So Proud

Now that I'm home a few extra days a week, I feel I should really concentrate on educating my kids as well as playing with them. Taylor has really blossomed in one of my first and most important lessons. Brainwash them young, I always say. Taylor, Woody would be proud.

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Pearly Whites, Princesses and Proofing

Ah, the joys of teething. Michael is cutting his second tooth right now and I think a few top teeth could be close behind. He doesn't seem to be struggling with it as much this time (that first tooth was a real treat), but he's an absolute drool monster. I can't keep up with it. As soon as the bib comes off, the front of his little shirt is soaked. Hey little man, that's no way to impress the ladies!

I managed to sneak a picture of his new pearly whites. He wasn't real happy about me messing around with his mouth.

It was raining when I got home from work yesterday, so Michael entertained himself in the exersaucer, Taylor entertained herself by dressing up like a princess and I entertained myself by bothering both of them with the camera. Here's Princess Taylor:

How we entertain ourselves on a rainy day. Yes, Taylor is brushing Champ with her princess comb.

I think I'll have to start baby proofing the house soon. Michael suffered his first household accident last night. He rolled over to a stack of Taylor's DVDs and yanked one of the bottom cases. About 10 DVD cases crashed down right onto the poor dude's face! He ended up with a couple of scratches, but is alright.

Battle wounds!

I'm sure Taylor will have more fun playing with her brother once he becomes mobile, but she'll have to adjust some. She's very territorial with her stuff! I held him up to her chair last night and he kept grabbing at her beloved Dora blanket. She was laughing, but you could tell she wanted him to back off!



Alright, gotta get back to writing about school furniture.

Until next time,
Mommy Kel

Props to Prunes

Since starting solids, Michael has been a little - shall we say politely - "backed up". (Think of those big boxes of Goobers you get at the movie theatre.) I just talked to Daddy Daycare and it seems as though the healthy dose of prunes Michael had for dinner last night have **ahem** gotten things moving. You probably could have gone a lifetime without knowing that, but hey, this our life!

Until next time,
Mommy Kel

This and That

The weather has been beautiful, so we're just taking time to enjoy the summer right now. I feel so lucky that I can be home with the kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's great being able to just hang out, play, go grocery shopping, etc. without rushing around. I even like cleaning while they nap! For those who knew me in college, this probably comes as a shock. You couldn't walk across my room without risking turning an ankle on some unidentified object. My car was just as bad. My friend Tony so generously took it upon himself to clean my car once and told me how he pulled a tennis ball out from under my seat. Turns out it wasn't a tennis ball, but a really old, really green and really fuzzy orange. Ew. Now, I'm sort of a neat freak. I guess it comes with the parenting territory.

We hung out in the pool for about an hour yesterday. Taylor loves it and it's growing on Michael. He can sit up on his own just fine outside of the water, but it's still a little tough for him to keep his balance in the pool (so I sit in there too and hold on to him). I think he'll love it once he gets a little more confident. He's a pretty apprehensive little dude in general. My mom says I was the same way as a kid, and according to Marilyn, Mike was too. Taylor's not exactly a daredevil either. I'm fine with that!

I don't have any pictures from the pool, but I do have a few to share from this past week. Enjoy!

Aren't they cute?

Bubbles!

Gotta love the dimples! She can thank Daddy for those.

Michael's favorite time of the day - mealtime!

"I'm getting good at this sitting up thing!"

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Happy Birthday, Champy!

Well Buddy, you were my first crack at caring for another living thing. I can hardly believe it's been six years since you made your appearance at Shannon's Valley dog farm! You've been a great friend and I want to thank you for that. You don't have a mean bone in your expansive body (unless someone tried to hurt one of "your" kids, I imagine). I remember how excited we were when Marilyn (Grandma N) and Rich told us they were giving you to us for one of our wedding gifts. You've been the best dog ever since! Yeah, you shed a lot and you're a little over-passionate about food, but you are well worth it. I can't imagine taking walks without you, even when it'd probably be much easier leaving you at home at times (picture Michael in the Bjorn, Taylor in the stroller and Champ on the leash. That's an extra 146 pounds for me to deal with!). We love you Champy. Happy Birthday!

Champ Facts:
* Born June 21st, 2002
* Full name is Shannon's Champagne
* Dad Beauregard was a Westminster Best of Breed. Mom is a black lab named "Bed of Roses" or Rose
* Only brown-eyed member of our family
* Loves walks, food, his Grandparents, Taylor and Michael, other dogs, scratchies and licking up Michael's projectile spit up (disgusting I know, but sometimes he's just too quick and beats me to it)
* Been the butt of hundreds of fat jokes. He walks 1-2 miles every night, plays in the yard and eats only low-fat dog food. I have no idea why he's such a moose.

Taylor took your place as the baby, but you still adore her. You've never lost patience with her and I know she's loved growing up with you.

