Christmas/New Years

This year was by far Lily's most exciting Christmas yet. Every day we got up and searched for Willy, who this year came on Deceber 2nd and stayed until Christmas Eve. Lily opened her advent calendar and then Owen's advent calendar every day at breakfast. Lily talked to Willy every day, telling him all about school, the good things she did, and any additions or subtractions to her list for Santa. We celebrated with Breakfast with Santa with our PTA friends, a really fun morning, and toured Cleveland on Lolly the Trolley too. We took in the lights and saw "The Christmas Story" house so Lily saw her first Leg Lamp. When in Cleveland...

It was a long month and we thought that Santa would never come but finally the big night arrived. Lily sprinkled reindeer food outside in the snow, we left cookies and milk (which Cooper promptly ate and we replaced), carrots for the reindeer, and big red sacks for "the big guy" as Lily says, to fill. Nana and Grandad were here to visit of course, so we had more gifts than we could ever imagine! We had bought Lily a doll house for Christmas from mommy and daddy so Steve spent the night assembling and I spent the night wrapping.

Christmas morning came and the flurry of gifts and unwrapping began. Lily was thrilled with her presents, although tearing through them this year, unlike last year when she moved slowly and it took all day. She loved her sleeping bag, her Barbie Cash register, her big girl suitcase for her next flight to MA and her "finger paints", which was on the top of her list to Santa. Owen preferred the wrapping paper and specifically the bell that Auntie Kelly attached to her gift bag, but he got somea dump truck walker, a ball popper, a ride in truck, stuff that involves hammers, and overall every boy related toy we could find. We spent the day playing, eating and hoping that daddy would feel better soon as he came down with something in the morning and spent most of the day in bad. :( He soon arose and Lily kicked his and grandad's butt in Wii bowling though, which now is par for the course, she's really good!! All in all a GREAT first Christmas for Owen, one we will never forget of course.

There are so many firsts flying by these days it's hard to keep up with them. He's so close to walking, today he took probably 4-5 steps on his own. He's eating everything you put in front of him, he has 7 teeth and more on the way. He knows "more" in sign language and possibly "all done" and "drink" too. We sing Itsy Bitsy Spider and he emphatically "washes" the spider out, arm movements and all. He is a happy happy boy and you just can't help but smile when you're around him. He has my whole heart in his hands and I can't snuggle him and kiss his little face enough. His tiny hands and his little chubby knuckles holding his bottle just make me melt, it's amazing to watch him grow. He loooves his froggy and holds onto him just as Lily did when she was his age. We can now say "bye bye paci and bye bye froggy" and he'll throw them into his crib. He loves books, especially the lift the flap peek a boo type but his favorite toy may be Lily's Barbie guitar which he carries around Eddie Van Halen style. We are in the process of planning a 1st birthday party for him on the 24th, I just can't believe how fast the year has passed. I hope I can remember every special moment and if I can't that I can remember just enough of them.

Thanksgiving/Christening/Birthday

Where does the time go?? It's already 2010, Christmas is over, Owen has been baptized, Lily is 4, and I haven't posted anything since October! Shame on me. Anyway, here goes...

Lily celebrated her 4th birthday in Massachusetts with a dinner at the Rainforest Cafe (which she absolutely hated) and cake back at Nana and Grandad's house (which she loved of course). She got some great gifts including a lot of games, Barbie stuff, Polly Pockets and a Tag reading system. She is so grown up I just can't believe it sometimes, the words that come out of her mouth. She is talking a lot about her feelings, I think Lil Bears teaches that a lot, "I feel so angry" is much better than just hitting me or Owen or anything else I guess. :) She is just a wonderful big sister, she entertains Owen a lot and likes the built in captive audience. We're trying to teach her that it's not her playroom anymore and that Owen is going to be taking over half of it very soon. She's a big help for me, getting diapers, even feeding him sometimes, and she loves every minute of it.

Owen was baptized on November 22nd, Robert and Kelly are his godparents and now officially members of our family. We had a lovely day, everyone came to St. Joseph's for the ceremony and then to the Pinkerton Tavern in Derry for the brunch following. It was a beautiful day and everything was great. Owen is a very lucky boy to be surrounded by such great family and friends. Mamie and Papa and Auntie Traci flew in for the occasion. Nana and Grandad put up with us at their house for 9 days, and we're quite a large group now!

