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When I’m putting Natalie to bed, she often asks if I will sleep with her.  I usually explain that I need to do a little bit of work or clean up the house and then I’ll go to bed soon.  Tonight, she asked me if I could make dinner for all of us tomorrow.  She explained… “I like ravioli.  Dado likes oatmeal.  You like salads.  I like ravioli… or maybe tortellini.”  She has been very into tortellini lately, which is strange, as we’ve only had it a couple times at the house.  I think she’s probably had it at school more and its a frequent request now.  She even wanted me to read her a tortellini book.  We don’t have one, so I made up a story about trying to shop for tortellini in the freezer section but that the grocery stores are out of it because its Italian Day.  After visiting 3 grocery stores, we decide to make our own – with orange and white cheese, of course.  That’s the synopsis.  The story in is full glory is about 10 min and sometimes requires more energy than I can muster up at 7:15pm!

Here are some cute pics from this morning!

Just some pre-season calisthenics

Let's get ready for some football!

We spent the morning with Nana, Pop, Uncle Alex, Aunt Jira, Uncle John (in from FL) and his brother.  However, Jordan or I didn’t get any pics.  We had a fun time at Nana and Poppy’s house though!

After nap, it felt like fall so we bundled up to go to the park.

Mama, did you see my silly sister?

Can you catch me?

Hi Toto!

Have you met our friends, Dorothy and Toto?

Wee!! Higher!!

Glad you decided you missed us too much and joined us at the park, Dado! Work can wait. 🙂

Whoa Mom. Those eye crinkles are really coming out!

I can go down the big slide! ( Real quote)

On our way home from the park, we met Edward, a 74-year-old who likes to play the banjo on his front porch.  He asked Natalie which songs she liked… she replied, “Bob Marley and the Lion Sleeps Tonight.”  He didn’t know either, so he offered Old Mac Donald instead.  What 2.5-year-old requests Bob Marley?  I love it!

Speaking of “two and a half” that’s often the reason for many things that occur in our life.  The crying mouse in Mouse Soup has two tears running down her cheek because “I’m two and a half.”  For example, at the zoo, there are 2 giraffes because Natalie says, “I’m two and a half.”  The rhino has two horns because “I’m two and a half.”  (And, yes, he’s going to grow a third when she turns three, she told her dad.)

Elliott had his 4-month check-up today.  He is NOT a small boy!

Hey there! Just playing a little bit of doc with my Big Sis!

Weight: 18 lbs, 4 oz (90-95th percentile) vs. Natalie at 16.5 lbs (96th percentile) – I guess boys are expected to be larger at this age

Height: 26.5 inches (95th percentile) vs. Natalie at 24 inches (43rd percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 5/8 inches (98th+ percentile)

Elliott’s weight and height percentiles are actually slightly lower than they were at 2 months.  I found out we haven’t been feeding him enough during the day when I’m at work…. we had asked the nanny just to give him 3.5 or 4 oz a feeding, but it should be 5-7 oz.  I’m hoping that explains some of his ravenous (and painful) feedings, as well as the increase in night feedings.  I will need to start supplementing with formula soon, as I just cannot bring myself to pump 3x a day at work.

Big Sister Natalie accompanied Elliott to the doc.  After checking out his heart and ears, Natalie gave him a back tickle while we were waiting for the doc.  She wondered what those “wrinkles” on his back were… aka fat rolls.

What are those wrinkles?

Natalie loves going to the doctor and dentist (see below for some dentist pics from early July that I never posted), so she didn’t like her brother being in the spotlight.  Thankfully, Dr. Summers checked out Natalie’s cold and said that she would be okay.

So thankful and lucky to have such healthy kiddos!!!!! 🙂

Today is LinvilleUSA’s favorite Mama/wife/woman’s birthday – Erin is 32 years old! And though nothing we could do could possibly tell her how much we love her and how lucky we are to have her, we tried. And it was a ton of fun.

