Cole's Checkup and Christmas

Mister Cole-man had his one year check up today (one month late as he is already 13 months!) and is doing fantastic! He did not cry through the appointment as I had expected and didn't even cry when they pricked his finger to get a drop of blood to check his iron levels. I was so proud of my brave little guy! The only time he did cry was after he got his shots (3 of them!) but even that only lasted less than a minute. He is doing so good. Here are his current stats:

Length- 32 inches (95th percentile)
Weight- 26 lbs 4 oz (90th percentile)
Head- 19 1/4 inches (95th percentile)

So all is well there, and baby boy is free from the doctor for 3 more months until his next checkup.

Now onto Christmas! I am so excited for it this year! I'll admit that I am usually not an over-the-top person when it comes to the holidays. Most years, I can't wait for January to get here. I just feel that everything is so commercialized and people put way too much emphasis on gifts, instead of celebrating the real reason of the season, which is of course Jesus! But this year is just so exciting now that Eve is old enough to understand everything. We have built a gingerbread house, made cookies, drove through a Christmas lights show, decorated our Christmas tree, wrapped presents, etc...you know, Christmas-y stuff! I can't wait to see the looks on Eve and Cole's faces this Friday when they open their presents. I still want them to grow up knowing the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating Christ's birth, but I want them to have the fun of Santa and presents too.

So I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and New Year and I'll try to be back with an update sometime after the hustle and bustle of the holidays!

My Other Half

So I decided I wanted to make a post all about my wonderful husband, Chris. I rarely mention him on here since I'm always blabbering on about the kids (which I fully intend to keep doing!) so this one is for him!

Okay so first off, here is our story:

We meet through Chris' sister and become aquaintances. We become friends. We become best friends. He kisses me. We start dating. We get engaged. We get married. We start college. I get pregnant. Chris graduates college. We move to Illinois. Chris gets a job. We have our baby girl, Eve. Chris gets a different job. I get pregnant. We have our baby boy, Cole. We buy a house. Life is good.

I think that brings us up to speed! What it all comes down to is that I could not have asked for a better man to marry and to be the father of my children. This is totally cheesy, but he completes me. I believe with all my heart that we are soulmates and that God truly meant for us to be together. How else can I explain how we always seem to bust into singing the same random song at the exact same time!? Or how we always seem to know exactly what the other one is thinking? Or how he can make so darn happy on a daily basis! After nearly 7 years together, I am even more in love with him now than ever. And seeing him with Eve and Cole brings it to a whole new level. He is just the best dad, and our kids simply adore him. I adore him. Life is good.

I love you baby.

Changes

Oh I have a feeling the next few months are going to be a bit crazy with all the changes that are going to be happening. First goal is to get through the holidays with my sanity intact...no easy feat! I have yet to buy a single present and Christmas is a mere 3 1/2 weeks away...ahhhhhhh! Then, in January, Chris will be starting his new position at his company. We will be putting our house on the market at that point in time to prepare to move to Columbus, Ohio. This is something I cannot even really think about right now or I just might have a nervous breakdown! The logistics of selling our house and moving are just too much. I know it will all end up okay and we will get through it, but I'm still a bit stressed.

Anyways..........

Updates on my babies! Cole had his first birthday last week, and decided it was a great time to start walking! Crawling is now a thing of the past, and my boy is already trying to run. He is growing up so fast! He is also talking more and more..saying "Mama", "Dada", "Whoa", and "More". Cole has his next doctor's appointment at the end of this month so I'll update on his stats again then. Now onto my baby girl, Eve. I swear she is getting more and more fun by the day. We very rarely have tantrums anymore. She is finally starting to eat well...huge blessing! And we are now entering the stage where she questions every.little.thing. Today alone, she managed to ask me the following questions:

"What does "thank-you" mean?"
"Mommy, what's a rainbow?"
"Why do we clap?"

Some of her questions sound so simple, but they are not always easy to answer in a way she will understand. I love that she challenges me and I love that she is SO smart! Both of my children make me such a better person and I feel so blessed to be their Mommy! In case I don't get to update again before the holidays, I hope you all have a great Christmas...God bless!

