Tess has been doing laps around the living room and dining room. Here is just a short clip of what she can do...
Her elbows and knees are a bit red from the carpet. I've tried the Baby Legs today, so we'll see if it helps.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Michigan
I’ve been promising a post about our trip to Michigan, so here it is. My grandma celebrated her 90th birthday with a party on May 8th. We thought it would a good excuse to go to Michigan to see grandmas as we had promised Steve’s grandma we would try to come when Steve’s grandpa died at Christmas. With Tess’ approaching arrival we didn’t do much travel last summer. This was her first trip meeting everyone.
My mom and dad joined us on the journey to Michigan. Having endured a childhood of trips to Michigan via Chicago, the ONLY way to travel these days is via the car ferry across Lake Michigan. We ventured to Milwaukee for the 12:30 boat. We have taken the boat several times across the lake. This was Cooper’s second trip, but Tessa’s first. What I love is that the kids don’t have to be in car seats… and we can move around, too… and you are there in 2½ hours. Cooper loved looking out the window at all the water. Tessy cuddled into Grandma and slept most of the way.
One we arrived in Michigan we were greeted by my great aunt and uncle. We had a wonderful visit with them. After a long trip, we decided not to stop at my grandma’s that evening, but instead checked into our hotel for the night.
Dick and Carolyn's
The next morning we went over to Grandma’s and had lunch.
Great-Grandma O'C and Tess
Uncle Bob and Tess
Aunt Jean and Tess
After lunch we headed to Blissfield (about 20 minutes north of Toledo) to see Steve’s grandma. She had taken a tumble a month or so before and it was great to see she was doing quite well. She loved holding Cooper and Tess. We spent a couple of days with her and we were fortune to have Steve’s sister, Tamra and husband Brian visit for dinner that Friday night. Our visit with them was too short! Thankfully Tamra was able to stay the night and we sat up and chatted for a few hours.
Great-Grandma Goetz and Tess
Aunt Tamra
Sunday evening we took the kids swimming at the hotel. Cooper loved playing on the steps of the pool. It was a bit cool and the hot tub was too warm, so I only stuck Tess’ feet in both.
On Monday, after a quick visit with Dick and Carolyn again, we boarded the ferry back. My mom and dad had celebrated their 40th anniversary the week before and decided to take a few days to go to Mackinac Island. I missed having the extra hands on the ferry as Steve had to drive on and I had to walk on with both kids, but we did it. The water was ince and smooth.
We had a great trip and the kids did amazingly well with all the travel, new people to meet, and several different beds to sleep in. I was SO proud of them!!!
My mom and dad joined us on the journey to Michigan. Having endured a childhood of trips to Michigan via Chicago, the ONLY way to travel these days is via the car ferry across Lake Michigan. We ventured to Milwaukee for the 12:30 boat. We have taken the boat several times across the lake. This was Cooper’s second trip, but Tessa’s first. What I love is that the kids don’t have to be in car seats… and we can move around, too… and you are there in 2½ hours. Cooper loved looking out the window at all the water. Tessy cuddled into Grandma and slept most of the way.
One we arrived in Michigan we were greeted by my great aunt and uncle. We had a wonderful visit with them. After a long trip, we decided not to stop at my grandma’s that evening, but instead checked into our hotel for the night.
Dick and Carolyn's
The next morning we went over to Grandma’s and had lunch.
Great-Grandma O'C and Tess
Uncle Bob and Tess
Aunt Jean and Tess
After lunch we headed to Blissfield (about 20 minutes north of Toledo) to see Steve’s grandma. She had taken a tumble a month or so before and it was great to see she was doing quite well. She loved holding Cooper and Tess. We spent a couple of days with her and we were fortune to have Steve’s sister, Tamra and husband Brian visit for dinner that Friday night. Our visit with them was too short! Thankfully Tamra was able to stay the night and we sat up and chatted for a few hours.
Great-Grandma Goetz and Tess
Aunt Tamra
Saturday morning we headed out early to go back to the other side of the state for my grandma’s party. She had a wonderful celebration. It was fun to see my dad’s siblings and a couple of cousins. On Sunday (Mother’s Day) we all went to church and then back to Grandma’s for brunch. It was nice to have a quiet afternoon.
