Probably a first and last

Driving down I-55 on our way to Edwardsville, what should appear on the side of the road? A spaceship, of course! As we drove past Reed exclaimed, "I-WANT-TO-SEE-THE-SPACESHIP-ONE-MORE-TIME!" We had been driving for nearly 5 hours without stopping so we turned off the interstate and jumped on the frontage road back to the Livingston Antique Mall. Yes, Reed was begging to go to an ANTIQUE shop!

Take me to your leader.

Not only was there a spaceship, there was also an ice cream stand, an elephant, and a giant shirtless man eating an ice cream cone. Woo hoo!

We did go inside but it seems like the best stuff was outside.

Christmas Day

We finished up our holiday celebration with a party at Bob's brother's house. The food was delicious and the company was great. We are truly blessed to have such great family.

The Mihelich Grandkids

Cora in typical form, tongue out and in push-up position

Here is a video that is pretty representative of how Cora has been moving lately. In the last two days she has started spending more time on her knees. Her mostly backward mobility is advancing a bit to inching forward too.

Christmas morning!

Christmas morning we woke up in our own beds. Reed came in to wake us up and we headed downstairs. Reed opened one present from Santa before we got dressed and ready for church. He kind of looks like he's still waking up.

Favorite present: Mini-skateboard

After church, we came home, leisurely opened gifts, and munched on cinnamon rolls. Reed even took an early nap before the Mihelich Christmas. A great morning!

Tool set

Capes for the Superhero

More capes for the Superhero
(Four actually, one for each family member)

As typical with many first Christmas experiences, Cora didn't really get too worked up. The wrapping paper was the highlight for her, but she is enjoying her new dolls, teether, and glow worm.

Bob and the kids

Christmas with my family

You can never celebrate too much so we had another Reed Christmas with my immediate family before we left Greenville. It was great to spend a relaxing morning at home with everyone. As always, the kids enjoying playing too. Oh and did I mention they opened presents too?

My parents and siblings

Aunt Andrea and Cora

Owen and Reed

Willa and Strawberry Shortcake

Family time!

Sunday, December 19th was the family Christmas extravaganza for us. We celebrated with both the Maher and Reed extended families. We met for lunch at my Aunt Rita's and then for dinner at the Reed Farm. We had a blast but it was a VERY long day!

The Maher Family

The Reed Great-Grandchildren

The cousins Reed M. and Reed T.
2 1/2 yrs. and almost 4 yrs. old

After dinner serenade

In case you haven't gotten your fix of Christmas music yet, here is Reed's rendition of Jingle Bells. It's followed by a Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star remix. Enjoy!

6 month checkup

Yesterday was Cora's 6 month checkup. I think it was also a Mommy test...How well do you know your baby? Okay, it's more like a list of things they ask you (Does your baby turn his/her head when he/she hears a loud noise or your voice, When your baby stands does he/she stand flat on his/her feet, etc.) and then you have to check yes, sometimes, not yet. Most of these questions are very easy to answer, but then I would get stuck on one. Hmm, I'm not sure if she does pass a small object from one hand to the other. Let the guilt sink in. Who watches this baby all day long?! I mean, she's 6 months now. She mostly takes care of herself. (Yes, that was an attempt at a joke.) Frantically, I tried to hand her something. It, of course, went straight into the mouth, great. I'm not sure if I answered "sometimes" or "no." I figure err on the side of caution.

Well, turns out she's doing just great. When I asked the doctor if I should be worried that she isn't sitting independently yet, he directed me to sit her on the table. As she sat there, he asked, 'so what's she doing now?' I told him she has a tendency to fall over. He said she is strong, has good balance, and her problem was likely that she didn't know how to control moving from one position to another. Another worrywart mother...

Here are the stats: 15 lbs, 6 ozs. and 27 inches. The nurse said she's just under the 50th percentile in weight and at 90% for height. I'm still wondering why I get countless remarks about how "petite" she is. I am going to start taking it as referring to her features rather than her stature.

Overall, she is still a very happy girl. Her eating (baby food) is improving as is her sleeping. She's sleeping about 6-8 hours in one stretch. I know that's not a dream, but it's getting better. We're also still waiting for those first teeth to peek through. I sense a lot of changes on the horizon. As exciting as that is, sometimes I'd just like to bottle her up, just as she is.
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UPDATE: As of this afternoon, she's up on her knees. The belly pivoting may be on its way to crawling. Yikes!

SECOND UPDATE: By evening she had mastered the "plank" pose, basically the straight arm pushup.

THIRD UPDATE: I am now confident that she can pass an object from one hand to the other. Phew!