Birthday Slideshow

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Cole

Thought I would devote this post to my little guy Cole in honor of the fact that in less than 2 weeks, he will be turning the big O-N-E year old! Man that is hard to believe! I swear that time goes into hyperdrive once you have kids. Anyways, my baby boy is growing so fast and changes every day. Right now, he is soooo close to walking. He takes about 3 or 4 steps before tumbling over, so I'd say its just a matter of weeks until he is strutting around like he has been doing it forever. He also babbles nearly all day long, but his only consistant words so far are "Mama" and "Dada". Oh and as of this week, we are offically bottle-free! He transitioned to sippy cups with no problem whatsoever. I tell ya, it is such a good feeling to know I'm never going to have to clean another bottle again! We are also just about done with baby food. Cole is eating mostly regular food now, with the exception of one or two jars of baby food a day. So as you can see, lots of changes are happening in my baby boy's life, and I'm looking forward to being there every step of the way.

A and J's Visit

So we had Ashley and Jerry here for a visit last week, and had such a good time. They got in Thursday night and stayed until Monday morning. They are both so easygoing and good with kids. Eve, in particular, was enchanted with them. She is such a people-person and was thrilled to have some new playmates! The poor girl started bawling the second they walked out the door to go home and has been drawing pictures of them on her magnadoodle since they left...LOL. Cole, however, didn't really come around until the last day they were here. He is at the age where he cries if you just look at him the wrong way...this applies to pretty much anyone that he does not see on a regular basis. But I will say that by Sunday, he was crying much less and seemed to have at least started warming up to Ashley. All in all, we had a great time and can't wait to see them again!

Don't Blink

Exactly 3 years ago....

Exactly 2 years ago....

Exactly one year ago...

Yesterday...

Two things immediately come to mind when I look back on these pictures. The first thing I thought of was why oh why I had to chop off all my hair that year...ugh! And the second thing I realized is just how quickly time goes by and your kids grow up. Eve is nearly 3 years old and Cole will be 1 next month. And yet I still remember as clear as a bell the first moment I held them in my arms. I remember bringing them home from the hospital and how they both would snooze away on our chests those first weeks. I remember staying up for hours each night trying to soothe them to sleep. Before I know it, they'll be going to school and won't need me the way they do now. It breaks my heart, because selfishly, I want them to be my little babies forever. I want to be able to shelter and protect them from any pain the world might throw at them. But I know that God gave me my sweet children to raise to be good, compassionate, God-loving people who will hopefully go out and make a difference in this world. All I can do is cherish these short-lived babyhood days lying before me and soak up every single second I get to spend being Eve and Cole's mama.

Oh Yeah...

Forgot to mention in my last post that Mister Cole is FINALLY sleeping through the night...woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Life is good!

Eve's 2 1/2 Year Checkup and Bathroom Makeover

Craziness, but when you have two small children, it seems as if you are at the doctor for one thing or another monthly! Yesterday afternoon we had Eve's 2 1/2 year checkup. Eve had been looking forward to it all week...yes we have that rare child that looooooves going to the doctor...she does not get it from her parents! She absolutely loves her pediatrician, loves being examined, loves the sucker she gets at the end. Loves everything. No vaccinations were in order since she already got her flu shot last week. And thankfully, everything checked out perfectly. Here are our baby girl's current stats:

Height: 37 inches (65th percentile)

Weight: 29 lbs (45th percentile)

Now onto my next little room makeover in our "work in progress" house! I've recently started finishing up the kid's bathroom, and I gotta say that I am loving it! As you'll see in my makeover pics below, the room started out very country with wallpaper, border, and tons of red which I know I've already discussed before...ugh! I decided I wanted to go more clean and simple. And I've ALWAYS wanted to paint a room navy blue, so here was my opportunity. It is one of my favorite colors and I knew it would work with all the white that I was adding to the room as well. The bathroom still needs a few more finishing touches...the trim needs touched up and I'm still going to paint the ceiling white. But I thought it was worthy enough to at least post a few pics now.

Before:

After:

Cole's 10 month Checkup!

