Catelin at 5 Months

I am way behind on the post…Catelin is actually closer to 6 months now than 5, but here is what she was up to a couple of weeks ago.



Around mid-October, Catelin discovered her feet!  I watched as she figured out they were attached to her body – she smiled, grabbed them, and pulled them right up to her mouth. 

She still loves her play mat, LaMaze peacock and giraffe, stuffed animal Owl Taggie  and of course her favorite bouncy chair.  The jumperoo is a hit for about 15 minutes and then she is ready to get out. 



I am thrilled that she takes a pacifier, especially since neither of the boys did.  Almost any time she is fussing or wants to soothe herself, the paci works like a charm.

She sleeps from about 7:30 to 7:00 and takes two naps (about 9-11 and 2-3:30) during the day.  Since the time change, she occasionally wakes up around 6:30 – when this happens, I give her the pacifier and she will go back to sleep for another 45 minutes or so.

We also started her on rice cereal…

 


As you can see, she didn’t like it very much at first. 

 
MJ was very concerned during her first feeding…Ty was laughing.

She is also eating oatmeal now; we’ll start veggies this month.  The solid food is in addition to the 5-6 six ounce bottles she drinks daily.

Catelin is a sweet, happy baby who just loves to smile and laugh.  Although there is some stranger anxiety, she quickly warms up to others.  She goes everywhere with us and hardly ever complains – she likes checking out her new surroundings! 



While Catelin isn’t rolling over yet (she rolls up onto her side, but her belly gets in the way of her getting all the way over), she is getting close to sitting.  She sits for a few seconds at a time, then starts “tipping” forward. 




Happy 5 months, my sweet baby girl!

MJ Turns FOUR!

I can’t believe my oldest child just turned four.  We did MJ’s big birthday celebration in Savannah over the weekend since Steve was going to be out of town.  On Monday (the 5th), MJ began the day with his favorite breakfast of waffles, eggs and strawberries.  He quickly ran upstairs, got himself dressed in his favorite Spiderman shirt with matching pants and socks and even brought down an outfit for Ty.  He couldn’t wait to go to school and tell all of his classmates that he is “FOUR!” 

Catelin, Ty, and I made a special trip to his class later that morning – we brought his favorite dessert (Golden Oreos) with Spiderman cups, plates, and napkins.  MJ led the class in their snack time prayer “The Lord is Good to Me…” and the kids sang Happy Birthday to my sweet boy. 



The teacher, Ms. Ann, then introduced the mystery reader for the month- which happened to be me!  MJ’s little eyes widened in surprise and delight as I read two of his favorite books- The Foolish Tortoise and The Grouchy Ladybug. 

We headed back home for a quick lunch- I made his standard turkey and cheese tortilla sandwich shaped like an elephant (believe it or not, Publix has great sandwich cutters), veggie straws, yogurt, and fruit.  Then it was time for some alone time with mommy…. per his request, off we went to the zoo! 



No matter how many times we go there, he is always beyond excited when we walk through the gates.  I was laughing hysterically while MJ announced to anyone who would listen “I’m FOUR now!  Today is my birthday!”  It was adorable.




All of a sudden, he seemed like such a big boy…as though I blinked and he became a four year old. 

November 5, 2008

 

November 5, 2012

We headed home so he could eat second favorite dinner- a Chick fil A grilled nugget kids meal (his favorite is Kraft Easy Mac- has to be the shapes, not the noodles).  After his evening routine – bath time, play time with Ty and Catelin, and thirty minutes of puzzles or a movie on the Ipad, he said his evening prayers (with a special thank you to “God and Jesus” for his special day)!  And with that, his fourth birthday was over.

MJ’s 4 year old interview (these are all his very own answers):

1. What is your favorite color? Black (it was blue, then orange- this is his most recent answer)

2. What is your favorite toy?  My stuffed animal shark (Sharkie)

3. What is your favorite fruit: Strawberries and blueberries and grapes

4. What is your favorite t.v. show? Doc McStuffins.  Movie? Madagascar 3

5. What is your favorite game?  Go fish

6. What is your favorite snack?  Fruit snacks

7. What is your favorite animal?  Clouded leopard

8. What is your favorite song? Gangham style (not. even. kidding.)

9. Who is your best friend? Matthew (Greco) and Chase (Fennelly)

10. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play and explore

11. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween (it is usually whatever holiday is coming up or has just passed)

12. What is your favorite body part? My twig (Why did I even ask this question??  We call his private parts his twig and berries…such a boy).

