Hello Big World!

Back by popular demand and to help fulfill those repeated requests for an update, I offer recent photos and an update!



Chloe is-

taking five or six steps independently (photos forthcoming) and loves to stand straight up in the middle of the floor

out of her bathring and supporting herself in the slick and sometimes unyielding bathtub

sitting in a booster seat at the table and absolutely loves to feed herself finger foods (no more pureed foods for this girl!)



one of Chloe's climbing escapades on the sofa


Joseph is going to a local preschool (omitting the name for privacy purposes)... He's pictured here with his teacher's aide and developmental interventionist on this first day of school. It's a great environment and he's in a class of eight with peers close to his age. It's a perfect fit for us! He's in class for two hours each week. This is his sixth week of class and he loves it just as much as the first day. Each time I pick him up he's still exploring the room as if I had just dropped him off for the morning.



First preschool artwork (and still on the fridge for our enjoyment!):

I love how the penguin's eyes are skewed...

When Life Hands You Lasagna Noodles, Get Creative

Someone found the lasagna noodles and had a little fun.....
I wonder if he was going for this. Chef Joseph!

Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Words

Beautiful Chloe Turns One!

Chloe enjoys the rose from her birthday cake!Notice her left fist full of cake and icing--it gets a lot hairier than this!

The last picture we took before deciding she needed a bath...and her gown needing laundering!


On January 1st (an easy date to remember for this busy mamma!) Joseph upgraded to a big boy toddler bed. I had many pictures of him and his new bed-he loves it!- but this one with Mom I liked a lot...because Joseph is holding her hand while James and Mom have a conversation. He loves Granny!

Humongous Joseph First!

Today, Joseph went to his first-ever playgroup..... no "Mama", no relatives, new and unfamiliar grounds, grownups, and peers.

While I attended my first local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting, Joseph had a fun time playing with his peers. This was a huge first for him--probably more for me, honestly! ;) He was eager to get to the toys in the playroom, and didn't even look up to see me slip out of the room. I briefly got acquainted with the ladies taking care of him before registering him for the playgroup. Then, I stood in the hallway for ten minutes watching through the door to make sure he was acclimated before heading off for some time with local moms. Another mom reassured me that he'd be okay....I knew that he would be- he's very social. The moment was more about me taking it all in and realizing that our little boy is growing up so quickly!

When I picked him up after MOPS, he was a little upset only because two other mothers had beat me to the room to get their little ones. The caregiver told me that he started to get a little worried when he didn't see me behind them. After much hugs and kisses, I got a great 'report' on Joseph that would make any mother's heart swell with pride! They said he was very nice to the other children and even gave one little girl her pacifier when she was crying. He has such a loving heart!

Here's a pic I snapped of Joseph once we were home and on familiar ground:


(Joseph is wearing his fluorescent sticker from his first playgroup......awwwwww)

a Dollar 'Ninety Nine!

Today, James watched the Little Ones so I could enjoy a few precious hours of 'me time'. I was able to cover the ground (rather, 'stores') I'd imagined, and I was successful in finding some fabulous deals. (another blog to cover my steal o' deals later....with pics!)

When I came home from my fun outing, Joseph came running to the door to see me. James and I were sifting through the bags of goodies, and we came across the gift wrap in the Walgreen's bag. James was trying to guess the great sale price on the Christmas gift wrap rolls I purchased. I exclaimed, "I got these three rolls for a dollar 'ninety nine!"

Joseph, in all the excitement of Mommy being home, looking at gift wrap rolls, and rattling shopping bags, runs out of the kitchen and with much glee, blurts out, "dollar 'ninety nine!"

James and I were in stitches laughing at our little boy who had been famous for one word exclamations, who skipped two words, and said THREE this time!

Birthday Boy- Birthday Week!

"A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark."
~Dante Alighieri


Notice the 'paw print' at the bottom of the cake! Joseph was already into it!


(ValuMarket makes the best cakes!) Joseph enjoyed his Elmo, Dorothy goldfish, and Mr. Noodle figures... They're now active members of the barnyard, where Elmo loves to ride horses.

James and I feasted on this cake all week....and needless to say, it's now history!


Joseph is sharing a bite of cake with Mr. Noodle-- how thoughtful...and smart! ;)

I took a lot of video footage, so I don't have many photos to post from his little birthday celebration. He's lovin' the toys he received: a Little People barnyard set, a bop-it ball, and a police car and policeman set.

Joseph had his two year pediatrician appointment with Dr. Al, and we were given a clean bill of health. The nurse weighed Joseph on the 'big boy' scale--no more sitting nakedly in the bucket seat for our Little Man! He now weighs 25 lbs., which puts him in the fifteenth percentile for his weight (34" in height, 45%tile).

