C squared + J squared = Our Family

Jelly Belly Factory

2011-07-24T20:57:00.001-05:00

7 months!

2011-07-15T06:59:00.005-05:00

Our man is 7 months old!

It is seriously going fast with him; I feel like he just joined our family.

He now has two teeth and is working on a third.

He started waving about a week ago in response to people's waves. So smart!

He prefers to be sitting all the time so we have to do mandatory tummy time with him.

Papa saw him go up on all 4s but I haven't yet!

He is trying to clap his hands together but they look more like chest exercises at the moment!

He is eating all Stage 2 food and rice cereal as well as a few puffs; he doesn't love them yet.

He has slept through the night 3 times in the past week! The other nights he cried; we are sleep trianing him and he's been sleeping upstairs. Both Josie and him are sleeping better. This may become a permanent move :(

4th of July Park & Fireworks

2011-07-05T22:11:00.003-05:00

At the park before the fireworks Josie and my nieces got their faces painted, rode the ponies and camels, and played on some inflatables. Collin hung out sporting his mohawk and looking as handsome as ever.

A little pre-show sparklers

In her pajamas ready for the real ones...not sure how it was going to go!

This was Collin during the fireworks; he laid on my lap watching the entire show. During the loud bright bams, I covered his ears and eyes though. Not sure if it helped but he didn't flinch.

Here is Josie during the fireworks. After about 4 or 5 into them she started yelling hide, hide, hide and ran and hid behind my back. Then, she ended up with Jodi underneath her blanket.

After a while though she peaked out and watched. I think she liked them okay. Didn't love them but started to enjoy them. She liked talking about all the colors though as we walked back to the car.

4th of July Parade

2011-07-05T21:57:00.004-05:00

One of my family's traditions is watching the Wauwatosa 4th of July parade. We always sit in the same spot and we always sit by my friend Jennie's family (usually that's her mom and Grandma Mae and kiddos) as well as with a variety of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. This year there was about 25 of us; a fun way to start Independence Day.

My soon to be sister n' law watching the parade with Collin.

He feel asleep soon after.

Josie waving her flag with Jodi. She really enjoyed watching the parade. Her favorite part...running in the street to get candy! After the motorcycles, mini cars, and horses came by she said "I wanna try; my try!" She's an adventurer that one.

Big love between Curt and my dad.

An attempt at a family photo. It was wayyyy sunny so we are all squinty but we're documented in all of our red, white, and blue glory :)

Collin Has Two Teeth!

2011-07-05T21:56:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to document it...we noticed his first tooth last week, June 29th, and today I see there is another that has broken skin and needs to start growing! He is on pace with Josie for when they started teething.

Happy Baby!

2011-07-03T21:24:00.003-05:00

Tonight Collin was in a C-R-A-Z-Y hyper mood.

My niece Karley was making faces at him and just got him going.

There were several times that he had coughing fits because he lost his breath.

A summer for swimming...

2011-07-01T22:10:00.003-05:00

This week we have been swimming 3 times!

Look at how much Nick loves Josie; so sweet.

Door County

2011-07-01T21:57:00.004-05:00

I am proud to say that Curt and I went on our first adults only vacation; yep, no kids.

Curt has done this several times with fishing and hunting trips but I'd yet to try it.

For Father's Day I suprised Curt with a two night stay in Door County; we had gotten engaged their and I thought that would be a nice place to go back to. Curt's been talking about the two of us going alone for over a year now. I'm so glad we did!

On the way up we stopped at the Outlet Mall in Oshkosh, then we went to dinner at the Shoreline restaraunt (gift certificate for booking), then went to a play in the woods, after that we stopped at Not Yet Licked custard stand. The next day we went through the shops, found a quilting shop for me to buy and run with my mother teaching the classes (to dream), then had a couples massage, then went to lunch, took bitty naps, went hiking, went to dinner and walked through more shops and came back to watch cable TV since we don't have it; it was a luxury. On Sunday we went to breakfast at L.Johson's but the goats weren't on the roof, then packed up, stopped at the Outlet Mall to look for shoes for the both of us (no luck), and came home to our smiling kids who never knew we were gone but were happy to see us. My parents gave them a 10 so that makes me a bit more comfortable to try again...maybe in February for our anniversary?

Here we are before a Penninsula's Player Theatre show.

Great picture of us!

Cute little sandwhich that I had for lunch. We loved the restaraunt so much that we went back for dinner! We are totally creatures of habit!

This is outside of the wetlands preservation area where we went hiking for a little bit one afternoon.

At L.Johnson's for breakfast; that's Curt with his new friend.

When we came back the second night; the innkeeper had but a little Door County wine outside our hotel room. That was a nice little surprise. However, Curt and I don't drink wine; anyone interested in it???

Coliln's swim lessons

2011-07-01T21:41:00.006-05:00

Collin has started infant swim lessons like Josie did.

He however did not lov it. He didn't cry or mind it but I could hardly get a smile out the little man and that is not typical at all. Hopefully our next class he feels more comfortable.

Josie is now in the toddler class which meets right after Collin's. She's doing very well; her love of water continues to be strong as well as trying new skills. She can blow bubbles, go under without swallowing, kick her legs on the back and tummy, as well as hang on the side of the pool and kick without me holding on. She's doing really well; this class is actually a bit easy for her because of her taking the infant class two times but it's a good reinforcer to learn about how to move in the water.

After their two swim classes, I drop them off at home with Curt and go on to my own water aerobics class with my sister. It's a busy night but we all get our exercise in!

Stats Update

2011-07-01T21:29:00.004-05:00

Our neighborhood had a Patriotic Parade the other evening so the kiddos got dressed up in some of their red, white, and blue! Yes, Josie's shirt is from last year but I'm happy to report that tonight I packed away all of her 18 month summer clothing from last year; they are way too short on her however they fit her size well. So now she's wearing her 18-24months from last year and a few new 24 month items.

Last week the babes had their check-ups.

Josie had her two year appointment. She weighed in at 23 lbs 14 oz (10%) and measures at 35 in (60-70%). He's keeping her on whole milk because she doesn't love meat so to keep her getting enough fat in her diet. Otherwise, she is doing a great job on her milestones and had a healthy checkup. The doctor said her speech is similar to 2 and a half year old because of the number of words she has; no clue how many, I stopped at 100 which was back in winter. She speaks in sentences 5-7 words long and frequently asks What is that and why. She still babbles and doesn't speak on "command" like when I ask her say "doggy" she won't. She knows doggy and will say it on her own accord but not for show. So I was suprised but I know she's a smart cookie so not really!

Collin had his six month appointment. He weighed in at 19lbs 10 oz (60%) and was 28 in (95%). I was suprised he didn't weigh more! He also had a very healthy checkup and is doing very well in his milestones. He still doesn't roll a lot but we are increasing time on his tummy as much as he will tolerate it so that he can work on some crawling muscles. He is an excellent sitter and that's what he prefers to do. He was a champion shot taker; as soon as I picked him up he stopped crying. Interestingly enough, Josie who got no shots cried more than Collin who got two.