Michael lights up and squeals when he sees you. Sometimes, the only way I can get him to practice tummy time is to have you lay just out of his reach. Don't worry, it won't be long before he stops pulling your fur and starts petting it.

You are so strange sometimes.

Until next time,
Mommy Kel

Checkups

June 18, 2008: I took both kids in for checkups yesterday – Michael’s 6-month appointment and Taylor’s 4-year appointment. I know, Taylor won’t technically be 4 for another three weeks, but convenience won out this time.

I’ll start with Taylor. The Worm is 41” tall (75th percentile) and 36 pounds (50th percentile). I was so impressed with how well she did at the appointment. She seems to be WAY over any shyness she had as a toddler and loved having all the attention of Dr. Dooley and the nurses on her. She counted, said her ABCs, rolled off colors, talked about school, mealtime, her brother, etc. It’s funny how moms always obsess over how much or how little their babies talk. Taylor is never quiet now! I read somewhere that the typical 4-year-old should be able to say 6-word sentences. I laughed out loud at that. Funniest moment of the physical was when Dr. Dooley said, “Taylor, stand on one foot.” Taylor promptly walked over to stand on one of Dr. Dooley’s feet. Ha, I guess nobody clarified whose foot to stand on.

Taylor Jordan - almost 4 years old. Never met an ear she didn't like.


The Pear continues to live up to his nickname. He weighed in at 19 lbs. 8 oz. (75th percentile) and 28” (95th percentile). The kid likes to eat and protests immediately after polishing off a 9-ounce bottle. He must have his dad’s metabolism. Mike eats insane amounts of food, like the two pieces of homemade pizza that were SUPPOSED to be my lunch today. (Sorry, still bitter.) They were sucked down sometime between my going to bed (11 p.m.) and leaving for work (6 a.m.). Alright, back to The Pear. Michael also has a huge noggin, but we really didn’t need a tape measurer to tell us that. He’s falling right in line with the rest of the Taylor clan. My head is huge, as is Taylor’s, Grandma T’s, Uncle Chris’s and the list goes on. Dr. Dooley was impressed with how strong he is, so I was relieved. I was worried that he’s only been sitting by himself for a few minutes at a time, but she said that it’s great for a baby in this “back-to-sleep” age. He’s gotten quite good at rolling from back to belly, but usually gets ticked pretty quickly after that. I try to encourage him to play on his tummy, but there’s only so much blood-curdling screaming a person can handle. It’s amazing how pissed off a 6-month-old baby can get. He’s so happy a lot of the time – smiling, laughing, etc., but man, look out if something is amiss! Poor guy had to get four shots, but did really well afterwards. We took about a 2-mile walk last night and I barely heard a peep from the stroller.

Michael Stanley, Jr., 6 months. Never met a meal he didn't like. He's doing a good job of sitting up and playing with toys here.

Until next time,
Mommy Kel

Father's Day 2008

June 15: Since Mike and I are both sun lovers, we decided to take the kids out on Cowan Lake. We packed up the exersaucer, some snacks, a bottle and diapers and headed out. (Remember the days when leaving the house meant Mike and I waking up 15 minutes before we left empty-handed out the door?) The weather was perfect – about 80 degrees, sunny and no humidity. Taylor loves going out on the boat, but it was Michael’s first adventure. He loves being outside, so we weren’t too worried.

What a fun day! Michael just squealed and played and Taylor was thrilled to get a chance to drive the boat. (Now I know what I have in store for me in 12 years. I was a little scared when I saw her careening towards another pontoon boat.) Mike had a nice time relaxing in the sun and I even managed to relax a little.

Daddy, bear hugging his kids.

Proud Mommy. Poor Taylor had to keep cheesing while we tried to get Michael to look at the camera.

Taylor has already adopted my crappy driving habits. Eating, drinking, eyes off the road/water and one hand.

What a little cutie!


Nic pecs!

You too, Michael!

After baths to wash off sunscreen and splashes of yucky fishy water, the kids went down for naps. Afterwards, we headed to Grampa Taylor’s house. It was good to see Pops, Aunt Angie and Aunt Kim. It’s funny because I never lived in that house (except for free-loading for about three weeks before my wedding), but I feel like it’s home-away-from-home. We ate pizza, hung out in the yard and checked out the cicadas. Michael was unfazed by the buzzing bugs, but Taylor wanted no part of them. We did have fun putting them on poor Lanie Bear.

One cool thing to note: We saw a baby deer in the neighbor’s yard. Apparently, a family of deer frequently visits my dad’s suburb. Taylor quickly proclaimed, “I wish WE had a baby kangaroo in our yard.” Funny little girl.

I had to include this picture because Michael has only taken two or three baths where he didn't scream his head off. He was apprehensive, but did great.

Hanging out with Grandpa.


Until next time,
Mommy Kel