We kicked things off yesterday with birthday waffles, a sort of Linville tradition that we started about three or four years ago.  It is a tradition extremely popular with Natalie.

Happy Birthday, Mama! 32 never looked so good, eh?

While not part of the bday celebration per se, yesterday, we went to the park and met our friends Todd, Heather, and Henry (the “Van Hams”) and swam at the pool. Tons of fun! Despite the fact that I let Natalie’s head go under water for 1/2 a second on the the first jump off the edge, and she didn’t let me forget it. Literally, the conversation preceding the next seven jumps:

Natalie: “Dado, don’t let my head go under water.”
Jordan: “Ok, Nat, sorry about that. I’ll be more careful.”
Natalie: “D-d-d-don’t let it go under. Never again.”
Jordan: “I understand. Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Natalie: “Never.  Ever.  Again.”
Jordan: “Ok, got it. Jump!”

Afterwards, we opened up some presents Erin had gotten from her mom and dad which included some sort of foot soak.  Erin and Natalie put that to use and I must say – their feet smelled fantastic.

"Mama, this mini-bathtub in a standard bathtub is just perfect for a pedi. Relaxing and not at all cramped."

"My feet don't smell like lavender, but don't my froggy towel and I compliment Mama nicely?" Crazy cute. Both of 'em.

Next up, we opened up some presents we got Mama including a Mountain Hardware jacket, a framed picture w/ art work, and a blue candle.   The blue candle was Natalie’s idea from two weeks ago when I said we needed to start planning Mama’s birthday.  I realize now that this was probably her way of saying she wanted cake (with a blue birthday candle in it), but oh well.  She was actually pretty excited about a blue scented candle as well.

my peeps

But on that note, what would a birthday be without some cake?  So this afternoon, we met up with our best friends, Molly and Megan Baltruzac, and went to Sweet Mandy B’s for cupcakes.  It was really funny because Natalie loves blue and Molly loves pink.  They were both wearing those colors, and they both picked out cupcakes in those colors, too.  They were quite the little splash of color (FYI – a very sugar-buzzed, noisy splash).

"Are you eyeing my cupcake?"

And we capped the day off with a trip to the park as well, where Elliott took is first ride on the swing and loved it.  It was also fun seeing just how active and mobile Natalie and Molly were at this park as compared to a year ago.  Keeps Dado more active as well!

All-in-all, a pretty awesome weekend for a totally awesome mom.  Erin is definitely the bright spot in the lives of all three of us – Natalie, Elliott & Dado – and I feel lucky every day to be able to raise kids with a mom like her.   And for the occasional date nights that we get, to be able to spend time with a women like her and call her my wife.  Seems a little crazy that she’s 32 and I met her when she was barely 21, but all the better!  The kids don’t know it yet, but I can guarantee that she will be just as fun – and beautiful – at 82 as she is now.

Elliott is 4 months old (Friday)!

Go Pack!

We haven’t taken the 4-month “chair” picture yet, but I did get to capture this smiley guy in the crib this morning! And, his 4-mo doc’s appt is next week, so no weight/height measurements at this time, but he is a big, happy guy!

Personality: Smiley, Happy, Easygoing. We are so lucky…. we’re finding it a little challenging to work full-time and have 2 kids, so I cannot imagine what life would be like if Elliott didn’t generously share his smiles and wasn’t so understanding of Natalie’s desire for A LOT of attention.

Milestones: On Wed, he rolled over from his tummy to his back! Tonight, I was kissing all over his cheek and he could see my reflection in the mirror. He thought it was funny and giggled. We have gotten a few laughs out of him. He also is teething like mad. Everything goes in his mouth.

Schedule: After I returned to work, it seems like Elliott decided he should start waking up during the night. So, I’m feeding him at least once at night and then early in the morning, between 5:30 – 6:30. If/when he peeps at other times of the night, Jordan attends to him. I say it’s because Elliott smells me and would want to eat automatically, but let’s be honest, I feel like I’m waking up enough at night as it is!