Grandma O'C's grandkids and great-grandkids
Grandma and Tessy
Sunday evening we took the kids swimming at the hotel. Cooper loved playing on the steps of the pool. It was a bit cool and the hot tub was too warm, so I only stuck Tess’ feet in both.
On Monday, after a quick visit with Dick and Carolyn again, we boarded the ferry back. My mom and dad had celebrated their 40th anniversary the week before and decided to take a few days to go to Mackinac Island. I missed having the extra hands on the ferry as Steve had to drive on and I had to walk on with both kids, but we did it. The water was ince and smooth.
We had a great trip and the kids did amazingly well with all the travel, new people to meet, and several different beds to sleep in. I was SO proud of them!!!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
9 months old!... a couple of days late.
Tess turned 9 months on Monday and had her 9 month Well Baby visit yesterday and she is doing great!!! She is 17 pounds 11 ounces… which took her from the 13th percentile to the 30th in two months for weight. She has figured out that food tastes pretty good! She is almost 27 inches long. Our baby is growing. She is just the opposite of Cooper in that she outgrows pants before she outgrows shirts. I bought Coopy a new pair of 2T jeans and we had to roll the pants up. Tess is going to catch up to him before too long.
Developmentally Tess is right on track. She is saying dada and mama all the time and I think it might be in reference to us as it seems like there is more dada’s when Steve is around and more mama’s with me. I’m also hearing babababababa. Over the weekend she has started to wave goodbye. She is on the verge of crawling. Currently it is a modified army crawl… or something like an inch worm. Trust me; she gets to where she wants to go! She loves to stand assisted and try to pull up on things. Steve dropped her crib mattress as she had started to pull herself to her knees in her crib. Oh my… I’m not sure I am ready for her to be so mobile.
Tessy’s smile is changing, too. Tooth number three (top right) is in and number four (top left) is trying to come through. She is grinding her teeth, which the doc said is just part of teething and there isn’t anything we need or can do about it. Can you imagine a 9 month old with a mouth guard??? For now we listen to the horrible noise and hope she saves her teeth.
I promise to get our Michigan adventure up soon… keep checking back!
Developmentally Tess is right on track. She is saying dada and mama all the time and I think it might be in reference to us as it seems like there is more dada’s when Steve is around and more mama’s with me. I’m also hearing babababababa. Over the weekend she has started to wave goodbye. She is on the verge of crawling. Currently it is a modified army crawl… or something like an inch worm. Trust me; she gets to where she wants to go! She loves to stand assisted and try to pull up on things. Steve dropped her crib mattress as she had started to pull herself to her knees in her crib. Oh my… I’m not sure I am ready for her to be so mobile.
Tessy’s smile is changing, too. Tooth number three (top right) is in and number four (top left) is trying to come through. She is grinding her teeth, which the doc said is just part of teething and there isn’t anything we need or can do about it. Can you imagine a 9 month old with a mouth guard??? For now we listen to the horrible noise and hope she saves her teeth.
I promise to get our Michigan adventure up soon… keep checking back!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Not missing, but LOTS of action...
Okay, so I’ve blown it and then some. I am so behind at updating… actual words, not just pictures. First it was a lack of time… and it still is, but now I’ve gotten to a point of being so behind that I don’t even know where to start. A LOT has happened in the last two months. Not to mention the kids are two months older and in these years, two months is a lot! I was just reading about keeping journals for your kids… this has been my journal and my reference for when I actually get to the baby books. I will have to try to remember what has happened and keep at this better. I hate to say I’m now using FaceBook to remind me of what has happened.
To start at the end of February I decided to leave my job and I was done March 26th. I am so happy being home with the kids!!! This was coming for quite some time, but I was afraid to actually make the decision. I am so glad that I did. After eleven years of a career, it’s time to focus on the kids… the most important role.
So what has been happening? Lots! Both kids continue to change every day!
Cooper continues to amaze me. I know he is processing everything and understands A LOT more than we think. He is really piecing together sentences and ideas. The engineering mind continues. You can just see him study things to see how they work. He took apart my electric razor to the point that I had to call in the engineer to put it back together. I couldn’t figure it out. He still loves books. Currently, “Good Night, Gorilla”, “Freight Trains”, and Numbers seem to top the list. I am trying to learn the Freight Train book and the names for all the cars. He is excitedly starting to really starting to learn numbers. 4 is currently his favorite number. He loves to have me count out how many items are in the picture. He won’t say “one”, but that isn’t anything new. Cooper loves to also look at shapes. Oval is the hit as is looks like a balloon… his favorite thing in the entire world. He has balloon radar. If he says balloon, I am 99.9% positive there is a balloon somewhere… even if I don’t see if right away. Driving past car dealers with the gigantic balloons or balloons on the car is fun.