Thanksgiving was quiet but nice, just the 6 of us on Fox Run Road, just like old times. Auntie MK and Bobby came by later and then Uncle Justin stopped in while he was working. Owen had his first Thanksgiving dinner and both he and Lily wore their special thanksgiving hats, Lily had made hers at school this year. We finally decided to drive home on Monday the 30th, 12 hours in a car with two kids feels like a week and a half, won't be doing that again for a while!

Teeth & Big Sister

Just a quick update because I never seem to have time to do more than that these days. Owen is currently cutting his 6th tooth!!! The first came in while we were in the OBX so it's been 2 months and we're working on number 6. He's been quite good, just a little fussy here and there when you can see them coming through.

He's getting around like a champ, crawling VERY fast, standing and holding on with one hand. I dont' think walking is too far behind. We are planning his christening back home right now for November 22nd. I have reserved the brunch and the church is all planned, now we just have to find an outfit for the little man to wear. I wonder if he'll walk into the church. :) He makes me smile every day. This morning he had his milk, yes I am still nursing, woohoo, and then just laid on my lap while I rubbed his belly, smiling and cooing like a newborn. You just can't beat those moments.

Lily is loving school, she's so smart and so perceptive, she brings home new songs and new tidbits of knowledge every day. She has 34 "paws" which are what they get for good deeds, being kind, being safe etc. Mamie and Papa came for a visit for Grandparents Day at school this week. They had a great day at Lil Bears with Lily, she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Lily is learning how to share with Owen, she still calls it "my playroom" but she's getting it slowly. Right now she is in there with Owen saying "How big is Owen" and he's doing "SO BIG". She's a great big sister, a big helper around the house and can still melt my heart with an "I love you mommy" in the middle of a horrible day.

Lil' Bears & 4 Slim

Lily started preschool just over a week ago and things are going really well. She's officially a Lil' Bear and part of the North Royalton school system. She goes Tuesday thru Friday 9 - 11:30 which seems like a lot but no complaints so far. She is learning so much, songs, the pledge of alliegance and new little tidbits every day. I'm very pleased with the teachers, they seem great and Lily has really taken to them.

She is a very smart little (sorry Lily, BIG) girl and speaks so well sometimes it amazes me. Today she was looking at photos and said "there's Grandad and I". I don't know where she gets it! I just bought her her first pair of 4 Slim pants the other day. Sob sob. How do silly things like that make us so sentimental. She's no longer a "T", she's really growing up.

Sitting and Crawling and Teething, Oh My!

In late July we went to MA for a visit, just the kids and I. Had a great week with Nana and Grandad, visiting aunties and uncles and cousins and getting some much needed family time in.

We came back to OH and had a couple of weeks to get ready for our big vacation to the Outer Banks that I have personally been looking forward to since we booked it 6 weeks ago. We made the VERY long drive and arrived safely at our lovely home away from home "Rays - S - Cape" in Corolla Light. What an amazing week we had. Mum and dad met us there which made the week even more fun filled, mostly for Lily. :) She swam in the pool for hours and hours until she was so wrinkled that we had to pull her out of it. She actually swam a few strokes without swimmies by the end of the trip, we were so proud of her, but not as proud as she was of herself.

Lily wasn't a fan of the ocean at all. She had one "incident" when she slipped in very shallow water and her face went in and it scared the you know what out of her so no more ocean for Lily after that. She was like a sandpiper running away from it every time a tiny wave came in. She did like the beach though, shelling and digging in the sand was a lot of fun. The resort was beautiful, we will definitely be back, dinners at night with music by the pool, dancing courtesy of Lily Elle.

As for Owen this has been quite a month or so for him. He cut his first teeth on the 17th of August, his bottom two teeth came through at about the same time and are now very clearly visible. So cute! He spends a lot of time with his tongue out, I hope it's because he can feel his teeth with it and that it's not a new habit. :)

On August 25th, our 8 year anniversary, he sat himself up for the first time. He can push himself back from his knees to his bum, I found him sitting up in his crib for the first time today, quite a surprise! Since then, today is September 13th, he has come on leaps and bounds. He is crawling everywhere, there seemed to be no time in between when he made it onto all fours and when he started moving. He makes it out of the living room and over the open gate into the kitchen in no time at all. Leslie commented how 10 days ago he wasn't moving at all and now he's so sure and steady in his movements, it's quite amazing.

