6 Month Update

It's hard to believe that Lucy is half-way to her 1st birthday.  She continues to be a little peanut - just over 13 lbs. which is 12% and 24.5 inches long, which is only 5% so she is a little person!  She did great at her 6-month check up yesterday, but I was surprised to learn that she had a double ear infection.  She hadn't been fussy at all, so I'm hopeful that we were able to start the antibiotics before she started to feel any pain.

We tried rice cereal and some fruit the other week and she wasn't overly interested, but I'm sure that will change pretty soon.  Lucy continues to love to watch Charlie run around like a mad man and he has the ability to generate the biggest smiles and loudest laughs.  Otherwise, Lucy still sleeps like a champ and she usually goes to bed around 7:30 and sleeps until 7:00.  She loves to play on her tummy with toys and is excited to see her "friends" every time that we put her in her exersaucer.  Lucy also smiles whenever she sees Copper and, not surprising, Copper refuses to acknowledge her existence.

A couple of random things that I want to remember about the kids right now:

• I will randomly use Lucy's full name "Lucy Jane" so Charlie has started to do the same, but he believes that her middle name is "James".
• Charlie loves to have a dance party after dinner.  We usually play a few Mumford & Sons songs and he shows off his sweet dance moves that are a combination of robot-like moves and somersaults.  He upped the expectations tonight when he put both hands on his behind and said, "Mom - now wiggle your bottom."  I have no idea where he comes up with these things but I can appreciate a good dance party like the next person.
• Charlie has started to ask a question and then demand a yes/no answer.  "Can I have a snack, please?  Yes or no?"  He gets straight to the point.
• Lucy loves her bath and laying on the changing table - she turns into a little Irish jig dancer and her legs go crazy...perhaps in anticipation of joining Charlie's dance party some day soon.
• Charlie continues to self-report his misdeeds from daycare but I've started to question the legitimacy of his stories.  He told me the other day that SpiderMan hit him at school and he saw a lizard.

Other than the rambling items above, we are ready for some sunshine and to be able to burn some energy outside!

Go Clones and 5 Month Update

BJ, Charlie and Papa Steve have season tickets this year for the ISU basketball games and I'm not sure who is more excited - BJ for the opportunity to create a basketball/Cyclones fan or Charlie who usually gets popcorn AND ice cream during the basketball game. 

Charlie seems to be entering a pretty fun stage with some (not all) of the toddler tantrums behind me.  Some of his recent exclamations include "I don't believe it" (while slapping his hand on his leg) and "this is ridiculous" (oops - that one probably comes from me).  He continues to look forward to seeing Lucy every morning and will frequently ask what his "baby Ludy" is doing.  Luckily, the affection seems mutual. 

Lucy turned 5 months old yesterday and she continues to be a source of pure joy for our family.  The smiles are plenty and the cries are almost non-existent so it's easy to be smitten.  She continues to be a little peanut - she weighed 12.9 pounds at her four month check-up, which is roughly 16th percentile (Charlie was always in the 90th percentile during his first year), and she hasn't shown any interest in rice cereal yet.  Lucy loves her bath but her favorite pasttime continues to be "talking" and being talked to - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  She continues to be ridiculously happy and, for as many smiles as she gives each day, I can guarantee that she is the cause for as many smiles between BJ, Charlie and myself.

We had a fun weekend last weekend with my sister Molly and her family.  As always, Charlie and Lucy enjoyed the added attention and all of the love from their cousins.

Christmas 2012

It's hard to believe that Christmas has been here and gone.  We were snowed in on the Thursday before Christmas and Charlie was very excited to go outside and help BJ shovel snow.  It took at least 10 minutes to help him put all of the necessary clothing on and he was outside for all of 2 minutes.  I think that his love for the outdoors stops when the temperatures fall below freezing.

 We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on Sunday the 23rd and Charlie was so excited to see all of his cousins.  A quick photo of the crew with Grandma and Grandpa Gehl.

 The picture below is indicative of the difference between Charlie and Lucy - Charlie was already sweating so he took off his sweater and Lucy was wrapped in an extra blanket because she always seems chilly.

 We celebrated with BJ's side of the family on the morning of the 24th and we were able to get a quick picture of the Supple grandkids with Nana Jan, Papa Steve and Great Grandma Kate.

 Charlie's excitement over playing with Max started to turn into more tackles than hugs - which was a surefire sign that he was headed for exhaustion....