New Toys: Elliott has just started playing with his exersaucer. This toy has gotten a lot of use – Natalie loved it, cousin Gavin borrowed and now it’s Elliott’s turn! Maybe we’re trying it out Elliott when he’s younger than Natalie was, or maybe because he is less girthy, but we wrap towels around his trunk to give him more support. Thanks Auntie Linda for the gift that keeps on giving!

If I could only get a little closer, then I could put all this awesome stuff in my mouth!

Grandma also pointed out that yesterday, Natalie was 31 months and Becky and I are both 31 years. Something only a Grandma would notice! 🙂

I hear you are the same age as my Mommy!

We have a new nephew!  Little Clayton was born 7-9 weeks early at 4.5 lbs.  He came out breathing on his own, which is terrific!  Isn’t he adorable?!?

He will be in the NICU for at least a couple weeks, while he gains weight.  Natalie and I took the train down to visit Aunt Jira at the hospital.  Unfortunately, little kids aren’t allowed in the NICU, and she had a hard time understanding why she couldn’t see Clatyon too!  We gave Aunt Jira a green elephant to give to Clayton.  Tonight, during prayers, we included Clayton and Natalie added… “When Clayton is bigger, I get to give him a hug!”

Elliott is excited to meet his little cousin too… they are less than 4 months apart in age!  He didn’t come with us to the NICU, as it didn’t really seem to be in good taste to bring an almost 15-lb. 4-mo old into the NICU!

Congratulations, Aunt Jira and Uncle Alex!  We cannot wait to see our kids grow up together!

On July 16, Jordan and I will celebrate 8 years of marriage!  Our wedding was amazingly fun… we’re so lucky so many friends and family were able to celebrate with us.  But, we feel even luckier now, 8 years in with 2 adorable, healthy kiddos.

Grandma and Grandpa wanted to visit, so we took advantage and planned a long day/evening date.  I told Natalie about their visit, and since she’s still developing a sense of timing, she’s woken up asking where they are.  After nap on Friday, I heard her tell her nanny that she needed to get ready for when Daddy, Mama, Grandma and Grandpa were coming.  Then, when I told her later on Friday that they weren’t going to be able to come until Saturday because of an emergency at Grandpa’s work, she said “That makes me sad.”  This morning, she woke up expecting to see them too.  By the time they got here at 9am (which meant a 5:45 departure for them… amazing, as Natalie is the only one that can get my mom up that early!), Natalie was cheering!  “Woo hoo… Grandma and Grandpa!”  I’m so thankful we’re only 3.5 hours away from them.

We had a great outing to one of Natalie’s favorite parks this morning.  The 3 boys were chilling on a park bench in the shade……

Hey… yeah, I’m supposed to be sleeping now, but we just got to the park.  What do you expect, Mom?  

Jordan and I went on an almost 20-mile bike ride down the Lake Shore path… reminiscent of our 5-year anniversary, when we did the same ride but started in Evanston!  We also stopped by Taste of Chicago.

We came home for awhile and then left the 4 amigos, watching Dora after a very busy day…

This is obviously my “Hurry-up-and-leave-so-I-can-watch-Dora” smile.

We went to Girl in the Goat, a trendy restaurant where you have to book a reservation 3 months in advance. It was a super fun night out!

Thanks for a wonderful anniversary!

Since I haven’t figured out how to work part-time (yet!), I am using my vacation days this to make 4-day work weeks. Wednesday seems to be the perfect day off, as then I only have 2 days away from the kids in a row. This was my first full day with both kids by myself, and thank God, it was a success.

The day started with a trip to the Farm Zoo to see Mr. Singer, Nana who volunteers at the edible garden, and the farm animals – 4 cows, 1 pig, and 4 ponies.

A fresh pea pod – yum! (Note from Mom: How can I get Nat to eat these at home?!?)