Croquet

2011-07-01T21:25:00.004-05:00

Josie actually did pretty well for her first time.

She seems to be really interested in physical activities.

Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan

2011-07-01T21:14:00.003-05:00

The first weekend school was out we headed up to Blue Harbor in Sheboygan for one night. It was my mom, Curt, myself and our two kiddos as well as my nieces. We were supposed to go in February for Valentine's Day/Anniversary but Josie got sick. We rescheduled for April around Spring Break but Josie got majorly sick again. So this was our third attempt at going and we went and Josie WASN'T sick.

Collin in front of the aquarium in the room.
Josie and my nieces peeking through the aquarium.

Collin ini the water. Looks like he likes it more than he actually did. He's not thrilled about water that is not warm and relaxing. Anything cool and he is grumpy about it. Quite the opposite of Josie who loved the lazy river, the leap frogs, the BIG tube ride that she went on with my niece.

Family Photos

2011-06-24T21:50:00.005-05:00

A wonderful person, friend, and budding photographer did these shots for us last week when Collin turned 6 months. We got a bunch of great ones of him; that guy loves a camera! I also asked if she could get a nice shot of my little family of four since we've yet to get a decent one. I think she did! And bonus...Groupon had a CanvasOnDeman sale so we ordered two 16x20 canvases for the house for like 60% off! Can't wait to see them on the walls!

6 Months Old!

2011-06-14T06:54:00.004-05:00

Baby 2, Mr. Handsome, Big Guy, Collin, Baby, Mr. Blue Eye whatever he's being called for that moment is 6 months old!

Our man...

1. sits on his own very, very well. And prefers that to laying down.

2. puts himself to bed at about 7:45 every night.

3. loves his feet and has discovered his hands which are totally awe-inspiring to him.

4. loves his baby food and is starting on stage 2 now so he'll have some yummy combos.

5. is a roller from back to tummy more regularly now but would rather be sitting, standing, or bouncing

6. loves to watch his sister and laugh at her; he often laughs in the middle of one her meltdowns

Greek Fest

2011-06-14T06:48:00.004-05:00

On Saturday we ventured over to the smaller Greek festival; there's music but not much else but we LOVE their food so we tend to go every year!

Josie with her first cotton candy! As big as her!

She however, did not care for it. She's not into sticky food.

Collin showing off his stylish fall hat; yes in June. But it was only in the 60s.

That little man has got style for being a little dude!

Josie in a bounce house maze. No fear that little one.

She did cry once when she got run over by some big boys but otherwise loved it!

Wait to you see what Grandma and Papa got you for Christmas Josie!

(yes, I'm already Christmas shopping)

Toddler Bed Update

2011-06-14T06:43:00.003-05:00

I don't think I need to say anything to let you know how it's going.

Guess we need to take all the toys out of their room while we are in transition!

Toddler Bed

2011-06-07T20:09:00.004-05:00

So for Josie's 26 month birthday we moved her into her toddler bed!

She has been able to climb out of her crib since around 18 months.

At 18 months we put one of those tents on top of her crib so she wouldn't be able to escape.

We did this for two reasons; my girl shows little fear and walks around the house in the dark without any trepidation and Collin was about to be born; they were going to be sharing a room

and I didn't want her climbing in his crib as well.

So this is her third night in her toddler bed. She likes it. The first night she was out like 4 or 5 times throughout the whole night. Last night was once at 2:30 a.m. or so. Tonight she got her door open which was closed and came out and told me no go bye bye nigh nigh. Well she's back in there and not moving so we'll see how it goes. No anxiety about transitioning; she's proud of her big girl bed. I would have kept her in longer but reports are coming out saying the crib tents are getting bad safety reports now so we stopped using it but I LOVED that thing to help her transition with Collin being in the room with her.

Bendy Baby

2011-06-02T21:04:00.006-05:00

So I know all babies are bendy but Collin is totally into pulling his feet to his mouth the past couple of weeks. He can't get them into his mouth but he loves to be in this position way more than Josie ever did so I find it quite funny.

Two things...look at that model face he's got going on in the picture with his eyes! And second, this quilt is mine from when I was a child! My mom made one for my sister and I when we shared a room back in the day. I'm liking the pattern and thinking Collin and Josie need matching quilts since they share a room....there's my idea for a summer project!

Memorial Day Swim

2011-06-02T20:51:00.004-05:00

These pictures did not turn out that well. Look nicely colored on my viewing software on the computer but on here they look blurry...oh well. you get the idea.

Josie still loves her baby very much. She gives him lots of attention and sometimes forgets about personal space and he gets overstimulated.

This one below I told her to go sit BY Collin.

She must have heard sit ON Collin.
Funny girl.

My happy baby boy is still an easier smiler and will charm just about everyone.

He's started his happy feet kicking when he gets excited.

The pic below shows how much he got the water splashing with all of his kicking.

Memorial Day was finally warm enough to have the pool out in the shade.

All the grandkids enjoyed it while we bbq-ed and planted the family garden.

Rock Star Baby

2011-06-02T20:47:00.004-05:00

Most important milestone yet????

First MOHAWK!!

Family Pics Around Vegas

2011-05-22T05:58:00.007-05:00

We did A LOT in Vegas....we explored and our legs took us there! One day we had 23,000 steps.

I was nervous to travel with the babes but they are AMAZING travelers. They were great on the plane, thank you Lord. They slept well, thank you Lord. They loved walking around in the strollers and being carried around, thank you Lord. It made for a great trip. The hardest part was mealtime; Josie is not much of an eater so for her to stay still in public while the rest of us ate was not happening. Otherwise we all behaved well. We have ton more pics but for the sake of time; I'm uploading our family pics throughout our four day mini-vacation.

This is at our hotel; The Flamingo. It had an animal sanctuary in the back. We were tring to pose with the flamingos there.

Outside of the Flamingo Hotel at night

The Venetian

Fremont Street

The Luxor

Paris, Paris

At the animal Sanctuary at the hotel

This was a first time trip for Curt and I as well to Vegas. We enjoyed it and I was pleasantly suprised at how much I did. It was way cleaner and family friendly than I imagined; I don't know if that's because it was spring break and lots of people headed that way? But I wouldn't change our trip with the kids at all; well maybe, maybe I would make it longer!

Things we did: M&M world, MGM lions, New York/New York, Mandalay Bay Aquarium, Treasure Island Pirate ship, The Mirage volcano, the Bellagio light and water show, Circus/Circus, Fremont Street, hotel walking, trinket shop shopping,

5 Months Old!

2011-05-18T20:44:00.006-05:00

Well our boy is 5 months old already; I'm shocked...that's almost a half a year! Yikes. Time for another :)

A few things about our man:
1. He started rolling on Mother's Day! He was 4 months and 3 weeks old.
2. We started him on veggies and LOVES them all. We started fruit for his 5 month b-day and seemed to like those as well.
3. He had an ear infection this month so I had to take him in to the doc; he weighed 18lbs4oz dressed! So we'll say he's 18 pounds!
4. He is a ladies man! He loves to smile and coo with the ladies.
5. He says mama! Not really but he is making lots of different sounds and has figured out that he can get loud and squeal! He has got a really great belly laugh.
6. We're not sleeping through the night; generally he gets up between 1:30 and 2:30 and then again around 6. We're almost there.
7. He can sit up unsupported for about 3-5 seconds before falling forwards or backwards.

