What a difference a year makes

One year ago

Today.

We have another walker!

It is official, Chase can walk! Yesterday Catherine, Chase, and Mommy hit the mall to get a pair of Pedipeds to celebrate the occasion. For a few weeks now he has been flirting with the idea of walking, and over the weekend realized that he could indeed just let go to run after his sister. Pictures and videos to come, if one can actually be captured!

Nice Mommy, maybe

After having administered a much needed time out today, I was told, "You're a really nice mommy. But, sometimes you're not."

Guess I must be getting better at my job!

The Origin of Carrots

During dinner this evening, Catherine explained the life cycle of a carrot to us. We were not, however, eating carrots. Her version is as follows:

Dogs live in the ground and you put seeds inside them and they grow into a carrot.

Bill and I have never grown carrots, but we agree that this does not seem to be the accurate life cycle of a carrot.

Alive

Yes we are still alive and doing well. Finding time to blog is difficult these days! There has been some big fun recently, and some big silliness (photo above). Catherine got a new tricycle this week, and we have been bike riding fools. In addition to the bike, Chase is trying his best to crawl. He is so close, and is not at all stationary. Talk about best diet plan ever: two mobile children! Anyway, there are actually new photos posted to the Flickr site of our recent adventures.

Rolling, and eating, and crawling, oh my!

Chase can officially roll both directions, eat baby food (yummo sweet potatoes!), and move forward across the room. Here's to the end of lazy days!

Four Month Check

Chase had his four month check up this morning, and he is weighing in at 15 pounds 9 ounces. Both Catherine and I were amazed when he took the vaccines without any tears! Now, he is taking advantage of the rainy day, and tough day at the doctor excuses to nap with his sister. Ah, silence is a true treasure.

Nothing but love for the parents

On occasion I have been known to get frustrated with my mother when I ask her advice on how she handled certain situations that required discipline. She frequently insists that I never talked back, had tantrums, or did anything other than be a perfect child. Aside from the fact, which I've come to accept, that there is something about being a mother makes you slightly crazy, it seems doubtful my mother is accurate in her recollection of my behavior. Recently we have had some experiences I'd like to share that might explain the reason my mom seems to only remember a perfect child.

Yesterday when Bill was getting ready for work he said to Catherine, "Do you know what tomorrow is?"
"What tomorrow, Daddy?"
"Tomorrow is Saturday. That means Daddy doesn't go to work."
"You no leave us, Daddy?"
"Nope."
"How exciting!" exclaimed Catherine.

Tonight while snuggling on the couch and playing a game of "eat-the-toddler" Catherine asked me to not eat her because she was not "nutritious food". We giggled, then she said, "Don't eat Daddy or Grandma either." I asked her why not and she said, "Because they are special." I said, "They are?" She so sweetly replied, "Yes, they are special. I love them. Don't eat them, Mommy." Who can argue with that logic? Needless to say, Daddy and Grandma remain uneaten.

So, you ask me, has Catherine had any tantrums yet this weekend, and how did we discipline her? I cannot remember.

Burping Brother

Catherine was extremely enthusiastic about burping her brother this afternoon, and he was extremely enthusiastic to be burped by her. I took this picture to capture the moment, and thought it was too cute not to share.

Insight into Catherine

This past week both of my children were very well behaved during my illness. As a sign of appreciation, I took them to a place called Planet Child. It is an indoor play area that has a variety of themed play areas. For example, there is a grocery store section, a pirate ship, a train area, and a theater. In the theater section, there is a back stage that hosts many chests filled with dress up attire. While chatting with some of my mom friends, I saw Catherine run back stage. The floor was littered with princess costumes, and dresses to the point it was almost impossible to walk. She walked out, with something in her hand, and says to me, "Mommy, this looks like Darth Vader." Indeed, in her hand was a Darth Vader mask.

Pictures and Videos, Oh my!

So, some grandmother, whom I shall not name, has been politely, but incessantly requesting photos that contain both children. Since she only ever had one child, I'm not quite sure she appreciates the difficulty of her request. But, since she is so special, and I love her SO much, I have finally fulfilled her request. Many new photos and videos can be viewed on our Flickr site. And by the way, you know which grandmother you are!!

Family Love

Yesterday on the way home from dance class Catherine said to me, "I'm so sad." When I asked why, she said, "I miss Daddy." Too heartwarming.

Then later that evening after her bath, she and I were lying in my bed. I said to her, "I love you, Catherine." To which she replied, "I love you, too. You're my best friend, Mommy."