Last Thursday, we had our appointment for Cole's 10 month check-up. He did wonderfully and is staying consistant on the height/weight charts. Here are his current stats:

Height: 29 1/4 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 24 1/2 lbs. (95th percentile)
Head: 19 inches (95th percentile)

Thankfully, everything checked out well and Cole wasn't due for any vaccinations, but we went ahead and got him and Eve their flu shots while we were there. Eve was such a trooper and didn't cry at all for hers, but Cole screamed his little head off! Both kids are doing great and most definitely keeping me busy!

Eve and Cole

I've been writing so much about the new house that I've neglected to update on the namesakes of this blog. Life has been a bit of a blur lately with the two little ones. They are both at stages in their tiny lives where they are needing lots of one-on-one attention. So my days are spent best trying to balance my time between them and meet all their needs while still trying to preserve my sanity! Some days I feel as though I am moving non-stop from 6:30 am (when Cole wakes up) until 7:30 pm (when Eve goes to bed). Of course it is all worth it. I am so blessed to have the family that I do, and I thank God each and every day.

Let's start with little Miss Eve. Baby girl seems to think she is 2 going on 10 lately with the way she thinks she can do everything by herself. And I mean everything! This includes putting her shoes on, getting into her booster seat, turning on and off the lights, putting in her DVDs, picking out her clothes, etc. I'll admit it can be a bit frustrating when I know I can do everything twice as fast for her, but alas I'm trying to encourage her independence so I let her at least attempt to do most things herself. She is currently obsessed with the movie "Wall-E" and the TV show "Yo Gabba Gabba". And she is going through one of her many "I'd rather do anything but eat" phases.

Onto Mister Cole who has really been quite the handful lately. He turned 9 months old last week. Hard to believe my little guy will be one in less than 3 months! For reasons unknown to me, he has turned into quite the cranky baby as of lately. I'm hoping its just teething (he still has zero teeth!) and that it passes soon. If I'm not holding him and walking around, he is either crying or throwing a tantrum. It can make every day feel like the longest day ever when you spend every minute of it trying to soothe a grumpy baby. At the same time, I know how quickly the first year goes by, and that I probably won't even remember this in a few months. Cole is doing great with eating, and we are finally starting to get into eating some table foods. So far he's had yogurt, crackers, cheerios, bread, peas, and carrots...and he loves it all! I will be so happy when we are done with baby food and we can all sit down and enjoy the same meal together!

Both kids are due for check-ups and flu shots in the next month so I'll be updating again then. God bless!

Kitchen

When we first moved in this lovely house of ours, I was on a non-stop mission to get as much painting and decorating done as quickly as possible. Then life got in the way and I began slacking. But for some unknown reason, the bug has bit me again and I'm back to painting and decorating. So get ready for some more house makeover pictures in the coming weeks. I'm starting with some before/after pictures of our kitchen. Really all I did was paint it, but I think it makes a huge difference. Since we could not afford to replace the strange aqua-colored tile, I had to find a wall color that complemented it which left me with few choices. The previous owner had painted the walls nearly the same color as the tile, which I thought looked weird and blended too much. I wanted something with a lot more contrast. So we went with a deep chocolate brown, and I love it! The contrast between it and the white cupboards and the blue floors makes the room feel so much more inviting. See for yourself!


BEFORE:


AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Busy Week

Busy, busy, busy...story of my life...LOL. This past week has been a fun one, as we got to see my sister Allyson and my nephews, Patrick and Harrison. The last time we saw them was back in April, and it is just crazy how quickly kids change and grow even in the span of a few short months. Eve was in absolute heaven being around other kids close to her age! It makes me excited for the future once Cole is old enough to run around, and they can play with together. Fun times!

In other news, we are gearing up for a trip back to Ohio next week! It will be a short one, as we are leaving Thursday morning and coming back home on Sunday morning. We are having a get-together at my grandparent's house on Saturday and it will be the first time I've seen all the extended family in a long time! And the first time most of them will get to meet Mister Cole! It sounds crazy, but I'm already packing certain things and making my check-lists of what to bring along. Once I'm completely packed, a normal person would think we were going on at least a week-long trip! I'd much rather be over-prepared than need something and not have it. I'm sure we'll be taking lots of pictures so be sure to check back soon!

Thankful

My two sick babies are finally all better...hallelujah! Cole just got over a terrible ear infection and Eve is recovering from a tonsil infection. It has been a rough few weeks and I am so very thankful to say that we are all healthy now!

