Baby Cate Update

At 15 months, Cate is built more like a Weeble Wobble and less like a toddler -- she's 30-1/2" tall (50th percentile) and weighs 23 lbs, 8 oz. (60th percentile). She has finally cut the fourth upper tooth, one on bottom (making it 3 in front) and 3 molars - 2 upper, 1 bottom. She's still cutting teeth, either that or we're not feeding her enough so she is constantly drooling and putting her hands in her mouth hoping they will turn to food.

She loves, loves, loves bananas -- probably her favorite food. Other favorite foods include applesauce, grapes, pears, strawberries (sometimes), bread (any flavor - wheat, garlic toast, banana bread...), Cheerios, yogurt, chicken, salmon, cheese, eggs (hard boiled and scrambled), hamburgers/meatloaf, stuffing (see bread reference)...she isn't too big on veggies yet, which is perplexing to me as Elizabeth gobbled them up as quickly as we could put them on the tray... She insists on feeding herself.

She has THE BEST belly laugh (doesn't hurt that she has the belly to accompany said laugh)! Practically anything Elizabeth does can bring on this laugh. Reid can get it out of her, too...as can Uncle Sean, and Chuck Scatterday... When she is really ticked with something she will wrinkle up her little nose -- it's too cute!

She loves the freedom of trotting around of the floor after West Lib games. John Wolosinczuk taught her how to give high 5. She loves to wave hi and bye-bye (mostly well after the fact...or on Skype). She can blow kisses (when she feels like it). She can identify her nose. She loves shoes (and sort-of says shoe as she walks around with them saying 'sh sh sh'.) She loves to "read" -- taking books and turning the pages. She can identify her belly button (will flash you her shirt like a co-ed at Mardi Gras collecting beads) -- sticks her finger in her belly button (it's quite the crevice) and says, "Ticka ticka ticka." That is super cute!!! She cannot stand to have her face or hands wiped. She loves bath time, especially with Elizabeth. She still cries a bit - especially when she is being wrestled down for Sleepy Time Down South (a familiar theme in this house, I know...) She's a climber (another theme around here)...and dancing. (If she is eating something that she loves, she also dances in her seat.) She also likes to pretend cook in the kitchen, get pulled in the wagon Santa brought her, and drop food from her tray for Kennedy. She would climb the stairs all day if we'd let her. She loves to blow the whistle on my key chain, and I swear she might be a better ref than a handful of the stripes West Lib has had this season! She still doesn't sleep through the night, much to my demise...

He hair is looking like it's going to curl, at least in the back. Like her big sister, she's a 'sweat head' - I can feel the heat rising from her head when she is tired...and when she goes to sleep, her hair gets soaking wet (along with my arm as I'm holding her.)

She brings us all so much joy (when she's not screaming...)

2011 Year In Review

What a year 2011 has been! Fun and eventful...memorable...frustrating and precious...some times all in the very same day!

Here's the year in review - Amos family style:

January - Elizabeth's 5th birthday was celebrated in Dr. Seuss style. It was a typical too-much-over-the-top party for our small gathering of Grandma & Papi, Nana & Papa, and the Koeglers. We had a lot of fun, though, so that's all that really matters. The West Liberty Hilltoppers men's basketball team was a highlight in the month - especially Elizabeth's favorite John Wolosinczuk! We tried like the dickens to get her to pose with him for a picture...he was such a good sport about it, too. We got a picture of John with Nana, John with Reid, and still no picture of Elizabeth and her all-time favorite baller... On the women's side of things, Elizabeth's favorite players continue to be Tori Hansen and Laura Malernee. Cate was growing and changing every day...and eating like a champ! She continued to nurse nearly every 2-3 hours -- if she was awake, she was hungry.

February - The Toppers' winning streak continued. The team is doing so well, Elizabeth has even started to cheer for some of the other guys on the floor (as opposed to turning her back on the action when John is on the bench!) She can tell you most of the players names by numbers - Corey Pelle #12; Barry Shetzer #24; Jordan Fortney #11; Alex Falk #22; Timmy (Hausfeld) #10; and of course, John Wolosinczuk #32 (but #1 in E's heart!) Still no luck in getting E to pose with John for a picture - Photoshop it is! John gave Elizabeth a Valentine's gift to which she was THRILLED (an autographed picture of him in action!) She gave him a valentine that she made. Elizabeth is just a funny kid...so glad she got my sense of humor! ;-) It may totally be worth revisiting my Blog post on the Ransom of Red Chief from February to better recount how this child cracks me up! Cate earned the nickname "Cranky Cate" as there were plenty of moments when she couldn't be consoled -- with no explanation. When she wasn't cranky, she was sweet and cuddly.