 Lucy was just happy to lay on the floor and quick during the present-opening extravaganza.

 Moments later, Charlie was sprawled out in the middle of wrapping paper, muttering.  Someone needed to get that kid a nap.

 Thankfully, he was able to get a nap in on the ride back to Norwalk.

 Back home and fully rested, we made a fresh batch of sugar cookies to leave out for Santa Claus.

 And this is the point of the story when I have all of these wonderful pictures of Christmas Day and the Charlie and Lucy seeing their presents from Santa.  I did take photos, but I haven't been able to upload those photos to the blog and my head might explode if I spend any more time trying.  Despite any photo evidence, we had a great Christmas Day at home and ended the night by taking a drive through the Jolly Holiday light display in downtown Des Moines.  The only bummer of the day was when Charlie realized that Buddy the Elf left our house to go back to the North Pole with Santa.  Charlie was pretty sad, but we assured him that Buddy will be back next year (or earlier if we need to play the Santa is watching you card).

This past Sunday, Nana Jan, Papa Steve and Max came to spend the night in Des Moines.  Charlie got to spend the day with them swimming at their hotel and we snapped a quick picture before taking Charlie home for the night. 

Although our visits to Cascade seem very short and jam-packed, it's always nice to see family, a few friends and have our kids get to know their cousins.

Best wishes for 2013.

Update and 4 Month Report

Just a quick update on our recent happenings.

Charlie will randomly wear the John Deere hat that he took from Papa...usually when he is being naughty.  In this picture he was supposed to be in bed and, after putting him back in bed many times, we resorted to putting the gate up at his door.  He responded by standing at his gate, wearing his hat, and singing as loud as he could.  His tenacity will serve him well one day.  It didn't that night, but it will one day.

We had a fun weekend trip to the Polar Express train in Mt. Pleasant with Nana, Papa, Aunt Jenn, Uncle Ben, Max and Milo. 

Riding the train to the North Pole to see Santa - some very excited riders!

 ...and equal excitement on the other side of the aisle.

 Charlie continues to transport his fleet of vehicles around our house and I usually find them parked somewhere in the kitchen ready to cause my demise.

 Miss Lucy started sitting in her Bumbo seat and she absolutely loves it!

Speaking of Miss Lucy - she turned 4 months old this past week.  I'm not sure why she's so squished in her rocking chair, but I promise that there is as neck somewhere.  She continues to be a great baby and I'm not going to deny it any longer - she might be one of the easiest babies I've ever known.  I've been told that she will make up for it in later years, which is totally possible, but for now I'll take the "good-sleeping-happy-go-lucky" baby.  If Lucy is awake, she is sucking on one of her fingers and drooling like crazy, but happy to be doing both.  She's very ticklish, which makes for some very giggly diaper changes and baths.  Lucy continues to search for Charlie whenever she hears his voice and she loves to be sang and talked to. 

We're excited to see family this weekend and celebrate Christmas a few days early.  Charlie keeps assuring me that he's been a good boy and reiterates that he would like Santa to bring him M&L's.  A pretty easy order for Santa to fill!

Thanksgiving and Turning Three!

We went back to Cascade to celebrate Thanksgiving and, as usual, the kids loved seeing their grandparents and having fun with cousins.  The actual photo-taking on Thanksgiving was less than stellar (no big shock), but I did capture a cute photo of Grandma Kathy and Lucy.

 I had been calling Lucy my little turkey all day, so she was a little scared when she heard that we were eating turkey!

 Charlie loved spending some time with his cousin Milo and, after numerous reminders, was pretty gentle with him.

 Since Charlie's birthday is so close to Thanksgiving, we decided to have a little party while we were still in Cascade with the grandparents and godparents on Friday after Thanksgiving. 

The boy loves him some cookie so a cookie cake it was!  Unfortunately, The Great American Cookie Co. hasn't purchased the right to use any "Toy Story" images or references, but everything else was "Buzz and Woody."

 A quick family photo before the party began - our kids don't look very alike to me!

Charlie was pretty happy with himself once he blew the candles out. 

 Charlie, Claire and Hannah waiting to take a whack at the pinata.  The purchase of the pinata was completely for mine and BJ's entertainment.  I love a good pinata.

 Uncle Mike prepping the birthday boy before his first turn.

 Meanwhile, Lucy had some sweet cuddle time with Nana Jan.