8. He loves to grab things and pull them to his mouth or to reach for his toes. No toes in his mouth though.

9. We love him! We love him! We love him!

Ready for a Warm Vacation?

2011-04-16T23:04:00.002-05:00

Yep! We've got our toenails painted!

Look at those little chicken legs; so cute and petite!

Elmo Birthday Party

2011-04-16T22:57:00.003-05:00

Goodie bags for the kiddos...yeah for the Cricut machine and Dawn letting me borrow it!

And double yeah for Target's dollar section being full of Sesame Street coloring books!

The yummies...cookies made by Jennie. Delish. Cupcakes and cake decorated by Jodi and I.

4 Months Old and Swinging Fun on an 80 Degree Day!

2011-04-16T22:42:00.005-05:00

Our baby boy is four months old and growing so, so fast. He had his 4 month checkup at 3 and a half months though because of Dr Solberg's knee surgery. At that time he weighed in at 15 lbs 15 and 1/2 ounces! He was also 26 and 1/2 inches. That put him in the 83% for weight and 95% for height...he's a big healthy boy. He is wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothing plus a size 3 diaper. At that time he was hitting all of his developmental milestones on track. He has excellent head support, is starting to tolerate tummy time (so hopefully we'll be rolling soon), usually wakes up once a night for a bottle, is drinking 6 ounces at a time, is a smiley talkative little boy (this morning he went nonstop for 1/2 hour), loves to have people talk to him, is grabbing onto strings, hitting and batting at toys, enjoys the bathtub, still is a sweating machine, loves to be cuddled and held, is a ticklish little guy, sits in his bumpo and high chair, and continues to be patient with Josie's constant attention and hugs and kisses. Can't wait to see what he does in the next month...rolling?

First Foods

2011-04-07T22:42:00.003-05:00

We started Collin on solids on Friday, April 15th! He has been really good about eating them. So far he has had squash, then sweet potatoes, and now carrots. His favorite of the three are carrots; he smiled the whole time he ate them. He also really likes sweet potatoes and is so/so with the squash. Next we start the green vegetables.

Wait you might say! Aren't you supposed to start with cereal? That's the typical plan of action but because of Collin's diaper issue and only having one every 2-3 days the doctor suggested starting with vegetables to see if that would help him. This first week it has made a positive difference; I hope it can continue for the guys little belly.

After the veggies then we will try cereal and end with fruits. I might start trying prunes too.

Here he is in action! Fun fact: Miss Josie Rose fed him his first bite of solids!

Birthday Fun!

2011-04-07T22:36:00.002-05:00

For Josie's birthday we took Josie to Chuck E Cheese for dinner and games. Well dinner for us and fun for Josie. Her favorite was the skee-ball; here you see Anita and her moving close to earn their points. Helped; but not that much :) She also loved the huge playground that you could crawl around the tubes high above us.

TWO YEARS!

2011-04-06T06:20:00.003-05:00

My baby girl is two years old! Turning one was hard for me; I was very sad about it all. Turning two has been a lot easier. I've been much more nostalgic about her than sad about the growing up. It's funny because her "birth day" does not seem two years ago and I remember all those feelings so clearly still.

Must knows about Josie:

She wants to be a vegetarian when she grows up. She still is a champion vegetable and fruit eater. We are going to plant a garden again for her this summer but add in more strawberries this time. Favorite foods are apples, strawberries, french fries, and chocolate.

Josie loves TV...mainly Dora, Elmo, and Diego. She can zone in on the TV and tune out the world around you. While I'm glad she can focus...she likes that TV too, too much.

Josie is A-C-T-I-V-E! The aforementioined TV is the only thing that can slow her down. She is a master climber, jumper, runner, rider.

She loves to be outside...she willingly goes on walks in the stroller and quite often will yell no when upon returning home. She loves sticks, rocks, and leaves. New to this is the sandbox she got from her uncle Mike for her birthday. It's a great addition to our backyard.

Josie is an AMAZING big sister with the best patience and love for her brother. She does not get jealous of the little man and loves to mother him as well. She actually fed him his first spoonful of baby food. I'm sure people don't believe me when I say she's not been jealous once; but she hasn't. If she wants me when I'm feeding him she will usually wait or sometimes will touch the swing and tell me baby because she wants me to put him down so I can help her.

Josie's two year appt is in June because of her doctor's knee surgery in April and then our schedules. I'll put her stats up then but she's a peanut wearing 18 month clothing best and size 4 or 5 shoes.

She is strong willed. She knows what she wants and when she wants it. She knows when she wants to play with you and when she wants to be alone. I hope she keeps this self-recognition about herself because she will never be led astray then.

Josie is a problem solver; she is smart. She wanted to get out of the pack n play so she pushed all her pillows and blankets to the corner to make a step and catapulted herself out. Goes along with that master climber comment too. She is great at matching and doing basic peg puzzles.

She loves to help. Any time I come to the door carrying bags she will grab them and try to carry them to the kitchen for me. Melts my heart everytime because those bags are as big as her!

Her favorite toys right now are to color and to play on her zebra. She goes in spurts with her books so we need to start a better routine for that.

Josie has way over 100 words...I stopped keeping track months ago. She says two word sentences all the time and goes up to four and five word sentences at least once a day. She still babbles a lot more than talks but she is usually able to communicate her needs. Josie does not like to play the copying game. You know Josie say "elephant" or "brother"; she doesn't usually try but looks at you with a really face? She does say new words all the time though and I'm usually like when did you start saying that. Denise lets me know when she hears new ones too.

Josie loves to go places. If she sees us putting on our coat/shoes she is usually running for hers. She picks out matching shoes but not always matching to her outfit. She is very good about wearning shoes, hats, etc to go places. She usually lets me leave without a fuss too. She's well adjusted with her routine babysitters.

Josie can put on her own hat, can get at least one arm in her sleeve but that's about all she attempts for dressing. She can get off shoes, socks, pants, skirts, diapers, coats. She knows how to do a zipper if you start it. Josie actually is very content to let me dress and undress her. Sometimes the diaper change is a battle if she wants to be moving and shaking; which you can guess it often.

Overall, Josie is a pretty low maitenance girl; well as much as one can be for two years old :)

She does like to get her way and have her space but her tantrums are typically short lived, she will take a time-out, and will usually readjust her behavior for you without a lot of effort on your part. Of course there are her days and moments but in general...we are on our way to TREMENDOUS TWOS; nothing terrible about them!

Big Girl Bed

2011-03-31T20:28:00.003-05:00

This is Josie at DeeDee's house.

Denise was able to find a toddler bed for Josie to use at her house.

Josie is still in the crib at home and actually is tented in but she's doing excellent with the bed!

She's been taking 2+ hour naps for Denise.

Waaaa! She's getting too old!

