Good Morning

Dear Ty,

Most mornings you wake up so happy. I love going into your room and seeing your sleepy little head pop out of the covers. When I or Daddy say good morning, you always answer with a big 'ole (sleepy-eyed) grin and I love it!!

Love,

Mommy

Rolling Over continued...

Dear Ty,

I've been sitting here watching you try to roll over from back to belly and you finally did it!! You were working so hard and once you rolled that tuba-ruba over, you looked over at me and Noelle and gave us the biggest, sweetest smile. Momma's so proud of you. In the span of about 10 minutes you managed to roll all around the living room. We're going to have to find a bigger blanket because drool + dog hair = gross.

Love,
Mommy

A tooth? Already?!

Dear Ty,

The amount of drool coming from your mouth is ridiculous. You are chewing on everything: your crib slats, your fists, your toys, your high chair, your main source of food. Everything. I took a look inside and I think I can see a little tooth bud on your bottom left. Can you really be getting a tooth already? You're not even 5 months yet! After watching you chomp down on ice cubes wrapped in a cold washcloth to the point where your little lips and cheeks were red, I decided to break out the Tylenol and Motrin and drug you up for the night. I hope you sleep well and I'll be checking that tooth first thing in the morning.

I love you little man,
Mommy

Father's Day

As I sit down to write this post, I'm taken back to the summer of '02 and a conversation I had with Jeremy. It was before we started dating and was one of those late night college conversations, sans alcohol, that last all night and create a bond that you'll keep with you forever. We were sitting on the porch of "The Maze" and dawn was just about to break. The morning birds, as I called them, were just waking up. We somehow had gotten on the topic of family and Jeremy started talking about his little brothers. He spoke so passionately about them, about his hopes and dreams for them, and I saw a completely new side to him. Jeremy probably doesn't remember that conversation, but that night I started to fall for him and I knew I had found someone who was special.

You see, my parents divorced when I was little and I haven't had much of a relationship with my Father. Growing up, it was minimal at best. And it's been non-existent for the last three years. My mom has done a great job of providing all the love, support, and encouragement that he didn't care to give. I think I turned out alright considering that he didn't play much of a role in my life. Because of all of this, I made a vow to myself that no matter what, one of the top qualities of my future husband was that he had to be a great dad.


Fast forward 7 years later and here we are. Noelle is a complete Daddy's girl and I love it. I love how she adores him so fully and whole-heartily. I love how he is a nervous wreck about her first date and she is only 2.5 years old. I love that every time he says goodnight or goodbye, she has to give him a kiss, then an eskimo kiss, then a squeezer.


I love that Jeremy is counting down the days until he can teach Ty how to throw and catch. I love how he sings to him and can get him to laugh at any time of day. I love how he can get Ty to sleep, no matter what, once he finds that once certain spot on Daddy's chest.

Watching my husband love our kids is the most precious thing.

And I'm at peace knowing that our kids will grow up with nothing but wonderful, meaningful, and beautiful memories.

I know it now and I knew it 7 years ago, he is the perfect dad.

What a Jerk

So, the last week should have been an easy one for me seeing as school is out and I'm not committed to the whole teaching gig for 8 periods a day. But, I've been racing around doing some really.cool.stuff for work. I was out of town last week presenting to failing schools up in Chicago about how to turn their schools into an environment focused on student learning. Yes, that's right, I was getting PAID to tell the story of what I do in our department and at our school. The rat race continues this week as I have the privilege of attending an awesome, week-long conference at the U of I about how to improve my teaching, as well as how to bring ideas to the staff to help them grow professionally. It's totally invigorating and exhausting at the same time. To top off the race, XC started bright and early this morning at 6 am, meaning I'm up at 4:45 to pump, get stuff ready, etc, etc.

So, needless to say, I'm pretty worn out (not that that is an excuse at all). I'm sitting at dinner tonight, Jeremy's out of town for work, Ty is screaming and is inconsolable and Noelle is refusing to eat and adding a nice mantra-like whining about wanting desert NOW. And I snapped and yelled at her to stop whining and eat her dinner. Not screaming-yell, but loud enough that I clearly hurt her feelings and she burst into tears. Of course I felt horrible.

What a complete ass. Who yells at a little kid?