Painting, painting, painting!

I feel like all I've been doing these last few weeks is painting! I am the type of person who won't be able to even begin to enjoy this house until I feel like we've got a pretty decent start on making it our own...and a huge part of that for me is painting the entire house. Unfortunately, there is not a single room here that does not need a fresh coat of paint. The previous owner had a penchant for red and did a quick paint job before putting the house on the market. This means most rooms in the house were white with tiny streaks of red popping thru here and there....ugh! We are getting so close to being done though. We've completed painting the foyer, living room, dining room, family room, and our master bedroom. All that is left is the kitchen, kid's bedrooms, and bathrooms. The bathrooms are going to be a nightmare because we have to strip a ton of horrendous wallpaper off the walls first...fun stuff! Note to all those considering wallpaper in the future: DON'T!

On the kid front, both my babies are doing fabulously! Cole turns 8 months old today! Time is just flying by way too quickly. He is getting so big and more mobile by the second. Whereas Eve was a lazy baby and was content rolling around on the floor until she was 11 months, Mister Cole is already getting on his hands and knees like he is gearing up for crawling....eek! I'm not quite ready to have two kids running me in circles! He is also eating 3 meals a day now in addition to his bottles, and nearly sleeping through the night. We are down to about one night feeding around midnight now and then he gets up for the day around 7 am.

Miss Eve is also doing great. She will be 29 months old tomorrow. Sometimes I find it hard to believe she is only 2 1/2 years old...she is SO smart! And I'm not just saying that because I'm her Mom! She is still absolutely loving the freedom that our new house gives her. Her room is next up to be made over, and lately she has been absolutely resolute that her room will be pink! This, despite the fact that I already had a whole other color scheme in my head...oh well, it is her room. The only area where this little lady is giving us trouble right now is with eating. Nothing really new there though since she has been a picky bird eater since birth! I feel as though on some days, I'm practically begging her to just take one more bite of something so I can have a little peace of mind. But she is happy and healthy so I guess I shouldn't be complaining.

No other news here, except we will be making a trip back to Ohio in a few weeks to visit family. I'm sure I will be taking a gazillion pictures and updating here, so check back soon!

Lots Going On!

Man have these past few weeks been a whirlwind of craziness! The biggest thing of all being that we are finally in our new house! We absolutely love, love, love our house...a 1940 bungalow with lots of character, a great yard for the kids, and way more room than we've ever had in a place. And yet there is SO much we want to do with it! The house was nicely upkept by the previous owners, but we have lots of redecorating and renovating plans to make it our own. We are taking it room by room, and are getting close to finishing the family room. Here's some before and afters:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We still need to get slipcovers for the furniture, a rug, and put some pictures on the wall; but overall, I'd say it already looks loads better. Our next area of attack is the foyer and dining room...pictures to come. The kids have settled in nicely. Eve looooves being able to run from room to room. She also loves getting in the pool with Chris whenever she can. And Cole finally has his own bedroom. I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is not to have to sneak into our own bed anymore for fear of waking him up! So all is well and God is good!

Cole's Dr Appointment

Earlier this week, Mister Cole had his 6 month wellness check-up, although we are a bit behind because he is actually nearly 7 months old now. Anyways, he did great per usual and barely even cried for his shots! He is currently holding steady at 22.5 lbs and had grown 2 inches in the last few months putting him at 28 inches! He is currently in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. He has also finally started sitting up on his own in the past week or so! It is crazy how quickly both he and Eve are growing up.

Speaking of Eve, my little princess is doing great too! We have been taking full advantage of the summer heat and Eve requests to go in her baby pool at least once a day. Starting next week, we will be able to take her in our big pool at our new house! We are still set to close a week from today on 6/29. We are so excited! Plenty of pictures and a house update to come!

Sleep Deprivation!

I spent the first 5 months of Cole's life bragging to anyone and everyone about what an incredible sleeper he was, and about how he was such a happy baby. And all of it is coming back to bite me in the butt! Over the last few weeks, Cole has decided that sleep is for wimps. And of course I get dragged along for the ride! Somewhere around 1:00 am every night, my little mama's boy decides its playtime. He usually refuses to go back to sleep until around 4 am before waking up for the day at 5 am. I am somewhat of a walking zombie during the day, and pray every single night that this is a very short-lived phase! I'm thinking teething is playing a role in all this because he gnaws on whatever he can get into his chubby little hands.