Bouncing Baby Boy

2011-03-27T20:29:00.003-05:00

Today we pulled out the stationary bouncer for Collin. He did a great job in it! His favorite was a piece that he could spin away at. He had one or two bounces in there but isn't quite ready for that yet even though Josie did try to teach him how. Collin really enjoys being upright when we are holding him so I think this will be a hit in the months to come.

And Josie can't be left out of a new event so make sure to check her out in the last pic :)

First Day of School

2011-03-27T20:26:00.002-05:00

March 22nd was my first day back to work after a 14 week maternity leave. All three of us did excellent; no tears of sadness! It's like the three of us have always had a place to get to fast in the morning. Every morning I have had to wake Josie up by 7:15 though to get her to Denise's on time. Collin usually is up around 6:30 or 7:00 for the day.

Flower Girl

2011-03-27T20:21:00.002-05:00

My brother is getting married July 18! They've asked Josie to be a flower girl so we went to try on dresses. This was by far Josie's favorite dress; she knew what to do in this dress! She instantly started dancing and twirling and running and laughing. You can see the love in her face. I don't know if this is the dress they are going to pick but these pictures are so joyous that i had to share them!

Collin's First Train Ride

2011-03-27T20:18:00.002-05:00

Country Springs Waterpark

2011-03-27T20:13:00.002-05:00

For a final hurrah of my maternity leave; the kiddos and I headed to Country Springs Waterpark with some of our playdate pals. This was Collin's first time in a swimsuit; look at him filling out a 6-12 swimsuit...hoping it will get us through the summer? The last time Josie and I went to the waterpark Collin went by the babysitters house but this time she was watching some other kiddos so we weren't able to do that. It ended up being a good thing because I took Collin with us; while he didn't go in the water it was a positive for me. When collin was first born I was terrified to leave the house with both of them; worrying about meltdowns and embarssment that would happen in public. Well I've come a long way baby! We did lots of fun things over break...the zoo, the waterpark, the mall, playdates, Gymbo play, soccer class, walks, outside to play.

3 Months!

2011-03-27T20:01:00.002-05:00

Collin is 3 months old and growing o' so fast!

We had to go in to get his ears checked and he weighed in at 15lbs 6ozs!

He was clothed and diapered so I'm saying 15 pounds! That's 3 pounds in one month! Yikes.

In other news; he has excellent head control, loves to smile, cuddle in tight to his mama, watch his sister's antics, play on his playmat and sit in his bumpo. Collin overheats easily so he loves to be nakey. Him and I together always results in a sweat fest. He also has begun to sleep in the bedroom with Josie. The first three days or so was brutal; with one or the other crying but not usually at the same time. I called them my dueling banjos. Now they've got the hang of it.

Check out how ADORABLE my little man is!

Curt, Josie, and Collin's First Ashes

2011-03-27T19:59:00.002-05:00

Wrestling!

2011-03-27T19:54:00.002-05:00

Josie loves, loves, loves, loves it when Collin sits on her espescially her head. Goofy I know.

Obviously we don't let it get too rough out of concern for Collin but soon, very soon he is going to pass Josie up in size and we will need to be worried about her! Check out his 3 month stats!

Silly

2011-03-27T19:52:00.001-05:00

Josie has gotten really silly in the past month.

She has the best laugh that always turns into hiccups if she's had a good belly laugh.

FYI-- She never poses for pics but she did for this goofiness!

Two-Tree-Ine-Ero: Josie's version of counting

2011-03-27T19:44:00.002-05:00

One day Josie found a deck of cards and played for a half hour with these things! She was talking and counting away; well her version of it anyways!

Soccer Tots

2011-03-27T19:34:00.003-05:00

We signed Josie up for a soccer "class" this spring with the Menomonee Falls Rec Department. She's been enjoying class and an open space to run free. I really like it because it's great practice for her to sit and listen; which I would give her a C if she was getting a grade. Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't but I guess she's not 2 yet so we'll keep working on it :) She is getting better at taking turns and sitting on her circle or in her case sitting and holding the circle on her lap. The instructor is really great too with 10 children who are 3 and under. Now the hard decision; soccer for the summer or back to gymnastics?

Monkey Joes

2011-03-27T19:26:00.002-05:00

Another extra fun place we discovered during my maternity leave was Monkey Joes. This was a special trip for Josie and I while Collin practiced going to Denise's house. What a super fun place for kids! Josie loves to jump and climb so this was her kind of place. I told Curt he would love it too; hopefully we will have another trip there with daddy soon.

Mitchell Park Domes

2011-03-27T19:17:00.003-05:00

In March we headed to the domes twice; once on a free day and another in the evening for their music under the glass program. Both times were so BUSY! Josie enjoyed a place to run free that felt warm. She also enjoyed watching the "choo choos" that were on display. During the concert they also had a light show for a few songs; Josie and I really enjoyed the show.

Collin was there too but just hung out in his stroller people watching :)

Escanaba Weekend

2011-03-27T19:08:00.003-05:00

At the end of February we headed to Upper Michigan to join Curt while he went ice fishing with his father. While there Curt fished. Josie kept busy with play-do, going bowling for the first time, swimming in a hotel pool, and chasing her Granpa and Grandma's dogs around. Collin hung out on his playmat and bouncer chair. And I took care of the babes. They both did phenomenal on the drive; Collin slept for the majority and Josie watched Curious George and Elmo. Sleeping was a lot more difficult though; Josie did not do well napping or sleeping away from home so she was not a well-rested girl by the end of the weekend. She hung in there pretty well and didn't get too whiny though. It does make me a little nervous for our Spring Break vacation to Vegas though.

10 Week Photo Shoot

2011-02-22T14:10:00.003-06:00

I'm really having issues with rotating my images for some reason; we downsized our camera so I'm still learning it a bit...maybe that's it?

But the reason for this post...to show off my little man...Mr. Collin who is now 10 weeks old! He's into the double digits. He is getting much stronger in his neck, plays with his tongue a bunch, and has on occasion been blowing spit bubbles. This guy is telling me he wants cereal!

He mimmicks a bunch now. If you laugh you can usually get him laughing or smiling too. He likes to have a conversation with you; his longest one has been with my sister which went back and forth like five times. His favorite sounds are pretend sneezing and gaaaaa...those often get a smile out of him too.

And he's posing for his 10 week photo shoot with a new blankie crocheted by my friend Anita.

Mommy & Josie Day at Chuck E Cheese

2011-02-20T21:01:00.004-06:00

This is Josie at what turned out to be her favorite game. She played at least ten times.

First you put the coin in.

Then you throw the ball to the bucket.

Next you celebrate your win!

At the end you get the tickets! Josie earned 51 of them for stickers and a smarties pack.

Her favorite ride; it was broken but she loved climbing on the big horsie. She did try to get it moving but that didn't work so well.

9 Week Faces

2011-02-20T20:52:00.003-06:00

Mr. Collin is really getting the hang of mimmicking other people's mouths. And he has really discovered his tongue. He sticks it out, looks like he's chewing on it, and will play with the bottle too. Doctor said this is closer to a 4 month trait; funny what things are considered milestones for babies. The sooner he's got control of that tongue the sooner he gets cereal!