I felt SO BAD and the whole time she is just bawling looking at me with her sad-hurt-feeling eyes. Now, mind you, she gets into trouble before, I'm not saying it's all rainbows and butterflies around here. But I've never spoken to her in such a harsh and thoughtless tone. It's a lesson learned for sure and no matter how tired or crabby I am, I never plan on making her feel like that again. I got her calmed down and apologized a thousand times, with bunch of hugs and kisses, and a popsicle for good measure.

So to my little sweet girl: Mama's sorry and I love you more, most, infinity!

Out of Town

Dear Noelle and Ty,
Tomorrow I am leaving to go up to Chicago to do a presentation for work and I'm just dreading being away from you guys for 2 whole days. I have milk stock piled, clothes layed out, notes for dad and a bunch of other things in place so things run smoothly while I'm gone, but I'm still dreading being apart from the family. I know your Daddy will do a great job and will make sure everything is all right. I promise I'll call and kiss you both goodnite. Be good for Daddy and I'll be back before you know it! I miss you already!!

Love you,
Mommy

There was one in the bed...

...and the little one said roll over, roll over!! Yes, my little guy, you have finally learned how to roll over! All the hard work has finally paid off and you can now roll tummy to back. You seem to think it's very funny because you laugh everytime you do it. You laugh the hardest in the middle of the night. Daddy and I don't know what to do with you because you can't stop rolling over once you wake up at night. It sucks not being able to put you right down, but it's so funny watching you do your new trick complete with your cute little giggles. Hopefully you'll get it out of your system soon. Between your growth spurt and constantly rolling over, our nights are getting just a taaaaad too long if you know what I mean.... :-)

I love you little guy,

Mommy

4 Months

Dear Ty,

Today you are 4 months. We went to the doctor and you had two shots, but didn't really cry as much as I thought you would. You weighed 15 lbs, 2 oz and were 25.5 inches long. In other words, you are HUGE. Even your little toes are huge. They are seriously an inch long. AN INCH. It's almost kinda of odd looking. You love to have me and Daddy sing to you...you usually end up laughing your little butt off. Your favorite tune today is "Wind Beneath My Wings". Odd choice, but I like it :-) You are this close to rolling over. Your little arm keeps getting in the way and you haven't figured out how to tuck it in yet. You love to watch T.V. any time it's on and I'm going to try to get a pic of you watching it soon. You have a very intent stare and seemd to really like baseball (along with your Colby-crazed sister, but that's a story for another post.) You also like to stand in your exer-saucer, but we've had a few blow-outs in there, so Daddy and I are trying to figure out where the problem is. Daddy thinks it's faulty diaper attaching, but I'm thinking you are ready for the next size diapers, but you can't be in SIZE 3 already...can you??? You love your baths but are almost too long for the baby tub and will be venturing into the big boy tub soon. Other news...you've been sleeping in your cirb lately and usually sleep through the night. However, your recent growth spurt has you up eating every 3 hours and we're hoping it's over soon!! I just can't believe that you've been in the family for 4 months now. Where does the time go? Well, you are fussing, ready to eat, so I'll wrap things up. Keep on being my sweet little beautiful boy!

I love you,

Mommy

Catching up!

Dear Noelle,

Wow, we've had a super busy last two weeks!! I don't know how other mommies can spend all the time on the computer blogging, face-booking, etc. I can't seem to find any time to update! Well, here's a rundown of the last two weeks:

You ran in your very first race on Memorial Day, May 25th. We were up in Chicago and you looked so cute in your running outfit! You were in the 2-3 year old group and came in fifth place. I was so proud of you and you were pretty excited about your ribbon! Uncle Dave and I ran in the 5K, and Grandma came to watch everyone. We had a blast are you haven't stopped talking about going to "Ca-go".

You also are now POTTY TRAINED!!! We officially put you in undies on Thursday, May 28th and you haven't had any diapers on since. You are such a big girl! I can't believe how easy the whole process was. You've been going #2 for about a month, but weren't quite ready to go #1 on demand. I think you had to wait until you knew "the feeling" of #1 coming. You also had been waking up dry from naps and bedtime, so I knew you were ready. I realize that by bragging how easy this was, I'm jinxing myself and your brother will be in diapers until he's 4, but I'm gonna brag anyways!! You are just too smart.

