laid-back attitude about life. He stays mostly awake from about 12 to 2 a.m., but he's pretty pleasant about it - no screaming or tantrums (and Agnes is getting much better about the 2 a.m. awakenings too.)

His hair continues to "wow" all who meet him. If he were vain, this might go to his head. (I can't stand myself - even with Harry absent I am punning!!)

One of Phoebe's "nesting" efforts - put to good use!! (Referring to appliqued onesie.)

Agnes suggested I take her picture! She has a box of treasures - earned mostly for not getting out of bed or screaming. It's progress folks. She is actually doing a great job of adjusting and giving up her place as the baby of the family. I love hanging out with her.

And Calvin is Calvin - and we wouldn't have it any other way. He always has something to show you!! (Did I already report that when I got here he said, "It's too bad your husband couldn't come?")

Both boys had Vacation Bible School last week - it really filled up their days. This week, Henry is at Cub Day Camp, and Calvin gets a bit restless, but he got some new Legos, so he's keeping busy!

They are having the Oregon version of a heat wave - I haven't really noticed it - and their house does not have a/c. All the trees and shade are apparently doing what nature created them to do!!

I've been sewing aprons, making jam, fixing meals, doing laundry, reading stories, changing diapers, holding a very sweet baby boy, and persuading Phoebe to take it easy and nap often!!

We have some doctor visits this week - and I have a couple of "dates" with some old college friends.

And I've been sending cards to Dad - of course!

Sighted

in the MHS parking lot.


Pretty cool.

Especially in light of all the Toy Story 3 hype.

At Home With Sully

Well, Sully and I got well-acquainted last night - I did the night shift, since David had to work today and of course Phoebe needed to rest.

Everyone is getting acquainted!! Sully is actually pretty mild-mannered, and the daily rhythm is slowly returning.

Apparently some warmer weather is on the horizon too. I knew these cool gray mornings would not last forever!

We have a name!

Sullivan Terrill Fillmore

Agnes calls him "Boots."

Others have already indicated a desire to call him Sully.

Mom and Sully are both adjusting!!

(so are the rest of us!)

No name yet, but we have photos!!

Here's Brother Fillmore with his eyes open!!

Maybe he's weighing in on the name choices??

David had to go into work for meetings, so the children had a playdate, and I manned the fort at the hospital. I can't think of a better way to spend a day than holding a new baby - with the occasional diaper change and handing him off to Mama for meals.

David brought the kids to the hospital after dinner. They are all pretty excited about the new family member - with or without a name!

Phoebe is bouncing right back!! We walked the halls together for a brief spell. And we certainly enjoyed being together - critiquing all the home design shows and chatting about everything. And we had a lot of "visitors" too - Phoebe needs to get home to get some rest!! (These "visitors" included the doctor, the nurse who was there for the delivery, the CNA, the regular RN, food service, the hospital chaplain - it seemed like someone knocked and came in pretty regularly!!)

Everyone comes home tomorrow - and there will be a name then too!! It's getting down to the final three!! (I do not know btw!!)

The weather is perfect, the children are behaving beautifully, Baby Boy Fillmore is fairly mellow - there is and will be work to do, but for now, we are enjoying the moment!

Mr. No-Name Sports a Faux Hawk!

I guess if you don't have a name, you need some other distinguishing characteristic - like a sporty faux hawk!!

This little guy is a sweetheart.

And a snoozer.

And Mama is recuperating slowly but surely.

He's all the news here in the 'hood.

Stay tuned for updates!!

(and think positive thoughts about Agnes not waking up at 2 a.m. asking (ahem) for her dad!!)

"What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours . . ."

Because I'm not sure how to shuffle pics around on Phoebe's computer, I will just tell you what each one is! (I'm so used to a Mac, I can't remember things about a PC - chalk the memory deficit up to my advanced years!!)

Here is Baby Boy Fillmore, aka Yoda according to some, making his debut on the blog!

And here are Calvin and Henry enjoying their daily ration of Wii!

Granny Babs meeting the newest Terrill grandchild.

The happy family!

Phoebe felt that she'd done better after this birth than she had after the others - but she was still a bit drowsy. David is taking good care of her though.

We tried, but couldn't get Brother Fillmore to open his eyes!! He's still a bit drowsy too. C-section babies sometimes take longer to "wake up" it seems.

Big Bro meets Little Bro - or should I say, Littlest Bro??

The Big Sis - who managed to get over her disappointment at not getting a girl. On the way to the hospital she said, "I'm glad we had a boy. And now my mommy's tummy is empty."

He looks like a cross between Calvin and Henry, but his head is smaller and he has much more hair. Reminds me of Clayton/Terrill hair - although it's David's hairline - and when he makes a little face, he looks just like his dad!

Henry and Calvin are at Vacation Bible School this week - with all their little LDS friends!!

What a difference a day makes - here's Phoebe with Agnes as she left the house this morning!!

We are looking forward to visiting again tomorrow. And we do appreciate all the good wishes. I will take David's laptop to him tomorrow - but in the meantime, I am sharing all the messages with Phoebe, who does appreciate them.

Phoebe's content with another boy - she says, "Agnes is enough girl for any family!"

And finally, once again I will quote the ever-accurate Melanie Wilkes, who declared that "the best days are the ones when babies are born!"

We have a gender!!

Baby Boy Fillmore was born today at 12:54 p.m. 8 lbs. 8 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well. David said he has lots of hair and is a chubby sort of guy!!

We will go visit this p.m. and take photos.

Terrill Grandkids scorecard: girls - 8, boys - 6

Counting down to Monday

We started the countdown today by celebrating Agnes' 3rd b-day in fine style - with mani/pedi's at La Belle Salon!! Agnes was skeptical at first - said she wanted to go to the grocery store with Dad instead of with Mom and Grandma. But she took one look at the rows of nail polish to choose from and was converted!! And she certainly entertained everyone in the salon.

Phoebe is "lookin' good" but is happy to put her feet up!!

And I must say, Phoebe has the art of the guest gift basket down to a science - at least she knows how to read me!!

And look what she found at the Dollar Store!!

Calvin sure knows how to make taking the trash out a lot of fun!! (Later Henry punched holes in the sides and threaded string through them to make some spiffy stilt walkers!! Those Cub Scouts know how to have a good time, don't they??)

This is the hydrangea plant I bought when Henry was born - it's taller than he is - and thriving too!

And here's Agnes admiring David's tomato plant - with one green tomato so far!! For David, hope springs eternal!!

Agnes said, "I want the cupcakes on fire when you sing Happy Birthday!")

Neighbors and friends joined our little soiree in the backyard.

This princess dress up outfit was a big hit with Agnes!!

You had to be there, but she was twirling and dancing around all day long. And making everyone around her smile - a lot like the 3 year-old her mom was!!

I'll be doing an up-to-the-minute blog post for Monday's big event. The birth is scheduled for 12 noon - so be checking in!!