Happy Wedding!

My cousin, Mike, (Natalie’s grandfather) got married last weekend to a lovey girl, Erin… (“that’s silly” Natalie said when she realized Erin’s name is the same as my name). I actually don’t have a picture of Mike and Erin (at least not on my iPhone, which is where 99% of blog pics come from), but I have a lot of pics of Natalie – who was the flower girl, Trevor and my cousin’s kid, Gavin – who is a month younger than Trevor. Erin and Mike were so great about including kids in the wedding, and they just had a blast playing together!

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I’m Princess Pea… with spelling power!

 

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We’re just taking a tiny little break. We’ve been running a lot!

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I’m just enjoying a CUPCAKE with my bff Grandma!

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Dad, you wouldn’t mind if I spit up right on your shoulder, huh?

 

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Whoa… what’s going on. All these pics?!? I need a nap.

Congratulations to Mike and Erin! We’re excited to have Erin in the family!

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Cousin Time!

We celebrated Labor Day weekend… with Thai food, made by Nana and Aunt Jira!  Yum!  It was Elliott’s first time meeting Clayton, since Elliott didn’t have a runny nose today.

Be careful Little C.... I'm known for rolling

Big Sister/Cousin Natalie wanted to get in on the cuddles too…. she was all up in C’s grill tonight, cuddling, kissing, whispering to him.  This girl is a natural caretaker.

This is my tiny little baby cousin Clayton

I got to hold Clayton for the first time too – I have to admit, I was too afraid to hold him in the hospital or on his first day home.  At just over 7 lbs now, and 6.5 weeks old (but still before his due date), Clayton is the tiniest baby I’ve ever held.  Where’s the bicep work-out / backache that I’m used to?

Hey, is that another baby's spit up I smell on your shoulder, Auntie Erin?

 

Wait... I'm not the littlest?!?
And, my guess is that for any of you who receive a Kathy & Bill Christmas card, you’ll be seeing this pic again in Dec!

I haven't decided what I think about this no-laps-available thing....

 

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Bargain priced Entertainment (Free!)

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I can go high because I am 2 and a half

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Wee!!!!!!

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Going back and forth between these two cuties was a good 20 min work out for me! Speaking if which, this Mommy is down to pre-pregnancy weight! (Distributed differently, of course) I suppose once Elliott transitions to more solids, I will have to give up my nightly cookie(s)!

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Pics by Natalie

20130828-174620.jpgMy lollipop!

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Where my mom sits when I am in her chair

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Big Minnie!

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Bumbo Babies

Elliott tried out the Bumbo chair this weekend:

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Hey, what’s that?!?

His sis liked the chair 2 years ago too…

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I think I am stuck

And likes it now too!

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Who says I am too old for a Bumbo? Pshh…

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I am thankful for…

All the love our kids show!! Convo before bed:

Me: Natalie, I love you so much.
Natalie: thank you. (Pause) I love YOU so much!
Me: Thank you (insert huge grin)

Also, fun nail painting pics from earlier in the week.

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Who needs a mani/pedi?!?

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Happy 5 Months (and 4 Days), Elliott!

Weight / Height: Probably close to 20 lbs.  and still super long.

Oh yeah... rocking the big chair all by myself!

Personality: Happy and Easy Going!!!  This boy cannot help but smile.  He goes with the flow – and doesn’t  yet mind that his sister demands a lot more attention.  He is just happy to be included in the mix.

Oh hey there... happy to see you too!

Favorite Toys/Games: Elliott loves to put things in his mouth, roll (more on that below) and smile.  The activity gym and musical box are still popular, but the bouncey gym tops the charts.  He also likes being sung to – “Elliott, Elliott Man…” to the tune of Mach Man / “Natalie Ann” is a fav. He likes silly games, like someone blowing on his neck to make him giggle or peak-a-boo (I swear he’s initiated that on his own a few times).

Here’s a comparison of Elliott and Natalie at the same age….