We've had a couple of good head bonks, on the fireplace bricks and the entertainment center for example. He bounces back pretty well but I think it's time to baby proof, something we never really had to worry about for Lily.

Mamie and Papa paid us a visit over Labor Day weekend which was nice. Owen took in his forst Indians game on September 6th, Lily ran the bases for the first time which was fun to watch. We had a great time. We went to the Taste of Cleveland on Monday and had a great family day despite the rain.

Can We Stop the Clock Now?

Owen was 6 months old yesterday. I've decided that 6 months may be the perfect age and that I'd like to stop the clock now. I don't want him to grow anymore, I don't want him to get any older, or any wiser, or move any more. I love the perfection that is 6 months old.

He can move just enough in one direction to get all the way around in a circle back to where he just came from, like a little chubby human boomerang. He can pick his toys up, or my flip flop, or a pretend apple from Lily's kitchen, and all of them are equally yummy in his little mouth that does not yet have teeth. He can suck on a toe just as easily (OK, with more ease) than he can suck on his thumb. He looks at his fingers and his hands like they are someone elses and he's just found them on the ends of his arms. I can still make him laugh by playing "peek a boo" just with my eyes, I don't even have to cover them, just looking away is enough. I can "zerbertz" (sp?) his belly in Giant Eagle and get reams of giggles over and over and over. He's not quite sure what he's eating or why he's eating it, sweet potato, apple sauce, bananas (so far... all homemade of course), but he loves to eat. He nurses like an angel and holds it like a bottle, turning to check out what else is going on in the room but always, always returning to stare at me with those beautiful big brown eyes. I can't imagine the day when I will stop nursing him and still remember the last time I nursed Lily and cried.

These are the days that I will remember forever. The days that I will miss. So much is ahead of you my little prince, Lily's Owen-D, daddy's O-Dog. But for now, please stay little, please stay my little man, and giggle that giggle for me a few more times.

That's how he rolls...

June 1st - 4 month check up, he is doing great, 15lbs 2 1/2 oz, growing and growing on mama's milk. Still have not given him anything but breast milk and I'm so very very proud of myself. :)

June 10th - He rolled over! I went in to his room to get him this morning and he was on his belly! I couldn't believe my eyes. Nana and Grandad were staying with us and he saw it too. He proceeded to roll about 5 more times today and no-one saw him do it, we always just found him on his belly. I think babies usually roll front to back first so apparently he's changing the rules a little already. :) He's got such a great personality, a happy happy baby unless he really needs something. He's a joy to be around.

June 16th - Lily left for MA with nana and grandad (fill in...)

June 23rd - Lily back from MA

June 28th - Owen's first solids and first time in Exersaucer. Figured out that it has been 157 days on just milk, that's about 900 feeds. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

He Almost Rolled!!!

Today Owen was having a really tough time falling asleep for his morning nap. I went up twice, rocked, bounced, burped etc. etc. Finally at about 12:15 he fell asleep, it's now 2:58 and he's still sleeping so I just went up to check on him and he's almost rolled all the way over! He's on his side but almost on his front. I can't believe it!!!

Lily is having a playdate with Zach, Leslie and I have decided to "kid swap" once or twice a week to each get a break which now means only having one kid to deal with. They are playing so well today, Lily is sharing and Zach is listening. It's quite nice.

The swingset arrives tomorrow and I'm more excited than I've been about anything in a LONG time. I think she will just love it and it will wear her out and burn all that pent up energy, I hope... More to come on the assembly process later.

Just taking a minute to fill in some blanks. Lily is almost 3 1/2, I can't believe it! Her first semester of preschool is almost over, she's really enjoyed Goddard but I'll be happy when she moves onto Little Bears in the fall. We've been trying to keep busy, swimming after preschool on Tuesdays and doing PTA playdates on Fridays.

Owen's schedule is keeping us housebound quite a bit so we're all a little crazy these days, especially me! Babywise is working though, he has slept through the night for 5 days in a row (maybe more), sometimes going 12 hours! He goes down for naps much easier now, he's 16 weeks old tomorrow and I just can't see how the time went by so fast.

