And Baby Makes Four!

The Day We've Been Waiting For!

2012-01-16T21:14:00.000-05:00

Some put an offer on our house today and we ACCEPTED! So as long as everything goes according to plan, we'll be signing papers by the end of March....yippee and a little sad at the same time!

Not only did we get this GREAT news today, Max also got into the Preschool Program we were hoping for on Tues/Thurs am next year. Mike was super dad today and got up at 4 am to drive to the high school to get in line and wait in line for 2 hours to make sure we got the spot we wanted. When Mike got to the school, he was number 46 at 5 am! We're excited for Max to be a part of the Little Lions program. He's going to LOVE the Big Helpers aka the high school students. He'll also go to Zion on Mon/Wed/Fri am so he's going to be a busy school boy!

19 Months

2012-01-13T22:16:00.002-05:00

Our sweet girl turned 19 months today! She is a pure joy and I just love that we are lucky enough to be our daughter. At her most recent check-up Lil weighed in at 25 lbs 3 oz and was about 30 inches

Tonight we took the front off her crib and put on the toddler rail! She was so excited! With this new found freedom will come some limit testing but that's all part of exploration...remind me of this when I'm ready to lose my mind when she won't stay in her bed :)

Everyday I look at Lily and I can't believe how big she is getting! Tonight we told her to "hop out" of her bed and she started saying "hop out" when she was getting out. Every day she's saying more and more words and putting more and more words together. She's a BIG fan of calling me MOM and has not probably saying "mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom...hi"

She loves to sing and dance and talk on the phone. Elmo and Abby and Zoe (who she also calls Abby) are her BFF's. Lil loves elephants and monkeys and LOVES her Kindermusik class. She LOVES the "Shape Song" by SteveSongs-she has all the movements down pat.

We are working on potty training, but not pushing it. She likes sitting on the potty and pointing to her Sesame Friends and reading books and magazines. Speaking of reading-that girl has an insatiable need to read! It makes my heart sing! I love when she pulls out books out of her basket and brings them over and wants to crawl up in my lap. My new favorite is when she pulls out the "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" book and says "boom boom" so I know what she has.

She is the sweetest little girl-always with a smile or a sweet voiced, h'llo. She a snuggler, hugger, lover, and high-fiver. She's silly, smart, funny, loving, happy, mischievous, and the best little girl I could have ever asked for!

I love you more and more Lily Girl! Thank you for making me to be a better person!

Love,

Mommy

We are still here...

2011-12-28T21:03:00.002-05:00

I need to blog, A LOT, and I'm not. It makes me sad and I blame Facebook for it. Facebook has been my easy, go to for family updates. I feel like sitting down and really writing has been overwhelming to think about, especially since I've been so bad at keeping up with what's going on with us.

Here's what's going on in a nutshell:

I started potty training Lily yesterday
Santa was very good to the kids and they got to have a Mema Christmas the week before Christmas, our actual Christmas, and Mike's parents are coming this weekend for Christmas #3
Max's Christmas program was really great and my mom and Mike's parents came to watch
Max is all about Star Wars and Batman
Lily is all about Elmo and all things Sesame Street
Both kids love SteveSongs and we sing the Shapes song A LOT... and I mean A LOT!
We haven't had any offers on our house but people keep looking and we've had a lot of interest with people who want to rent our house.
Lily is really into drawing, dancing and singing
Max is really into reading Junie B. Jones books, dress up and building

Photo Card

2011-12-07T15:20:00.001-05:00

So Happy Holidays Holiday

Create personalized holiday cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Changes

2011-10-20T14:25:00.002-04:00

After finding my kids pictures on VERY strange Google+ pages I realized my information was not as secure as I thought it was. In order to secure my sweet children more I have limited my photos to only those people who have links to them. I will continue to post pictures on the blog and will see about putting more albums back on when I can figure out how to do it so they aren't taken for all the world to see.

Here is a little peek into our new life in the 'Burgh. It's been hard, fun, emotional and I have to keep reminding myself that we really are living here and are going to be here for some time. I miss all my friends in State College and I feel like it's impossible to visit MA, even though it really isn't and we already have two trips planned for my mom and Mia to come here. We are planning on going there in January. Southwest has flights for $35/one way-how can you beat it???

Poor Buddy!

2011-09-29T23:12:00.005-04:00

We had to take our first trip to MedExpress tonight. Max tripped in the living room and smashed his nose on the door of the entertainment center-instant swelling. After a quick x-ray we find out his nose is not broken. Chances are high that he will have a couple of black eyes and even more bruising on his nose.

7 Years Ago...

2011-09-24T20:49:00.002-04:00

I was at my rehearsal dinner getting ready to head back to the Earlystown Manor and have the BEST nights sleep! I was soooooo excited and nervous for my big day!

Worst Blogger Ever

2011-09-21T15:02:00.000-04:00

How am I ever going to make a living blogging if I don't actually blog? Ugh! Anyway, we have successfully made the move move from State College to Bridgeville. We are settling in and adjusting to our new life without our favorite people. We're all working hard to make some new friends. Max is really enjoying his new school and he just started Soccer Shots. Lily and I are enrolling in Kindermusik. She had a great time at our preview class and met some new friends as well.

Our house is on the market and we've had some people look so now we just sit around and wait for someone to make an offer. Mike is putting in a new floor next weekend so that should make it look a lot better!

Enjoy some pictures from our trip to the Penguins Training Camp last Saturday.

Good-bye old friend!

2011-08-30T20:52:00.000-04:00

Tonight is our last night in the house, our first ever house. It's bittersweet. For as much as I was ready to move on to bigger and better things, it's sad to think about all the memories we created in this little house. We brought both kids home to this house, they both learned to walk and climb stairs here and they had all of their first here.

We are all leaving our amazing friends and I'm going to be even further from my family which is REALLY tough! Max just keeps saying he doesn't want to move. I got him some books about moving and we keep talking about it, but it's still hard. I'm trying to be strong for him but also letting him know it's ok to be sad and to be scared about all of the changes. Once he makes a few friends and gets a little more comfortable with his new surroundings he'll be great. We still have lots of trips planned to come back to State College so that should help (I hope)!

I'll probably be off line until Tuesday. I'll see you on the other side!

Best Friends

2011-08-29T23:25:00.000-04:00

I really have the best group of friends ever! The girls threw me a surprise going away party Saturday night. Mike stayed home with the kids and I got to have a girl's night out! As a going away present they purchased a family membership to the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh! It will be so sad to leave this group of ladies, but I know we'll get together for birthday parties and fun adventures in the 'Burgh!

One Week From Today...

2011-08-27T10:45:00.001-04:00

We'll be organizing in our "new" house. I am totally in denial we are really moving. A HUGE thanks to Mike's Aunt Michele and Uncle Gene for 1. letting Mike stay with them this month and 2. letting the kids and I stay with them this week and a couple of weeks ago.

A full post on my last trip to the 'Burgh will be coming soon. In case you can't wait here are the highlights:
1. I got a RAGING case of mastitis while driving there.
2. The kid and I got stuck in an hour of traffic from before the Squirrel Hill tunnel all the way to the Fort Pitt tunnel.
3. Mike had to buy me a pump so I could pump as we drove to the first rental option (again getting stuck in traffic and in detour through Mt. Lebanon)
4. Mike's Aunt Michele's soaking tub was my life saver (and so were the cookies she made)
5. On our way home the kids and I had to drive through a torrential rain storm.

Fun times :)

And Some more from Drew...

2011-08-19T21:26:00.000-04:00

I really can't say enough about how much I LOVE Drew Frank, owner of Meadowlane Photography! He is amazing and is constantly improving his already amazing skills! His talent is incredible and I highly recommend him for all of your picture needs!

Drew Works His Magic Again!

2011-08-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

Please check out our good friend and photographer, Drew Frank of Meadowlane Photography's newest blog post featuring our sweet Lily!

We're Famous!

2011-08-06T09:08:00.000-04:00

In case you missed the news yesterday, check out this blog post by Meadowlane Photography!

What was I thinking?

2011-08-04T20:23:00.001-04:00

We're having our very first yard sale Saturday. Heaven help me!

A weekend visit

2011-07-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

My sisters came for the weekend! Max had been at my mom's house for the week, so Mia, Erin and Reese brought him back this past Friday. We had SUCH a great weekend. I'm sad that it was their last trip visiting our house in State College. The next time they come for a visit, they'll be headed to Pittsburgh!

Max and Reese getting ready for the trip to PA. Max was so excited to get home to see Lily!