March - This month was all about Topper basketball! The team sealed up an undefeated regular season, and with that the WVIAC regular season title...and then the winning continued... They won the WVIAC Tournament - Corey Pelle won the Commissioner's Heart & Hustle Award and was All-Tournament; Barry Shetzer was named to the All-Tourney Team; as was Tim Hausfeld; and John - who was the MVP. Elizabeth, along with Cate, Grandma, and I went to Build-a-Bear Workshop where she made her "John Wolosinczuk Bear" (yes, that's what she named him - and I had to spell it a few times for the employee that was helping us) complete with the WVU shirt, denim skirt, and Hello Kitty undies. The Toppers hosted the regional tourney - and the winning continued. Corey Pelle and John Wolosinczuk were all-tourney again. Then I may have done the un-thinkable...I put Elizabeth and a nearly 3-month-old baby in the car (along with Grandma) and we drove to Springfield, MA, for the Elite 8. Cate was, for once, NOT cranky -- as she slept the entire 10+ hour drive. We only stopped once for gas, food, and a change. I really thought I would be in for it when we got to the hotel - that Cate would be awake for days, but she went right back to sleep. Elizabeth took much pride in going around the floor with her Daddy giving out the cookies that we made for the players - each got their own jersey and some chocolate chip cookies. (E insisted on making the cookies for the guys because "Timmy Eats Cookies" was on a sign at the WVIAC Tournament. She took it literally...sign was actually referring to Tim's guarding of "Cookie" Miller from WV State.) The Toppers made it to the Final Four before the perfect season came to an end. Corey Pelle was again named to the All-Tournament team.

April - Easter was fun when Cate was crying, which she did for most of the time at Nana's & Papa's. We were surprised with the news from Rikki and Doug that the Amos family would be getting a new edition due in late November! Elizabeth grew so quickly between the time I shopped for some of her clothes that were in her Easter basket to when she received these clothes that she literally only got one wear out of them - because Mommy & Daddy don't approve of the 'belly-shirt' look. Cate got an upper respiratory infection that required the "Willie Nelson" treatment - lots of smoke ;-) She's getting more active, too - rolling over, recognizing her hands and feet...and is now able to eat cereal, which is fed to her for the first time by Elizabeth.

May - Elizabeth declared that Mother's Day was "St. Mother's Day!" When she's not being such a sweetie, she is being quite the mental challenge for us (reference another Red Chief Blog post.) Elizabeth graduated from Pre-K. We were so lucky how her life was positively influenced by the good folks at Holy Family Child Care since we moved to Wheeling (next best thing to instruction by Nana or Grandma!) We especially adored her teachers for Pre-K, Miss Jenn and Miss Kelly! Alex turned 4 and we celebrated in Thomas the Train style -- quite easy and cute (if I do say so myself!) Cate continued to be cranky and sweet. Poor Reid had to walk the floors, nearly wearing a track on the finish on the hard wood as he paced the floors with a crying Cate on the evenings that I worked in Morgantown...until I got home and the crying would stop.

June - Getting that perfect 6 month baby on a quilt picture proved to be more of a challenge than it should have been...perhaps a sign of things to come from Miss Cate. Despite being a mama's girl, she said "Dada" first ;-) She also took to crawling this month. I survived an AACE Annual Meeting at Disneyland - barely. Not that there were issues with the conference...just that it was at the Mouse House. Blech.

July - Elizabeth loves to swim and took advantage of a dip in the water every time we could get her to the pool. She's becoming such a good swimmer...working on diving, but since she hasn't yet learned that patience is a virtue, she just wants to jump in and SWIM! Cate continues to reach milestones on or ahead of time -- sometimes at the most inconvenient of times... Elizabeth got to attend her first Red Sox game with Papi no less (HER Papi, not Baseball Papi - he was on the field...) Sox vs. Pirates, who were having a great season, making the Amoses quite happy (that would be Reid, Nana, & Papa...E was just all about backing a winner. For her first Sox game, she cheered for the team at the plate...and for Papi's & my sake, it was a great day as the Sox ended up on top!)