Of course, this also meant that you needed to be put into the big girl bed. We wanted to make sure you had easy access to your bathroom if duty called in the middle of the night. So, we made a big trip out of getting new covers and Daddy converted your crib to the big girl bed. You LOVED it. You spent a lot of time in there the first few days we had it up. You felt so special with your new covers and pillow and you should- you ARE special. Here are some pre and post bed pics:

LAST PICTURE IN CRIB

FIRST PIC IN NEW BED

It must have been all the changes going on because when I put you in the new bed and tucked you in, I was almost in tears! You'll come to find out, Ms. Noelle, that I'm not too sentimental. I don't save your birthday cards every year or drawing that you make (sorry, I do love them, just don't feel the need to have all the clutter!!). But something about both potty training and the new bed just hit home for me. You are growing up. You are learning so much and have such a personality that it makes me sad you won't stay little forever. You're getting more independent and outspoken and I love every minute of it. I'm so proud of you and am looking forward to your next big milestone!

Love,

Mommy

FINALLY

Two things finally happened today. Ty's results all came back negative!! We go back June 4th to see if we are going to do more tests to investigate further. The first round of tests were for critical problems, so we can all breathe easier knowing it's probably not a major issue. The second thing that happened is that Noelle finally learned how to pedal her bike, here are 3 short videos of my talented little girl. My back is so thankful that I don't have to hunch over pushing her along anymore :-)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Brave Boy

Dear Ty,

The last few days I have been nervously waiting for the doctor to call us. Last Wednesday, we had to take you into the doctor's because you had some blood in your poop. They told us it could be a million things or it could be nothing at all. We went back the next day and they had to draw blood from your tiny little arm. I was sick all day thinking about how awful it was going to be, but you did an awesome job! It took three of us to hold you still but you didn't even cry! I just kept giving you kisses talking to you to keep you happy. You even managed a tiny smile during the draw. We also had to collect a poop sample, which I will spare you all the fun details of. This wouldn't have been a problem if you had something near a solid poop. Unfortunately for us, it was pretty much liquid. Let's just say it took some creativity to finally get it :-)

You are sleeping peacefully now and I hope to hear back from the doctor tomorrow. I've decided there's nothing worse than not knowing what's going on, so I hope we get some answers soon. In the meantime, keep smiling little guy....

I love you,
Mommy

Mom of Two

Dear Noelle and Ty,

I must be the luckiest mom. You two are such sweeties and I enjoyed spending my Mother's Day with you guys and Daddy. We went out to Turkey Run for our annual Trail 3 hike. Daddy and I were a little nervous because Trail 3 is an incredibly tough trail that include hiking up a waterfall, climbing down three sets of rickety wooden ladders, climbing 300+ stairs and keeping your balance of super slippery/muddy trails. We started out with a picnic of fried chicken, fruit, chips and other yummy goodies. Noelle, you thought the picnic was so fun and are still talking about it. We'll have to make sure we go on lots of picnics this summer.

Daddy carried you, Noelle, on his back and you loved having Daddy walk through the water. Good thing he was wearing his reef shoes that we bought in Hawaii, because with all the rain we've had, half the hike was underwater. You also like getting out and hiking yourself, searching for lions in the woods. I carried you, Ty, on my front in the Snugli. You were so content just watching everything that was going on. I made sure to take my time on the hike so that I didn't fall and smoosh you. When we got to the waterfall, Daddy ended up carrying you just in case I slipped. I got a picture of Dad getting ready to hike up the fall with both of you. All along the trial, the other hikers kept telling us how brave we were and that they couldn't believe we'd take two little ones out on Trail 3!!

There was no better gift for Mother's Day!! I love being your mom and am so thankful that you two are such great kids. There's nothing better than spending time with you and listening to your laughs and seeing how much fun the both of you are having. Thanks for a perfect day!! I love you guys!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Love,
Mommy

Contains: MILK, SOY

Dear Ty,

Well, it's been two months since I've been on the dairy/soy free diet and it's made a world of difference for you. We go back to the doctor in a month and will talk with her about where our next steps will be...do we try to reintroduce some dairy and soy into my diet and see how you handle it? Do we start to plan more tests to see if you have other allergies? They say most kids outgrow dairy/soy protein intolerance (DSPI) by age 3 and I really hope that is the case. While it hasn't been too tough to change my diet, I'd hate for you to grow up always checking labels for potential dairy and soy. It makes me sad that you might not be able to eat birthday cakes, or take your girlfriends out for ice cream ;-) I guess we'll have to wait and see what the doctor says and go from there.