Lily was so happy to see her brother, Aunties and Reese.

Girl's night at Otto's! So much fun! Mike was home with all 3 kids! It was bittersweet since it will be the last time the girls come to visit us at our house in State College.

Max watching the game after he threw out the first pitch!

I am long overdue for a post about the things that have been going on this summer. Here's a quick summary...

June-We celebrated Lily's birthday MANY times! We had a party on her actual birthday (June 13) at the park near our house with all of our friends. That night we went out to dinner, Max picked Eat N Park since he loves the cookies. That Saturday we had another party for Mike's family. Both of his grandmothers came (Grandma Ariondo came all the way from Florida and met the kids for the first time. This was also the first time she came to visit our "new" house) as did his Aunt Michele and his mom. After that party the kids took a nap and we went to Lily's friend Max's 1st birthday party. We went to the pool LOTS of times since we have pool passes (best thing ever!!) and Mike and Max went to lots of Spike's games (Mike won season tickets through a contest on Twitter). We took a few trips to DelGrosso's to get use out of our season passes. Lily got to ride the rides this year and really likes the corvettes.

July-This has been a crazy month with trips to the pool, Spike's games, me working LOTS of hours at Spela and Mike getting the news that he got the job at Fed Ex, which means we're leaving our beloved State College. My mom came for 10ish days to help me out while I was working and then she took Max back to MA for a week of Mema & Max time. He was SO excited about his trip! He told everyone he saw that he was going to Mema's house all by himself and that he was taking his Lightning bike :) Max also took swimming lessons while my mom was here and is now so confident in the water. It's really amazing to see how far he has come. While Max was away, Lily got to enjoy being an only child and really loved having Mommy & Daddy all to herself. Lily has become a full fledged walker and is on the go all the time. However, while Max was away she was pretty bored and didn't really feel like doing much walking. She preferred to hang on my legs (literally). She's climbing the stairs and sitting in a booster seat. We've been putting her hair in pigtails and it's just the cutest thing. Max got to throw out the first pitch at the Spike's game this Saturday. He thought that was pretty cool-especially since he got to go on the field and they announced his name throughout the whole stadium. Mike and Max also went to watch the fireworks on campus for the 4th of July. Our neighbors had VIP passes, so they were able to sit very close to the action and got to see the ground fireworks that you usually don't get to see. This is Mike's last week of work at Penn State. He's taking next week off and then begins his new job on Aug. 8, which means I'll officially be a single mom beginning Aug. 7. He'll be home on the weekends and I'm hoping the weeks aren't too long!

We also had a visit with our friends the Briczinski's . They are expecting baby #2 in September.

Phew-that was a quick catch up and I'm sure I missed lots of things. Fingers crossed I can do a better job with keeping up to date with things. Especially with the excitement of moving!

Big News!

2011-07-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

We have lots of big news!

First and foremost....we're MOVING! Mike was recently offered a position at Fed Ex Ground Headquarters in Pittsburgh, so the Zucketts are saying good bye to State College and will be saying hello Pittsburgh! I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that in a few short weeks I'll be saying good bye to all of my amazing friends in State College and starting a brand new adventure.

Here's more exciting news...Lily peed on the potty for the first time tonight! We've been putting Lily on the potty before her baths just to get her used to sitting on it. She thinks it's fantastic to sit up there and read magazines (just like her big brother). Normally she just sits there and then wants to get in the tub. Tonight however, Mike had her on the potty and was reading to her and she PEED!!!! We were so proud of her!

Max has big news too! He recently passed his preschool swim lessons. He had fun but got a little bored waiting his turn for things. He had the most fun on the last day when they opened up the toddler area and he got to run through all of the sprinklers, his FAVORITE thing to do! He is also on his first Memacation. He and my mom left today for MA. He'll be there all week and my sisters will bring him back on Friday. He and my mom have such a close relationship it's really amazing. I was so close to my grandparents and I'm so happy Max has the same relationship with my parents. I'm already missing my little guy but I know he's going to have a GREAT time! While Max is getting lots of one-on-one time in MA, Lil will be enjoying what it's like to be an only child at home!

I know...

2011-06-30T15:35:00.000-04:00

I'm WAY overdue for a post. I'll be updating soon with what's been going on since Lily's bday. Let's just say-SHE'S A WALKING MANIAC!

Walking Girl!

2011-06-15T16:57:00.002-04:00

Lily just took her first steps towards Mike-as in two minutes ago!!!! She's a walking girl!!!! I'm so proud of you!

Happy Birthday Lily!

2011-06-13T09:30:00.024-04:00

My Sweet Lily Girl,

One year ago, at this exact minute, you and I met face to face for the first time. The dream I thought would never come true, did. I gave birth to you; my sweet, little girl. I was ecstatic when Daddy announced that you were a GIRL!

Everyone loved you from the moment they laid eyes on you. Your brother was over the moon in love with you. You had Grampy Ming wrapped around your little finger instantly. You were the easiest baby (once we figured out your humping tongue issue). You were a GREAT sleeper! Daddy and I couldn't believe our luck!

This year has flown by and I can't believe it's your very special day already! In the past month you have been VERY busy! You are cruising all over the place and we are waiting for you to take your first steps any day now. You are very good at feeding yourself with a spoon and fork. You have at least 20 words you can say. You have just recently started clapping your hands and you really love to show us how you do it. When you clap your hands you like to say "yeah" and smile and laugh. You have still never crawled but your butt scoot is really awesome (and so quick).

You LOVE the water! You like to stick you face right in the running water when in the bath and you are more than happy to stick you face in the sprinklers at the pool. You love to give kisses. You know some of your body parts (head, belly, feet, hands). You also love animals. You and Sophie the dog are BFFs and you would love to be BFFs with Russell and Joepa but they aren't having it :) You also REALLY love babies-real and pretend. You can't get close enough to any baby you see. You can sometimes be gentle with them but often I need to help you out.

You are still a super sleeper at night but you've been going through a rough time at nap time. We're now in the process of getting you used to just taking one nap a day and some days are easier than others. You are a good eater and your new favorite food is rice and black beans. You can't get it in fast enough! You also LOVE ice cream!

Lily, you have been a dream come true and I am thankful every day you have come into our lives. I am lucky to be your Mama and even though I want you to be my baby forever, I am excited to watch you become a little girl. I'm excited to watch your personality grow even more (wich makes me nervous because I think you are going to give me a run for my money!). You are such a funny, sweet, loving little girl now that I know it's only going to get better!

Happy 1st Birthday Sweetie! I love you so much!
All my love,
Mommy

New pictures

2011-06-11T20:29:00.001-04:00

I have new pictures posted. FYI-Lily turns 1 on MONDAY! This is craziness. I can't believe my baby girl is going to be one.

Be on the lookout for her big 1 year post!

Who is turning 1 soon???

2011-06-02T22:27:00.001-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated Lily's 1st birthday at my mom's house. I can't believe June is here and my sweet baby is going to be a year old!

Lily inspecting her cake. I thought she'd dive right in. Not so much.

Big girl poo-pooed her cake but dove right in to her ice cream cup!

Such a happy girl!

While Lily and I were spending quality time at my mom's house, Max and Mike were spending quality time in Maine camping! They left at 1:30 am on Thursday and arrived back at my mom's house a little after midnight on Monday. Just in time for Lily's big party!

11 Months

2011-05-13T21:42:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that this sweet girl is going to be a year old in one month! We're busy making party plans and trying to get over how quickly this year has gone by!

Now that you are 11 months old Lily, you can do the following things:

pull yourself up to standing
take a few steps behind your lion walker
cruise around the coffee table
you really want to walk, but you do not feel the need to crawl, push yourself up to a seated position or roll around in your crib
you are starting to clap your hands (you did it tonight in the tub-with your fists)
feed yourself with a fork and spoon (but you still like help)
drink from a cup (but help is a good thing here too)
you are working on drinking with a straw
eat more than your brother at most meals
wave bye-bye (this is brand new this week)
point to everything you want (you've been doing this for a couple of months)
say water (sounds like wawa), bite, roar
share your food with us
flirt (but you've been semi-professional with this for a LONG time)

You also have 4 teeth-two on the bottom and 2 on the top. One just popped through on the top!

Welcome Reese!

2011-04-25T23:17:00.000-04:00

I'm an Auntie! My sister Mia gave birth to Reese Gabriella on April 12. I literally made it just in time to see Reese being born. Reese's head was just coming out as I came in the door-talk about the planets aligning! Mia was amazing throughout her 30 hours of labor.