These are the points of the day I need to focus on, and not the tantrums!

Feeling Appreciated

Today when we got home from our outing Catherine walked into Chase's room, looked down on the floor where a big glob of cat puke had been sitting, looked up at me then said, "Thanks for cleaning that up, Mommy." I wanted to cry, but for fear of scaring her for life, I decided on a big hug instead.

Star Wars

Catherine watched the end of Star Wars this afternoon. She then turned to Elizabeth and said, "Mom, that is a great movie."

Two Month Check

So we took our boy for his two month check and he is big! 13 pounds 3 ounces (90th percentile) and 22.5 inches long (only 50th percentile). No wonder he's been busting out of his onsies and his diapers are a struggle to close. Task for tomorrow: upgrade clothing in Chase's closet to 3-6 month things.

Snow Days

We do not get much snow where we live, in fact, most years it does not snow at all. This week we got about 5 inches at our house, and had a blast! Snowball fights were fought, snowmen were made and destroyed, snow angles were taught, and baby Chase marveled at the wonders of snow. I've posted more pics, and quite a few videos to our Flickr page if you'd like to check it out farther.

Rolling Over

To much of my surprise, Chase can roll himself over!! To be honest, I'm not sure which day counts as official...

He rolled himself over for the first time 2 weeks after birth. Our pediatrician had warned me to not leave even a newborn unattended on an elevated surface, as he had seen them roll over. I thought this to be ridiculous, then, I came home and witnessed Chase do it a few hours later. He continued to get from tummy to back several times since then, but it was erroneous, and I thought, an accident rather than a deliberate act of will.

Yesterday, however, he accomplished the task four times in a row, and had a look of determination on his small face. Yes, I believe yesterday was the "first" for rolling on purpose. Of course, as soon as I grabbed camera, he had tummy time dissolve into a thumb-sucking session, and the moment was over.

This morning, he started up again. Four consecutive rolls, each with the camera present, however taking more than 30 seconds to accomplish the task. Finally, as I was about to give up, Catherine informed me that Chase would like "one more video" so we tried, and within 10 seconds captured the entire event! So, with out farther adieu...

But why?

It has begun...

Why you put on your jacket, Daddy?
I'm cold.
Why you cold?
It's chilly in here.
Why it chilly, Daddy?
It's cold outside.
You freezing, Daddy?
No, just a bit chilly.
Why?

Latest favorite conversation

Tonight while putting Catherine to bed she said, "Mommy, we forgot the potty!" We had indeed forgotten to use the potty, so I said, "C'mon, lets go!" She responded, "Hurry, Mommy. We have to hit the road!"

Merry Christmas

All of us
Originally uploaded by laraim23

Oh, this post is sooo late! Between having my mom in town for the week, and a newborn on our hands, I somehow just never made the Merry Christmas/Happy New Year post.

Christmas in our house was most excellent. Catherine was pretty well behaved, and became totally enamored of her Grandma Trish. This is about the best picture we could snap with the two kids: one is spitting up, the other picking her nose. Go figure!

There are more pictures on our Flickr site. Log in, to view them if you wish. They are private for friends and family only, so let us know if you can't see them and would like to!

Sibling Love

So the quality of the video isn't so good, but as you can see, Catherine was holding Chase, and singing him the ABC song. He really hadn't been fussing the entire time. She loves holding him, and helping to burp him, however, the moment he starts crying, she's like, "Here, Mommy, you take him!"

I've put some more pictures and videos on our Flickr page. Just sign in to view. If you can't see them, let me know, and I'll get you set up as a friend/family member so you can!

Tummy Time Video

Tummy Time Video
Originally uploaded by laraim23

So this is especially for Grandma Trish and Grandpa Coogan who have yet to meet Chase in person. Yes, I realize the spitting up is soooo gross, but it wouldn't really be a fair representation of your grandson if it weren't included!

There are some more photos on our Flickr site. Just sign in as our family and friends to view.

Head's Up

Head's Up
Originally uploaded by laraim23

As many of you know, my friend Kristy has her own photography business, and she came over yesterday to take some shots of Chase. This one is my favorite. He really can hold his head up like this for several seconds. He loves tummy time, and is doing quite well. It is a refreshing change from his big sister who hated it. There are a few more great shots on our Flickr site. Just sign in to view them.

Christmas

I have been having a lot of people ask me what Catherine would like for Christmas, so I made an Amazon list of some things she would be interested in. You can see it by clicking the following button.