I love you,
Mommy

An Older Man

Dear Noelle,

Last Saturday, the 2nd you went to your first birthday party!! We were able to enjoy a beautiful morning at the park with your best bud Joel. He goes to Lisa's with you and you even have a nickname for him-Joely. You guys like to play together and he always seems to be trying to help you out. The other day I picked you up and he was helping you put your socks on. And at the b-day party he was showing you how to pedal. It is the cutest.thing.ever.

At the party, he rode you around on this little bike and gave you lots of hugs. Here are some pics of the two of you:

3 Months

Dear Ty,

Today you are three months and I can't believe it's gone by this fast!! You are such a sweet little boy- it's amazing the difference in your disposition since we figured out your dairy/soy intolerance. All we have to do is call you handsome or say "hey" and you are all smiles. You are working on laughing now and when you get super excited, you let out a little laugh. I've been trying to get it on video, but haven't had any luck. You've also been sleeping through the night since April 25th, which is pretty stinkin' cool. You'll nurse around 9-10 pm and go until 5-6 am. There have been a few mornings we've had to wake you up at 7:15 to get fed before daycare. Mommy and Daddy love the full night of sleep, so keep up the good work!!

One of your favorite things to do is to lay on the floor and have the freedom to wiggle around. You're move of the month is the motorcycle, where one leg just pumps up and down. It's the funniest thing to watch, kinda like you are trying to get your Harley started, lol. You also like to see what's on T.V. If you aren't in the position to see it, you scoot around yourself around to have a better view. You've also managed to find your fist to suck on when you're hungry and seemed determined to be a finger sucker...but we're working on not letting that become a habit.

I'm looking forward to all the neat stuff you'll do during your fourth month! I love you to pieces!


Love,
Mommy

The Jokester

Dear Noelle,


The last few weeks your personality has just become hilarious. First, let's talk about the things that are those funny-but-you-shouldn't-laugh episodes. My favorite is when you go stomping around the house, pointing at Mommy or Daddy and telling us NO. And it's not just your pointer finger you are using, you throw the thumb in there for good measure, kinda like making the letter L with your two fingers. You are so emphatic and serious and the look on your face is hysterical. Like I'm in charge here Mom and you better listen up because you're making me mad face. Sometimes you add some pauses in for additional affect: "No. I. Don't.Want.It." Dad and I seemed to have worked out a system though. As the one parent who is getting reprimanded sneaks away to laugh, the other puts your little butt in time out and explains why it's not nice to talk to Mommy/Daddy that way. Another favorite is when you give Chompers and Chance the what for. The other day Chompers got a hold of a baby doll and ripped an arm off and chewed a leg. When you woke up from nap and found the carnage your monologue went like this:


"Oh No. What happened here? Chompers at my doll. No, no, no Chompers. Cage Chompers"


and proceeded to put the dog in her cage...and of course there was a ton of L-shaped finger pointing going on.


But the best is how FUNNY you are. You love to joke around and say silly things just to get a reaction from us. For instance, the other night you said "I want to eat poop" (talking about a popsicle) and so I said "you want to eat poop?!?!" and you giggle and say "noooooooooooo" in a tone that really means, Come on mom, don't be ridiculous, nobody eats poop. Sometimes you and I will just sit around and play this game for hours. I say random stuff and you give me the big "noooooooooooo".


You also love to hide. Anytime you hear the garage door opening you run to hide from Daddy. Sometimes you get into a good hiding spot, but blow your cover when you start laughing. You think that if you can't see anything, then you are hidden. Putting your face in the couch is an all-time favorite "hiding spot". Of course we still pretend we can't see you and go around for 10 minutes or so asking "Where is Noelle? Has anyone seen Noelle? Noelle, where are you?!?"


I'm hoping that this doesn't mean you're going to grow up to be the class clown :-) I can hear the phone call now "Hi, this is Ms. So-And-So and I have your daughter Noelle in class this year. I was just calling to let you know........"


Love you Noelle,
Mommy

Easter 2009

Dear Noelle and Ty,

Easter was two Sundays ago and you two have kept me so busy, it's taken this long for me to get pictures uploaded.