August - Summer at Holy Family for Elizabeth has come to an end. Where has the time gone...my baby is getting ready for Kindergarten! Elizabeth & I had a great Mommy-Daughter day shopping for school clothes...size 6-7 or 7-8 -- for a 5-1/2 year old in the 95th percentile in height...good luck finding a waist to fit! Cate went to her first baseball game -- the Pirates didn't fair so well as they lost to the Padres 5-15(!). Cate is taking a queue from her big sister as she loves the pool, too! She weaned herself from baby food this month and would only feed herself soft 'real-people' food. We still have quite a bit of baby food in storage...good thing it will keep for Baby Eckstein! We enjoyed our annual trip to D.C. -- a highlight continues to be the Giant Pandas at the National Zoo! We were at the National Cathedral - walking all over the place - exactly one week before the earth quake in D.C. that did some damage to the beautiful building.

September - Elizabeth started Kindgergarten in Mrs. Allen's class at Woodsdale Elementary! Cate finally had a reason for which to be cranky - she cut two teeth! She also stood unassisted. She's taken to cruising on the furniture. She is less cranky when she is being held by Mama -- or is able to hang out with her awesome big sister, Elizabeth, whom she adores!

October - The girls were the CUTEST kitty cats for Halloween -- thanks to Nana's handiwork! Elizabeth started playing a bit of basketball at the Y -- and loved it! After her first session, she declared that she was as good as John Wolosinczuk. (At least she doesn't lack for self confidence!) She also joined the Daisies and is really proud of the uniform vest. (I consider it a near miracle that I was able to get the iron-on stuff to actually stay on the vest and didn't have to engage Nana and her needle & thread!) We had great luck getting some good shots of the girls on a beautiful fall day at Oglebay... Cate started walking with 6 independent steps (10 months, 3 weeks, 3 days old.)

November - We started the month with a baby shower for Aunt Rikki in "the big city." We were so excited for the impending arrival of Baby Eckstein! I hit a freaking deer with my car. We found out that the big lump on Kennedy's back hip (only on one side) wasn't cancer or arthritis...but a fat deposit. (Reid loves telling everyone that, too!) Cate isn't helping Kennedy trim down either by throwing her food off her tray the very second she determines she is done eating. At the Wheeling Christmas parade, Elizabeth boxed out Sarah Koegler and a few kids -- when the reporter from Channel 9, Ali Myers, come over to our section of the bleachers and asked if anyone would like to be on TV. (Any question that she is Reid's kid??? Is it not enough that she look like him, but now she has taken to boxing out (well, that she got from me!) women and children to get on live TV!) The hand-held mic needed a new battery as they were filming...Elizabeth told Ms. Myers that she would wait. On take two, she was spot-on. Ali Myers asked her what she would like to say to Santa to which Elizabeth replied, "You can't talk to him, he's just flying on by..." Still needing a copy of that tape! Elizabeth got to participate in her first Little Hilltoppers Day at West Liberty - where she told me I was allowed to take 5 pictures and then I had to leave because this was all about her. (Isn't most everything???) Anne, Reid, & I had a magical evening the night of the WVU v. Pitt game -- great weather, good food, good libations, free Snuggies, good friends, and a big win! It was tough leaving the stadium that night - for us and many other Mountaineers who didn't want to see the end to the annual rivalry of the Backyard Brawl. We were so delighted to welcome Margaret Alisse Eckstein to the family on November 29, 2011, at 2:24 AM - she weighed 7 lbs., 1 ounce and was 20" long.

December - Cate turned 1 - the year seriously flew right past us!!! She loves to eat...loves the taste of my butter cream icing, but most definitely doesn't like the feel of it on her hands! She is walking all over the place and loves to climb stairs when we allow her to do so. The sale of the house in Fairmont became final (thank you, little infant baby Jesus!) I drove Nana (aka: "Driving Miss Daisy") to D.C. to meet Maggie. What a cutie! Reid was able to go the following weekend to meet his niece. (And, yes, he was jealous that I got to hold his niece before he was...) Elizabeth got her ears pierced. Mimi, our Elf on the Shelf, continued to do her magic by helping remind Elizabeth to be good. Elizabeth loved every one of her sleepovers this year with her cousin, Alex -- several this summer and fall...and right after Christmas. She is a great big sister -- making a big adjustment to everything being all about her to sharing time and parents with a cranky baby sister. We are so blessed to have two wonderful, happy (for the most part) children!!!