Dream baby Elliott slept for the first part of the trip and then was smiling for most of the rest of it, even though it was 80+ degrees and super humid. He’s seriously the best little baby.

My friend from Broad, Theresa, has a good chunk of the summer off, so she came over to play. Elliott and Natalie were both big fans. We learned that Theresa’s favorite foods are chocolate and pears. She also wears fun necklaces. And, Jordan loves that Theresa brought over Sweet Mandy B cupcakes! Natalie took a pic of Elliott and Theresa:

When Natalie was napping, Elliott and I played with his new frog friend, courtesy of our neighbors whose girls are out-growing their stuffed animals (and moving into baby-sitting age!) Natalie picked out the frog for Elliott – she likes his sparkles. Elliott likes the frog’s softness.

Hey, Frog Friend, where did you go?

The kids both had an overlapping nap for 1.75 hours (WOW!) So, I even cooked dinner, cleaned up and did a load of laundry. Can we say SuperMom?!? Now, if I had only done my ab exercises as I intended to….

After nap, we went to the doctor to make sure Natalie’s ear infection had cleared up. When we got home, we played outside with 4-year-old Riley and 3-year-old Ford. They live on the first floor of our building, but are unfortunately moving at the end of the summer. We’ve really enjoyed the late afternoon, city kid play dates of sidewalk chalk, bubbles, hopscotch, jumping and races.

Natalie and Riley are also apparently studying to become botanists. I thought this pic would make Aunt Leah proud!

And, Daddy came home by 5:40 – woo hoo! I had A super fun day. Natalie says, “So me!” (As in me too or so did I!) I think I’m ready for bed soon though!

This post is way late but the good pics were on the good camera that Jordan is responsible for downloading and sharing with me.  I suppose I could learn, but I really like having picture downloading outsourced.  So….

Elliott was baptized on Sat, June 8 (between 2.5 & 3 months old) at the 5 p.m. mass at St. Clement’s Church in Lincoln Park by Fr. Ken. We are blessed to welcome him into the Catholic church.  He was a doll the entire mass – he even smiled when Fr. Ken dunked holy water on him!

Yes, I'm a complete cutie - I've gotta admit it

When Natalie was baptized, we did practically a 1-hr photo shoot and could barely get a pic of her smiling.  By contrast, the pic above was practically the only solo pic where Elliott wasn’t smiling!  He is an easy smiler…. smile at him, bop him on the nose, make a goofy noise.  All great fodder for a great smile! (Once again, did I use the word fodder correctly?)

You are just cracking me up!

Although we greatly missed Godmother / Aunt Leah, who recently got a FT job working in Alaska, we are thankful that Godfather / Uncle Alex and Aunt Jira had just moved into town and were able to come. (And both sets of grandparents!)

Really, you chose this pic? I'm not even looking at the camera!

(Note from Mom: I chose this picture because it is almost the only one where Natalie doesn’t have a finger up her nose.  Yes, what great church etiquette.)

Hey, where's my sis?

At first, I considered this quote from Elliott for the above pic: “Yay! A pic of just me and my mom and dad.  This hasn’t happened since the hospital!”  However, that totally isn’t Elliott… he absolutely adores his sister and will stop whatever he is doing to look at her.  Including eating.  (For those of you who knew Natalie when she was just months old, nothing was worth taking a break from drinking milk, so I’m not accustomed to sharing attention during that time!)

We had very nice weather and were also able to squeeze in a trip to the zoo beforehand. I just love the pure joy emanating from Natalie in this pic…

Yipee! The panda!

Loving my Green Bay gear!

Natalie got a ton of comments on her Green Bay t-shirt and skirt – which “matched” Grandma’s shirt too.  Who says Bears fans aren’t nice?  I guess they are to an adorable 2-year old.  We didn’t have any GB gear for Elliott, so we’ll clearly be shopping at the Packer Pro Shop this fall – or raiding cousin Trevor’s old clothes!