On a side note, Cole now weighs a whopping 22.5 lbs!!!! For comparison, Eve did not hit 22 lbs. until she was nearly 2 years old! The funny thing is, he really doesn't eat that much more than your average baby. We started solids last month, and he is now eating 2 jars of baby food a day along with his bottles.

Eve is doing fantastic. Such a smart little girl...I like to think she gets it from her mommy! The tantrums are starting to wane a bit, and she is currently working on learning her alphabet. She is obsessed with Sesame Street (particularly Elmo), Barney, stickers, her stuffed lambie, gummy fruit snacks, and stealing her baby brother's toys.

And lastly, we bought a house!! With Chris going to school, we will likely be here in Illinois for at least the next 2 years. So we decided it was time to stop throwing away money in rent, and to have a place to call our own. Ironically enough, it will end up costing us less to have our own house with double the square footage of our current apartment. We are so excited! The house is 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms with a living room, dining room, big kitchen, and a family room. It also has a covered patio with a pool built into the deck, and a nice big yard for Eve to play in. I think it will make our lives here much happier for the whole family. All that needs to be done is for our appraisal and inspection to pass, and we will close on June 29th! In the meantime, my parents will be putting up with us for the next month. So that is all for now...I'm sure I will be updating with house pictures and such as soon as we move in. God bless!

On a Personal Note...

I started Weight Watchers today as I've been finding it impossible to lose the last of the weight from my pregnancy with Cole. I'd also like to lose another 15 or so pounds on top of that. Wish me luck!

Eve and Cole's Doctor Appointment

So this morning we had Eve's 2 year checkup and Cole's 4 month checkup. They both did wonderfully. It was the first appointment Eve has had where she didn't cry at all! Both are doing great. Here are their stats:

Eve: 36 1/4 inches and 25 lbs.
Cole: 27 inches and 20 lbs.

Poor Cole had to have 3 vaccinations, and he has been extremely fussy ever since. He screamed off and on all afternoon even with a steady dose of tylenol, and just now finally conked out for the night.

We are just thankful and praise God for our two beautiful, healthy babies!

April already!?!

Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun! Although this past week hasn't been so fun as I've come down with a sore throat and a pretty bad cold, and unfortunately Eve is starting to show the same symptoms. Sick kid=no fun! Let's just hope and pray Cole isn't next. These past few weeks have been busy, busy, busy. We spent all of last week visiting family in Ohio. We had a great time seeing everyone, and the babies did as well. Eve is still talking about everyone! The only bad part of the trip was the car ride on the way there. Can we say T-O-R-T-U-R-E!? For nearly 12 hours, Eve and Cole seemingly took turns crying and screaming their heads off. Bear in mind that this trip usually takes us about 8-9 hours! We ended up having to stop nearly every hour for either a feeding, diaper change, or just to let the kids stretch out. Thankfully, we drove through the night on our trip back home, and it went much smoother.

This month looks to be just as busy as last month. The calendar is already full of appointment dates, Chris has to travel to Kansas City for a few days for some job training, and we are starting to search for jobs back in Ohio. Eve and Cole are now wearing the same size diaper...how crazy is that!? I weighed them here at home a few days ago, and Cole is a whopping 20 lbs. and Eve is merely 25 lbs. They are 22 months apart, and yet only 5 lbs. seperates the two of them! I will post again with an update in a few weeks after their regular checkups with the pediatrician. God bless!

Can you feel the love?

I can! The love for my family that is. Do you ever have a moment where you are just totally overwhelmed with feelings of pure love? I was struck by that feeling this uneventful evening when Chris, Eve, Cole, and myself were sitting in the living room before the kid's bedtime. If someone had told me several years ago that I'd be living the life that I am now, I'd never believe them. I just could never have imagined I'd be this blessed and happy. Whether it is Chris hugging me after a hard day, or just looking into the sweet faces of my children, I am in awe of all that God has bestowed upon me. I have a great life, and thank Him for it everyday.