As for Chase, well he is just a little baby who doesn't really "want" anything, and at the moment doesn't actually need anything.

The whole family

The whole family
Originally uploaded by laraim23

So I finally got some pictures from the hospital uploaded to our Flickr site. If I don't have you marked as friend or family, let me know so I can do so, and you can see the photos!

Which baby is which?

Side by side pictures of Catherine and Chase in their car seats on the day they came home from the hospital. See any family resemblance?

Fame and glory

So it looks like the fame goes to Andrea, for her guess of November 12th (closest to November 15th). And the glory goes to me, for my guess of 7lbs 13oz (closest to 7lbs 14oz).

Chase is born

William Chase, born at 6:00pm today, weighing in at 7lbs 14oz. Absolutely no problems with him or his delivery!

baby inc

We're at Durham Regional, and we have been assured that E is in early labor and that Chase is coming! It will probably be quite a while still.

Our home phone is not working today (a big storm last night knocked out our phone/internet service). You can text me if you'd like, but I'll post more info here.

Comfy Baby

So our little one is apparently quite comfortable where he is. During an ultrasound yesterday, we saw him chillin' out sucking his fingers quite avidly. I think we must have a finger-sucking gene.

I'm scheduled for induction on Wed. morning.

temper

I got angry at the clerks at E's ob/gyn appointment today (long story short --- skipping lunch and trying to amuse a tired, hungry toddler for two hours with no toys, no entertainment, and no snacks while in the waiting room can try one's patience). After, ahem, sternly requesting an update from them on what was going on, Catherine was looking at me inquisitively, so I told her, "Daddy lost his temper." To which she responded, quite confidently, "I help you find it."

Obama Obsession?

This morning while getting dressed to go to the park, Catherine and I had the following conversation:

Catherine: We go park, Mommy?
Mommy: Yes.
Catherine: We meet friends at playground?
Mommy: No, we're not expecting to see our friends. We might make some new ones, though.
Catherine: We meet Barack Obama at playground?
Mommy: I seriously doubt that. He's still a senator until he takes over being President in January. He is a very busy man.
Catherine: He is my new president. I just voted.
Mommy: Yes, that is right, we just voted and he will be the new President.

Think we have been talking about politics in our house much lately??

My Friend, Lan

Tonight Bill ran over to our friend Lan's house to pick up some dvds, and while he was gone Catherine asked me where he went. So, I told her he went to Lan's house, and she said, "I see Lan a long time ago. I like Lan. She is my good friend."

For the record, we agree with Catherine. =)

Obama

At dinner, Elizabeth asked Catherine, "Do you know who the new president is?"

Catherine's response: "Barack Obama."

Anyone else think she's going to be too smart for us?

False alarm!

Nope, no labor, so we're back home now. I'll keep y'all posted.

labor check

We're at Chapel Hill for a labor check, since E has been having contractions this morning. I promise to add a new post here, one way or the other, when we have more info. :-)

No baby

No, we have no baby. There is no promising evidence of baby in the immediate future. We will make a post when we leave for the hospital. I promise any out of town family that we will NOT have a baby and forget to tell you.

I have a plan

To answer the most popular question, yes, Catherine dressed up for Halloween, and yes we have pictures. No, they have not yet been uploaded. They will be, sometime in the near future...hopefully. =)

On an entirely different subject, tonight, while trying to convince Daddy to play "running-running" with her, the following conversation took place:

Catherine: Daddy, you want to play running-running?
Daddy: How about snuggling?
Catherine: No, play running-running, Daddy.
Daddy: I want to snuggle.
Catherine: I have a plan. First we play running-running, then we snuggle.
Daddy: (Not fully understanding the first sentence) Play running-running, then snuggle?
Catherine: Yes, first running-running, then snuggle. Sound like a plan?

Mommy and Daddy both burst into laughter as we have not heard her say this saying before. For the record, it is a phrase Daddy frequently uses when speaking to her.

Football Buddies

Football Buddies
Originally uploaded by laraim23

Catherine had a blast last week at Jacob and Andrea's house for the Ohio State game. She got a bit wild, but I think Jacob may have been a bit of an instigator. Think this girl likes her football and 'uncle' Jacob much?

Place your Chase predictions here!

This is it! The official place to post your predictions about Chase's date of birth and birth weight. Whoever is closest on either gets fame and glory!

So allow me to start. I guess November 7, weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz.

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Happy Birthday Grandma
Originally uploaded by laraim23

Grandma Ellen had her 69th birthday this past Wednesday. We celebrated by playing with balloons and eating cake. There are a few
more celebration pictures on our Flickr site.