Sometimes when he smiles at me I feel as though I may literally melt away. He is such a smiley litle man and I love him with all my heart and soul. Sometimes I can't believe that I can feel this way about him but I do, and I love it. He's reaching for things and is much more aware than he has ever been. He tries to sit up and hates to be laid down these days. The sun is shining more so we've been outside and getting as much fresh air as we can, we went for a walk today, Owen in the stroller, Lily walking. She had her first wipe out on her bike the other day, luckily the helmet saved her head!

Anyway, off to have a glass of wine, long day and another one ahead.

What a crazy 3 weeks it's been!

So Owen David arrived safely at 5:11pm on Wednesday January 21st via a c-section delivery by Dr. Gretchen Fisher. I was so happy that she was able to be there for his birth, she has been a graet support to me through the pregnancy and it gave me peace of mind to know I was in her capable hands.

When we arrived for the c-section I was actually contracting on my own. I thought they had given me pitocin but the nurse said it was "all me" and that this baby was coming on the 21st no matter what. That was a nice feeling, I didn't feel as though I was forcing it because apparently he was coming out anyway. The spinal didn't go well, 4 attempts and finally NUMB! There was an interesting discovery during the delivery, I apparently only have one ovary... who knew. Gretchen kept asking if I'd had stomach surgery, which I have not, and then told me I have half of a fallopian tube and no ovary on my right side. Interesting.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Fisher announced "It's an Owen!" He came out silently but soon screamed for us and I cried like a baby. I think Steve was in shock, he was a little pale but beaming from ear to ear. We were told he was 9lb 5 oz but later found out he was only 9lb 1oz, either way we were glad he came out "through the sunroof" as Auntie Heather puts it. :)

I spent 4 luxurious days in the hospital, they finally kicked me out on Sunday. I had a surprise visit from Auntie Kelly who flew in to meet Owen, just as she did for Lily at her birth. Nana and Grandad were both regular visitors too, Nana will be staying for a couple of weeks to get us acclimated to the new member of the family, thank god for nana. :) Steve had a terrible cold and wore a mask a lot of the time he was there, Owen may not know who he is when he takes it off.

I ordered food off the menu and rested when I could. I left with a few extras, a spinal headache, a UTI and short one ovary, but overall feeling pretty good. I swear they should send one of those nurses home with you to take the baby away after each nighttime feeding for the first 3 or 4 weeks.

So, now we've been home for 3 weeks. Nana left this past Saturday and we're coping OK without her. She was a huge help but Steve is trying to pick up the slack wherever he can. Owen is sleeping like a champ, going 5 hours sometimes at night but then feeding every 2 during the day. Mommy's beat!! He's a very happy boy, not too high maintenance. This weekend he fell asleep on the play mat, something Lily NEVER did, quite a nice surprise. He was 8lb 12.5oz at his 2 week check up, he had gained 9 1/2oz in 5 days, what a big boy!

Lily has turned out to be a great big sister. She is very helpful, fetching diapers and wipes, "shusshhing" Owen when he's crying in the car, and generally trying to be very helpful. There have been some issues with "I want mommy to do it" when I'm nursing but all in all it hasn't been too bad. She's a smart little girl and seems to understand that we all have to be patient with each other right now.

Mamie and Papa are arriving tonight for a few days so it will be nice for them to meet Owen and hang out with Lily. I'll check back in as soon as I can!

48 hours and counting...

Well, lots to catch up on and so little time to do it in!

Let's start with Lily and her new preschool. She started Goddard School 2 weeks ago, she goes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for 4 hours and just loves it. Day one was tough (for both of us) but when I picked her up after lunch she was quite happy and full of stories. It's funny how the little anecdotes about her day come out over the next few hours, sometimes even days. Her teacher is Miss. Martin and she seems to like her so far. She's really thrilled that there is a computer in the classroom and that seems to be her favorite thing so far. She takes her Princess backpack and Princess lunchbag and just thinks she is such a big girl. I'm so glad it's going well, it's a big weight off my shoulders with the new baby on the way so soon. She seems to have taken to a little boy Paul in her class, she talks about him quite a bit and says what a nice boy he is and that he's her friend. Better watch out for this one!