While we were in MA, Lily turned 10 months. She's saying so many words now. She can say: big, up, doggie, baby, Daddy, Mama, Ma (for Max), book and can imitate sounds that other people make. I have TONS of new pictures posted and I really (fingers crossed) plan to do a 10 month update for Lily Girl.

Ms. Chatterbox

2011-04-11T08:24:00.000-04:00

Lily clearly repeated "D" when we were reading an alphabet book yesterday. Later that morning we were having an apple and she said what sounded like "apple." While reading the "Bubble, Bubble" book yesterday afternoon she said what sounded like "bubble." She said apple and bubble more than once, so I'm going on record to say that she has added these words to her ever growing vocabulary.

On the way home from Myer's Dairy yesterday, Max was talking about the time he and Mike went to see "Tangled." However, he kept saying "you know, when Daddy and I saw caught." I had him repeat himself a few times because I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. After Max said this 4-5 times, Mike said "Do you mean Tangled?" Good to know Max knows that the words "caught" and "tangled" are very similar. He's so smart and clever!

Poor Baby!

2011-04-07T21:04:00.000-04:00

My sweet baby girl has an ear infection! This is the first ear infection either kid has had and I really thought I would somehow avoid ear infections. I figured if I could get Max to almost 3 1/2 without one, surely Lily would follow suit. I know it's crazy, but I feel like I failed her. I know there was nothing I could have done to prevent it, I've been vigilant about preventing them-extended nursing, chiropractic adjustments, witholding vaccinations, etc, but she still got one.

Lucky for her (and me) she is showing no signs of discomfort, pain, etc. She's happy, playing, laughing, talking, eating, sleeping and doesn't have a fever. If it were not for her distress this morning and drainage in her ear, you really would not think anything was wrong. As soon as I heard her crying this morning I knew what it had to be. I'm angry with myself for not getting her adjusted today, but she really was showing no other signs. When I called the nurse at the peds office she said to just keep an eye on her since she really didn't have any other classic symptoms. My gut was telling me what was wrong but since I hadn't gone through this with Max, I was hoping it was just teething.

I know I have to stop beating myself up about this. If she was showing signs of distress at any point during the day this would have been a whole different ball game. When she woke up from her afternoon nap and I saw drainage on her sheets, I knew what I had to do. I called the ped and my chiro instantly.

high-5

2011-03-29T22:40:00.002-04:00

Lily girl learned to "high-5" today. She thinks it's hysterical!

Big Talker!

2011-03-28T20:03:00.002-04:00

Lily said "yeah" when she pulled the toy she wanted out of a bin today and when we were having a snack this afternoon, I'm positive she said "more!"

She's brillant :)

Morning Conversation

2011-03-27T20:48:00.003-04:00

Me (after listening to a 45 minute tantrum at 6:45 am): I'm going to run away today.
Max: I don't want you to run away Mommy.
Me: Why not?
Max: I just don't want you to.
Me: Well what can we do to make sure I don't run away?
Max: Block the door.

Well, that solves that!

Enjoy all the new pictures!
PS-in the next 3-5 weeks I'll be in AUNTIE for the first time!! So excited!

Happy Girl

2011-03-27T20:46:00.002-04:00

Someone just LOVES her new Easter bonnet!

Lily Girl,

You are an absolute joy! You get cuter, funny and more curious every day. You are a great sleeper and eater and are just the most pleasant little thing anyone could ask for.

Now that you are 9 months old you can do the following things:

point to things that you want
wave-sometimes you do it to a person
feed yourself with a spoon, fork and hands
hold & drink from your own sippy cup and regular cup
scoot yourself all over the place on your bottom
pull to standing-you have the easiest time doing this if you are on my lap
play peek-a-boo
turn pages in a book, the right way
say "Mama/Mommom" and "Dada" to us
Besides Mama/Dada, Baba is your most commonly used "word"
say the "b" sound when you want a book
bang toys together
get very angry if we take something away from you
get very happy/proud of yourself when we say "yeah Lily" and clap
dance-which is more like a bounce on your bottom, but it happens pretty much every time we have music on
talk ALL day long!
give big hugs and kisses
stand supported and while balanced on my legs-but you really want to move, but haven't figured out that you need to move your feet!

Do you know?

2011-03-20T20:59:00.001-04:00

Max sang me this lovely little ditty before bed tonight:

Do you know the Muff Stink Man
The Muff Stink Man
The Muff Stink Man
Do you know the Muff Stink Man
Who lives on Muff Stink Lane

I seriously just about died of laughter. The kid is too much! Love him!

Big Man On Campus!

2011-03-16T22:09:00.000-04:00

Today my little guy had his first day of preschool! He was SO excited!

He just wanted to get in his class to see if the Thomas trains were waiting for him. They were :)

Why are there no pictures of Max in his class you ask. Because he was so excited to be there and play with the trains that 1. I barely got a hug good-bye and 2. I didn't want to just hang out and disrupt the good time he was already having-ok, I did want to hang out and watch him, but I knew it was important for him to have this really great experience. I was not concerned that he was going to have a meltdown or be apprehensive because he's wanted to go to school since he found out all of his other friends were going. We talked about school, we went for a visit and from the moment we got there for the visit he jumped right into the activities and acted like he'd always been there. He really self assured and confident and pretty mature for the ripe old age of almost 3 1/2!

When Mike and I picked him up he had a great time telling us all the things he did. He painted, played with trucks and trains, read a story about quacks and ribbits, went for a walk outside and had snacks :) I love talking with him and listening to all of his descriptive words and how many details he has to talk about his day.

What better way to celebrate a successful first day then lunch and dessert at The Corner Room!

We love you buddy! We're so glad you have this great experience and are looking forward to seeing how you blossom in to an even more amazing, sweet, smart, sensitive little guy!

Love, Mommy, Daddy & Lily

9 Months!

2011-03-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

From this

to this

in only 9 short months!

A full 9 month update is coming very soon, but for now, check out my FB page for 3 new videos I've posted of the kids. I'm having trouble posting videos on the blog lately.

Movin' & Groovin'

2011-03-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

I realized today that Lily is VERY mobile! I guess I've been thinking that she isn't really mobile because she isn't crawling everywhere. She might not be crawling, so can certainly get herself where ever she wants to go. She scoots on her bottom by swinging her legs to the side and moving that way. She can get herself quickly across the room by scooting along.

Today she scooted herself over to the coffee table and was having a good time pulling things off the bottom shelf grabbing the top of the table. She and I were having fun playing peek-a-boo over the top of the table. She was so cute bending her head back to look up and over the top. It won't be long until she's pulling herself up and cruising around.

I'm Still Standing!

2011-03-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

Lily Girl pulled herself up to standing today! I brought up a riding/walking lion toy that Max had and put up the seat for her to push and she grabbed on and stood up. She didn't know what to do when she got up there, but she stood up nonetheless! She's been pulling herself up by holding onto my fingers for almost a week so I knew it wouldn't be long until he pulled herself up by herself.

Max and Lily

2011-03-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

Max and his very first snowman! Can you tell he's proud and excited?

Best Buddies!

This little cutie is really starting to get mobile and she LOVES to eat!

She's just the sweetest, best little present ever!

new pictures

2011-03-06T23:43:00.002-05:00

I posted some new pictures of Lily. She and I had some good girl time while the boys were napping today!

Random Happenings

2011-03-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

I walked by Lily today and she looked at me and said "Mom mom." She's been saying it for some time now, but today was the first time (at least the first time it really hit me) that she's meaning what she's saying and not just babbling.

I can't believe I forgot to write about this Monday!!! Max made his very first purchase with his very own money! He has been wanting Aero and Eric (Geo Tr@x toys) for some time now. We told him that if he really wanted it he could use his own money to buy it. We thought we'd teach him this great life lesson about saving money to buy something you really want, etc, etc. Mike and I were excited for this, Max was excited to get a new toy.

So we go to T@rget and take him into the toy aisle. We show him Aero & Eric (which happened to be $10 off-score!) and showed him his money. We told him it was take a $10 and a $5 bill to buy the toy. We explained that once he bought the toy, he'd only have X amount of money left (we showed him how much would be left). We also showed him some other things we knew he'd like that cost the same amount of money. He said he really wanted the Aero & Eric, so we put them in the cart and off to the checkout we went.