Cooper is going through a typical toddler diet…. We have no idea what he will eat from day to day, except that we know he doesn’t like any form of meat. The hard part is he will love one thing one day and really dislike it the next. He will squeeze his eyes shut and say, “No more”. Fruit usually continues to be a hit… thank fully! At his last appointment (3/3) he came in at 26 pounds and 34 inches tall. He is finally in 2T pants, but has been in 2T shirts for about a year. I’ve tried some 3T shirts, but they are still too big.
Cooper and I took another swimming class with Jan and Amaya. We were excited to find out that Cooper’s friend Katie (from daycare) and her mommy, Marisa (who works with Steve) were also in our class. It is the same class as before through Community Ed, but with a different teacher at a different school, so a few differences, but lots of it is the same.
It’s interesting… we hear lots, and lots of “Saarra” (Cierra), but Cooper only calls Tess, “Baby”. Cooper and Tess have started to fight with each other… typical siblings. If she is playing with a toy Cooper wants, he will take it. Tess will grab at him and make an “Augh!” sound in absolute disgust. At this point it is cute, but I’m sure the “cuteness” won’t last. The cute part is watching them interact with each other. About a week ago I was giving Tess a bath and Cooper wanted to help. He was sprinkling water on her head and said, “Shower”. Tess looked at him like she was wondering what he was doing. He then got out several bath toys for her and helped her play… such a good big brother!
Cooper and Cierra are best buds. Where one is, so is the other. Cooper loves to give her treats. He'd give her the entire box if I didn't take them away. He'll tell Cierra to sit, but often doesn't give her the treat when she does. Poor dog looks at him with pleading eyes. She is laying next to me snoring after a busy morning of playing with Cooper.
In my last real post Tess had gotten her first tooth. The second tooth came shortly after. Tooth number three (top right) is starting to pop through (4/29). Tessy loves rice cereal and is starting to like other food. I think we have successfully (no horrible faces) gotten in peas, green beans, corn and sweet potatoes. She also loves chocolate pudding and mashed potatoes and gravy! The other night she had scrambles eggs and ate more than Cooper.
Wow, is Tess changing. She has gone from sitting up on her own to rolling to now trying to crawl. She can crawl backwards. I’ve even seen her the last couple days trying to pull herself up on things. She was in the bathroom with me while I was brushing my teeth and managed to get the middle drawer open (with the lock only about two inches) and pull herself onto one knee. I noticed the other day that when sitting in the crib she can start to pull up on the rail… time to drop the mattress. She has graduated from the carrier in the stroller to sitting up like a big girl. We still need to get her a new car seat and stop using the carrier. At her last appointment on 3/3 (almost seven months) she weighed 14 ½ pounds and was 25 ½ inches. I love watching her play. She has started to take little people out of the vehicles and will put them back in… sort of. Of course the most interesting game is drop EVERYTHING on the floor and see how long it takes Mom or Dad to pick it up. We need a few more pacifier leashes. She is just an incredible little girl that loves to snuggle.
I spent some time going through the kids’ closets and drawers to pull out the small stuff. This is a task I really struggle with. I’m just not ready to put away clothes they have outgrown. The idea of getting rid of them is too painful to think about. Steve said to think able the garage ale we could have… not yet! But the reality is my babies are growing up. I have to remember that I have loved every stage and as they get bigger, they will change and I know I will love it, too!
I’ve enjoyed being at home. For those that know me very well, know that I have been challenged I the kitchen most of my life, but I think it was a lack of time that factored into much of it. I have found a new love for the crock pot and I am trying new recipes all the time. It is so much easier than making thing in the over or the stove. Usually I can get them started once Tess goes down for her morning nap and by the time Steve is home, it’s done!
Oh, I’m sure there is sooooo much more to share, but this is it for now.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Never Alone
Dedicated to Cooper and Tess...