Cate - 1 YEAR!!!

Just like the invitation to the Very Hungry CATErpillar party stated, "We can't believe a year has passed..." Seriously? How is my baby a freaking year old already???

Cate celebrated her 1st birthday a few hours early as Reid had to be on the road with the Hilltoppers. Elizabeth helped me make Kitty Cat Cate a Hello Kitty cake. Cate was quite funny when it came to consuming her smash cake - she definitely didn't like the feel of the icing on her hands! Once she finally got around to tasting the icing, she set aside her feelings for the texture of the icing and did do some damage to the consumption of the cake. (I do make some good buttercream!) It was great having Grandma in the Friendly City of Wheeling for the celebration, too...especially since it then freed me up so that I could reprise my role of Hoke and drive Miss Daisy to Arlington, VA, to meet Maggie! (What a cutie she is!!!) We were also lucky enough to have the opportunity to Skype with Nana & Papa so they could virtually participate in the party doings!

Papi joined Grandma, Daddy, Elizabeth, Cate, and me for Cate's Very Hungry CATErpillar party. Reid and I were both super tired from our trips, Reid's to Charleston and then on to NC with the women's basketball team...me to DC. It was really, really nice that following the men's basketball game that we didn't have a serious schedule for the party...just called out for some pizza from DeFelice's (yum!), had the fruit and cheese tray, and CATErpillar cupcakes for the party. (We did all have to keep on Elizabeth's entertaining schedule, though...as she is turning into quite the party hostess!) We got to Skype with Nana, Aunt Rikki, Uncle Doug, and Maggie for the party, too, which was super cool!

Cate still didn't really destroy her cake (although it would be tough to top the mess that Elizabeth made with her smash cake on her first birthday...) Cate was waaaaaay spoiled with all of the presents - as was Elizabeth! All in all, a great celebration!

At 1 year, Cate has 5 teeth: 2 on bottom, 3 on top (middle and upper right). She has been walking about for a month. She loves to climb stairs and would do so with much regularity if we let her do it. She continues to do well with eating a great variety of food. She's working on drinking her whole milk from a sippy cup. She's working on using a spoon to eat as well, although right now it is a fun play thing. She is loving reading books -- or babbling and turning the pages. She has most recently taken to holding the phone and saying "Dada..." She is also doing better with sleeping at night. She waves bye-bye and has finally figured out peek-a-boo -- although it was super-cute when she would cover her ears rather than her eyes...

Cate is in the 70th percentile in height (29-1/4") -- which is precisely where Elizabeth was at 1 year. She is in the 50th percentile in weight (21 lbs, 3 oz.) At 1 year, Elizabeth out weighed her by 6 oz.. Granted at birth Elizabeth started out 7 ounces heavier and 3/4 of an inch taller.

Here's the final quilt picture. Click on the image to make it larger.

Cate - 11 Months!

Where, oh where, has the time gone? I can't believe it's now officially days until Cate is celebrating her first birthday!!!

Cate officially has 4 teeth - two lower and two upper. She is still drooling like a St. Bernard. We may have finally beaten the diaper rash that plagued her for more than a month...thanks to the diaper cream that Anne sold me on by Arbonne.

She took her first independent steps this month. Major accomplishment!!! She is even climbing up a couple of steps -- no idea how to get down yet...She's becoming such the big girl!

She is completely on solid foods (soft ones), so it's just table food now. She continues to make more sounds, but no words other than "dada" and "mama." She does shake her head no when she isn't wanting a certain type of food that is placed in front of her. Either that or she will swipe it off her tray and onto the floor...

Cate is still a wild woman in the bath. She just loves the water. Now, if we could only get her to love getting dressed, or to love being still for a diaper change...or to love sleeping through the night...

Halloween was fun - Cate didn't jump once at the Boo at the Zoo (despite riding the train on my lap and I jumped when someone came out of the bushes at us!) Kitty Cat Cate was adorable (thanks, in no small part to Nana for sewing her costume - and Elizabeth's matching one!) We all went trick-or-treating, and the fun was enhanced by the Koeglers joining us through the neighborhood. The girls' costumes were so cozy that Cate fell asleep while we were out trick-or-treating!

