Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season and a great start to 2012. We had the best Christmas season ever-full of family and friends and lots of festive events, and we also found some time to just rest and enjoy.

Carter was 6 months old in December.  He weighed in at 18 lbs., 12 oz. (72%) and measured in at 17 3/4 inches (84%).  Unfortunately, on his first Christmas, I had to take him to the after-hours care at our doctor's office because he had a terrible cough that sounding like a barking seal.  He started to cough on the 23rd, he was pretty unhappy on Christmas Eve, and by Christmas Day, I felt the need to take him in. We had to give him breathing treatments every 4 hours, and that seemed to help. He really got a wicked bug though because it seemed to linger longer than normal. Gabrielle had a cough, too, that she had for the longest time, so I have no doubt that he got it from her.  Thankfully, as I write this, both kids are healthy. Carter is loving all the new toys he got for Christmas.  At 6 months old, he loves to explore all of his toys.  He loves new faces and will stare longer at people he has never seen before or people he hasn't seen in awhile.  He also likes to go to new places--even if it's down in the basement or into his room.  I love this baby stage and I try to drink him in on a daily basis. He still has only rolled over (back to front) one time and that was in November, so he is pretty stationary--which is fine by me!! He definitely looks longingly at Gabrielle as she zooms by him...it's easy to see that he wishes he could.  Also, it is so hard eating in front of him. He opens his mouth and chews the air (reminds me of a toothless old lady!) so he really wants to eat solids, but alas, he has no teeth and doesn't yet know how to chew for real.

As far as Gabrielle is concerned, anything "princess" was the hit of the Christmas season. Santa brought Gabs a princess castle for her "rubber dress" dolls and a set of all the Disney princesses.  Aunt Laura and Uncle Drew got her Princess Celestia (she's the ruler of all the My Little Ponies in case you didn't know) which was all she really wanted, and she also got various other beloved princess items from her grandparents and Aunt Bethany and Uncle Anson. SO it looks like a princess bomb went off in the basement. Quite literally, there are princesses strewn everywhere and mixed together, but for the first time, Gabrielle is playing by herself (which makes me want to play with her even more) and giving the dolls voices and coming up with little scenarios that only a 3 1/2 year old can. It's pretty cute, and it warms both my and Adam's heart. And we like that it's in the basement as opposed to strewn about the living room!

Well, that's about all I can think of except to wish you, my reader, a new year filled with health and happiness and fun and all the things that will make this year a great one for you!

Sincerely,
Colleen

Happy 6 Months!!

Gabrielle's Christmas program at preschool

Jumping is hard work!! I have some video footage of him jumping and then falling asleep and then waking up and jumping and then falling asleep. It was so funny!!!!!!!!

My little Spartan!

The pictures of Gabrielle and Carter warm my heart!! Gabrielle doesn't usually like to get too close for fear of getting slobber on her!

Ever Thankful!

This month wasn't quite as eventful as October even though there was only about 4 days out of the entire month that we didn't have something to do....I hope everyone had a great month and a Happy Thanksgiving. I find myself very grateful everyday for all the blessings in my life. One can't count their blessings too many times in my opinion!

This has been a big month for Carter. He turned 5 months old! At the beginning of the month, he rolled over from his back to his belly. He got his legs up high and started swinging them around and managed to roll over! However, that was his first and last time this month:) At the beginning of the month, he had a hard time sitting on his own, so you'll notice my hand in a couple of pictures helping to steady him. During the last week he got his balance, so he can sit up on his own now. He tried solid foods this month too-avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas, squash, and of course, rice cereal. He wasn't a fan of the avocado or the rice cereal........I'll be introducing a lot of tasty fruits and vegetables in December, so we'll have to see how he does with that. Overall, he's a lover boy and a little chunker, and that's a pretty sweet combo for a baby!!

As for Gabrielle, she's blossoming more and more everyday. Her preschool is a co-op, so I have worked several times so far this school year, and it's fun to watch her interact with the other kids and her teacher. I am so proud of her. For a 3 1/2 year-old, she really holds her own, and every once in awhile I catch a glimpse of what she'll be like when she's 7!! I am so grateful I am getting to spend the extra time with her, too. Carter is fun, but I get to have conversations with Gabrielle. It's really cool!

I hope you find the time to enjoy this beautiful Christmas season! I probably won't post again until after the new year, so I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,
Colleen

Happy 5 Months, Carter!

Somebody found his feet this month!

Our Christmas card pic

This wig is a nightmare!! BUT how adorable is she?!?

This baby "widget" was borrowed from Carter's Aunt Laura & Uncle Drew. He loves it. It's called an Exersaucer, but Gabrielle calls it the "Applesaucer", so we do too now! Whoever invented it was a genius. I need to do a separte post with pictures of Carter in all the widgets we have around the house. Most of them borrowed-thank goodness!

In their Thanksgiving outfits compliments of Jammie and Great-Nana!

Look who's sitting by himself!!! This was taken on the 28th.