He is such a cutie but he doesn't have a baby face to me. He's got a little boy face to me.

Valentine's Day in Photos

2011-02-20T20:40:00.003-06:00

Breakfast; mixed red fruits and heart cookies!

Being the health nut she is; she ate more fruit than cookie.

A little sister and brother love. He's really starting to watch her move around.

She's going to teach him lots!

Coloring together on the floor. We stayed in our pajamas all day until 3 o'clock when we left to go play at Gymboree for a fun Valentine's outing.

Josie watching Nickolodeon's Brothers and Sisters DVD; their Valentine's gift plus their comfy pajamas. Josie wouldn't smile for a pic with hers so there's a cute pic of her tooshie.

Collin is a heart breaker with that smile!

8 weeks & 2 month check-up

2011-02-20T20:15:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately I don't know how to turn the photo~

Collin weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces (64%) and 24.25 inches (90%).

His head was in the 38th percentile.

I was suprised by all of these numbers. I thought he weighed way more and I thought his head was way bigger because none of the hats that have come with his outfits fit his head! Thank goodness my mom has made him a bunch. He's a long one and at this rate will pass Josie up by one year's old!

Dr. S said that he was looking and sounding healthy so that's what makes me a happy mommy!

I was thinking about me and how I've changed between him and Josie.

1. I still worry but not half as much; with Josie I was anxious all the time and worried about something happening, something bad happening, it was exhausting. I still get riled and anxious over things but can usually move past them a lot better; the magic of the second child.

2. I still have lots of clothes but it's like half of what Josie had. I love to dress this kiddos but am also getting thrifty about how much they need; well that and there's less room with two! That's probably more affecting the change than me controlling myself :)

3. I don't need every gizmo out there for him; we used very few of them with Josie and don't feel the need for new things for him. However, we did get a new fancy diaper bag backpack and a new baby carrier. LOVE both of them.

4. I actually buy some second hand things. Usually from people I know so I can check the recall information. It gets a megacleaning still but I would have never even done this at first with Josie. Not so good at the random people because my germphobia kicks in but I'm working on it.

5. I can share him a little better. Whenever people held Josie I wanted her back right away so I could have a turn again! I still feel the same way now but I'm better with it.

hopefully all of this makes me a better mommy; sorry Josie that you had to be the experiment child!

Collin's Baptism

2011-02-13T20:39:00.003-06:00

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7 Weeks!

2011-02-02T16:30:00.003-06:00

Big Guy is 7 Weeks Old!

This week he has mastered smiling and is starting to laugh. It's more of a quick intake of air and squeal but he does it in response to our laughing at him. He has smiled lots for me, his sister, a bit for Curt, the wall, and an aquantince so I expect it to happen more regularly now!

He is really starting to enjoy his mat. He tolerates tummy time but doesn't do a lot of head picking up. He has a lot of alert times now and I'm trying to figure out his sleep patterns. We've had two nights where he's slept through until 4 or 5...could it be that his sleep at night is getting longer!! Hopefully not just a fluke but we'll see :)

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-02T16:22:00.003-06:00

I need to listen to the news still to hear the final numbers but we had quite a bit of snow in the past 36 hours and tons of blowing and drifting. Some as deep as Curt's waist...needless to say the snowblower doesn't help too much with drifts like that!

Josie went outside only for a quick photo-op. Basically it took just as long to dress her as it took to take pictures of her but we had to document history! The snowdrifts were over her head!

Josie's Mad Coloring Skills

2011-01-31T21:21:00.002-06:00

Josie has been into coloring for a little while now. Being home together every day leaves us a lot of time to color together. She loves to use markers and pens the most but we're sticking to these jumbo crayons...they hardly break! Notice that they are all unwrapped...anytime she gets a new crayon, it's the first thing she does before she can color.

Josie knows how to hold her crayon correctly and understands that drawing is a representation. She likes to ask us to draw a doggie or a baby. One time I drew a doggie that she didn't like so she said no and scribbled it out. So I drew another dog and that one was acceptable. She definetly has her opinions. She loves when I draw stars for her to color in too. Recently she has begun to trace her feet and hands. She will babble and laugh away during coloring time.

Zoo Trip...Collin's 1st Time!

2011-01-31T21:09:00.003-06:00

On Saturday the weather was in the high 30s so we went to the zoo to get rid of some of our cabin fever! I love the zoo in the winter; it's never busy or crowded and Josie and the girls can run without worrying about others. I do miss the green of the trees but well!

A pic to document Collin's first trip to the zoo...he slept through the whole thing!

Watching the orangutans...here favorite were the penguins and the spider monkeys though.

She followed this poor peacock about a quarter of a block.

He hopped into the snow and Josie does not like to walk into snow so he was able to escape!

The crew heading home.

6 Weeks!

2011-01-25T21:29:00.003-06:00

Here's Big Guy at 6 weeks.

I know I say it every week but I can't believe how BIG he is!

He is growing fast. I really can't wait to hear his weight.

This week he has been "talking" everynight. It's the sweetest little coo.

Very random smiles though.

A LOT more alert and now loves to "sit" up and face/observe the world.

Doesn't it look like he has red hair??

With his sweet & sassy sister who can't get enough of him!

5 weeks & BathTime

2011-01-19T21:49:00.003-06:00

Big Guy is 5 weeks old! This is the first bath that he stayed quiet for a little bit...we had tons of water in there for Josie to play in which kept him nice and warm. We'll have to try that again and see if it keeps him quiet a second time.

This week is pretty much the same as last...a few more coos, a few more smiles, more head and neck control, better tummy (now he's on BeneFiber twice a day), and more awake time.

Trying to figure out his schedule and his little personality but everyday is different.

Josie continues to love her brother and wants to help even more. She has started to help me burp him which she does gently, help give him his bottle, and to bathe him.

She'd do anything I would let her too; she loves to interact with him.

One Month!

2011-01-17T14:04:00.002-06:00

Big Guy is one month old! I would not be shocked if you told me he was 10 pounds!

To celebrate his 1st monthly birthday we packed away his newborn outfits...they are too short and too tight on the waist. Good thing we didn't have too many of them!

0-3 is fitting perfect right now...we'll see if they last until 3 months though!

This first month went quickly; I knew it would with the holidays in there.

Hopefully now it will slow down...only 9 weeks of maternity leave left!

So Excited!!

2011-01-12T21:14:00.002-06:00

Going to see her in March!

Playing with Play-Do

2011-01-12T20:55:00.004-06:00

Today was Josie's first experience with Play-Do. I thought she would enjoy it a bit more than she did; she just wanted to put it in and out of the container.

This was Josie after being told "no" for trying to eat it.

So we stopped playing with play-do and read a book instead!

New Year = New Hair

2011-01-12T20:46:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to sraighten/relax my hair for years now but have always chickened out and being pregnant twice kept me from doing much with my hair. Let's just say that I LOVE it! It's straightened extra with a flat iron but should only have a slight wave if I don't flatiron it. The week before Collin was born my cousintrimmed off about three inches and today I had another six inches chopped off! In two weeks I go to have it colored so it's only one color and not two!