I wanted to take a sec and update you all on Miss Eve and Mister Cole. They are both doing fabulously! Eve is still shocking me everyday with just how smart she is. She is learning to count, knows the alphabet, and is starting to learn all her colors now. She speaks in full sentences and can pretty much communicate all her needs to us now. I know I've said it before, but it is simply amazing to watch your child learn something new on a daily basis. As for Cole, he is still my mostly happy little boy. It is hard to believe he will be 4 months old this month, but at the same time, I feel like he's been part of our family forever. He is still quite a big boy, weighing in at nearly 20 lbs. and 26 inches long. He has given me quite the biceps from carrying him around all day! Both Eve and Cole have one of their regular visits with the pediatrician coming up soon, and I will update again then!

Happy Birthday Eve!

Where oh where does the time go!? It seems like just yesterday we were bringing your newborn self home from the hospital, and now here you are, 2 years old. You have brought pure joy into our lives since the moment you were born, and you taught us the true meaning of the word 'love'. There is nothing quite like starting my day by going into your room and seeing your smiling face ready and waiting for me.

You are so beautiful, on the inside and outside. But I like the inside the most! You are tough, spunky, sweet, and absolutely hilarious. You talk our ears off all day long, and I cannot get enough of it. You come and give me a hug and kiss when I least expect it and most need it. I cannot thank God enough for blessing us with your presence.

Happy birthday baby girl!

Cole's 2 month Appointment

Cole had his 2 month checkup this morning at 9:30 am. As expected, he is doing great! Here are his current stats:

Length: 24 1/2 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 16 lbs 9 oz. (98th percentile)

Cole's pediatrician was not concerned at all about his weight. She said he is proportionate and just a "big boy"! He had to get 3 different shots today in his legs, and screamed his head off. Acutally, it was the first time I've seen him cry real tears! But after a few seconds of being held by Mommy, he was fine. We've been home for awhile now, and he is already smiling and cooing and seems to be his normal happy self.

My Babies

Just an update on my two little bambinos. They are both doing wonderful! Eve is just cracking me up so much lately. For example, today I was cleaning my bedroom and Eve was laying in Cole's baby swing (which she is entirely too huge for!). As I was leaving the room, I told her to come with me, and she quickly shut both her eyes and said "Shhhhh I'm sleepin Mommy!"..LOL. She is currently obsessed with Elmo and goes crazy for any Elmo dolls she sees in the store. We got her Elmo Live for Christmas, and she has entire imaginary conversations with him. I also think she is ready for potty-training, but I haven't got the time or energy to devote to it just yet, so we are holding off for a few more months.

Cole, my chubby little man, is also doing great. He is now 9 weeks old and has his 2 month appointment this Thursday. I am totally dreading all the shots he's going to have to get! It is a whole new experience having a newborn the second time around because I don't worry about every tiny thing like I did when Eve was a baby. I am totally sucking up and enjoying every single moment with him....even those 3 a.m. feedings!

Just Because

2009

The holidays have come and gone...phew! I, for one, am happy to have Christmas behind us and to start a fresh new year. Life is not nearly as hectic as my crazy brain had imagined it would be at this point with 2 kids. Cole is 6 weeks old today and an absolute dream baby! Sure he has his fussy moments like any other infant, but overall he is so easy. He loves to eat and does so every 2-3 hours all day long. However, he is also already sleeping 6-7 hour stretches and usually only wakes up once during the night to eat. This is absolute heaven to me, because I NEED my sleep! I have also pretty much already got him on the same schedule as Eve...they both wake up around 7:30 am now, both take a nap around 11 am, and both go to sleep between 7:30-8:00 pm. This gives me a break during the day, and then Chris and I have a couple hours to ourselves in the evening. Overall, Cole has blended right into our family without any major speed bumps. Eve is doing great too! I can't believe my baby girl is turning 2 years old next month! She is such a spunky little girl...full of energy and with plenty of attitude...and I wouldn't want her any other way. I have no doubt that Eve will not have to endure the painful shyness that I did as a child. She continues to learn so much and so fast. She has begun speaking in actual sentences now, although sometimes in a language that only Chris and I can understand! She has also recently learned the power of the word "NO" and uses it constantly. It is cute now, but I'm sure it won't be that way for long!