 Charlie's actual birthday was on Monday, the 3rd.  The poor kid spent the weekend with the stomach flu and then came down with a fever/cough/cold on Monday.  He went to school for a few hours and passed out treats to his friends, but when I picked him up early to go get ice cream (a request that I easily agreed to on Monday morning...I'm a pushover for a birthday boy), he just wanted to go home.  What?!  No ice cream?!  I knew that he was feeling pretty miserable and we've spent most of this week at home with him.

The rest of the night didn't improve much.  Charlie wasn't interested in his supper, M&M's or the cupcakes that I made for his birthday.  We did manage to snap a few pictures of Charlie with his cupcakes and after he opened his present, but they are pretty pathetic.

Exhibit A: glazed eyes and runny nose

 Exhibit B: a forced smile that was quickly followed by a sneeze

 Exhibit C: a picture with his present (Buzz, of course) but he looks like he's being held against his will

I am shocked every year on his birthday that another year has past.  I'm not sure if it's the age that he is now or the fact that Lucy has joined our family, but his baby days are long gone.  He is a little boy, through and through.  We've certainly had our moments, but he is an unending source of humor and for us.  A couple of his loves: seeing us at the end of the day at daycare; listening to Band of Horses with BJ or I before falling asleep; eating snacks; seeing tractors or combines on the way to daycare; watching Little Einsteins; playing with his many tractors or cars; playing outside; throwing/kicking/trying to catch any ball or anything resembling a ball; greeting Lucy when she wakes up; spending time with his grandparents and cousins; singing Eric Church's "Springsteen"; playing with his train set; running; using his mouthwash; self-reporting his bad behavior from daycare; claiming any reward for good behavior; going to music class; riding his bike; and running to our bed in the middle of night because his bed is "scary" or "stinky" (like I said - source of humor for us).

The final photo is completely unrelated to Charlie's birthday but I felt the need to document Lucy's crazy hair.  If she is as independent and spirited as her hair, the teenage years may be interesting. 

Three Month Update

The days/weeks/months keeping flying by and Miss Lucy is officially three months old.  

I still don't want to jinx anything, but Lucy continues to be a great baby - very easygoing and consistently sleeping through the night (10PM-6:30AM).  She loves to talk and be sang to.  She also thinks that Charlie is amazing and will try to find him whenever she hears his voice or sees him running past.  Luckily, the feeling remains mutual as Charlie still kisses his "baby Lucy" multiple times throughout the day and is always interested in her whereabouts.

My maternity leave ended on November 8th and since we didn't win the lottery, I went back to work.  I pretty much spent the last week of my leave soaking in every moment of her sweetness.  I wasn't sure how leaving another baby at daycare would go in comparison to leaving Charlie, but I can tell you that there were still plenty of tears.  In some ways, it was easier leaving Lucy because we know/trust/care about the staff at the daycare.  In other ways, it was much harder because I have a new appreciation for how quickly time passes.  I blinked and Charlie was one and I turned around and he'll be three in a few weeks.  If only life came with a giant pause button...and a fast forward button for those toddler tantrums!

We're excited for a short work/daycare week this week and look forward to spending some time with all of the cousins!

Happy Halloween

Charlie couldn't decide between dressing as "Jake" from "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and Buzz Lightyear.  At the last minute, Buzz won out.  I think that he was a little surprised to see himself in the mirror in costume. 

All geared up for trick-or-treating.

Not surprising, going door to door and getting candy made trick-or-treating one of his favorite activities of all time.  He's asked to go trick-or-treating every day since Tuesday. 

It was too cold to take Lucy out during actual trick-or-treating, but I couldn't resist putting her in some Halloween attire the last few days...

 and her trick-or-treat "Sweet Pea" costume.  Lucy and I stayed busy passing out candy while BJ and Charlie trolled the neighborhood.  While it was fun to see all of the neighbor kids in their costumes, my favorite was when I was trying to help a little girl (maybe 4 years old) decide what treat she wanted from our basket.  Do you like Skittles?  Do you like Snickers?  The little girl just kept looking from the basket to me when she finally answered, "I'd like to take your baby."  Ha!  Her mom and I were laughing and I had to break the news that she couldn't take Lucy home.

 Finally, Lucy and I were chatting the other day and she was so involved in the conversation that I had to snap a picture of our bright-eyed little girl.