This seems to be the perfect Irish Blessing for my babies...
Never Alone (Lady Antebellum and Jim Brickman)
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
Know in your belly
You're never alone
May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win but stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
Well, I have to be honest
As much as I want it
I'm not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
This seems to be the perfect Irish Blessing for my babies...
Never Alone (Lady Antebellum and Jim Brickman)
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
Know in your belly
You're never alone
May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win but stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
Well, I have to be honest
As much as I want it
I'm not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Happy 7 months old, Miss Tess!
(Thanks for the pic, Jackie!)
This little one is now rolling over!... and rolls and rolls. Both bottom teeth are in. Loves cereal... but acts like I am killing her with peas, pears, bananas, or other fruits or veggies. She weights 14lbs 5 oz. She is just starting to wear 6-9mo. clothing. Tessy is facinated with her big brother, too!
Love you, Baby Girl!
Mommy
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Cooper's birthday...
Cooper's birthday in photos...
His "Backy" (Backyardigan's) cake
His "Backy" (Backyardigan's) cake
Blowing out the candle
Yummy cake!
Cooper got Backy ballons. Can you tell that he likes them?!?!? :) Five days later he still carries they everywhere he goes.
Mommy's attempt at making Backyardigan character cookies... Tasha and Tyrone. (Hey, they tasted good!)
I got him to read one card...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Where or where or where is……………………
You would not believe the changes taking place in our kids! They are going up tooooooo fast!
We are preparing for the “Backy’s” (Backyardigans) to arrive Friday night for Cooper’s birthday party. Mommy went a little crazy after stopping at Party City for a few things. I found A LOT of things for Cooper. I can’t wait to see his eyes when he sees everything. Yesterday I ordered his cake… also Backyardigans. I can’t believe he will be two on Saturday! Two years ago I was overdue and praying he would come.
Last Thursday Cooper and I started a swimming class together. Once he was in the water he had a lot of fun. I’m sure with each class he will enjoy it even more. We got to play with beach balls and noodles and pretend to be a dolphin and jump out of the water. Our friends Amaya and Jan are in our class and we had fun being with them. Each class is 30 minutes. We have four more classes to go.
Cooper got his hair cut last night and he did incredibly well. This was haircut #6… I think… and he sat in the chair like a little man. His head was still a moving target, but no tears. Cooper scored two suckers from them. I hate to say the poor kid still had a bad case of bed head this morning… oh well.
Yesterday morning I went to give Cooper a kiss goodbye and he wiped it off. Isn’t he too young to be starting that??? This morning he made up for it in that he didn’t want to stop giving me a hug and he held my hand really tight. I love him so much. He gets so excited when he sees Steve, especially after daycare, and says, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!” I’m also often referred to as Daddy, but maybe not with quite as much excitement. Cooper does call me, “Mimmy”- a term of love in my opinion.
Miss Tess, Miss Tess… I can’t keep up with the changes in her. I look at her and see my little baby, but she’s not. The last time she was weighed about two weeks ago she was 13 pounds four ounces. She got her first ear infection (1/20). Thankfully she’s not quite like her brother in that it didn’t hit her as hard as the ear infections used to hit him. She completed her antibiotics last week and no sign of needing a stronger one… which usually happened with Cooper. I LOVE our pediatrician in that she said that she has a low threshold for siblings of kids with chronic ear infections. We won’t have to beg and plead to get a referral to ENT, if it looks like Tess is going down the same road.
Tess got her first tooth!!! Last Wednesday (1/28) Tess’ teacher said she thought she saw something starting to poke through. I looked, but didn’t see anything. On Thursday Cari said that she felt the beginnings of a tooth start to pop through and sure enough there it was!!! The whole top of the tooth is now through. I don’t see the second one yet. Cooper got both bottom teeth the same day, but each child is different. I’m not sure how much longer I will continue to nurse her. So far it hasn’t been a problem. My goal is 2/10 which is just a week away…. Oh my, she will be six months old. Tess is starting to get more and more distracted while nursing so this might be a good time to transition to bottles all the time.
The night before last (2/1), after I changed Tess she was acting like she was trying to do a sit-up, so I pulled her into a sitting position and once she was steady I let go. My baby sat up!!! She didn’t just slouch over, but sat up like a big girl. She still needs to be spotted, but can do it! At the daycare they have sat her against a Boppy and she doesn’t want to lean back so they are seeing the same thing.