Mike and I paid for our things and then it was Max's turn! I was so excited for him to make his first purchase. He tried to give the woman the money first and I explained that she had to ring up the item and then he could give her the money. She rang it up and told him how much it was and he gave her the money. He wasn't expecting change so he wasn't sure where it should go since he was holding his toy.

On the way home we talked about how important it is to save for something that you want because if you don't have money for something you can't buy it and once your money is gone, that's it. His response "don't worry Mom, she gave me change so I still have money."

Love that kid!

It's Time for School!

2011-03-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

My little guy is going to be starting preschool in 2 weeks! I'm excited for him to go and I think he's going to do really well. He will be going twice a week for 2 hours each day (until the end of May) and his friend Owen is in his class.

We went for a visit today and even though he was apprehensive on the way there, once we were in the room he couldn't get his coat off fast enough. He got right to playing and exploring the room. We were there for about an hour and a half and Max got to participate in free play, circle time and snack. It's a small class, Max will be the 7th student (max is 8) and it's a class of all BOYS!!

I'm excited to see how he grows in this new experience. Be sure to check back for our upcoming "First Day of School" pictures!

Big Girl!

2011-02-28T22:08:00.000-05:00

Lily is a girl on the move! After being content to sit and play and not feel the need to move very much, on Friday (after a 6+ hour car ride to MA) she decided it was time to move! I put her on the floor to play (on her belly) and she started lifting up her butt and trying to push herself backwards and around in a circle. She was pushing herself back to a sitting position if she leaned over to far to the front or side.

I was totally shocked because this totally came out of nowhere! Mike and I had joked that she was probably going to start crawling at Mema's house and lo and behold, she's trying! It's just so amazing how quickly she's decided she needs to be everywhere.

The reason we went to MA was to celebrate Mia's baby shower. It was so great to be at home and see my family and Jen and Kathy. While we were home we visited with my Gram, who has been living in a nursing home. This was the first time she met Lily and it was very special. It's sad because my Gram has lost her short term memory, so by the time we got to the front door to leave, she had pretty much forgotten that we had been there to visit. When we arrived, she was just finishing up lunch with some of her friends, so we spent our time in the dining room. Max was a little unsure, so he stayed in the doorway with Mike. Lucky for me, she remembers Max and she lights up when she seems him (after asking me who he was). It was just nice to visit with her because it's not something we get to do every time we're home-which is terrible on my part.

One other fun thing Mike and Max got to do was take a VERY slow snowmobile ride around the neighborhood. Max thought is was so cool! He told Mike it was just like "riding in Lighting McQueen." He's so funny!

Lots of new pictures have been posted! Be sure to check out Lily's 8 month album too!

Teeth!

2011-02-14T15:52:00.003-05:00

Lily got a special Valentine's gift today! Her two bottom teeth are popping through! This teething experience has been VERY different than Max's experience!

Da-Da & 8 Months

2011-02-13T20:24:00.001-05:00

Besties for life!

Auntie Mia is looking fantastic at 31 weeks!

They really do love each other this much!

Someone thinks crackers are delicious! She's loving this new food.

On Friday our little chatterbox uttered Da-Da for the first time. I called downstairs for Mike to come up and help get Lily ready for the bath and after I said "Hey Mike" Lily said "Da-Da" and looked over her shoulder towards the door. She said it again when he came in her room. On Saturday, she was in our bed and I was saying "where's Da-Da?" She started saying "da-da-da-da-da" and leaned over and grabbed Mike and smiled. So it would seem as if she is saying and understanding what she is saying. She's really enjoying saying "da-da,""ta-ta,""ra-ra,""ba-ba" and many other consonant sounds. I knew we'd have another talker on our hands. I just wasn't really expecting it to be this early.

Today our sweet baby turns 8 months old. I can't really believe that in 4 short months we'll have a 1 year old. Lily Girl still isn't scooting or scootching. She's happy to sit and lean forward or to the side to get what she wants. She easily picks things up (large things) and is working on picking up Cheeri0s. She will lean forward and get onto her belly and doesn't usually mind when she does that. She's doesn't roll around to get around. She'll roll from her belly to her back and will sometimes roll from her back to her belly. More often she rolls off of things, like if she is sitting with the B0ppy behind her and falls over.

She still LOVES a bath and gets so excited when we start to get her ready for it. She LOVES yogurt and would eat it all day if we let her. She also likes to eat Cheeri0s, especially if you feed them to her. She just tried a cracker tonight and really liked eating that. She liked it so much she had 2! She LOVES books and often will stop nursing at nap time until I read her the appropriate number of books, which could range from 1-7. Fun times!

It's so fun to watch her explore and to see her get so proud of herself when she accomplishes something new. She's also figuring out how to wave. She's got the motion, but hasn't quite figured out that you should do it when someone leaves.

Pictures will be posted in a little bit-once I get this disaster house cleaned up.

Big Day!

2011-02-03T20:05:00.000-05:00

We a day of firsts for Miss Lily today! This morning she took her first wagon ride (with her very protective big brother) at the indoor playpark and this afternoon, after her nap, she said "cat" when our cat JoePa walked by her.

Lily thought riding in the wagon was THE BEST thing every. It was obvious she felt like a VERY big girl and she couldn't have been happier that Max was riding with her. I'm so glad I thought to put her in there because she's really pretty heavy to carry and I can't put her on the ground because there are some pretty crazy kids there.

After Lily said "cat" I called Mike to 1. talk about the phone interview I had today and 2. to tell him what I had just heard her say. Mike told me that he had thought he had heard her say that recently, but didn't really think she was saying it. It looks like Mike was the lucky one to hear her first word :) He doesn't often get to be the first one to see/hear the kids to something really big, so I'm excited for him.

Snow Fort Fun!

2011-01-31T23:30:00.000-05:00

Mike and Max built a snow fort in the front yard yesterday. Max has really wanted to make a snowman, but the snow has been too fluffy and soft. They had a great time. This morning, Max said "Mom, my snow fort is still there!" He loves hiding in it when cars drive by. He's looking forward to pelting people with snowballs when they can't see him.

I've been posting new pictures. They seem to be going into the 6 month folder, not the "new picture" folder. I need to fix that asap.

Yeah Lily!

2011-01-21T20:55:00.000-05:00

She did it! She finally rolled from her back to her belly! We've been waiting for MONTHS for her to do this and it came at 4:05 pm when no one was in the room. I had to run upstairs to get Max's social number for Mike and in the time it took me to run into my bedroom and come back down she had rolled her self over and was looking all around. I couldn't believe it! I was so proud of her!

Yeah Lily! She really wants to be on the move so it won't be long now before we're chasing her all over the house.

Max went to the dentist for the first time today and got a perfect report. The hygienist and dentist both said he had beautiful teeth and to keep up the good work. Since Max had such a good check up, Mike and Max celebrated with a trip to the licorice store aka the liquor store.

Oh Max...

2011-01-17T21:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight while Max and I were laying together before he went to sleep he said "Mom, do herbivores eat critters?"

I couldn't figure out at first what he was saying so I asked him to tell me what it looked like. He said "Herbivores have long necks." I still didn't understand so I said "where did you see it?" He said "On Dinosaur train." Then I realized he was saying "herbivores" and then we had a nice chat about herbivores.

I LOVE that kid!

Happy 7 Months Sweet Girl!

2011-01-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

Oh my sweet girl,

How is it possible you are already 7 months old? You are the sweetest, smiliest, happiest little baby ever. You rarely cry and light up whenever your brother is around. You're a great little sleeper and are chatty Kathy. You are happy to just sit and watch what's going on around you but you also like to get your fair share of action too. You love your jumperoo, your dollies, musical flowers and of course, Sophie the Giraffe.

You REALLY like blueberry yogurt and applesauce. You've also tried bananas, rice cereal & oatmeal (you like oatmeal more), butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, peas and apple yogurt. You like using your sippy cup and smashing Mum-Mums.

You LOVE to take a bath and get so excited every time you hear the water running. You LOVE to splash in the tub and could care less if your face gets wet. You have perfected sitting up and are getting more and more rolly. You are pushing yourself up very high now and love to grab your toes. You have also started to eat my toes and Daddy's toes-very funny.

You don't fuss when you have a messy diaper, you just get EXTRA chatty. You like to watch football and hockey with Daddy and you also really like to flirt with Daddy at dinner. You really like being carried in the Beco and still prefer me over Daddy.

You were the best little surprise ever and I am thankful every day you are in our life. You have certainly made all of our lives more enjoyable and you've just added that little extra girly-ness to the house!

I love you honey girl!