I'm curious if those stand-up scales measure ounces....or are ounces now a measurement of the past just like months? Joseph is now simply "two". What's a momma to do??

Dr. Al was very pleased with Joseph's progress, and checked off all the fine and gross motor skills for a happy and healthy two year old. Dr. Al noted that Joseph is still a smidgen behind with speech, but was so delighted with the progress that our little 1 lb. 9 oz. miracle has made! Joseph's receptive skills continue to shine (ask him anything!!), and his language and cognitive skills are anywhere from delayed. Kim, Joseph's speech therapist, is working weekly with Joseph on speech development and it shows!

Every day I give thanks to the angels at Kosair's who were there for our growing son when he was so tiny. We were two proud parents walking from the pediatrician's office with our growing toddler, and believe you me, I was giving many thanks that day!!!!

What a difference two years make!

Booster Seats and More

11.15.08- Joseph is permanently "free" from his highchair and has graduated to a booster seat!
(Sorry for the poor pic quality- that's what you get when you cross a Kodak with low indoor lighting and early morning light)

We have been getting full use of the highchair we bought for Joseph long, long ago. I could have moved Joseph into his booster seat at nine months (bwahahahah!!!); however, I feel that by waiting this long I've saved myself A LOT of headache (including cleaning)! This is a ripe age for moving a toddler to a booster seat.

He truly enjoys sitting at the table with us and in his 'big boy' seat (a rite of passage, persay, since he's dining at the dinner table).

Our Little Man will be two years old tomorrow, and I'm beside myself. Moving from a highchair to a booster seat, working on potty training, almost all his teeth in, understanding everything going on around him, turning two.... He's growing up too quickly....

The highchair is now completely Chloe's throne. I'm really happy that Chloe is in tow!
If she weren't, I'd be ready for another for sure!

Discovering The Animals

James took Joseph on his first excursion to the zoo!

This was one of the last warm, beautiful days of the year, and what a way to spend it having fun outdoors. Joseph learned that the animals on his books' pages actually come alive!


What a great photo!
James picked the perfect spot for this father & son snap- directly in front of a favorite!



James had to keep Joseph from crawling in with the ducks! He really wanted to get under the fence!


Joseph was enthralled! I would love to know what this turtle is telling Joseph.... "Tell your Daddy to bring you back next year...."


And, what would a visit to the zoo be without driving the safari bus? Watch out!





"I've actually gone to the zoo and had monkeys shout to me from their cages, "I'm in here when you're walking around like that?" ~ Robin Williams

Chocolate Begets Chocolate; Kindness Begets Kindness

"Good living is an act of intelligence, by which we choose things which have an agreeable taste rather than those which do not."
Brillat-Savarin

The best lighting in the house (for picture-taking) after dark is in the refrigerator.

Chocolate is not normally a staple in our household; however, this wonder drug has now found it's place (at least temporarily) in this beautiful jar my mother bought for us several years back when we visited this Key West attraction.

Yesterday, Joseph ate his first (and second, and third.....) m&m. In celebration of Election Day, I gave him mostly blue pieces. He has never signed the word 'more' in his lifetime than in this single day. Incredible!

I may be able to get a kiss or two from him again with a few m&ms. Hahaha!



What a 'wierd' sign for the road, but it's speaking volumes to me right now.

Don't Miss The Bliss

Chloe: Brother, I see the alien signal coming through our Classical Baby
video.

Joseph: I'm getting the same signal through my time-warp watch receiver. We'll be out of here in no time with a press of a button! Let's go tell Mom and Dad!


Seriously, the kiddos LOVE Classical Baby videos. I DVR'd a few from HBO family channel to watch and life will never be the same.


Showing off our pumpkin painting talents
This pumpkin pic was taken after an unforgiving rain that we had. The pumpkin art is a little smudged because we used washable paint, but the fun we had painting remains!



A few small gourds in the window to "autumn-ize" our place
It's not the best pic angle, but it'll have to do... To see some great photography, see my friend Lacey's new blog

And, last but not least by any stretch, James and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. I'll post more later about our fun trip to Nashville and a nearby antique shop. Let's just say we had a very fun road trip (like in the 'old days') and enjoyed some pizza (a tradition; we ate pizza before our wedding) while in Nashville!

Brothers and Sisters Rule*

She is growing like a weed. She was holding and drinking from her own bottle before I snapped this photo. Teething overtook hunger as she bit at the bottle nipple.

Can you see her eyelashes? Maybe it's Maybelline, maybe it's not!

Peanut Butter Hair Mousse (see Banana Mousse)

I really need some velcro, suction cups, or magnets or something for the plate. It's Corel- no worries.