Playing Trains

Playing Trains
Originally uploaded by laraim23

Tonight Daddy figured out how to put a hill into the train tracks and I thought it was the best thing ever! Mom also snapped a few short videos, that are too dark, but provide some decent audio if you're interested in my speech progression.

Renaissance Festival

Yesterday we took a family trip to the North Carolina Renaissance Festival in Charlotte, NC. Boy, did we have big fun or what! It is a little over 2 hours in the car from our house, which passed rather peacefully. Catherine went all day with no nap (not even in the car!), and no tantrum. Bill and I were utterly amazed, and wished we could bottle the tantrum-free day for future needs!!!

We started our adventure with me blindly taking a photo of my adorable family. The sun was too bright for me to actually see what I was doing. =)


Immediately the Swan Swing was spotted, and taking a ride was requested.



We spent some time looking around, getting good food, watched a show, then spotted the Butterfly Ride. It took some serious debate, since it was a kid only ride, but in the end it was decided the fun far out-weighed the scariness of the lady running the ride.

We watched some more shows, looked at the animals in the petting zone, did a little shopping, then got some dessert. This is seriously what Catherine asked for for dessert, and with the exception of 3 bites (she shared one with Daddy, one with Mommy, and one with Grandma Ellen) devoured the entire thing herself!

After 5.5 hours of pure bliss and excitement, she hitched a ride back to the car in Daddy's arms. A good portion of the ride home was spent teasing Grandma by pretending to eat the glitter off the butterfly wings. Finally the teasing came to an end when I told her she'd have glitter poop if she actually ate it. This idea was not at all appealing, because apparently she thinks glitter poop is gross!

If you're signed up as one of my friends or family you can see more pictures of our adventure on our Flickr page.

Pumpkin Patch

Last week Catherine and I took a trip to a Ganyard Hill Farm for some serious fun with our SAHM group.

Some of the activities we enjoyed were:



"Milking" a cow. There was water in the utters, =)


Picking cotton from a real cotton plant!



Taking a hayride.

Picking a pumpkin right off the vine in the pumpkin patch.

Looking at some pigs. They apparently have sharp teeth and are not to be fed!

I also ran many laps through a corn maze sized just right for toddlers, climbed a jungle gym built of hay and irrigation tubes, fed some goats, and enjoyed the company of many good friends. More photos of our adventure can be found on our Flickr page.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Kara!


Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

10 years ago I was:
1. 20!!
2. Just starting college at The University of Cincinnati.
3. So insecure that I decided to pursue the most difficult major I could think of: Chemistry.
4. Living in an apartment (nice one too) with my best friend from high school, Jennifer.
5. Very proud of how long my hair was.

5 things on today’s to do list:
1. Work on my sweater for Chase.
2. Attend Barnes and Noble story time with Catherine (hopefully without her having a tantrum).
3. Spend some time with my husband discussing an interesting topic that is not about children, bills, or work.
4. Watch an episode of The Gilmore Girls.
5. Rest!!

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Breyer's Double Churned Vanilla Ice Cream
2. Ghiradelli Raspberry chocolate squares with a cup of coffee
3. Bill's popcorn
4. Kettle Salt and Pepper potato chips
5. Vanilla yogurt with granola

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
2. Hire a cleaning service
3. Improve my wardrobe
4. Move my parents closer
5. Buy a new purse finally!

5 places I have lived:
1. Newtown, OH
2.Cincinnati, OH
3. Columbus, OH
4. Morrisville, NC
5. Durham, NC

5 jobs I have had:
1. waitress at Skyline Chili
2. Bench chemist for AkzoNobel doing organic synthesis
3. Laboratory assistant at UNC Hospital
4. Math and science tutor for Treasure Tutorial Services
5. Stay at home mom!!!

I can only think of 3 people who blog that might answer these questions, so I tag Laura, Tara, and Mom!

A fun day at the park

We finally are having some weather that is amicable for outside play, so we took full advantage today. Catherine very much enjoyed playing with her friends at the park, and I snapped this adorable picture of her with Grace, while they grabbed a snack. More photos and a short video is available on our Flickr site. Kimberlee made up the best-game-ever of tickle monster that incorporated the slide, and it was all we heard about this evening. Thank goodness for good friends!