An early birthday party

Last Saturday night we celebrated my big 3-2 a little early with Bob's family. We are headed down to southern Illinois this weekend so we won't be around. Or we might be around on my birthday and be frantically wrapping gifts and packing. Nonetheless, here we are. We had pizza and cake and afterward Grandma and Grandpa M. took Reed, Mason, and Porter on the Polar Express. The train museum in South Elgin does a great activity where they give train rides, read The Polar Express, feed them cookies and hot cocoa, and they get to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. Sounds like Reed had a blast. If I get some photos from Grandma and Grandpa, I will post them soon.

Reed, very happy to get cake, and Cora, very happy to chew on a plate

Kids say the darndst things.

Reed is getting to be more of a talker every day. I marvel at all the things that he comes up with. Sometimes my heart melts, sometimes I just shake my head. I am already starting to forget them so I thought I’d just document a few.

The sweet:

Reed: “I LOOOVE this, Mommy. It is VERRRY GOOD!” (referring to dinner)

Reed: (hugs me) “We are BEST FRIENDS!”

The defiant:

Me: “Stop that right now!”
Reed: “That IS appropriate.” (referring to his actions)
Me: “No Reed, that is NOT appropriate.”

The inquisitive:

Reed: “What are those ducks doing over there?”
Me: (driving) “What ducks?”
Reed: “Over there, in the duck swimming pool.” (pond)

Reed: “Baby Jesus will share his birthday cake with me?”

The reinterpretative:

Me: “That's a pillow case.”
Reed: “That's a pillow quesadilla."

Me: “Reed, I need space.”
Reed: “I need a spaceship."

Here comes Santa Claus!

Last Saturday we had a nice lunch with Santa at Oma's assisted living facility. We enjoyed a nice lunch and then Reed, Cora, Mason, and Porter got their chance to put in their Christmas wishes to Mr. Claus himself. This was Cora's first sit down with Santa Claus and the first year that Reed really has cared about it.

No tears!

Heart to heart conversation

Santa and Reed had a nice little talk. Reed sat like a little gentleman and listened intently, studying Santa very closely. We thought Santa stumped Reed with the question of who pulls Santa's sleigh, but Reed finally came through with "reindeer!" When Santa asked what he wants for Christmas, Reed responded, "toys." No special requests, just toys. I wish every year that he will be so accommodating.

After they got off Santa's lap, they got a goody bag and a candy cane. Reed loved both. He has discovered, in his words...."Candy canes are GOOOOD! I LOOOVE candy canes!" I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised when he was asked by a relative what he wanted for Christmas from Santa and his new response was "a candy cane." Sometimes you forget the small things are big things to little people. I am hoping we can push off the want, want, want mentality for as long as possible. It really makes the holidays more enjoyable to delight in the simple pleasures.

Smiles from Cora and Grandma

A feast, a reunion, a tree, family and a feast

We had a really great Thanksgiving this year. We started with a feast and ended with a feast. What could be better?!

We spent Thanksgiving day in Elgin at Bob's parents' house and shared a fabulous meal with his parents and Oma. The next morning we hit the road for a weekend in Greenville. Friday night we ordered Mario's pizza and watched football. Mmm, Mario's.

Sara with Benson and Bryant, Me with Reed and Cora, Jen with Hadley

Saturday morning we met up with my high school girls and their kiddos. It was great but went too fast. Reed had a blast with Bryant and Benson. Hadley was as cute as every picture that I had seen. Cora liked Hadley but the active boys were a little more exciting for Ms. Hadley. From the looks of the photo it seems like Cora liked her shoes too. Hope I don't have a thief on my hands (or a shoe horse like her Aunt Andrea.) I can't wait until we get together again. Sara is expecting her third child in the Spring so we'll have another new one to meet. How exciting! (Here's how's we've changed in the last 7 months--http://erinandbob.blogspot.com/2010/04/easter-fun-in-greenville.html)

Later that day we made the annual trip to Daniken Tree Farm to track down and cut down our Christmas tree. Afterwards, the Stotts came over and the kids played like crazy. Reed enjoyed having his cousins around. Sunday we got to introduce Cora to the extended Maher and Reed families at our Thanksgiving feast.

What a fun and exhausting weekend. If I come across more photos, I will post them as I get them. Wow, another year with so much to be thankful for!

Boy vs. Baby

It's a daily struggle, not between Reed and Cora but between Reed himself. Is he a big boy or is he a baby? He can't choose so he's decided to be both, not simultaneously, which ever suits him best at that particular moment. Most of the time he is happy with his 2 1/2 year old big boy life, playing with big boy toys, eating big boy food, and the like. However, there is something still so appealing about being a baby and Cora is there everyday to remind him, sitting on Mommy's lap, nursing, being cuddled.