*I wrote my brother, Daniel, Fri & Sun nights. Joseph decorated his envelope with some art today before it went in the mail. On the back of the envelope, I wrote 'Brothers and Sisters Rule' in the spirit of sibling hood.

Frosty Teethers & Washable Crayons

Chloe is gnawing the plastic off her frosty teething ring!
It's a must to celebrate the first tooth that pops in! She's been working so hard at it.



Shortly after Joseph was born and still in Kosair's , I told one of his nurses that"...I will let him draw on the walls when he gets older...I will not care...." I wanted him to make it through the NICU and by saying such that was my way of looking positively for our future. Well, it is here! And, Joseph struck- as you can see in the photos! But, this was without my knowing. I left his drawing there a few days for some sentimental reason. It's more than picture-worthy to me. Here's Joseph wiping it off--and sucking the water out of the papertowel.

I must've had some foresight that day at Kosair's, because I really didn't care when I discovered his drawing. And more so, when I discovered that washable crayons really are washable.

Sticking Around

Joseph discovered that banana holds better than professional mousse...and tastes better too!

Before

Joseph has been into animal sounds lately. He can imitate or sign many of them. So, I bought a handful of these cute little Zoo Pal friends to practice sounds and help with signing.

After

With a little magnetic tape, we made them stick to his closet doors!

Now I'm curious: did Joseph use banana mousse to stick his on the doors?

Amusements In Central Park

I snapped this one in the nick of time before Joseph excitedly made his way down the slide (more than once, I might add)!


He knelt for sticks, and found walnuts too.


Oh, and did he ever find sticks.

This was our first trip to Central Park in Old Louisville. I have been there before by myself, but not with the little ones. I'm curious how many steps he took today!! We saw birds and squirrels galore playing under the trees. By the way, the trees in this park are massive and offer the best shade around in my book. We spied much at the park: an elderly man feeding a squirrel from a bread bag, a squirrel (possibly the same one) getting a drink of water from a fountain, a dog being trained to sit (Joseph did not help with this...), a blackbird taking a bath near a water hose, a noisy airplane overhead (the first he pointed out to me that I can recall), and much more. Despite the low humidity, the weather was warmer than what I had anticipated, so we called it an afternoon and headed home. Sweat beads and all. I cannot wait for the day when we take Joseph hiking and camping!

Good Times!

Waking up with your shirt off is a mystery! (This is a first, too.)


Playing in your Diego Rescue Hut is much more fun with it upside down while you climb through the windows.

Let's Do It Again....Say, Next Week??

After our walk around town, I was happy that Chloe extended her nap in the stroller

so I could tend to Brother who found himself on the dining room table


making notes on his stomach and the calendar.

We had just finished a walk up 5th Street to see the Ohio River and the George Rogers Clark statue at the belvedere. Joseph kept pointing up at the statue in amazement! I kicked myself for not bringing the camera to capture the moment. I sat Joseph on the base of the statue and pointed to George's extremely large feet. Ha, the look on Joseph's face! We also tried to befriend a squirrel that Joseph wanted to 'see' so badly. The squirrel ran away once he realized we came without treats and that he was up against a persistent toddler. Joseph waved bye-bye to the squirrel. (Note to self: Bring the camera and critter treats on our future outings.)

College Funds Depleted At Toy Store

Ok, so no funds were depleted, but I was very tempted this week! Tuesday on Mommy's Day Out, I discovered the BEST local toy store on a street that I go down at least once a week! I had just made my way out of Pizza Hut and noticed a little store tucked away across the street with a toy soldier standing guard in front and decided to check it out. This is when I discovered Playthings Toy Shoppe, my few favorite toy store! (Joseph and Chloe are going to love it even more!) I am supposed to be the parent, right? I felt like a kid again, my head spinning looking at all the games, puppets, stuffed animals, wooden blocks, plastic planes and trains, race car and train tracks, bath toys...oh, the list could go on and on! I can't wait to go back and it's only been a couple days since I visited.

After all the excitement of exploring this store (of course I had to pick up everything to 'see' it), I ended up buying Joseph his first tool belt and a Magic Mic. I can't wait to go back and it's only been a couple days since I visited.

Previously unemployed toddler, Joseph, turned work-a-holic handyman loves to help out around the house. He has fixed the baby gate to the kitchen, repaired his window hinge, his knees, and his dresser's handles. Joseph's tool belt even came with a beeper, so he can't escape his customers! :) So far, though, he's managed t o stay pretty busy around our place. I've posted a few pics of him hard at work and taking a break from his long day. :)

Chloe's job- being beautiful- remains easy as ever!