Love,

Mommy

At 7 months some new things you can do are:

grab your toes
easily roll to your side
hold a spoon and "feed" yourself
grab anything you want and bring it towards yourself
play the fun game of "drop something and watch someone pick it up"
play peek-a-boo with your own hands
flip pages in a book-still working on this
starting to creep yourself around on your belly-side to side

Who is having a better time?

how is it possible

2011-01-07T14:08:00.003-05:00

that in 6 days my sweet baby will be 7 months old? And in about 4 months my sister is going to have a baby-my first official niece or nephew! How is it possible that Max is getting to be such a big guy now. He answers the phone appropriately and he easily gets whatever snack (mostly chocolate) and hides the wrappers in his pockets. When speaking about Mike and I, he now refers to us as his mother and father.

He's a funny boy, that Max! I love him to pieces!

happiness

2011-01-07T03:47:00.000-05:00

Lily + blueberry yogurt = happy baby

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

We're looking forward to see what 2011 has in store for us!

Auntie Tracy meets Lily!

2010-12-24T20:49:00.002-05:00

bananas for bananas

2010-12-14T23:13:00.002-05:00

Girlfriend tried bananas for the first time tonight. She liked them about as much as she liked the rice cereal she had for the first time on Sunday. We'll try again tomorrow. Perhaps she'll like yogurt or butternut squash better.

Half a Year!

2010-12-13T09:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the world Lily Rose! I've been waiting my whole life for you!

My sweet baby is 6 months old today! I can't believe that Lily had been in our lives for six months. How is it possible that it's time for her to start eating cereal. Where has the time gone? I thought that an appropriate 6 month birthday update would include Lily's birth story. Here goes (and it does have some graphic details, so consider this your warning).

In the early morning on June 12, I woke up with a VERY runny nose which was also a little bloody and I hats lots of mucousy discharge. My mom was still here at the time and this was to be the day she was to go back home to get ready for my step-sister's high school graduation the following day. When she heard me up, she came upstairs to see what was going on. I told her today was going to be "the" day and we joked about how this baby didn't want to have any extra company when he/she made his/her arrival. (My mom had been with us for 2 weeks waiting for the baby to come).

After my mom left for MA that morning Mike, Max and I got ready to start out our busy Saturday. We were going to the farmer's market and when we got there we saw that the bank in the Home Depot complex was having a kid's day. Max had a GREAT time in the bounce house and taking a ride in an aerial platform truck and jumping around in the tumble bus. June 12 was a ridiculously hot day and I was pretty uncomfortable. I wasn't having contraction but I was hot, huge and ready to have this baby. Since I wasn't planning on being out in the sun for many hours I hadn't put on any sunscreen, so I had a pretty lovely sunburn by the time we left. We left around lunchtime and got Max home, fed him and put him down for a nap. I can't remember, but I probably took a nap too.

After Max's nap we got ready to go to our friend Vincent's 1st birthday party. Vincent's parents were in our birth class with Max so we've known them for a long time. We had a great time at the party and I was holding up pretty well. I was TIRED and it was getting hard to move around in the heat but I was having a good time. All the other moms felt so bad for me and could tell I was READY to have this baby at any moment. They all helped out with Max and let me sit with my feet up and drink cool drinks. Around 5:30/6 I was starting to feel a little funny and knew it was probably a good idea to start getting ready to head home. Before we left we shared in Vincent's birthday cake and everyone was encouraging me to eat as much as I wanted just in case I went into labor-they wanted me to be well fed.

Around 6:30/7 we left the party to get Max home and ready for bed. We walked down the driveway and when we got to the car I started feeling really wet. I wasn't sure if I should go back up to the house or just get in the car and zip home. I told Mike we needed to get home NOW because I wasn't sure what was going on. We got home about 10 minutes later, we gave Max a bath, then I took a bath because I was so hot, sticky, and uncomfortable (after checking to see if my water broke or if it was just mucous, which it was).

At 7:55 pm, during Max's bedtime story time contractions started. Mike had run out to the store for something so I was home with Max trying to breathe through them and explaining to Max that he had to be quiet while I was having the belly squeezes. He kept asking why he had to be as quiet as a mouse since he didn't see any mice. I talked to him about having the baby (we had been talking about this for MONTHS) and I told him that if we had to go to the hospital when he was sleeping Meghan was going to come and stay with him.

Max finally settled down and I was able to go downstairs. I rested on the couch and Mike got my birth ball so I could sit on that. My mom called right before I was going to call her and I let her know that this was the real deal. She called my sisters and dad and let them know what was going on. My dad called and said he was going to come first thing in the morning and I was so relieved someone was going to be here to help out with Max. We called Meghan and let her know that this was the night and to stay by her phone and we'd let her know when she should come up to be with Max.

I was having contractions every 12 minutes until 2 am. I forget what time Mike and I went to bed but needless to say, he got more sleep than I did. I think around midnight or 1 am I decided to take a bath to see if that would help my contractions. They felt they were coming constantly and I just couldn't really get on top of them. By 2 am my contractions were coming every 5 minutes and we called Dr. Szabo.

When we called Dr. Szabo's office we found out he was NOT on call that day. I was devastated! I had switched because I knew he was always on call and I was confident that he would be there to deliver my baby again. We called Meghan at 2:30 am to tell her it was time to come up. By this time my contractions were 3 minutes apart.

We gathered up all of our things and I gave Max a big hug and kiss goodbye, told him I loved him (he was still sleeping) and we were out the door. We were at the hospital and hooked up to the fetal monitor by 3 am. Since we arrived "after hours" we had to go in through the ER entrance and I told the nurses I was fine to walk. OH MY GOD it was a LONG walk! We had to keep stopping for contractions but I knew the walking was good for me. When I was checked I was already 7-8 cm dilated!

I again had a REALLY long transition period. I labored on the toilet, in the shower on a birthing stool, on my hands & knees (with LOTS of pillows), with the squatting bar and on the birthing ball. I was feeling the need to push around 6/7 am. I got back in the shower and my water broke during a contraction in the shower. When that happened I had to get back out of the shower so they could check me. I was not quite to 10 yet and had a little bit of cervix.

By 8 am I was fully dilated and I started pushing. I was sitting up and using the squatting bar to push. I pushed until 9:15 and then the doctor came in. I kept saying I didn't want to push for 3 hours again and Mike and Sarah (my nurse) kept reassuring me that the baby really was almost here because the doctor was getting "dressed." Once the doctor was ready, I pushed for 11 more minutes and Lily was here, born at 9:30 am on June 13, 2010. Mike had talked to my mom at 9:15 am and by 9:45 am (maybe a little earlier) I was calling her with the news!

Mike again told me that we had a girl and I really couldn't believe him! I was certain we would have another boy. I was so excited I couldn't contain it!

My big girl eating cereal for the first time!

At 6 months Lily can:

sit up unassisted
sleep all night long
babble
drag items towards her
eat a Mum-Mum by herself-she also fed herself some cereal today
hold/pick up a sippy cup by herself
imitate sounds
laugh hysterically at peek-a-boo
splash in the bath-she gets sooo excited when she knows bath time is coming. When I bring her into the bathroom and see sees/hears the water running she starts squirming, babbling, hugging me and laughing
"interact" with a book-she's working on turing pages

new pictures

2010-12-06T13:44:00.001-05:00

I have posted new albums in the gallery. Check them out!

'Tis the Season!

2010-12-04T22:11:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited to create our Christmas cards this year through Shutterfly! Since we are horrible, (I mean amazingly attentive parents), and didn't send out birth announcements for Lily, I'm really excited to create something really great that incorporates a new baby announcement as well as a cute Christmas card. When we had Max, we used our Christmas card as his birth announcement. Since he was only about a month old when we sent those out, I felt totally ok about. Poor Lily girl is just a few days shy of 6 months and we haven't gotten our act together!

The pressure is really on this year since my friend Lela has already said we have had the best Christmas card for the past three years, I've really got to out-do myself this year. At least we have two adorable kids who have done some pretty adorable things in the past year. Shutterfly has so many awesome templates to chose from for Christmas cards it's going to be hard to pick the perfect one. I'm excited to find the card that has the perfect combination of multiple pictures, but with room enough to include Lily's birth info.

To make up for waiting so long to send out birth announcements, we'll have to send out adorable party cards for her 1st birthday!

So if you've been extra good this year, be sure to check your mailbox for this year's Christmas card masterpiece! Thanks Shutterfly!

Max-ism for the day

2010-12-03T14:38:00.001-05:00

"Dad, your boots are very similar to Santa's."