Maybe I shouldn't indulge him while he pretends to be a baby, but they are babies for such a short amount of time. He has a lot of time to be a big boy. And if it means more cuddle time with me, I am not going to pass that up. Very shortly he will be shielding my kisses and not wishing to sit on my lap or snuggle as much.

Here is a clip of his typical baby routine when he's just looking for a little attention. Cora seems oblivious to the whole thing. It's funny that he never took a pacifier as a baby but will suck on one now because in his mind that's what babies do.

Feed Me

It may not be a turkey dinner that Cora will be eating this Thanksgiving but at least it is a little something more than just milk. We started her on rice cereal recently. Maybe she'll even score some sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving. Hold the brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows.

Halloween Festivities

One of the mom's in my playgroup threw a big Halloween playdate bash on Saturday morning. The kids had a ball dressing up. I didn't think that we would be able to round them all up for a photo but before we headed home we headed next door to the next door neighbor's house ("Grandma" Donna) for extra treats. They all filed onto her front porch, and while there was a lot of squirming and a little complaining we able to get a few group shots.

Cowgirl Lizi, Cupcake Lexi, Chickie Nina, Doctor Leo, Dragon Griffin, Mermaid Addie, Spiderman (Who is that masked boy?...Reed is checking out his muscles), Power Ranger Reed, Giraffe Benjamin

Little ballerina Cora napping with Melissa

Sunday, Halloween day, was official Trick or Treating. After naps we dressed the kids and took them over to Grandma and Grandpa Mihelich's. Reed passed out candy over there for a while and then we headed back to our neighborhood and trick or treated on our block, which is plenty for a 2 year old. Halloween wouldn't be complete without visiting his cousins, Mason and Porter, so we headed over there next. By then Cora was ready for another nap.

Cora's cold weather outfit for trick or treating, Little Miss Penguin
(Yes, this is the same penguin costume as Reed wore but notice the PINK bow)

Reed's cold weather outfit was going to be a repeat of his dragon costume from last year but at the last minute he decided that he wanted to be a Power Ranger again.

This is how Cora Rolls

About a week and a half ago, we learned how Reed rolls (in a tractor). Today we learn how Cora rolls. From her back to her stomach and also from her stomach to her back. Yesterday I wrote that it seemed like Cora was going to start to roll. Later that day she was in the pack 'n play, I left her on her back and I returned and she was on her stomach. Reed was standing right there so I asked, 'Reed, did you help Cora roll over?' His reply was yes. I was unclear whether to believe him.

This morning the same thing happened but she was in her crib and it was clear that there was no assistance. Since then she has been working on her rolling skills and I even caught one of the rolls on video. She has only rolled once from her stomach to her back so we'll see if she has truly mastered both ways.

Call me crazy but lately when she's on her stomach it seems like she is trying to get up on her knees. She can definitely raise her chest off the floor. It makes me slightly panicky that crawling is around the corner. It seems to me that she developing physically what seems like overnight. She has not mastered sitting independently yet but it's around the corner.

Balancing

She has started sitting in the high chair at meal times and likes it. I think we'll be starting rice cereal before too long. How is she growing so fast?!

Goalkeeper

Over the weekend, Reed got into Bob's bag of hockey equipment and wanted to try everything on. As you can see the shin guards look more like the full leg padding that goalies use. He is also sporting his very own hockey helmet. I picked it up at the thrift shop (in Greenville of all places...who's children in Greenville play hockey?!) for Reed to use as he learns to ice skate this winter.

On the Cora front, I could have sworn that she yelled out 'Mama!' clear as day as I was walking out of the room today. I'm sure this is probably a fluke but I'm accepting it because Reed's first word was 'Dada' proceeded by 'Boo-ba' for blueberry. Mama was pretty far down the list. She is also developing a little more spirit, you might say. She almost rolled over today as she was expressing her dissatisfaction for being laid down. The combination of kicking and back arching almost did it. Keep working, little girl.

Homecoming

I'm running a little behind on the posts but trying to catch up. Last Friday was Homecoming for Larkin High School and after school was the Homecoming Parade. We only live a few blocks from the High School, where the parade starts. It travels the street at the end of block to the downtown. So on Friday Reed took his nap early to be sure he didn't miss the parade or the promise of candy (I can thank my neighbor for cluing him in on that idea.) As soon as we heard the marching band we packed up and ran to the end of the block. Reed was pretty much the only kid where we were standing and of course he is really cute so he was showered in candy. We've contemplated using that as our trick or treating candy, perhaps it will just supplement the supply if we run low.