4 weeks!

2011-01-11T21:47:00.002-06:00

Mr. Blue Eyes as I call him has turned 4 weeks today :(

He has had a much better week. The formula, bottle, and gas drop changes seem to have made a positive change. He still is uncomfortable often but is typically not screaming. (tonight was fough one for him though )

He has been a lot more alert this week and his head/neck control is getting a lot stronger.

He loves to hold onto our fingers as he's in our arms; it's awesome.

He has been watching people as they walk through or leave the room.

Just like Josie he loves the play mat and to look up at the lights.

He is young but already starting to have some male pattern balding! ha ha!

Because it's cute

2011-01-08T21:15:00.001-06:00

Christmas Portraits at Christmas Eve Church

2011-01-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

One and Three Quarters= 21 months!

2011-01-06T21:38:00.004-06:00

Josie is 21 months today...and I'll admit it I've started to plan her 2nd birthday party!
Thinking girly pirates!

Let me tell you about Josie at 21 months! She is smart. She is an excellent problem solver and is very observant. For example, I hung a new picture on the wall and within an hour she noticed and kept looking at it. She uses about 70 words correctly in conversation and can mimick another 30 or so but doesn't really understand them (like the names of colors). She can identify her head, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, ears, arms, hands, legs, foot, toes, belly and butt. We are working on her back, chin, knees, and elbows. She loves to color but is not into books.

She is doing PHENOMENALLY well adjusting to a new baby in the house. She loves her brother so much and has been extremely patient with him and us. She has not shown jealousy or anger towards him at all. I am truly suprised how well she has transitioned and I hope it continues that way.

She loves to climb, jump, run, and be outside. She is active no matter where we are. At church she's on the go in the narthex, in a store she'd rather be walking than in the cart, she constantly would like to go into the basement to play with her outside toys. Unfortunately, the only way to slow her down is put on Dora or some other show. She would take a bath everynight for fun.

She's not the best eater. She loves fruits and vegetables (not tomatoes though) and will eat them instead of meat and breads. She's getting better with cheeses and yogurts but would eat like a rabbit all day if she got her way. Well that and chocolate; she's a chocoholic.

She wants to get her way all the time and will argue with you in her own language. She has started to ask why when we tell her no and I think understands some of the explanations we give her. She is also starting to earn timeouts for some unwanted behaviors. But I must say she sits for them; not always quietly or calmly but she'll stay in timeout until she's called out of it.

2011 New Years Resolutions

2011-01-06T20:21:00.004-06:00

So we all have made resolutions for 2011!

our first picture as a family of four

Curt-- To eat three meals a day. Sounds funny but he sometimes only eats dinner.
Josie--To potty train.
Collin--To crawl and walk and sleep through the night
Jaime--To lose the baby weight, to run (or jog) a 5k and to craft every month. The crafting is a repeat of last years but I didn't follow through on it and would like to do more.

3 weeks!

2011-01-05T21:41:00.003-06:00

Collin's 3 weeks old!

This has been a hard week for Collin; he's been having some issues with the bathroom/gas. Only going once every 2-3 days but it makes him sooo uncomfortable several times a day. Sometimes it's just a sqwauk or two but others it's full on crying for 15 minutes or so.

Today we switched formulas, bottles, and started using gas drops so let's hope we see a difference in a few days.

In more happy news...he knows who his mama is! He is responding to my voice and will turn his head when he hears me and knows when I'm not holding him. He's turning into a mama's boy! (that's fine for now but I told him not as a grown-up :)

I have heard him coo twice and it is so sweet I can't wait to hear it more.

He also had a smile (albiet a gas bubble smile) but it was a huge open-mouth smile which is going to warm hearts one he's doing it on his own!

Can you see the discomfort on his face even when he sleeps ? It makes me so sad.

Matching Sunday Outfits

2011-01-02T16:05:00.005-06:00

Shortly after we found out we were having a boy my mom found these matching outfits. Today they wore them to church; the cuteness is definetly worthy of a picture post!

Two Weeks...(a few days late)

2011-01-02T13:22:00.003-06:00

He's two weeks old! Waahhh!!! Now I have to start counting in weeks and not days :(

He weighed in at 8 lbs 7.5 oz (55%) and stayed at 21.5 inches.

His color from the jaundice looked good. He had been on the billi-blanket for 3 days.

They snipped off his umbilical cord.

He is eating VERY well; more than the typical 2 wk old...more like a 5 or 6 week old.

As petite as Josie is I think Collin may be the opposite and be a beast!

Snuggly Babies--All Of Us Ready for Bed!

2011-01-02T09:00:00.003-06:00

Christmas Day

2011-01-02T08:59:00.006-06:00

Our attempt with the kids in front of the Christmas tree :)

I would say maybe next year but I think that may be even harder then!

Christmas Day was a slow start. I was up at 6 a.m. but everyone else slept until almost 8:00!

So I watched TV and enjoyed the quiet until Curt and Josie woke up. Collin slept through the gift opening of his presents but Josie helped him out!

Curt's parents came over shortly thereafter and we celebrated Christmas with them.

The day after Christmas is Curt's mother's birthday as well so we celebrated her birthday too.

After they left, Josie and I went down for our naps and we went to have dinner at my parents house.

It was a quiet Christmas but lovely just the same.

And here's a photo of our early Christmas present!

Kitchen Time!

2011-01-02T08:59:00.004-06:00

Curt and I gave Josie a kitchen for Christmas.

She has LOVED it and has spent a lot of time in the kitchen in the past week.

As you can see she does not always use it for "cooking".

It's an indoor jungle gym too! She has stood on the counter.

She has pushed the stool under the curved arch and tried to hang from the arch as well.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-31T20:53:00.003-06:00

On Christmas Eve we spent the day at home relaxing and preparing desserts to share with the family. That evening we went to 5:00 church and came back to our house with my whole family in tow for dinner...chili in the slow cooker and cocktail dogs. Nothing fancy but delicious! After dinner we had presents galore! This was the first time we've had Christmas anywhere besides my parents house. I know my mom liked it; not having the mess at her house and I know I liked it because we didn't have to pack anything up and get organized to leave. Not sure if it will happen again but it was a nice Christmas Eve...Collin's first and Josie's 2nd but she totally understood opening gifts and genuinely enjoyed each of her gifts.

Do you think they look alike?!?!

2010-12-24T10:21:00.003-06:00

Mutz Cousin Christmas

2010-12-24T10:09:00.003-06:00

This year we got together at Pat and Michelle's house to have a little cousin Christmas for the little ones to exchange Christmas presents. We got together the weekend before we were due because we knew we would most likely not be seeing them over the holidays with our new addition joining the family. Baby brother got SPOILED with fun things! And I think/hope the car cozies I made for Jackson and Brady were a hit!

St. Nicks

2010-12-24T10:04:00.002-06:00

We were so excited for St. Nicks that we couldn't even get dressed!

The stockings were hung and filled with goodies for the little ones!