Noelle, you did a good job coloring your Easter eggs with Daddy the night before. You even got to put special Elmo and Big Bird stickers on them!! We had been talking all about the Easter Bunny coming to hide eggs at your house...you ended up going to bed early so that the morning would come sooner. When you got up, you went straight to your basket and found bracelets, necklaces, sesame street books, "mail-mails", a city bus, an airplane, bat and ball, and a new Elmo top and skirt. You found all the eggs that were hidden and had a breakfast of swedish fish, gummy bears and lifesaver gummies. You even tried to open the eggs that we colored, but quickly found out that those didn't have candy inside.

You were so excited to wear your pretty yellow dress that you picked out. You also loved your bonnet and new shoes. And kept asking Mommy and Daddy pick you up so you could look in the mirror. You are such a beautiful little girl!!

Ty, you slept through the egg coloring and egg hunting, but the Easter bunny brought you some presents too. I think your favorite was the Mylicon :-) but he also got you some rattles, bibs and new outfit. Mommy was super excited to get you dressed up in your Easter outfit, you looked so handsome in your sweater vest!! We got you dressed and soon realized how hard it was to take a good pic of both you and your sister. One of you was either looking away or crying at some point. We're going to have to work on that!

We then headed out to Great Grandma and Grandpa Knight's to eat a delicious lunch and have an even bigger Easter egg hunt outside!! We couldn't believe how much candy you got and we ended up having to sneak it away so that no one got a stomach ache (that includes you Dad!!). Grandma also got you lots of pretty nailpolish colors and some "yummy" chapstick. Here are the pics we took of you two cuties....

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

All in all, we had a great day and even better weather and we managed to get through our first major holiday as a family of four!

I love you guys,
Mommy

One Week

One week from today and I'll be back at work. Ugh. 12 weeks flew by and while I'm excited to get back to teaching, I'm feeling a little sad that I won't have the entire day to just hang out with Ty. Instead of going for long walks, having cuddle time, and enjoying his smiley mornings, I'll be back full time with my students.

But then the other night, I realized that I only have about a month left of school and that made me feel better. In five short weeks, I'll have the whole summer to enjoy both my kids. So for now, I'll spend this next week enjoying the last of my maternity leave and then start looking forward to the summer when I'll have all day to play with Noelle and Ty at the park and the pool. My garden will be in full swing and all the fun classes I've signed the kids up for will be starting. And while I still won't have all day to just cuddle with Ty, I'll be having a blast with swim lessons, pee-wee farmers, wiggles and giggles, tiny tot notes and more!

The Swaddle

Dear Ty,

Ty, my little guy. I know that Daddy is a much better swaddler than me. I know you know this, so there is no reason to waste all your energy trying to bust out of my swaddle just to prove how horrible of a swaddler I am. Trust me, you sleep much better all cuddled up. When you have your arms up and ready to flail about, the blankie off, your nightgown halfway up your legs and your sock off, it's only a matter of time before you realize how cold you are and wake up crying to be warmed up. Let's agree to accept the fact that I'm not the best swaddler and leave it at that, okay?

I love you,
Mommy

Sleeping Beauty

Dear Noelle,

I once read a quote that went something like "never miss the chance to watch your baby sleep". Every night I stop in your room to check and make sure you're still covered up, still breathing, and that no limbs are lodged in a crib slat. You are usually sleeping peacefully and I give you a kiss and tuck you in. Last night, when I went to check on you, I found this:



Wait, the best part is the close up of your "nigh-nigh" (aka a pacifier). Despite my better judgement, I risked waking sleeping beauty with a close up...

There nigh-nigh sat, barely hanging on, with only about 1/10 of it actually in your mouth. Of course as soon as I took the pic, the wind from the flash knocked it to the floor so I quickly got out before you woke up. As much as I wish you didn't have that darn nigh-nigh, I secretly like how much you adore that silly thing.

I love you babe,

Mommy

First Entry

Dear Noelle and Ty,

I'm starting this blog to keep track of your cute photos, the funny things you do, and all the reasons I love being your mommy. I should have started it when you were born, Noelle, but better late than never!! This way, when you are all grown up you will be able to read all about life when you were little!

Love,
Mommy