Seriously-what 3 year old uses the word similar??

LOVE that kid!

new (old) pictures

2010-12-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

I found a whole bunch of pictures last night that I had been looking for FOREVER! They were taken on June 15, the day my dad was heading home. Check them out-the album is titled "Lily's missing pictures" and it's way at the bottom of the all the albums.

So Thankful

2010-11-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving-a little late! We had a great Thanksgiving long weekend in MA. Lily took her first long car ride and it was better than I thought it was going to be. The beginning was a little rough, but once she was happily fed and sleeping everything went very smoothly.

Before we all ate our Thanksgiving dinner we went around the table and said what we were thankful for. Some of us said funny things and some said serious things. Max said the sweetest thing! When we asked Max what he was thankful for, without hesitation he said "Mema."

Max, you aren't the only one who is thankful for her! We all are!

Lily hugs!

2010-11-18T20:10:00.000-05:00

For some time now I've been thinking that Lily has been hugging me, but yesterday I really felt it! I had a dentist appointment and she and Max stayed with my friend Marley for about 40 minutes. When I got back to Marley's house Lily was crying and I picked her up and she wrapped her arms round my neck and held on tight. I melted.

It's absolutely the best feeling ever! She has quite a strong grip and very long arms which make for easy neck hugging! I love that little girl!

morning conversations

2010-11-16T20:25:00.000-05:00

Conversation between Max's trains this morning:
"No I don't want to smell your butt!"
"Yes you do want to smell my butt!"

The trains went back and forth with this conversation for quite a few minutes. Hilarious!

A big day!

2010-11-15T21:01:00.001-05:00

Lily used the high chair for the first time

no food tonight-just getting used to the big girl chair.

and Max shaved for the first time.

What a smooth shave.

hi!

2010-11-14T22:14:00.002-05:00

We love each other!

in love!

2010-11-08T21:38:00.001-05:00

With these two AMAZING little people!

Soccer Star!

2010-11-08T07:43:00.001-05:00

Max had his first soccer game yesterday. We've been going to soccer practice for 6 weeks and yesterday they got both teams together (6 kids showed up) and played a little game. Max had a great time but was a little disappointed he didn't score a goal. We told him it was ok and I talked to him about when I played soccer I didn't always score goals either. He was quite excited to get his first trophy!

Check out the new albums in the photo gallery!

Happy Birthday Woody!

2010-11-04T21:24:00.001-04:00

Nov. 4, 2007

Nov. 4, 2008

Nov. 4, 2009

Nov. 4, 2010

My sweet boy you are three years old! It seems like just yesterday we were meeting you for the very first time! Now you are three and you can write and spell your name, you can chew gum, and stand to pee :) You are the smartest little boy I know and you amaze me daily. You love to read and want to know how to read. You are reading and love all things associated with school. You still love "Yellow Submarine" and you're really into Scooby Doo.

You love your sister and she loves you back. You are sweet, gentle, compassionate, mature, FUNNY, and have traits from both me and Daddy. You're a GREAT helper and love to be by my side. You are so sweet when you talk to your sister and read her books. You are a great sharer and have an AMAZING imagination and memory.

Words cannot express how lucky I am to have you. You make me smile every day and I love that you want to hold hands and talk about your day before nap and bedtime. Holding your little hand in mine and reminiscing is one of the most special moments of our day.

I love you more than you'll ever know and I am so thankful that you are my special little man. I hope you are always this sweet and I can't wait to see what amazing things you'll do this year!

who knew??

2010-11-03T16:16:00.000-04:00

3 years ago today I had NO idea I would be meeting the most amazing little boy in about 29 hours.

it's official

2010-11-02T20:44:00.001-04:00

Max can write his name. He's amazing!

BIG Day!

2010-11-01T21:50:00.003-04:00

Lily sat up by herself for the first time today and Max's dream came true-he got his very own Thomas and Percy trains in the mail, an early birthday present from Auntie Tracy!

AND...I was able to get back into my size 6 jeans today! I've been trying them on for quite some time since September and today I was able to get into them, zip and button and not get choked!

Just a few more pounds until I get back to my "pre-Lily" weight and then the rest of my pants should fit! YIPEE for me!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:58:00.000-04:00

We have had so much fun celebrating Halloween this year! We've had parties, trick-or-treating, costume parade and a fun morning at Way Fruit Farm! Max is getting some major use out of his costume and he still gets to wear it 3 more times, before it becomes "play clothes."

our sweet 20 week old!

Woody and his trusty steed Bullseye getting ready for the costume parade.

2nd place in the costume parade! I really was a bit of a pageant mom. It was totally worth it!

So that's what you put in your holster!

Enjoy more pictures in the Halloween Activities folder!

more Halloween pics!

2010-10-28T23:07:00.003-04:00

Check out the Halloween Activities album for some new pictures from today! I can't seem to upload them to this post....argh!

Halloween Activities

2010-10-27T22:23:00.000-04:00

Halloween is just around the corner and we've been having lots of fun with activities this week! Yesterday we had a Halloween play group party and the kids got to do a little pre-Halloween Trick-or-Treating. Woody the Cowboy had a great time!

Tonight we carved pumpkins. Max got to draw face on his and then Mike cut it out.

TA-DA!

Isn't this the cutest pumpkin you've ever seen!

Here is Lily Girl's pumpkin. Next year hers should have some teeth :)

Little Bo Peep

I have more pictures in the "Halloween Activities" and "Lily-4 months." Enjoy!

one lucky mom!

2010-10-24T17:16:00.000-04:00

Life really doesn't get much better than this!

I can't believe my little guy is going to be 3 in 11 days!

I'm one lucky mom!

Enjoy the new photos in "pictures from Chris."

what a year!

2010-10-14T09:15:00.002-04:00

This time last year I woke up to this

Today I woke up to this

Happy Birthday to me!

Two great birthdays in a row :)
Enjoy Lily's new 4 month album!

look what I can do now that I'm 4 months!

4 month check up

2010-10-12T11:54:00.000-04:00

Lily weighed in at 16 lbs 2 oz and was 25 1/4 inches long at her 4 month check up today. She's a BEAST!

A Great Weekend!

2010-10-11T04:31:00.001-04:00

My sisters and BILs were here this weekend. Mike, Mark & Marc went to the PSU game, which turned out to be a blowout, but the girls and I had a great time. Max was THRILLED this Aunties were here! Yesterday Max said "I love my Auntie Erin because she's my Auntie Erin." When I asked him what his favorite park of the weekend was he said, "Playing with the Aunties."

We had a pretty busy weekend. Yesterday while the boys were at the game Max got to go to the park with Mia & Erin and then we went to Harner Farm after nap time. Mia and Erin brought Max a Woody doll and he hasn't let it out of his sight. He brought it to the park, to Harner Farm and then out to breakfast and all over campus today. Mark and Marc had never been to campus so we gave them a full walking tour of College Ave and then through campus. We stopped at the Creamery and the Lion Shrine. I wasn't thinking when I left the house this morning and totally forgot to pack the camera. When we got to the Lion we had to take our pictures with Erin & Mike's iphone. I have to have Mike send me his pictures and then I'll post them.

This week Lily has her 4 month (gasp!) check up. I can't believe our sweet girl is 4 months old already! She's getting really close to rolling from her back to her belly and she's just exploring her world more and more every day! We're getting into a nice routine every day is a pleasure. Lily wakes up so happy and has the biggest smiles and gets so excited and starts squirming around and kicking her arms and legs. We've been "off the shield" for just about a month and I couldn't be happier! I always took nursing for granted, but after going through all that I went through with Lily in those first 3 months, I am so appreciative of how great it is to be able to nurse her without out any issues or difficulty.

It was sad to have everyone leave, but it wasn't so sad since they'll be back in about a month for Max's birthday party.

Lots of new pictures in the Lily-3 months album as well as 3 new albums.

new pictures

2010-10-06T05:27:00.001-04:00

10.4.10-he's really over taking pictures first thing in the morning :)

10.3-16 weeks old!

check out some new pictures in the Lily-3 months folder.

one year ago today...

2010-10-05T22:34:00.001-04:00

I had a pretty good idea I was pregnant. Max and I were in MA for Mia's wedding and we were going for her final dress fitting and celebrating her 30th birthday (happy birthday Meech!)!

In the morning I felt pretty nauseous while eating breakfast and totally dry heaved while I was brushing my teeth. On the way to/from the fitting I felt AWFUL and I got so hot I had to take off my socks. I wasn't going to ruin Mia's special week by taking a pregnancy test, so I tried to put it out of my mind and knew I would find out for sure the following week.