Josie helped out baby brother and helped opened his for him too!

Hello Santa...we tried!

2010-12-24T10:01:00.003-06:00

BLACK Friday

2010-12-24T09:56:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite days of the year!!!

This year Curt was gone hunting so Josie and I stayed over at my parents house on Thanksgiving. Jodi had to work the morning of Black Friday so she wasn't able to join us.

Well, I had some electronics on my list that I knew would be "hot" items and me being 2 weeks away from brother's birth day knew I wouldn't be able to move fast and get what I wanted so I enlisted Karley to join us on her first black Friday! We left at 2:30 in the morning and didn't come back until noon! She was a trooper and sooo helpful! Of course we had to document that momentous ocassion!

Brother Cake

2010-12-24T09:51:00.002-06:00

This post is SUPER old but I want to document it!

We had our 20 week ultrasound the same day we left on a family vacation in late July.

To share our news we made a "brother cake".

Nobody knew the sex of the baby until we cut it open!

One Week!

2010-12-22T20:10:00.002-06:00

I can't believe that he is one week old already!

He is doing so well. For his one week birthday he was able to stop wearing the billi-blanket!

So far (knock on wood) he is a content, mellow little baby. He fusses, not even cries, when he is wet and when he is getting hungry. He can not stand a wet diaper so if it's not feeding time, that's usually what it is. He sleeps very well through the day and has only been waking up once a night for a bottle and diaper change. He typically has 2 or 3 periods through the day that he's very alert. From Day 1 he has been able to hold his head up briefly...he's getting stronger at it now but still has the "bobble head". We are so glad he's here and apart of our family!

"My Baby"

2010-12-22T19:58:00.003-06:00

Josie has been calling Collin: baby, my baby, and baby brother (once).

Whenever she says "my baby" I have to explain to her that he's mama's baby, daddy's baby, and Josie's baby and that we all have to share.

When she came to the hospital she would not let anyone else hold him! Not out of jealousy but because it was her baby. She's done a lot better sharing him now and has not had one round of jealousy! I am shocked and so proud of her. I hope it stays that way for her.

Whenever she wakes up the first person she's looking for is Collin and when she goes to bed that's who she wants to say "nigh nigh" to. She has been a WONDERFUL big sister and has transitioned so well. She LOVES her baby brother as you can see from her smiles!

Coming Home!

2010-12-22T19:54:00.001-06:00

Josie Meeting Collin for the 1st time

2010-12-22T19:44:00.004-06:00

Collin Jerry's Birth...

2010-12-22T19:25:00.002-06:00

Collin Jerry

December 14, 2010

3:37 a.m.

7 lbs. 15 oz.

21 and 1/2 inches

is not a very exciting one but that's okay! Our due date was December 20th and my doctor was going to be leaving on vacation so we talked about being induced a few days early as long as it was favorable. On Monday the 13th I went in for my weekly check with the Dr. and I was dilated 2 and his head was pushing down; Dr. said I was ready to deliver at anytime so we decided on Wednesday to be induced. Well we never made it to that appointment! That evening Jennie came over for a visit and to pick up her cookies from the cookie exchange (13 dozen!) and I was achy but not crampy or uncomfortable so I thought it was just from my doctor's check. I went to bed around nine like normal and was up at 11:45...I went to the bathroom because I was having crampy feelings...thinking my tummy was upset because I had been battling the stomach virus that was traveling around our school. But the crampy didn't stop and was different than the stomach flu...I went back to the bedroom and told Curt that I thought I may be having Braxton Hicks but they kept coming so at midnight I started tracking on an ITouch app and they kept coming every 3-4 minutes and lasting about a minute. After about 30 minutes I called in to the 24 hour hotline because we had been induced with Josie I didn't even know the rules for when to go in as far as timing and contractions.

They started getting stronger and coming a bit faster as I was on the phone with the nurse and my sister. Jodi came to stay with Josie and we checked in around 1:30 a.m. I was already at a 7! Nurses asked if I wanted an epidural; yes I did, so they moved us to delivery right away and I had one done before our paperwork was even processed. By the time the epidural was done and Curt/my mom was allowed to come back into the room I was at a 9! Thank goodness they got that epidural in because at 3:37 a.m. and 6 pushes later our baby boy was here! 2 hours at the hospital; not even 4 hours from start to finish and he was here! I'm still shocked at the speed and ease of this delivery but I'm grateful for it and the health of Collin and me (as well as Curt and Josie!)

Mandatory Belly Shot!

2010-12-22T19:20:00.003-06:00

This was taken at about 1:00am in the morning as we were headed to the hospital...it's really the only belly shot that I've got this time around but that's okay; it's enough for me!

And here's Josie at 1:00 a.m. in the morning; all the phone calls to the doctor and the calls to family to come stay with her woke her up. Here's her last picture as an only child :)

Getting Ready for Christmas!

2010-12-22T19:12:00.003-06:00

So this year we were ready for Christmas early...just in case baby brother decided to make his entrance early! The tree went up the weekend before Thanksgiving as Curt was off hunting. We did buy a train for under the tree and you will see below how much Josie L-O-V-E-D that purchase; I'm so glad that we did!

Collin's Hospital Photo Shoot

2010-12-15T16:56:00.001-06:00

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Baby Brother

2010-11-17T19:44:00.004-06:00

Today we had a final ultrasound checking on baby brother. Everything looked exactly as it should and was doing exactly what it should. He looks very healthy and now just needs to finish growing the next 4 weeks. Baby brother was measuring on track and they guessed around 6 pounds right now...let's hope that's a little high or in 4 weeks we may have a bigger sized baby. Here's one of the 3-D shots they put on a disc for us; Curt said he's got his cheeks and nose! You can see some hair up top too!

After we heard all was healthy, I did ask to check that there was still a boy in there and yep, we saw the parts...it's still a boy! And I think baby brother may possibly have a name?!?! We have one that's stuck for a couple days now so we'll see if we make it through the weekend with the same name because we haven't hit more than 3-4 days before changing names again!

Christmas!

2010-11-01T21:41:00.006-05:00

Christmas is all I have on my brain this year! I don't know if that's because baby brother should be here and home in time for Christmas or because I'm excited to see Josie get excited about the music, lights, and presents! I don't know but I can't wait to decorate...Curt is leaving on Thanksgiving to go hunting so we are going to put the family tree up that morning before he leaves town. One decoration I can't wait for is a Christmas train set...I've always wanted one and never let myself indulge; you know no kids and having the dogs in the past always seemed like logical reasons not to have one. Well this year we will have two kids (ha, one might not even be a week old yet) and since the dogs have moved I think I have no reasons left to talk myself out of buying one! Who knows about GeoTrax and their quality? They look totally kid friendly? Are they worth the price? How fun does this look if it were under the tree? The top one is on sale this week at Toys R Us and I'm so torn about to buy or not to buy!!