It is good timing to get all this free candy because I'll be needing a stash of treats for my potty training boot camp that I am planning. Unless something comes up between now and then, I am planning to potty train Reed the Friday after Halloween. Goodbye diapers, hello super hero undies!

Four months...happy baby

Yesterday was Cora's 4 month checkup and, as we all suspected, she is growing and thriving. Good girl. I had no idea of what to expect when it came to her size. I've heard every guess of her age (based on size--we're talking strangers here--whatever stock you put on that) from a few weeks old to 7 months. My guess was that she was on track with Reed but it seems she's a bit smaller. Hey, that's okay; there is nothing wrong with a petite lady, Cora.

Cora - Reed
14lbs, 4 oz. - 14lbs, 12 oz.
25.5" - 26.75"
(4 month height/weight comparison)

Her favorite thing now, besides her hands or mommy, is her feet. She's either showing me that she was paying attention en utero while I was practicing yoga during my pregnancy or simply that this IS the pose that a "happy baby" enjoys best.

This is how Reed rolls

...in a Carhartt tractor t-shirt, rubber boots, and gardening gloves. Let fall cleanup begin!

Reed loves helping with yard work. He had his small rake that he was using, but then he discovered that he preferred picking up the leaves, putting them in the bucket, and then creating a pile. I take my workers anyway I can get them. We are trying to enjoy every beautiful fall day while they last!

This is how I roll

P-pa and Granny

P-pa and Granny came for a weekend visit and we had a wonderful time. P-pa watched Reed while Granny, Cora, and I headed to a potty training seminar. (Bob was at class.) I am planning on doing the one day technique here in a couple weeks, once things slow down a bit. It seems like October is super busy. I hoping to do it before Thanksgiving. Fingers crossed! I can't wait for him to be potty trained.

Play doh time!

Loving time with her grandparents

The weather was beautiful. We enjoyed a relaxing Sunday, playing at the park after church and taking in the glorious autumn day.

Firsts of the season

The crisp autumn weather of the weekend ushered in two season's firsts at the Mihelich household. The first was building the first fire of the season. This one made us all very happy. We hadn't turned on the heat yet but the fire made the house so cozy. We had a great Sunday afternoon/evening. Reed had a great time building the fire with his dad. Here are some photos:

Look at the excitement on his face!

That's a thing of beauty.

The happy family

The unfortunate first is that Cora has developed her first cold. It isn't bothering her too much but she has a nasty sounding cough and a little bit of a runny nose. I think she caught it from her brother.

Fall Festival

With Bob at class this morning, I was pondering between a quiet morning at home or a fall festival in South Elgin. We kind of ended up doing both. We stayed in our pajamas for a while playing and relaxing but by mid-morning we were ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful brisk fall day. We ended up running into Reed's buddy Benjamin and the boys had a blast.

Reed in the petting zoo. The animals were VERY friendly.

Back in the petting zoo with Benjamin. Look at that tiny cow!

Reed and Benjamin wanted to drive the tractor that was giving hayrides. After "driving" they took a ride in the wagon with Benjamin's daddy.

They loved climbing on the pyramid of hay. We surprisingly were able to get them to stop climbing briefly for a photo.

There were a few city vehicles there for Touch a Truck. This was their favorite, a big excavator.

Thanks for playing!

Thank goodness...

...that my brother is asleep so I can get Mommy's full and undivided attention for a while!

Yes, Cora is such a cooperative baby that most of the time that she tends to fly under the radar a bit. Although I must admit that she gets so much attention when we are out in public and she is riding in her sling. Typically when I go to the store that's what she rides in and I can't hardly make it through a trip without someone stopping me to say how cute she looks in it. It's like she's in my little kangaroo pouch. Sometimes she naps and sometimes she checks out what's going on, but either way she likes to be close to her momma...which I love, of course.


She is getting much stronger and much more expressive with each passing day. Here are a couple shots of her in her favorite positions.

Laying is for babies. I like to sit (assisted, for now)

Tummy time...no problem (most of the time)

Standing...hey, I like to look out the window!

Cora is laughing a lot now and finding her voice. A few days ago she was happy as could be but just yelling. She would smile and just try to make her voice louder and louder. The girl has good pipes.

I can't believe that she will be 4 months old soon. While she has moved up to her 3-6 month clothes, I still occasionally stuff her in some of the 0-3 month clothes. It's always "just one more time." You can't blame a Mom for wanting to hang onto her little tiny baby.