Onto the baby... my due date is the 25th (this Sunday) and after a lot of contractions last Tuesday night (9pm - 1am) and then NOTHING we've been in a holding pattern. I have a c-section scheduled for the 21st (Wednesday) at 4pm so there is an end in sight at this point. Mom is here waiting right along with us which took a lot of the pressure off. I had been very worried about Lily and how she would handle it if everything started to happen in the middle of the night and she had to go to Leslie's house. Having my mom here has taken that off my shoulders and let me sleep a little easier this last week. Steve and I were able to go out for Mexican and even to a movie the other night so we've taken advantage of getting out a couple of times this week too. Mom and I have done some last minute shopping, boy clothes, just in case. As far as the name game goes we're down to Owen and Elsie, Elsie is not too popular with the masses but we like it and hopefully if it's a girl she'll like it too. :)

So, 48 hours from now I'll be a mom of two, still after 9 months of waiting I don't think it's sinking in yet. Dr. Fisher will be doing the section so that will be really nice. Last time was such a struggle and such a tough recovery it will be nice if everything goes well and the transition into a family of 4 goes smoothly. Well, as smoothly as can be expected with a newborn in the house. :) Lily is very excited to be a big sister and asked this morning if she can take the baby to school with her on Thursday. "I'll take very good care of it" she said. I can't wait to see what she will be like with the baby and hope that I can enjoy these first few months, as hard as they may be. This is time that you can never get back.

Right now I'm just trying to enjoy these last two days of pregnancy, I don't think I'll be doing it again so it's something to remember. I do love the feeling of being pregnant, the baby moving, the little hiccups and what feel like jumping jacks and big rolls. You definitely can't explain the feeling, the closeness and the bond that you have with the baby in your belly. No one else in the world gets to feel what you feel and that is really amazing. As much as I want to have this over with because I'm VERY uncomforatble and the baby is presumable quite big and getting bigger, I will miss the big beautiful belly. I really do think I have a great baby belly right now, no stretch marks, amazingly enough, smooth and shiny and perfect. I have enjoyed this pregnancy more than I thought I would, I have enjoyed being Lily's mom and growing this baby at the same time. Now onward to the new phase in the life of our family of four. I think we're ready for the ride!

November 1st - 12th 2008

Lily and I just got back from MA after her spending a whole week alone with nana and grandad. Mummy got some free time and took a little trip to PA with daddy while she was gone. We also finished getting her room together, assembling furniture, bought a mattress and made her new big girl bed!

Lily had such a great time on her vacation, the report is that she was a very good girl, did great on the potty and used her manners every day. We're so happy that she is able to go away and not be too homesick. When I arrived to pick her up she immediately started to ask when we were going home to our house to see daddy so that was nice too. I thought I may have to drag her kicking and screaming from Fox Run Road.

We got home last night and she was really excited to see her toys and her playroom, the dogs were bounding around and she was laughing at them too.

Baby update - I am now almost 30 weeks along and getting bigger (sometimes daily it seems). We have our third trimester ultrasound on Monday 17th so we'll see how the little one is progressing. It seems to be very close suddenly and I'm getting a little nervous. Steve's more excited at this point and we talk about names daily, still can't agree but we're getting there.

Saturday October 18th, 2008

Papa and Auntie Traci went to watch Lily's swim class today. It was her final class in the first session of "Preschool" swimming and guess what.... she graduated!! Steve couldn't believe it, after only 6 classes she's graduated to "Advanced Preschool" which means she can swim with a kick board and back-float for a couple of seconds. She's a little fishy and we're so proud of her. :)

October 20th, 2008

Yesterday Mamie, Papa & Auntie Traci left after a nice visit over the weekend. They drove from Tennessee to see us and spent a few days hanging out with Lily. She put on quite a show for them singing and dancing of course, what an entertainer. :)

We went apple picking on Friday and Lily helped Mamie bake a cake with help from the whole family. Lily stirred and drizzled and ate as much coffee cake as she could fit in her little tummy. Mamie and Papa were surprised by how much she had grown, it had been almost a year since they had seen her, and boy has she changed in that time. They spent a lot of time just hanging out with her, listening to her stories, reading books and playing with every toy that she dragged out of the playroom.