One year ago I was totally stressed about the thought of having another baby but today I can honestly say Lily is the BEST, unplanned surprise I've ever gotten.

Here's what was happening when I posted about our surprise!

more funny things

2010-09-30T21:47:00.000-04:00

Tonight Max said "Dad, I've seen a dog juggle before." When Mike asked when he saw that Max said "20 years ago."

Lily has been sleeping and napping in her crib consistently since Sunday night. She's been too big for the bassinet for a while now, but I just wasn't ready to let her go. She's perfectly happy in her crib and it hasn't really changed her sleeping habits all that much. She still prefers to nap on me, which does still happen, but I've been really good about putting her upstairs and trying to get into a nap time routine with her. Max isn't the biggest fan of me having alone time with her, so his behavior when I take her upstairs can take a turn for the worse-just being loud, talking loud, using loud toys, coming in her room, etc-but if he's occupied it's better. I'm trying to get him to understand that the quicker she falls asleep, the quicker I can come and give him some one-on-one time.

He's been so good with her that I really can't complain about his behavior all that much. I'm just happy that he loves her so much-and she loves him equally as much!

I'm a pretty lucky Mama who is soooo excited to see Mia, Erin, Mark & Marc next week!

funny guy!

2010-09-24T08:45:00.001-04:00

Here some of my most favorite things Max is saying right now:

I'm not a focus! (when being asked to focus on a task-like putting on pants)
I don't want to get adjusted because Space Rangers don't get adjusted.
Mommy said get out of town, you're going to the football game. But I said 'no I can't get out of town because I don't have any shoes on'.
My name is Woody Cowboy from Toy Story. (then when prompted to say what his other name is) Maximus James Zuckett Woody Cowboy from Toy Story.
Don't tell me that! (when we are saying something that he really doesn't want to hear)
Me: Oh Lord Max Max: Yes, I am the Lord and the boss.

more to come...

seriously!!??

2010-09-23T16:33:00.001-04:00

We're in size 3 diapers already! We were seriously only in size 2's for a month! Lily is getting too big--I don't want her to grow up so quickly!

BIG UPDATE! Lily and I have been successfully been "off the shield" for one week now! I'm so excited that I can finally nurse her without the shield. I'm still cautiously optimistic that this is our new normal!

love them!

2010-09-19T22:19:00.003-04:00

We had a great weekend! My mom, dad and Mia came for a visit. Mike and I had a wedding reception to go to last night so they all came down for babysitting duty. Max got some quality time with Mema and Grampy Ming and Lily got to have some girl time at the salon with Mia and I. It's always great when my family comes for a visit. It makes me appreciate how great they are and how important Max and Lily are to them.

Mike and I were very excited for our date night last night and really enjoyed our dinner at Kelly's before heading to the wedding reception. I had the BEST garlic prawns and even enjoyed a pumpkin beer. We decided we'd celebrate our anniversary this weekend since we had the babysitters in town so we took advantage of it. After dinner we headed to the reception and no sooner had we gotten there did Mike get a phone call from my mom saying Lily was refusing to take a bottle and had been crying hysterically for about 45 minutes. We hopped in the car and headed home to find our sweet girl passed out from crying so much. I knew she needed to eat (I fed her at 5 before we left and we were home at 8) so I changed her diaper, which woke her up, and got the BIGGEST smile. I fed her and she was happy as could be and drifted off to sleep again. Needless to say, date night was cut short and we'll be working on having Lily take a bottle again. Poor Max was covering his ears because she was screaming so much.

I never even gave it a second thought that she wouldn't take a bottle because she took it so easily when we had to do the supplemental feeding when she was about 2 weeks old. She hasn't had any bottle since then so it makes sense that she refused it. Mike and I both tried giving her a bottle last night and today and she totally refused. I had taken milk out for her last night and now we need to dump those precious 13 oz down the drain. HATE THAT!

On a positive note, little girl has been a champion sleeper! Thursday night she slept from 9-7, Friday she slept from 9:30-7:30 and last night she slept from basically 8-2:30 then 3ish-7:30.

Enjoy the albums and pictures added to Lily's 3 month album.

Mr. Soccer

2010-09-14T20:38:00.004-04:00

Tonight Max learned how to trap the ball (which he preferred to do with his butt), throw in, dribble, and practice kicking as far he could. He also had to dribble a ball between cones. So cute-when he was focused on the ball and not on jumping over our shadows.

We have him signed in the Smart Start Soccer program through Centre Parks & Rec. He got a cute t-shirt, which he was SO excited about -almost as excited as he was about drinking a gatorade "after his game." We had to keep focusing him back over to the field and not from the gatorade. He was really cute though. He's the youngest one participating. The program is for 3-5 year olds and the other 5 kids are all 4. We think he did really well for his first time.

it's official

2010-09-13T09:30:00.002-04:00

3 months ago at this exact moment I got the BEST surprise! How much you've grown!

My Baby is 3 Months!

2010-09-13T07:55:00.008-04:00

I can't believe that 3 short months ago I was getting ready to start pushing my sweet baby out and get the BIGGEST shock! I remember crying and saying "I don't want to push for 3 hours." I was reassured by both Mike and my nurse that it wouldn't be 3 hours. I really didn't believe them though!

Lily, you have been the most wonderful gift ever! Thank you for just going with the flow and being so easy. You have the sweetest disposition and biggest, happiest smile. You are a joy to have in the house and you just make our family complete. You adore your brother and he adores you just as much. Watching the two of you together makes me so happy. I can't even tell you how much I love you. My heart is just so full when I look at you. I love watching you sleep as you make your sweet sleeping faces and noises. Watching you take in the world is amazing. I'm trying really take it all in because we're never going to have this time again. You are the gift I've always wanted, but didn't really think I'd ever get. I appreciate you and can't wait to watch you grow into the sweet little girl you'll be, even though I want to keep you little forever!

All my love sweet girl!

Mommy

At 3 months Lily:

sleeps most of the night (last night she was asleep by 8:15 and woke up at 4:30)
doesn't care for a pacifier for very long. She will either spit it out or pull it out with her hands
rolls over from her belly to her back to the right and left side
smiles ALL the time
barely cries-unless she's VERY tired or hungry or as soon as Mike starts getting her dressed after a bath
LOVES the bath
LOVES her brother
enjoys the swing-yay!
likes to nap between 10-11 am but will fight it if in the mood
is still a snuggly and prefers to sleep on me
is getting too big for the bassinet which means she'll be moving into room sooner, rather than later
is getting SO chunky!
talks all the time
can hold/shake a rattle
can "say" boo & goo independently as well as saying it back to us.
is SUPER ticklish-especially under her chin.
loves to laugh out loud

we have a roller!

2010-09-06T22:09:00.004-04:00

At 8:55 pm Lily officially became a roller! She is currently 12 weeks 1 day. Mike and I were so surprised! Max rolled over for the first time on 2.1.08), so Lily rolled a little bit earlier than he did. We'll see if she keeps it up or takes a break for awhile like her brother did.

pictures

2010-09-02T13:13:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let you know that I may be slacking with posts, but I have been putting lots of new pictures in the on-line albums.

I need to catch everyone up on Lily's tongue situation and finally write her birth story.

When I have 2 free hands!

Here are a couple of pictures from our trip to the Grange Fair Monday.

This is how Lily experienced the Fair.

The fair got him again this year!

recent pics

2010-08-29T22:37:00.005-04:00

I just LOVE these two people!

Having his hands painted to make a lobster. It's so cute! This was yesterday at the birthday party we had for all the kids in our friend group who all have kids who have recently turned 3 or are turning 3.

Doesn't he look pleased with himself? He really did enjoy putting his new puzzle together. Thank you to his new friend Aidan who gave him this puzzle, Toy Story Chutes & Ladders and a Toy Story coloring/activity book at the party yesterday. Marley drew names so each kid bought a present for one other person. So much better than buying 13 presents!

Sweet baby girl on her first train ride at Del Grosso's. She's 11 weeks today!

Max played the game in this picture and won and picked out this dog.

I figured out how to get pictures posted! I just had to use another account and then become an author on the blog, simple :) We've had a great weekend and are getting ready for a busy week. Tomorrow we are heading to the Grange Fair where we'll meet Super Why! Max is really excited to meet him. Tuesday we have birthday party for our friend Kevin (who is getting ready to become a big brother in 3 weeks). Wednesday there is a park play date we may go to and then we're going to the Spike's game that night. Thursday the "big car" has to go in the shop and on Friday Mike and Max are going to Football Eve to kick off the football season. We have friends coming into town for the game so we're excited to see the Radio family!