Little Lady

2010-11-01T21:28:00.003-05:00

This year Josie dressed up as a ladybug; we got so many compliments about her cuteness and her costume! She went trick or treating twice; once at night with DeeDee and the boys. She loved walking with them and following them around; she didn't get scared by any noises or costumes! On Sunday we went trick or treating by my parents' house to visit our neighbor friends and to walk by the trunk or treat at our church. Josie was not as into trick or treating this time but really enjoyed handing out the candy to the children who came. She would just keep giving and giving them more. However, if they were wearing a mask she just stared and wouldn't hand them anything; they made her too nervous! Halloween was so fun with Josie this year, she loved to play with the pumpkins, loves the candy, learned to say treat, and looked so a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e in her outfit! It makes me really excited to celebrate Christmas with her!

This is Grandma taking her next door to Judy's house. You see Judy had a big bag of treats set aside for Josie and our nieces. We walked by our aunt's house too; they also had a big treat bag for her and the girls. Papa and Grandma had treat bags for all the grandgirls, DeeDee and the boys gave her a pumpkin full of yummies! Needless to say Josie was very spoiled this Halloween and we are so greatful for all of our friends and family who love to dote on her as much as we do!

A Full Set!

2010-10-27T19:54:00.002-05:00

just so i can remember...and let josie know. she got all her teeth as of sunday! So she was 18 months, 3 weeks and she's gotten all her baby teeth!

Josie's Personality Caught on Camera

2010-10-22T21:18:00.006-05:00

These photos catch her as she is....dare-devil, adventerous, active, and messy!

Exploring Lincoln Park Zoo

2010-10-22T21:17:00.002-05:00

Shedd Aquarium, Chicago

2010-10-22T21:09:00.002-05:00

So Curt, Josie, and I went on a "babymoon" last weekend. This will be our last big hurrah before baby brother arrives. It's good timing because I was exhausted after walking around Chicago for the weekend. We went down early on a Friday and then went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, a free zoo, that was great. We rode the L train which was Curt's and Josie's first time. Josie thought it was a ride. Saturday we met up with my friend Tracy, her husband Bryan, and their little girl Chloe who is about 6 weeks younger than Josie. We all got in free so we enjoyed strolling around and not worrying about seeing everything! The girls really loved the slides and water table as you can see. Sunday on the way home we stopped at the outlet mall and did some Xmas shopping and Curt shopping. This was our first vacation as a family of three; otherwise we have always been with family. I'm glad we snuck this vacation in for the three of us.

Potty Training...Not Really

2010-10-22T21:03:00.002-05:00

So we bought Josie a potty chair and she wants nothing to do with it! She only wants to sit on the big toilet. We are not potty training but I thought I'd get one and have her get used to having one around, sitting on it, climbing on it. Nope, she does none of these things...screams if I sit her on it. HOWEVER, she climbs on top of the big toilet and will sit for 10 minutes just loving it. This past Thursday she actually was sitting and went potty. Total fluke, she didn't know what happened nor why we cheered but she's addicted to sitting there.

Oh and that's me with about a 31 week belly.

Pumpkin Farm with Josie's Boys

2010-10-22T20:58:00.004-05:00

After our weekend in Green Lake we headed down towards Racine and went to a pumpkin farm with Denise and her boys. Josie loved the train and got to take several rides with her boys!

Other News???

2010-10-22T20:49:00.002-05:00

Let's see...

1. I had a birthday about a month ago.

2. School started about 6 weeks ago. I am no longer a teacher in the classroom but the Math Teacher Leader in our building. I don't love it or hate it, it's just a very different role compared to being a classroom teacher.

3. We are having a boy and are due in 8 weeks and 3 days. However, our doctor mentioned last time about moving the date up a week so that would be only 7 weeks and 3 days. Yikes...we have a lot to get done around the house before then! But my mom and dad have started to help us with lots of little projects I want to make and do! Nursery overhaul to make it gender neutral!

4. No names picked out.

18 Months!

2010-10-22T20:40:00.002-05:00

Josie is now 18 months and of course the smartest baby we know! Really she is teaching us so much about being parents and how to interact with a smart, strong-willed, independent little girl. She is now above 40 words and started around 17 months putting two words together to make sentences...I don't think I've heard a three word sentence of her own yet. She has started "counting" it sounds like tee, ine, ero, tee, ine, ero (three, nine, zero) over and over again. So cute. She is an adventurer...she loves to climb, jump, run, play with balls and cars. She is a tomboy to the fullest and I love that about her. She falls and just gets back up and at it. She weighed in at 20 lbs 10 oz (5%) and 33 1/4 in (75%). Her favorite foods are fruits and vegetables, pretzels. chocolate and popsicles. She will eat all her fruits and vegetables before other food and often fills up on just her fruits and veggies. Healthy baby but you need more I tell her! What else? Unfortunately, she has bitten about 8 times in the past 3 months and she went through a hitting phase when she wasn't getting her way. However, that seems to be slowing down. At 18 months she had all of her teeth but the "vampires". Two weeks later she now has 3 of the 4. Josie is still going to DeeDee's and doing extremely well. It took her less than a week and she was totally back into the routine; waving and saying "bye bye" to me. Even at school when Denise is there for her boys Josie knows not to be clingy because I have to work and I can't hold her and love her up but keep moving through the hallway. So proud of her for that.

Pumpkin Farm on an 80 degree day

2010-10-22T20:32:00.003-05:00

The second weekend in October we headed to the pumpkin farm with my nieces. It was a hot, sweaty day but because I had a cute pumpkin shirt...she had to sport it for the hour we were there so we could get some cute pumpkin farm pics; I know torture the poor baby!

Green Lake--September weekend

2010-10-22T20:21:00.003-05:00

The last weekend of September my whole family (no Curt though, he went fishing) headed up to Green Lake to stay in a rustic cabin and enjoy a fall weekend and Harvest Festival. Side note...our rustic cabin ended up being without hot water so they moved us to a three bedroom farmhouse which was an amazing upgrade (minus the mouse who paid us a visit!)

One day we went to a street festival and Josie loved, loved, loved the music. Here she is dancing to the band...she was the only one dancing but that didn't bother her. She also got a personal serenade of an Elvis rendition!

Papa treated the girls to a couple of turns in the bounce house. Josie loved this as much as the big girls! I told Curt that I would only make a big deal out of her first bday but wouldn't this be FUN for her 2nd birthday?!?!

Gymanstics

2010-10-22T20:16:00.002-05:00

Josie is now enrolled in gymnastics. The class is for 18mo to 3 year olds. Josie started at 17 months and is the youngest by six months. You can definetely tell in the listening skills. She just wants to run and jump and climb and swing on her own schedule not the classes :) Her favorite things are to hang. She is starting to do sommersaults and backward bends. Doctor told us she was double jointed so anything like dance or gymnastics would be easier for her to do. We'll see about that. Here is a pic of her hanging from the "big" rings. Her class is upstairs with toddler size equipment. And there's me with about a 24 week belly.

Favorite Friend

2010-10-22T20:11:00.003-05:00

Josie has really been into her "baby" for the past 6 weeks or so. She sleeps with baby every night and a lot of times when I take her out of her crib she hands me baby first. Baby is one of her new words too and she loves to call other "littler" kids baby. Hopefully she loves her new baby brother just as much!