13. What do you take to bed with you at night?  Sharkie, Ninja turtle blanket and Spiderman sheets

14. What do you want to be when you grow up? A daddy and a superhero.

15. Who is your favorite team? Georgia Tech!  Then the Bucs, Falcons, and Steelers



A few more things…

Personality:
MJ is very outgoing – he loves to meet new people and has never met a stranger.  His teacher told me that half of the girls in the class have a crush on him (we are in big trouble in a few years)!  He is so sweet- very loving and nurturing, especially when it comes to Ty and Catelin.  He even walks Ty to his classroom every day before heading into his own class. 



MJ also has a dramatic side- you should have seen him get his 4 year old shots… he started screaming at the nurse, “Why are you doing this to me?!  I’ve been a good boy!!”  It was heartbreaking.  He subsequently decided the shots were so terrible he could hardly walk and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around like a wounded war veteran!  (It was actually pretty funny)

School:
MJ has really enjoyed school this year.  At his parent-teacher conference, Ms. Ann highlighted a few of his strengths- communication (which is not surprising since he was speaking in complete, clear 5-6 word sentences at 18 months old) and science (be still my inner dork!  I was beyond excited!!).  MJ told me after school the other day that they tested his “hypothesis” that magnets were attracted to metal and he was right! 


My dearest MJ-

I am so proud of the boy you have become.  Four years ago, you gave me the most precious gift of being a mother for the first time.  Every day, my love for you multiplies.  I hope you know how much I thank God for you- for your loving, sweet personality, for your drama, for making me laugh, for just being you. 

Happy four years, my sweet boy.

Love,
Mommy

Savannah Trip

Our family celebrating my 15th marathon!

Last weekend, we drove down to Savannah so I could run in the Rock n Roll Savannah Marathon.  My parents were kind enough to join us (and help Steve watch the kids while I was running)!  We left Friday morning and got there in plenty of time to pick up my race packet at the Expo – I think the kids enjoyed checking out all of the latest and greatest in running gear (insert sarcasm here).  Afterwards, we checked into the hotel, picked up my parents, and went back downtown.  We met up with Lindsey, my dear friend from college, who was down there with her family (she was running the half marathon and her husband was running the full).  The kids had fun playing together in the park…this was followed by a very nutritious pre-race meal at Mellow Mushroom.

MJ and Hannah (Lindsey's daughter)

Saturday morning, Steve dropped me off and I rode with Lindsey and Joe to the starting line.  I have run a few marathons within 3-4 weeks off each other, but I have never run two this close together (Chattanooga was only 13 days prior)…I have to be honest, I was a little worried about how my legs would hold up.  It was really a great race- the majority of it was very pretty and the course was nice and flat.  Here are a few pics:

Waiting for mommy…

Here she is!

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Thankfully, my legs held up surprisingly well and I was happy to finish in a pretty decent time.  Marathon #15 is officially in the books!

Lindsey, Joe (who finished an incredible race- a sub 3:00 marathon!!! Awesome!), me, and Steve

Thanks for your support, mom and dad!

After the race, we went back to the hotel so I could clean up and get ready to go out for a late lunch/early dinner to celebrate MJ’s FOURTH birthday!   (His birthday was actually Monday – stay tuned for the bday post).  We went to a fun place called the Crab Shack on Tybee Island where they have tons of alligators – we were supposed to be able to feed them, but unfortunately it wasn’t feeding time… The kids still had a ball.

And Steve enjoyed teasing the boys with his seafood platter:






After dinner, we went to Gigi’s cupcakes – they even put a candle on MJ’s cupcake so we could sing happy birthday to him!






We went back to the hotel, watched some football, and passed out.  Steve had to fly out of Savannah early Sunday morning for a meeting in Chicago, so after breakfast the rest of us got in the car and headed back home.  It was a great trip!

Trick or Treat

So, I tried to get Ty and MJ to be Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz, but MJ insisted on being Spiderman (yes, again) this year.  Their costumes came in the mail about a week before Halloween, and the boys put on their costumes as soon as I opened the box:




Ty’s preschool class had their parade and classroom party last Tuesday.  The kids were all so adorable.  Ty did great during the parade until they started going back inside without mommy – then the melt down began.  Thankfully it was short lived since all of us were going inside for snack time!






MJ’s parade and party were on Wednesday.  Why am I not surprised that he was the first in line?!






Our neighborhood does a great job with Halloween.  They close one of the large roads so only the people who live on the street can come through – what a difference that made!  The kids had a blast and Catelin really seemed to enjoy looking at all of the costumes.  Cousin James joined us a little later in the evening- they were all so cute together.