Lots of new photos in the photo albums! Enjoy!

I think I'll be using the small photo option next time-these pictures are HUGE!

funny girl

2010-08-26T05:33:00.002-04:00

Lily started laughing out loud again yesterday. She did it for the first time on her 2 month birthday and yesterday while sitting in the bouncy chair she started again! I love hearing her laugh and watching her shoulders shrug while she does it! I have to get it on video today!

FYI-the 1:30 and 5 am wake up calls she been giving lately are really starting to take a toll on my sanity!

teeth

2010-08-21T03:50:00.006-04:00

Max's 2 year molars have finally come in, well they are almost in. 3 of 4 have erupted and the 4th should be popping through any day now. They don't seem to be causing him any pain, but he's constantly chewing on his fingers and they are constantly in his mouth. We didn't even realize they had popped through until we were at Beatlemania and he was laughing and I saw one.

We have lost of new pictures in the photo albums! Be sure to check them out.

The end is near!

2010-08-19T14:18:00.000-04:00

Met with a GREAT ENT (ear, nose, throat) doctor today. He was confident and was going to set up for Lily to have her tongue clipped but the surgery center does not put anyone under 6 months to "sleep." Meeting with a pediatric ENT next Friday (recommended by the doctor today) and we should have an appointment to have her tongue taken care of shortly after that in Danville.

2 months!

2010-08-14T05:28:00.006-04:00

I can't believe how quickly the past 2 months have flown by. Lily has been SUCH a great addition to our family and it really feels complete. Max has been an AMAZING big brother and it's wonderful to watch him adore his sister and watch her adore him. He can always make her smile and laugh. I was going to post pictures that we took of Lily last night but I've maxed out my storage capacity so I have to figure out how to fix that. I figured out how to temporarily fix it, but it's not really fixed. There are new pictures posted in the the Lily-2 Months folder.

Yesterday he called her Lily Rose all day, which was just so cute. He also is REALLY in to Toy Story right now and prefers to be called Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger. Some days he is Woody, but most days he is Buzz. Lily and I are Bo (as in Little Bo Peep) and Mike is Slinky Dog. Sometimes Lily is Little Woody. My mom is the Fake Buzz Lightyear. I'm glad we've moved passed watching the Polar Express but I can't say I LOVE watching Toy Story 2 many times in the week. I wish he'd change it up and want to watch Toy Story 1. He just really likes watching the one "that Jessie is in." Once TS 3 comes to the dollar theatre we'll take him to see it again. I just think the regular theatre is over priced, even though I know he'll sit through the whole movie. We'll be happy when 3 comes out on dvd, especially since I haven't seen it yet.

New pics!

2010-08-09T22:30:00.005-04:00

Happy 8 week birthday sweet girl! I hope you enjoyed your birthday at Del Grosso's yesterday!

Your brother did!

He just makes me so happy!

A special thank you to my friend Tracy who took these pictures! She's really great and always captures my kids with the best expressions!

Be sure to check out the new pictures I've uploaded in the Lily-1 month folder and the Beatlemania folder!

Big Boy!

2010-08-09T13:27:00.002-04:00

Max decided that he's all done using the potty seat. He just wants to use the toilet as is, no more cushy seat. He's getting to be such a big boy! I'm so proud of him.

date night

2010-08-06T16:19:00.003-04:00

Mike, Max and I had a GREAT date night last night while Lily stayed home with Mema. We took Max to see Beatlemania, which was held Old Main's lawn. It was Max's first "concert" and Lily's first babysitter. Everyone did well!

It was so nice being out with just Max and being able to give him our undivided attention for a few hours. He really loved having us all to himself and was super snuggly.

I thought it was so strange being out without Lily. I just felt like we were missing something, and we were, but it was well worth it to be able to give Max so much attention.

Professional pictures

2010-08-02T13:35:00.002-04:00

Check out our professional maternity & newborn pics of Lily here. Scroll down until you find the "max" folder. Once again I am amazed by Drew's work & talent!

chunky monkey

2010-07-30T14:22:00.003-04:00

Lily is now 10 lbs 8 oz! We took her to a new pediatrician today to see about getting her tongue clipped. She was unable to do it because it's so muscular, she just didn't feel comfortable doing it. It's not your run of the mill tie. I contacted the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh to see if they have someone who can do it. If they can't, it looks like we'll be off to NYC to see the gurus and have it done there.

nervous & excited

2010-07-29T20:47:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow we are taking Lily to a new pediatrician to see about getting her frenulum clipped in hopes it helps "cure" our nursing issues. I'm both nervous and excited. I have no idea what to expect. I don't even know what kind of instruments might be used to clip her frenulum. I hope it's able to be clipped and I hope it doesn't cause pain.

Keep your fingers crossed for a successful visit!

funny girl!

2010-07-19T20:19:00.002-04:00

Hope you're having as much fun as we are!

5 weeks!

2010-07-18T21:45:00.003-04:00

I can't believe we've had Lily for 5 weeks! It's been the craziest 5 weeks, but every time I look at her sweet face I remember what it's all about.

one month down, a lifetime to go

2010-07-14T07:51:00.007-04:00

Our sweet Lily turned one month yesterday! She really is just a joy to have in our lives. She really is the easiest little girl. She doesn't really have a fussy time and really only cries if she's starving or has a wet diaper. She's just content to hang out and nurse. She's a great sleeper at night and usually only wakes up once. There are many nights when she doesn't go to bed until 10 or 11, but we can handle it :)

This is what we have learned about our sweet girl this month:

she weighs 9 lbs 3.1 oz
she chirps when she talks to us or wants something
she's not a major fan of the swing, but I think she's finally coming around to it
she likes to sleep
she doesn't always take morning naps and is content to just hang out and observe what's going on
she doesn't mind taking a bottle that isn't hot. She's fine if it's room temperature or even slightly cooler
she's a snuggler
she likes to take baths and is so relaxed afterward. After her bath she is usually cranky but as soon as she's dressed and knows she's going to nurse, she's back to being a happy girl. After a warm bath and a nice nurse, she's off to dreamland for nap.
she loves her brother (and he loves her)
she loves being in the Moby wrap. Whenever we put her in it to go for a walk, etc she falls asleep and naps the whole time we're out and about
she's a fan of being adjusted by Dr. Thad
she's a smiley girl--she started smiling on Friday, June 9. Mema and Max got the first smile
she's funny and laughs
she likes to hold onto the top of my shirt when she's nursing

I love you sweet girl! I'm so excited you've joined our family! I'm excited to watch you grow and watch your personality grow.

And Baby Makes Four!

The Day We've Been Waiting For!

19 Months

We are still here...

Photo Card

Changes

Poor Buddy!

7 Years Ago...

Worst Blogger Ever

Good-bye old friend!

Best Friends

One Week From Today...

And Some more from Drew...

Drew Works His Magic Again!

We're Famous!

What was I thinking?

A weekend visit

Big News!

I know...

Walking Girl!

Happy Birthday Lily!

New pictures

Who is turning 1 soon???

11 Months

Welcome Reese!

Ms. Chatterbox

Poor Baby!

high-5

Big Talker!

Morning Conversation

Happy Girl

Do you know?

Big Man On Campus!

9 Months!

Movin' & Groovin'

I'm Still Standing!

Max and Lily

new pictures

Random Happenings

It's Time for School!

Big Girl!

Teeth!

Da-Da & 8 Months

Big Day!

Snow Fort Fun!

Yeah Lily!

Oh Max...

Happy 7 Months Sweet Girl!

how is it possible

happiness

Happy New Year!

Auntie Tracy meets Lily!

bananas for bananas

Half a Year!

new pictures

'Tis the Season!

Max-ism for the day

new (old) pictures

So Thankful

Lily hugs!

morning conversations

Conversation between Max's trains this morning:"No I don't want to smell your butt!""Yes you do want to smell my butt!"

A big day!

hi!

in love!

Soccer Star!

Happy Birthday Woody!

who knew??

it's official

BIG Day!

Happy Halloween!

more Halloween pics!

Halloween Activities

one lucky mom!

what a year!

4 month check up

A Great Weekend!

new pictures

one year ago today...

more funny things

Conversation between Max's trains this morning:
"No I don't want to smell your butt!"
"Yes you do want to smell my butt!"