I met my best friend today. Mom’s best friend/sister (”Uncle Jackie”) had a baby (Baby Terra) just 5 days before me and she came out with her mom and dad to meet the Carmichaels! My brothers love to kiss her feet and we just like to hang on the couch together. This is a funny story: my mom dressed me up in this cute little polo number because she knew her preppy best friend would love it. And out comes Baby Terra in the EXACT SAME OUTFIT! Boy, was mom ever right! So, even though my brothers are twins and have never worn a matching outfit in their lives, here we sat, dressed in the exact same dress.

Even though we look like we’re ready to hit the tennis courts in Greenwich, we sure do look cute. (Uh… except Baby Terra’s stretch face. As her best friend, I took it upon myself to tell her that she needs to ask for her privacy next time she needs to stretch. And for the love of God, don’t allow cameras to capture it! What’s next, a shot on the toilet?! She’s far too pretty to be caught making that face!)

What a fun summer we’ve had! Adding Bell to the mix of our household has been such a treat. She’s a full fledged member of our family now instead of just a crying machine in cute clothes. Quinn has mastered the ability to calm her cries, and Cooper loves to smother her in kisses and tolerates her constant hair grabbing. She loves nothing more than to be with her big brothers – it’s truly amazing how she smiles immediately when they walk in the room.

Mom and I recently took a trip to Ohio. My mom’s uncle Dusty died unexpectedly at the age of 49, so even though it was a sad trip, we enjoyed the 1:1 time that we so rarely get. Mom was even looking forward to the flights because it meant we would be together – just she and I. We both missed my brothers (a lot!), and called them all the time, but they had a great time with daddy. It was also super fun to get to know some of my mom’s side of the family – especially my cousin Lyla! She’s 6 months older than me, so even my brothers haven’t met her yet. She’s so fun – and she’s got the best exersaucer in the world!

RIP (Great) Uncle Dusty.
Bellie

Go on with your bad self, Estelle!

The good news is that we had an AWESOME day! We went to Moraga Commons tonight and watched fireworks with mom, dad, grammy and Bell. Fun times.

Ok. I really might be the luckiest girl in the world. My brothers are the bomb. When I cry, Quinn is the first one to run up to me and try to shake something in my face as a distraction… and he says in his high voice, “hi belly hi belly hi belly!” The good news is that 90% of the time, that’s all I need to stop crying. And Cooper. Sweet Cooper. The boy loves to come up to me and kiss me. Doesn’t matter to me that he’s probably doing it because mom can’t stop “awwww”-ing when he does this.

Lucky me.

Mom and dad went away last night for mom’s 36th birthday. They went to Carmel. They took Bell since mom is still giving her “booby milk.” As part of her gift, daddy took his girls shopping, and it hit mom that she’s now got a built in shopping buddy. Oh boy…

My big brothers have been so nice to me… so welcoming. Quinn, from the start, has been bold and interested in holding me. Not a fear shown. Coop, on the other hand, has been generous with kisses, but NEVER shown interest in holding me. Well, tonight at Pasta Pomodoro, no less, we had a moment. We took a big step tonight in our relationship. He asked to hold me. I’m a happy girl.