Now, if I could only figure out how to move forward......

Natalie

Hey, what’s that over there? If I could only move to go check it out….

Big Accomplishments: This boy can roll.  I put him on his back and he’s usually on his stomach within a minute.  And, he kicks like crazy in an attempt to crawl, but his big belly definitely weighs him down.  The constant rolling from back to stomach means we have a lot of spit up on the floor, a lot of spit up all over his face, and he gets frustrated on occasion with getting stuck on his tummy in the crib.  Yesterday, he rolled onto Natalie a little bit – e.g. touched her knee.  She pushed him away and then got in trouble, which resulted in an outburst of tears.  She clearly felt that it was unfair that she was being admonished when Elliott was the perpetrator.

 

Schedule: Elliott usually wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 7 a.m.  She is awake 2-2.5 hours and then goes down for her first of 3 naps.   Bedtime is usually around 6:30 or 7 p.m., which is later than his sister’s was but there’s just so much going on.  He wakes up 1-2 times a night to eat.  1 times is clearly preferable.

What we Love about being Parents: This is what I wrote more than 2 years months ago when giving Natalie’s 5 month update…  “Jordan and I knew we’d love being parents, but I’m still surprised by how much we love it.  There are three main reasons why I love it even more than I thought I would: 1) She loves us so much, 2) She brings so much joy to other people (from the pub bartender or the random person walking down the street to her grandmas and Aunt Becky), and 3) She is already her own little person and has her own little personality.”  All of that applies for Elliott – and I just love to see the interactions between Natalie and Elliott.  And, I love that Elliott is still at the age where he likes to cuddle and doesn’t mind being kissed all over.

What's the deal, Nat? Don't you love holding all 20 lbs of this chunk a chunk of burning love?

Happy 5 months, Elliott!  We love you so much!

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Daddy’s on a business trip

Jordan needed to go to Philly for work for 2 days. (Pretty much as short as someone can make a 4 day conference!) I showed Natalie on a map and we decided it was far away. The good thing for me is I still have two pint sized reminders with me! A day of smiles means a lot of squinty eyes and big cheeks. I love it!

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A 6:45 am wake up means I get one-on-one time with Mom!

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Higher!!!

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My fav teacher is taking me to see my fav whale at the Shedd!!!!

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(Clearly, Natalie is one of Ms. Jennie’s favorites too… when I drove up to pick them up, I saw Natalie dancing around with a Bella the Whale stuffed animal. The dancing turned into cuddling tonight.)

Right before lights out, Natalie asked if her Daddy could sing to her… so we called him on the phone and he sang his signature, “Daydream”. Twice. Natalie kept looking at me and grinning ear to ear.

Highly successful day without Dad – even though life is definitely easier with him here. Now, here’s prayers for a good night. (Hopefully God forgives me for not going to church today – I just couldn’t do two kids by myself at mass for an hour!) And prayers for single parents and parents whose spouse travels for work a lot.

PS Great news. Our cousin Clayton came home from the hospital yesterday! Will post pics once Uncle Al has a chance to share them with us.

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I love Saturdays

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(This cutie was turning heads… Back off DePaul soccer team!)

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Dad, I think you have a crush on me

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Brrr. This ice pack is super cold!

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(LOVE that I am my little girls fav… When do kids stop adoring their moms. That will be a sad day)

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Nana’s Edible Gardens

Natalie LOVES visiting her Nana at the Edible Garden at the Farm Zoo, where she volunteers on Wednesdays.  Last week, Nana gave us kale.  And she frequently finds a yummy berry for Natalie to eat straight from the plant.  Nana likes Elliott’s and Natalie’s visit too… here is an email from Nana tonight:

It was awesome seeing Nat and Elliott at the zoo this morning.  I told Jordan this, but when she left she gave me 3 kisses.  I said I’d give one to Pop.  She said, OK, but only one.  The other two were only for me.  Gotta love it. 

So cute!

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