Life is incredible with these little ones… or not so “little” ones. More to come after Cooper’s party!
We are preparing for the “Backy’s” (Backyardigans) to arrive Friday night for Cooper’s birthday party. Mommy went a little crazy after stopping at Party City for a few things. I found A LOT of things for Cooper. I can’t wait to see his eyes when he sees everything. Yesterday I ordered his cake… also Backyardigans. I can’t believe he will be two on Saturday! Two years ago I was overdue and praying he would come.
Last Thursday Cooper and I started a swimming class together. Once he was in the water he had a lot of fun. I’m sure with each class he will enjoy it even more. We got to play with beach balls and noodles and pretend to be a dolphin and jump out of the water. Our friends Amaya and Jan are in our class and we had fun being with them. Each class is 30 minutes. We have four more classes to go.
Cooper got his hair cut last night and he did incredibly well. This was haircut #6… I think… and he sat in the chair like a little man. His head was still a moving target, but no tears. Cooper scored two suckers from them. I hate to say the poor kid still had a bad case of bed head this morning… oh well.
Yesterday morning I went to give Cooper a kiss goodbye and he wiped it off. Isn’t he too young to be starting that??? This morning he made up for it in that he didn’t want to stop giving me a hug and he held my hand really tight. I love him so much. He gets so excited when he sees Steve, especially after daycare, and says, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!” I’m also often referred to as Daddy, but maybe not with quite as much excitement. Cooper does call me, “Mimmy”- a term of love in my opinion.
Miss Tess, Miss Tess… I can’t keep up with the changes in her. I look at her and see my little baby, but she’s not. The last time she was weighed about two weeks ago she was 13 pounds four ounces. She got her first ear infection (1/20). Thankfully she’s not quite like her brother in that it didn’t hit her as hard as the ear infections used to hit him. She completed her antibiotics last week and no sign of needing a stronger one… which usually happened with Cooper. I LOVE our pediatrician in that she said that she has a low threshold for siblings of kids with chronic ear infections. We won’t have to beg and plead to get a referral to ENT, if it looks like Tess is going down the same road.
Tess got her first tooth!!! Last Wednesday (1/28) Tess’ teacher said she thought she saw something starting to poke through. I looked, but didn’t see anything. On Thursday Cari said that she felt the beginnings of a tooth start to pop through and sure enough there it was!!! The whole top of the tooth is now through. I don’t see the second one yet. Cooper got both bottom teeth the same day, but each child is different. I’m not sure how much longer I will continue to nurse her. So far it hasn’t been a problem. My goal is 2/10 which is just a week away…. Oh my, she will be six months old. Tess is starting to get more and more distracted while nursing so this might be a good time to transition to bottles all the time.
The night before last (2/1), after I changed Tess she was acting like she was trying to do a sit-up, so I pulled her into a sitting position and once she was steady I let go. My baby sat up!!! She didn’t just slouch over, but sat up like a big girl. She still needs to be spotted, but can do it! At the daycare they have sat her against a Boppy and she doesn’t want to lean back so they are seeing the same thing.
Life is incredible with these little ones… or not so “little” ones. More to come after Cooper’s party!
Monday, January 25, 2010
NH Winter Program
Last Thursday (1/21), the daycare had their winter program. I was curious to see what they would do with kids so young… especially Tess’ class, but I figured we should participate and support the daycare and the teachers. I am so glad we did! The kids were adorable… all of the rooms. We are blessed to have a great daycare and wonderful teachers.
Tess’ class (Infants) did Chipmunk Jingle Bells. Since babies look a lot alike at this age, Tess is in the pink jumper, third from the end.
Tess’ class (Infants) did Chipmunk Jingle Bells. Since babies look a lot alike at this age, Tess is in the pink jumper, third from the end.
Cooper’s class (Young Toddlers) did Deck the Halls. Cooper, as usual, turned his instrument into a guitar and wiggled his little body. Unfortunately, the video we have is too large to post here. If you are on Facebook, I posted them there. I'll see what we can do to get it on here. He was soooo cute!!!
After the program, Cooper got to meet Frosty and have a cookie and juice.
After the program, Cooper got to meet Frosty and have a cookie and juice.
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