Diesel vs. Steam

A quick Catherine anecdote:

While waiting in the OB office today, Catherine was playing with some small Tonka trucks. She picked up one of them and said, "This one has diesel engine." I asked her if Daddy had told her about diesel engines, and she responded, "No, Thomas has steam engine. This one has diesel engine." I guess the topic of diesel and steam engines must be on Thomas the Tank Engine show. I should pay more attention to what our child is watching!

Monkey Joe's Bracelet: A Tale of Insanity

When you take a child to Monkey Joe's they put a matching bracelet, very much like a hospital bracelet, on you and the child.

On the way out the door, they check the bracelets to make sure you're leaving with the same kid you came in with, and then cut it off for you. Seems like a simple enough procedure...then Catherine is introduced. Words cannot describe the fit she threw when the young girl at the door offered to remove her bracelet. After assuring her she could keep it, she finally calmed. Later that evening, an identical fit was thrown when Daddy suggested taking it off before getting in the bath tub. We went to Monkey Joe's last Friday. Every day since Friday night we have heard about nothing but the Monkey Joe's bracelet, and sentences such as, "No take it off, Mommy," "My Monkey Joe's Bracelet," "Tie it back on," ect. ect.


One evening before bath, Bill tried a different approach. He got her other bracelets and suggested a trade. All of her other bracelets, for just the one, now very dirty and tattered paper Monkey Joe's bracelet. She refused. A fit was thrown. Out of desperation, Daddy tried some reverse psychology, and said, "Fine, I'll just put all these other bracelets in the trash then, since you won't be needing them anymore." Catherine responded with, "No, I put them in the trash!" Then she proceeded to throw away all of her other bracelets!! After she went to bed, Daddy removed the bracelets from the trash, just in case something remotely close to sanity returned to our daughter, and of course, because he is not at all a mean Daddy who ever intendend to throw out all her bracelets.

A few more days past, and the bracelet remained, even more disgusting. Finally last night, I come home from tutoring, to a very happy, clean, Monkey Joe's bracelet-free Catherine! She was, however, wearing every other bracelet that she owned. Once she was asleep, Bill explained to me that he showed her the other bracelets that he had taken out of the trash and tried offering a trade again. He said she started a fit, and not wanting to make the same mistake twice, he quickly thought to himself, "what would make sense in Catherine's head?" Finally he proceeded with something along the lines of, "Okay, calm down. I'm not going to take your bracelet off. As a matter of fact, I don't even think I could. By now it is probably stuck." Well, that was a horse of a different color! A new fit started, but along the lines of, "No, no, no. I don't want it stuck. Take it off, Daddy! Cut it off, Daddy!" Much to his pleasure, the only way to calm her was to cut the forsaken thing off!! After her bath, she happilly put on all her other bracelets, and the Monkey Joe's bracelet was never seen again.

Monkey Joe's

Today we went to Monkey Joe's with our play group. It took Catherine a good 40 minutes and a snack to warm up, but once she did, she had a blast. When we went to leave she kept saying, "No, Mommy. I still playing." The photo up top is with her bff Grace. There are a few more pictures of our outing on our Flickr site.

The Sentence

I've debated all day about whether or not to post this to the blog. After much deliberation, I decided the humor out-weighed the embarrassment.

Last night while Bill was giving Catherine a bath, she passed some gas, and said, "That was a big stinky fart!" Of course, we made the mistake of laughing at her, so she just kept saying it over, and over, clear as could be.

Happy Second Birthday

Yesterday Catherine turned two! If I thought the first year went by quickly, the second year was on light speed. We had a play-date party at our house, to which all of her friends from our play group were invited. All she said she wanted was hats, blowers, and birthday cake, so that is what we had. There were also about a million balloons. The kids were entertained by coloring on huge sheets of paper that I taped to the floor, running around after balloons, putting on tattoos (temporary of course!), and playing "the blanket game". The "blanket game" is when all the kids hold on to a sheet, walk around singing Ring Around the Rosy, and run under the blanket for "we all fall down!" We're still opening gifts, as each one needs to be inspected, opened and thoroughly enjoyed before moving onto the next. This process seems to overwhelm her a bit, so we're trying to make it as enjoyable as possible. There are a few preliminary photos available on our Flickr site that were taken and edited by my friend Kristy. More will be posted this weekend.

Toddler Speak

Being the mom of a fairly fluent toddler, I like to fancy myself well educated in toddler-speak. That is, until three days ago, when the following sentence was spoken, and I was stumped. Phonetically it sounded like this:

Whoop dots going with the bishop.