My favorite pic of Carter this month

WE LOVE OCTOBER!!!!!

October was such a great month!!!! It felt long, and there were so many beautiful weather days. October ranks right up there in my mind with June, July, and August. During the month, we had 7 play dates, 3 birthday parties, 7 preschool sessions plus a field trip, we bought 1 cottage and had 2 trips to Houghton Lake, 2 trips to the cider mill, 5 different Halloween festivities, and 5 trips to the library. Adam and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Gabrielle turned 3 1/2 this month and Carter was 4 months old. WHOA!

A few updates on Carter: He is over 16 pounds! He continues to be the sweetest baby ever. He's a really snuggly baby, and I can pretty much guarantee a big toothless grin if you were to see him in person. If you ever need a "baby fix" come visit and hold him. He is very interested in his surroundings now, so if I take him into a new room in the house or into a store or restaurant, he likes to look at everything. He also likes colorful shirts that have writing on them or sparkly jewelry. He is getting very good a grabbing, too. He likes to reach for whatever might be in  your hand. He also likes to reach into my hair and pull it:) I taught him to kiss already (something I taught Gabrielle when she was 8 months old, but I figured I'd start earlier with him) so when I say "kiss-kiss" he leans in with his drooly open mouth which are the best kind of baby kisses. Those of you who have gotten those kisses from your babies can probably attest to that! Other than that, he does all the things that a 4 month old baby should do, but most notably, he melts my heart on a daily basis!! For Halloween this year he was both a chili pepper (for Adam) and a pea pod (for me). On Halloween, I let Gabs choose and she picked the chili pepper costume. Oh well.

Now a few updates on Gabrielle: She is having a really fun time at preschool and suffered from no separation anxiety at all. When we walk into the building she wants to throw her backpack and quickly wiggle out of her coat and run down hall to her classroom. I'm glad she likes it so much! She has a lot of friends and is quite the socialite. This year for Halloween she went trick-or-treating with her friend Daniel. They are quite the pair. Even Mrs. Peckens noticed that they are buddy-buddy at school. She went rip-roaring all around his neighborhood and had a HOOT of a time. Last year she would barely say "trick-or-treat" and this year I could barely keep up with her! She has more candy than I know what to do with too! Other than that, Gabs is funny, friendly, sassy, inquisitive, moody, lovable--everything a 3 year old should be. She is making connections and has a memory like an elephant. For Halloween this year she was Sleeping Beauty.

We have lots of pics this month, and we are looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. If you have read all of this blog post, I thank you, and I hope you are well and happy.

Until next month, enjoy the moment!

COLLEEN

Four Months!

The next 7 pics are at the cottage.

 

You need to know that her shirt says "Daddy is Under My Spell!" HA!

Monster Toes

Headless Horseman 5k

Halloween Night

Can you believe she's holding a 16 lb. baby here? I can't!

Carter is 3 months old, Zoo Trip, & Preschool!

Carter now 3 months old! My little cubby is such a big boy that he pretty wears only 6 month clothing. He has the chunkiest little thighs, something Gabrielle never had, so I am enjoying all the baby fat. He is such a snuggle boy. He's happy if he's in my arms, and I am not exaggerating at all. He's so easy going. He is starting to like to play now. He has a rattle that he holds onto. He also has a ball with holes in in (love the O-Ball!!) that he hangs onto. He also likes his blue bunny and his brown and blue bear. Carter babbles as though he is having a conversation complete with hand motions and everything. It is so precious. Carter is quick to smile and laugh. When he laughs, he sticks his arms straight down in excitement. On August 23, Carter rolled over from his belly to his back! I was totally shocked. I try not to compare kids, but Gabrielle was waaaaaay older when she figured out that trick. So much for "tummy time." Carter can't stand it, so he just flips over. See picture sequence below!

We had a lot of fun this past month. We had lots of playdates/visitors with family from the area (Lily & Dean) and out of state (Grandpapa & Auntie Shaina and Jeff & Sasha.) Gabrielle got to play with her Auntie Shaina who she just adores. We went to the Detroit Zoo with cousins Amy, Olivia, Joey, & Carrie Ann. That was a fun experience. A lot of the animals were out and about, so I am glad I took my telephoto lense. We were awestruck by the polar bear swimming over our heads in the "arctic tunnel" and we got to see a tiger, seals, lemurs, and lots others.

Now that I am officially a stay-at-home mom, it has been pretty fun so far. I'm a SAHM in the summer, so it's not too different. Now that it's fall, I definitely try to stick to a better routine now that our schedule is filling up. Gabrielle is going to preschool two half days a week, a library class on Monday mornings, and will have soccer on Saturday mornings, and I joined a Moms & Tots group for social outings. So, we are just busy enough...and loving every moment! In the morning when I get to wake up with Carter and feed him and change him and get him dressed for the day, I am especially grateful for that. Having the extra time with Gabs is priceless, too.

Until next month, stay happy & healthy-
COLLEEN!

Here he is....3 Months!

The Rolling Sequence

First Day of Preschool