Traci's birthday was Friday so we went out for a birthday dinner which was nice. Lily shared Traci's birthday ice cream with her and "Auntie" was happy to do so. We were sad to say bye bye but it won't be too long until the new little one comes along and they'll be back to visit again.

October 17th, 2008

Yesterday we went to the PTA Fall Festival and what a great time we had! Lily did crafts, ate s'mores and danced the night away with all her friends. She followed Kate around like a shadow and danced with Emma (when she catch her). The hayride was the "hay-iest" one we had ever been on, they let the kids throw the hay at the other hayrides as we went by, what fun!

Halloween is a great time of year for kids, actually fall in general is quite busy with apple picking, pumpkin patches and halloween parties. I actually made a couple of apple coffee cakes and apple bread FROM SCRATCH yesterday. Am I nesting?????

Wednesday, October 15th 2008

Adenoids!!! What are they and why do we need them? Never thought I'd be Googling this but Lily's having such trouble with hers. We were at the doctors again yesterday for another fever and we're still waiting for her ENT appt on the 29th. This time they gave her a breathing treatment, she did great of course, and I actually caught the moment with my camera phone. You'll never see the picture of course because I don't know how to get it off the phone... but it's there if I want to look at it. :)

Anyway, she's now got an inhaler and an appt with the Allergist next week. I thought I did all I could (breastfeeding) to prevent her from getting my "stuff" and I thought it had worked! Now maybe not. Poor kid, she must be sick of being sick. Anyway, we'll see what comes up over the next couple of weeks, hopefully it's those elusive adenoids causing the whole thing and we can whip 'em out and be done with it, ear fluid and all!

Monday October 13th, 2008

Today is DAY 6 and only one accident!!!! No we’re not teaching her how to drive; we’re navigating the unknown world of potty training. We’ve been on this road since the end of July with no great success until now. I never thought I’d be so thrilled about pee and poop, pretty sad really.

We’d had a rough couple of weeks culminating in last Monday which just seemed to be a pee party around here. Accident, after accident, after accident, 4 of them before noontime, I was at my wits end. So, I decided no more Pull Ups, thanks Pampers, they’re a great invention but when Lily says “I went peepee but it’s my Dora underwear so it’s OK” it’s obvious she’s got our number. So, big girl princess underwear all the way and I’ll deal with the accidents as they come, in house or out.

One accident on Tuesday and nothing since then… by the way it’s now NEXT Monday! By jove, I think we’ve got it!! Yes, we’re dragging a potty around in the car and throwing her on it whenever the mood strikes, even in the mall parking lot with someone waiting for my spot. But they can wait… we’re winning the potty battle!!!

So, with all our potty success I bravely called Goddard today to enroll her in preschool for January. She has to be three, which is not something we have control over, and potty trained. January 5th she starts, what a big step in her little life, I’m so excited for her.

Thursday October 9th, 2008

So since our computer “crashed” and I think I’ve lost EVERYTHING I wrote in Lily’s journal since she was born I’ve been avoiding writing anything else. It just reminds me of all I’ve lost. So anyway, I’m getting back on the horse … and this time I'm posting it to a blog so that there's no chance of losing it. So here goes... hopefully the past 2 1/2 years will be updated at some point when we retrieve all our lost information.

Today we went to preschool for the 3rd time, it’s Mommy and Me so I go with her. She just loves it, playing, painting, reading books, singing. She comes home with a craft after every class and she’s so proud of them all. After class we had errands to do and we had daddy’s Ipod in the car so she listened to Marilyn Manson (Personal Jesus was a fave) and the Doors. Hey, new genre’s of music can’t hurt, you can only do Laurie Berkner so many times. J She makes me laugh banging her head and playing the drums on her knees, she even did the cymbals to the Ohio State Marching Band song today. Haha.

I’m now 26 weeks preggo and getting bigger and bigger. Lily changes her mind as to whether it’s a brother or sister every day but the names (her choices) are Emma and Brian. Hey, at least she can make a decision, that’s more than can be said for us! The baby is moving a LOT these days. Sometimes feels like it’s fighting to get out. I can see my stomach moving at night when I’m still, it’s still just as weird as the first time around. Getting more anxious to know what it is but I’ll wait… I promise.