I have been guessing different things this could mean(mostly chess references) every time it has been spoken, only to be answered, "noooo." Tonight while sitting on the couch watching Empire Strikes Back (Bill is fully responsible for this) with Catherine I heard her saying something about a bishop. Then it clicked...spaceship. So I asked her about our mystery sentence, and if it had something to do with a spaceship. She said yes, became quite excited, and started saying it over, and over, and over. Bill and I were looking at each other, desperately trying to decipher "whoop dots" when we finally asked her if she could point to one. Then R2D2 came on the screen and she pointed and said, "There. A whoop dot." Ah..it all makes sense now. The mystery sentence in English:

Robots going on the spaceship.

How old is...

Catherine has attended many birthday parties recently, so she has become quite fond of singing Happy Birthday. At dinner tonight, she was singing it, so we started talking about asking people how old they are. She went around the table asking, and the conversation went as follows:

Catherine: How old you, Daddy?
Daddy: I'm 29.
Catherine: How old you, Grandma?
Grandma Ellen: I'm 68.
Catherine: How old you, Mommy?
Mommy: I'm 30.
Catherine: Oh no!

Mommy's feelings exactly. =)

I Rock-A-Bye

We think this is Catherine's spin on the classic Rock-a-Bye Baby. If this viewing wasn't long enough for your liking, there are two more short films of the same show that kept on going on our Flickr site.

A Harry Potter inspired conversation

While watching Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets the following conversation took place.

Catherine: She (Hermione) sick.
Mommy: Yes, she is. She needs some medicine.
Catherine: I need medicine.
Mommy: What do you need medicine for?
Catherine: Fuzzies.
Mommy: You need medicine for fuzzies?
Catherine: Yes. Fuzzies in my mouth.
Mommy: You don't need medicine for that. You need water.
Catherine: Oh, okay. I need water.

Trip to KY

Catherine, Ellen, and I had to take an unexpected trip to Kentucky to help my mom out while she had an emergency surgery. Thanks to great doctors, Grandma Trish is going to be just fine. Although the circumstances were less than ideal, we used it as an opportunity to spend some time with loved ones, and get some cute photos. You can see more at our Flickr site, like always.

O-H!

So I was being silly with Catherine this afternoon, showing her the difference between big and little. I would put my index finger and thumb together and say, "Little," then I'd throw my arms up above my head and say, "Big!" When I put my arms up above my head, Catherine suddenly said, "O-H!" We just about died & had to respond, "I-O!"

I guess she's really a Buckeye!

Things Kids Say

You always hear the cliché kids say the damnedest things, well yesterday we had two. First, while sitting on the potty Catherine and I had the following conversation.

Me: Are you finished?
Catherine: No, I still pooping.
Me: Okay, let me know when you're finished.
Time passes
Me: Done yet?
Catherine: (irritated) No, I still pooping. ( Pointing to the door) Get out. I need privacy.

Later that evening, Daddy told me that after giving her a bath she said, "Sucker please. I ate tricious food." To translate tricious = nutritious. She has been obsessed with suckers as of late, and asking for them at the most inappropriate times and skimping on meals waiting for them. We've been telling her she cannot have any treats until after she's eaten some nutritious food. To be fair, she had eaten a very large, nutritious dinner before the bath. =)

Big Girl Room

This past weekend Catherine moved into her Big Girl room upstairs. She loves her new bed, which we just realized used to be her Aunt Elisabeth's! We've posted some more pictures on our Flickr site.

In other news, one of her new favorite past times is "playing" chess. We took this short video last night. Sorry about the lighting quality: the camera is just too sensitive.

Trip to Ohio

We finally made a trip to Ohio with Catherine. It has only been 2 years now since we've been home. This picture was taken at Mirror Lake on The Ohio State University campus. It was one of our trip's highlights along with running around The Oval and watching the monkeys at the zoo. We've posted pictures of all our fun adventures on our Flickr page.

Two Old Videos

I just found these two videos that I never posted. As you can see form the potty in the background that I took these a while ago. The potty has been out of our living room for a long time now!

This video has horrible visual, but it was worth posting for the audio.




You can't hear the music, but she is dancing to the song "Five Little Monkeys". If you are not familiar with the lyrics they go:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Then they count down. This is why she keeps hitting herself in the head, just to clarify.

Hmm...lets see.

Catherine's latest phrase:

Hmm, lets see...

She says this when we ask her questions such as what would you like to wear today, or which book would you like to read, as she hunts through her options.

