Pear Stats & Kid Pics

I forgot to give the Pear's one-year stats in my last post. Here goes:

Height: 32" (95th percentile)
Weight: 23 lbs. 12 oz. (50th-60th percentile)
Head: Big
Teeth: 7
Diaper Size: 4
Clothing Size: 18 months
Shoe Size: 5 or 5 wide
Recent Milestones: Cruising, speed crawling, climbing and standing without holding on
Favorite Toys: Basketball hoop set, Little People Farm, ball tree, balls, the babies from Taylor's dollhouse, new teddy bear
Favorite Foods: Barley cereal, peas, pears (how fitting), Dora soup, mashed potatoes - he doesn't seem too picky so far. He's not much into table foods just yet, but will eat Stage 3 foods fine.
Favorite Drinks: Still on soy formula for awhile and water. He doesn't like juice and is pretty good about drinking water.
Other Favorites: Mom and Dad, playing in the floor with Taylor, Champy, giving high-fives, pointing to and touching the animals on his wall, peek-a-boo
Dislikes: Baths (he's okay once he's been in for awhile, but he HATES to be washed), diaper changes, the vacuum, the carseat/poofy winter coat combo (he hates it almost as much as me), not getting his way
My Favorite Things: His hugs (he's become quite the hugger and will ambush you by crawling over quickly and planting his head on you), his big, open-mouth laugh, his gorilla walk (got to catch this on camera)


So that's the Pear in a nutshell. He's a pretty special little dude.


Here are a few pictures from the last couple days.


Michael striking a pose.


Taylor making wrapping paper at her PreK Christmas party.

Cheeser. Don't you love the sweater? She had on a matching zebra-print skirt. Made me think of Lauri.

Taylor helping me clean.

Mike educating the kids on playing Madden. Yes, they are all in their Steelers gear.

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Happy 1st Birthday, Michael!

It truly is amazing that the Pear turns one today. Really, where does the time go?

I never knew how incredibly fulfilling, wonderful, stressful, overwhelming and emotional having two children could be. God blessed me with this dynamic little boy and I thank him every day for that.
The journey began for the Pear and I back in March '07, yet I didn't know at the time that it had even been planned. A few weeks after our Spring Break trip to Tampa I started feeling a little funny. Could I be pregnant? No way. We tried for months back in the fall with no luck and we were going to try again in August. But silly me, it wasn't my plan, it was God's! The little Pear seed was already planted and was due December 23rd, 2007. A winter baby? In the middle of basketball season? Two days before Christmas? I was floored but overjoyed.

After a pretty uneventful pregnancy, Michael was born via c-section on December 16th, 2007. He was a big boy with a big cry!





The first few months brought tummy problems, reflux and a sometimes a very unhappy baby. The doctors ran tests for digestive problems and even Cystic Fibrosis. I was so afraid that there was something wrong with my little boy. It was my job as a mommy to make him happy, but sometimes I felt like I was failing because he seemed so miserable at times.



As the months past, he got happier and happier. He smiled and played and laughed hysterically when I nuzzled his belly or daddy "boxed" with him. At around 6 months, he started sitting up and really admiring his big sister. We spent summer days at the park, taking Champy for long walks or swimming in the pool on the patio. Those were great times that I'll never forget.



Michael is now a champion crawler and cruiser. He could walk if he wanted to (the doctors are amazed at how strong he is), but chooses not to. He stands alone for a bit and in true Michael fashion, will walk when he sees fit. He babbles like crazy and says "dada" pretty well. I've also heard variations of "mama", "dog", "Tay Tay" and "teddy". He's a pointing fool and loves to point at different objects and have me tell him what they are. He figures things out quickly and is one smart little dude.

The little man has a stronghold on my heart. We have a special connection that will always be there. It's a mommy-son thing that only moms and sons can really understand. I have a special connection with Taylor too, but Michael and I have a just-as-special, but different, bond. I love when he reaches for me when he's feeling a little timid and squeals when I come into his room in the morning. He puts gusto into everything, whether it be screaming bloody murder every. single. time. he gets his diaper changed or burrowing his little fuzzy head into my arms for a hug from mama. I am a better person because of Michael and I can only hope that one day he can say the same about me. Don't let anyone ever tell you any differently, Michael. You will always be Mommy's baby boy!

Happy Birthday! Mommy, Daddy and Taylor love you with all our hearts!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Prelude to the Big Birthday

Michael got his first 1st birthday present today! Thank you Tony, Lauri and Scott! If his actual birthday party is anything like tonight, it's going to be a lot of fun.

First, there was fascination with the box. He kept trying to cover it with his teddy bear blanket:

Then, he cruised around it, climbed on it and drooled on it:

We got the brown paper off, read him the cute card from Tony, then got him started on the wrapping paper. He had a blast ripping it off:

He was squealing before he even got the little basketball/baseball/football sports set out! See his little pointer?
He played with it for a good 30 minutes straight. He loves his new toy!

Taylor had fun with it, too, despite being sick all day. She's already feeling much better.

Here's a video of Michael getting excited about his new toy. I wish it wasn't so dark, but you can still hear how happy he is.

Thanks Tbone, Lauri and Scott. You're the best!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Visiting and Visitors

We took advantage of the long weekend to visit some family and have some friends over. Both the kids love to be around people, so it's always fun to see everyone.


We headed to my dad's house for Thanksgiving this year and had a nice, relaxing day with my mom and dad. Both kids were on their best behavior. Michael did smack his head right on the corner of the dining room table as we were bringing the food out. He had a nice goose egg, but was back to himself after a few tears. After dinner, the kids, grandma and I took a wagon ride around the neighborhood. (Well, the kids rode and I pulled their big butts.) I'm glad we all had a chance to hang out!

My little turkey.

My other little turkey with the big ol' goose egg on his big ol' noggin. He liked for me to pull him around in the Lego cart.

G-pa and the Worm.

G-ma and the Pear.

The best $9 I ever spent. He loves this toy.

On Friday, my BFF Lauri and her little cutie, Tony came to visit. We got to see them last month and I can't believe how much Tbone has grown in one month! What a cutie. The kids played in the floor and Lauri and I got to relax and just enjoy each other's company. I miss you Lauri! We used to raise a ruckus in our college days, but could have just as much fun hanging out painting pots and watching movies. I so wish they lived closer.

Taylor took this picture of Lauri, Tony and I. Thanks, Worm!

1-for-3 on getting my subjects to look at the camera. Hey, Max and Ruby was on.

0-for-3. Still a cute picture of the kids playing. Michael is checking out his future OSU college roommate. Taylor is contemplating whether or not she wants to babysit these guys some day. Tony is pushing the Pear out the way for more camera time.

Yay, it's Tony!

The Pear plays hard and naps hard. He always chews on his blanket while he's sleeping. It's so cute.

We got some more out-of-town visitors on Saturday. Brett, our friend from the old Wabash days, and his wife Ashley stopped by for a few hours. They live in Northern Michigan (and yes, he's a Michigan fan), but were in Cincy visiting relatives for Thanksgiving. They're expecting their first little one this spring and find out the gender this week. Can't wait to find out!

Saturday night, I talked Mike into taking the kids to our town's "Holidazzle Hometown Parade". It's a lighted Christmas parade and it was actually really cool (and really cold!!!). Taylor absolutely loved it, but I think Michael would have been happier cuddled up somewhere a little warmer.

The trick to staying warm during a parade in late November is to keep a buddled up kid on your lap.
Simply dazzling.

Basketball season starts on Saturday when Mike's team heads to Oak Hills. Good luck Hurricane!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel