Adam Discovers His Toes

"Mommy, what are these? They are so cool and I'm having so much fun playing with them! You've been hiding them from me. I can't wait to get them in my mouth. "

C.C. Doo

The last time I saw our squirrel friend was a few days ago. It was raining and he was eating seeds in his same spot by the deck. He was soaking wet and looked so cute. Yesterday I went outside and checked under the deck steps where I had put some seeds for him. I thought he'd be able to sit under the steps to eat without getting wet from all the rain we had. And there was C.C. Doo. Half eaten. It was horrible. We knew his chances of living as our "outdoor pet" were slim, but I thought a hawk would get him and take him away. I am sure it was a cat that got him since I saw two cats in our yards this week. I never expected to find C.C. Doo the way I did. I called Mike's dad and he removed him so that Owen would not find him and be traumatized. So far Owen has not asked about him. I kept telling myself that it was just a squirrel and tried to put it into perspective by thinking of the soldiers that see horrible things during war. It looked like C.C. Doo had been through war. Poor guy.

Soooo Big....

Adam is getting so big! I am not really sure how since he only eats for about 5 minutes every three hours! He must be a very efficient eater. Sometimes I worry that he might not be gaining weight, but then I see these chunky legs. I love the rolls!Owen can't wait for Adam to be able to play with him. He talks to him all the time and needs reminders to "back away" from his face sometimes. Yesterday Owen was so close to Adam that he noticed he had some boogies in his nose. Owen wanted me to get them and I said I tried, but they are too far up there. Next thing I know, Owen has his finger up Adam's nose trying to retrieve the boogies for him!

Adam just adores Owen. He will stretch his neck to watch him or see what he is doing. Remember the little capsules that you put into water and they would grown into spongy creatures? Well the Easter bunny got some for Owen and he LOVES them! It keeps him entertained for a long time which he helpful while I am feeding or taking care of Adam.

Rainy Monday

Today was such a dreary day. We stayed inside and did not get out of our jammies all day! I was able to get a lot of cleaning and laundry done, make a rhyming book with Owen, and take a good afternoon nap while the boys napped. When Mike got home from work he took Owen in for a haircut. I tried a new recipe for dinner- buffalo chicken bake. It was delicious! Now I look forward to watching Dancing With the Stars. Tomorrow we'll be sure to get out of our jammies because we have a playdate.

I'm Back...

I have not blogged for a while because Mike was away at a conference and had his computer, therefore I was not able to blog. He's back now and we're so glad for that.

This week I have been taking care of this guy...
This guy...
And this guy (or gal)...Yes, we have a pet baby squirrel. He's very cute despite an injured eye and paw. We are feeding him and hoping a predator does not get him. Once he is rehabilitated and grows a bit we will release him somewhere else. I wish there was a squirrel sanctuary around here. He lets us pet him and he eats out of our hand. Aunt Judy was over visiting and this is her petting him.He hopped up onto our deck today and crawled onto Mike's shoe and would not get off. I am a little freaked out that he's going to crawl up my leg. Owen has named him C.C.Doo. Don't ask. I asked him if he meant Scooby Doo and he said "no".

In other exciting news...

Mike grew a beard and mustache this week because he was supposed to attend his buddy's bachelor party Saturday night in Atlantic City. He wanted me to take pictures of it (I'm not sure why).Thankfully, he decided (with no pressure from me) not to go and to stay home and help me with the kids instead. Hallelujah! There's going to be about 50 guys there so he figured it won't be too big of a deal if he is not there. He missed us while he was at his conference and I don't think he wants to leave us again :)

How I Met Your Father

A blog I enjoy reading, Kelly's Korner, does something every Friday where other bloggers get to share things from their life. She's done so many like favorite recipes, vacations, organization tips, etc. I have never participated, but this week she is doing "How You Met Your Husband" and I thought I should write about how I met Mike because one day my blog will be turned into a hardcover book (hopefully for mother's day!) for my kids to read and they may be wondering how we met!

Mike and I went to the same elementary, middle, and high school, but he was three years older than me. He was in the same class and good friends with my cousin, Paige, and they even went to homecoming together (or something like that). He and his friends would play cards over at Paige's house and I would go over now and then. I thought he was cute, but he seemed much older than me at the time. Our parents went to school together and my mom and his mom knew each other pretty well. Mike even worked for my dad a bit when he was in high school. I would ride my bike down to my dad's work and Mike would be there cleaning trailers. He still seemed much older than me. Even though I saw him now and then, I don't remember ever really talking to him until we were both out of college.

The summer after I graduated college was one of the best summers ever! I thought I would have been bored and depressed to be out of college, but I had so much fun that summer hanging out with other friends that were also home for the summer. We thought we owned the Blue Bird we hung out there so much. That August (2002) I went to the Cedar Crest Alumni soccer game with Paige (Mike happened to be playing in that game) and then we went out to the Blue Bird afterwards. Mike was at the BB with his dad and Kim. I remember telling Paige that I thought he was cute and I always hoped I would marry a soccer player and a teacher (I am not sure why... I guess because soccer is my favorite sport and I figured if he was a teacher, he would like kids). Well that night, Mike and I started talking and he invited himself to be my date at my cousin's wedding that was coming up. We started dating shortly after that.

I was teaching in E-Town and living at home. Mike was living and teaching in the Pocono's at the time so we had a long distance relationship for a year until he moved back to Lebanon. He moved home that summer (2003), got a job teaching in Lebanon and coaching soccer for CCHS. I bought a townhouse and he moved in with me. That February (2004) we got engaged (that is a whole other story). We were married July 9, 2005. Our wedding was one of my favorite moments. We spent our honeymoon in St. Lucia during hurricane Emily. Despite the hurricane, we still had a good time. I hope to take a second (hurricane free) honeymoon for our tenth wedding anniversary.

The following summer we went to St. John with my family and Boo, Judy, and Maddie. I was so happy to be able to show Mike one of my favorite vacation spots. Unfortunately we lost all our pictures from that trip when Mike's computer crashed. We also traveled to Europe that summer and took a road trip through Belgium, Germany, and Austria with Katie and Joel. We were there during the World Cup which made our trip even better!

After that summer of traveling we felt like we were ready to settle down and start a family.

We still look at each other sometimes and can't believe we are married and have two kids together. It seems like just yesterday we were passing each other in the halls at school and its so funny to think that we had NO idea we were going to be married one day and have kids. We are very much opposites when it comes to some things, but our values and what matters most to us in life are very much the same. I am so lucky to have married such a great person, husband, and father. I always said that if I had a daughter I would want her to marry someone just like Mike. Well, since I don't have a daughter, I hope that Owen and Adam grow up to be like their daddy.

Swimming, Running, and Mommy Attachment

Owen had swimming lessons this morning. He's been taking them at Lebanon Valley College since he was about 5 months old. He's at the age where he just wants to play in the pool and jump in rather than listen to the teacher talk. It's good for him, but a little tiring for Mike, who is the one getting in the pool with him since I refuse to until I no longer look 6 months pregnant!
Speaking of still looking pregnant.... I started running this week. The first time was rough, but today went much better. I am starting out VERY slow since my body forgets how to run and I am carrying around a ton of extra weight! My goal is to run in the Harrisburg Half Marathon in the fall. Mike and I are going to do it together. I really have no excuse since I am not working. The only thing that would hold me back is if my milk supply would decrease, which I hope does not happen.

Here's some pictures from Adam's bath tonight. Mike loves making mohawks, mustaches, and beards on the boys with soap suds.

Adam is starting to become very attached to me. Up until now he really did not mind who held him when he was upset. Today, while I was trying to take a nap, I heard him crying downstairs and Mike was trying to get him to calm down. I finally came down and held him and he went right to sleep on me. He watches me wherever I go and has started to get upset when I leave the room. We try to give him a bottle now and then and tonight Mike was going to give him one. He has given him a bottle pretty many times and Adam has been fine. Well tonight he screamed and screamed until I came up and tried and he took the bottle right away. We'll have to work on that or I won't be able to go anywhere for more than a couple hours for a long time! I remember Owen went through the same thing (not with the bottle though). It lasted for a while and Mike would get upset. Now they are inseparable!

This Week....

Adam and Owen both were at the doctor for their well child visits. Owen is in the 35-40th percentile for height (27 inches) and weight (31 lbs). Adam is in the 50th for height and the 75th for weight. We are going to have Owen "evaluated" by someone from early intervention to see if he qualifies for speech services. He has a very extensive vocabulary, however he is hard to understand. We don't notice it that much since we are around him daily. I think he is behind in some of his sounds because he had so many ear infections when he was a baby. All the important sounds he was supposed to be hearing probably sounded muffled. I am not sure if he will qualify for services, but the resident doctor that we saw before Dr. Schaffer suggested we look into it. Maybe she overheard him singing "Wain wain go away" at the top of his lungs while we were waiting for the doctor to see us.

Adam is doing MUCH MUCH better now that he is on Zantac. I did not realize how much he screamed while he was eating until he stopped and could go through a feeding without getting so upset. I hope it keeps working!

I finally took Adam's two month picture.Here is Owen at two months. I don't think they look anything alike in these pictures.
We've also been having fun planting seeds and watching them grow.

Painting with water.Feeding Elmo.
Playing hockey.
And taking colorful baths!