Also, her two new favorite things are toy trucks and fake tatoos. She had some gift money and when I took her to the store to pick something out, she chose a box of Tonka trucks (2 tow trucks and 3 dump trucks) and a small basketball and soccer ball set. For the past two days Catherine and her trucks have been inseparable.

Toddler Crazies

In the past week and a half or so the horrible stage of MINE MINE MINE has begun in our house. Everything from a doll that actually is hers to the salt shaker she found in the cabinet gets the MINE label stamped to it. It is particularly frustrating when she is quietly playing with something such as my underwear and I ask for them. Her normally pretty little face gets all scrunched up and distorted into someone I hardly recognize as she yells, "no, mine! My panties!" Trying to reason with her makes matters worse, and just simply taking the object in question hurts her feelings. I started to wonder how it is that any children make it through this phase with out being seriously hurt by their parents, then while sitting on the potty holding a spoon and fork ( yes a MINE incident I didn't feel like battling) she started singing the theme song to Super Why! while making the fork and spoon dance together; however, instead of saying "Super Why" she said "Super Fork". When I asked her what she had said, because I was sure I misunderstood, she started laughing and clearly said it again. So I asked what Super Fork's super power was, and she said "eat." Then she sang the theme song again and it sounded like this:
Super Fork...humming...Super Fork...humming...power to eat...friends need...
Needless to say, I started laughing, and realized how it is that we get through the ugliness unscathed.

Potty Training

All week we have been doing serious potty training, and we're proud to report that Catherine made it all day today in underpants without any accidents! We even went to a friend's birthday party, and she used the bathroom four times while we were there. I was slightly embarrassed when she came back to the party once, and loudly announced, "I pooped!" However, pretty much everyone there has a toddler, so they thought it was funny. She still is wearing a diaper at night, but this puts us down to just one diaper a day. There is a very, very silly song and dance we do every time she successfully uses the potty, and she has started doing the routine when she sees that I have gone. We're quite excited about this: that is her using the potty, not the song and dance because we can, too!

Spelling Time

Catherine loves this show on PBS called Super Why! To be honest, so do I. After watching these videos, I'm sure you'll be able to understand why (no pun intended!) She's not quite yet 2o months and she is becoming literate. Go go PBS Kids.

Farm Animal Day and Other Fun

NC State had a farm animal day this week. We went early in the morning to see horses, cows, pigs, fish, rabbits, turkeys, and baby chicks. The highlight of the day was finding a buttercup field on the way back to the car. The girls in the above picture are Natalie, Catherine, and Grace. They had so much fun playing in the field. There are many, many more pictures on our Flickr page of the event, as well as some photos from a playdate we hosted on Monday, and some photos from Easter. I did think to take some short videos of buttercup-play...enjoy!





The singing video is my personal favorite.

Baby #2 Officially Under Construction

For those of you who don't yet know, our second baby is officially under construction! The estimated arrival date is November 9, 2008. Here are his/her first photos taken this morning.





Catherine seems to be excited about the idea of Mommy having a baby in her belly, but who knows how much she actually understands. This evening she spent about five minutes waving and saying "hi baby" to my belly.

Getting too Smart

Catherine is getting too smart to be fooled by us these days. Sunday morning she wanted to go out to the sunroom, but Bill and I wanted to stay inside to finish our coffee. It was fairly cold out, about 37 degrees, so we told her it was too cold to go outside. She started saying some word over and over, that we couldn't understand, and was getting very frustrated. Finally we said, "sorry we can't understand. Do you know a sign, or can you show us?" She immediately started saying, "up, up," and took Bills hand. She lead him to the front hall closet, and said, "Jacket, daddy. Jacket." She had been saying "jacket"over and over, but we just couldn't understand the word on it's own. Maybe we just weren't expecting her to reply to us so rationally when we told her it was too cold to go outside!

Check Up Stats

Catherine is measuring in at 33 inches and 24 lbs. 10 oz. This still qualifies her as tall and slim. She finished up all of her immunizations, so there will be no shots at her 2 year appointment! While we were in the office, Catherine told the doctor all about her sticker book. It actually sounded a lot like blah, blah, blah, blah, ticker book, however the doctor was impressed with how well she was speaking. To show off even more for him, (have I mentioned I think she has a crush on her pediatrician?) as he was leaving he said, "Bye-bye, Catherine" and waved. She responded by waving and saying quite clearly, "Bye-bye, Pick-en." The doctor's name is Dr. Pickens. My daughter likes to talk...imagine that!

Drinking from a Big Girl Cup

This has been our big accomplishment for the month. Drinking from a big-girl cup. She seems to have mastered it, and we've even given it a test drive out of the highchair. Tomorrow we'll be going in for her 18 month check-up, so I'll post her stats.

In other news, there was some very silly wearing of Mommy's jacket the other day, and some photos of the event have been posted to our Flickr page.

Valentine's Day Fun

We've been so bad about getting new pictures up. Catherine has recently decided she loves looking at the camera, but from behind. When we try getting her picture, she just comes over to look at the display, and we get nothing cute to show. It has been frustrating.

Our play group had a party on Valentine's Day, and one of the moms happened to get this picture while Catherine was busy making a Valentine for Daddy.

We Miss You Daddy!

Hope you're having fun. We miss you! Make sure to check out the new photos on our Flickr site, too.

California Family Visit

Our family from California was for a visit last week, and we finally got to meet our niece. Juliette is such a happy little girl, with the cutest crawl I've ever seen. We had so much fun playing, and were pleasantly surprised by how well Catherine got along with her little cousin. You can check out all the photos we have on our Flickr site, and also on Juliette's site.

We were also privy to the arrival of Juliette's first tooth!

Finally, Christmas Pictures

It has been so busy with family, that I've just finally uploaded the Christmas pictures to our Flickr page. We had a fantastic time while Grandmas visited last week on top of having Great-Grandpa and Great-Uncle in town. Catherine has been thoroughly spoiled rotten with presents and treats. It is going to be quite the adjustment tomorrow when everything is back to normal. Who knows, perhaps routine with be welcomed!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Cookie Decorating

We had some new neighbors move in last weekend, so Catherine and I thought we'd welcome them by making some cookies. Cutting out the cookies was great fun for her, but she was deathly afraid of the rolling pin. Who knows what goes on in the minds of toddlers?! I had to put the cookie cutting process on hold when I realized that she was eating the raw dough scraps by the handfuls. My attention was drawn to this activity by the word "Mmmmmm" several times. These are a few pictures of the final project.

Our Favorite Games

For a limited time only all of Catherine's favorite games can be seen in this one special video at no cost to you! Okay, so the time to view this isn't limited, but the time that these will be her favorite things to do will be.



1. The Dance
2. Sit the Cup on the Coaster
3. Point to Body Parts
4. Give out Kisses (yes even to inanimate objects like the camera!)
5. Pick out random clothes from her hamper and insist on wearing them over her current outfit. (I promise I did not pick those clothes out for her to wear!)

Wash Her Hair

Catherine has started mastering the fine art of washing her hair. In the tub, if we put shampoo on her hands, she can lather it into her hair (well, the front half of her head, at least). So I guess it won't be long before she has the excuse, "Oh, I can't, I have to wash my hair."

Videos and Photos oh my!

This is Catherine helping me make Bill's birthday cake. She was really into sifting the powdered sugar. We put on the bib to help keep the clothes clean during the cake making process. She has also been quite interested in dancing and self-feeding lately, as you are about to see...

She's getting too smart for us

Yesterday, Catherine and I were amusing ourselves by putting bracelets on Bast's tail. This morning, Catherine and I were sitting on the foot of the steps, and Bast came sauntering over. I said to Catherine, "Maybe if you ask Bast nicely, she'll let you put bracelets on her tail again." At that, Catherine stood up, walked into her nursery, and returned with two link-a-doos, which she proceeded to attempt to put on Bast's tail.

Pretty amazing how she understood exactly what I was saying to her!

Thanksgiving and the Dance

So I know this is terribly dark, but if you look closely there is a crazy, dancing baby! The song playing is one of her favorites from a Baby Einstein CD that came as part of a bath gift set we got when she was born. Her bedroom gets so dark in the evening, and our camera doesn't seem to think there is enough lights to take a good video. Unfortunately, evenings are her favorite time to boogie.

We also posted some Thanksgiving pictures to our Flickr site, along with some photos of what we call The Fennel Seed Incident. Here are a few to tide you over until you click the link!



Lets just say that there is a good reason they make locks for kitchen cabinets. Too bad for us we've been procrastinating!

What a difference a year makes...

I know, two post in one evening is silly, but I keep forgetting to put these two pictures up. What a difference a year makes!

Dinner at Grandma's House

Grandma took this picture and it was too cute not to share. Fyi, dinner was yummy.

Catherine meets her Grandpa

Last weekend Bill's dad and wife stopped by our house for a night on their way to South Carolina. Catherine was quite excited to finally meet her paternal grandpa. It was nice visit, and we took these priceless pictures to complete our family album.