Football season is winding down (and with the season the Toppers have had, I can guarantee you Daddy is looking forward to basketball more than ever!)

Here is her latest quilt picture. Click on the image for it to be larger (actually for any of them to be larger.)

Awesome Craft Project

With a little help from her Mama, Elizabeth made the coolest craft ever! Seriously. Even Daddy thought they were cool -- and that's saying something because he's put up with me making a whole bunch of randomness over the last 10+ years...

What Mama did:

• Create the stencil on Freezer Paper using the Cricut Machine
• Note: To do this, you'll want to put the freezer paper on the cutting mat with the matte side of the paper down. When designing/cutting, you'll want to flip the image so that it prints backwards. I used the Sesame Street font for the stencil.
  
• Then iron the pre-washed shirt on the hottest setting (no steam)
• Then iron the stencil with the waxy-side down onto the shirt
• Put a couple of layers of paper towels between the front and the back of the t-shirts/onesie to prevent bleeding from the front to the back
• Organized the fabric paint in ice cube trays and set out the paint brushes (because I'm THAT anal-retentive)

What Elizabeth did:

• An awesome job painting her shirt, Alex's shirt, and Cate's onesie -- just used fabric paint...completely her designs
  
• Directing Mama to make the L's in "Elizabeth" and "Alex" into light sabers...
• Helped peel off the stencil after the paint was just dry to the touch

We think they are pretty awesome - you be the judge (double click on the image to make it larger, if you'd like):


Yes, that's a "flying WV" on the tail end of the H. Let's Goooooo Mountaineers!

Cate - 8 Months!

Gracious sakes where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday Cate was happy as a clam when being fed baby food. Oh, yeah, it was only yesterday. This that has fallen by the way-side though as she is preferring to feed herself nibblets of apples, peaches, pasta, and potatoes. Will soon be trying carrots, avocado, sweet potatoes, and fish. If she has trouble picking the food off her tray, no worries, she'll scoot it over to the edge and suck it off the tray! (The pic to the right was taken on Thursday, 8 months-4 days, when Cate consumed her first "table food." She was concentrating sooooo hard to pick the pasta up...this was before she figured out how to scoot it over to suck it up!)

She's crawling quite well but for the last couple of weeks has been preferring to pull herself up. She's getting so bold with this skill that earlier this week she didn't think she needed to hold on...Daddy says she lasted for about 2 seconds before literally did a nose dive onto the hard wood floor. (I was driving home from work when this happened.) Fortunately, Elizabeth was able to help Reid in the clean up of Cate's bloody nose by helping to entertain her baby sister and helping to supply Daddy in wipes.

Elizabeth remains Cate's favorite person to see. She pretty much squeals upon site of E. And, so far so good on the reorganization of the playroom (doesn't hurt that with the Star Wars wall decals have E feeling that it is now a Star Wars Playroom - and that she has been able to see that anything/everything that is in Cate's path is going in Cate's mouth!).

Cate continues to love playing in the pool, which is also great since Elizabeth is swimming more and more like a fish each day. (Truly amazing how much better of a swimmer E became with the week at "Camp Grandma"! She's now swimming on her back some. She is impressed with herself for being able to jump off the diving board backwards. What I think is most impressive is when she jumps off the diving board and swims the length of the pool!)

It's amazing how quickly Cate is going from tiny little baby to coming up on a toddler! You will have to click on the quilt picture below to view it larger...

Cate's First Baseball Game

Cate was cute & good at her first baseball game. The Pirates were not - on either account. They lost to the Padres 5-15. Most of the crowd left during the 7th inning stretch. We stayed until the end, though - hoping they would be able to raise the Jolly Roger...E cheered through the last out...

Cate - More Milestones

Every day with Cate is a new adventure! Last night, she reached another milestone...you can read about it by viewing the text messages between Reid & me. My messages are in the blue, his are in yellow. Enjoy!

Chat with you more tomorrow. Sweet dreams.
Think of me when you are actually getting sleep...
11:55 PM, Jul 7


Love you, mean it
11:55 PM, Jul 7

Great. Xoxoo
11:56 PM, Jul 7

Cate has determined it is time to wake up for the day...jealous???
4:35 AM, Jul 8

*Editor's Note - it was actually 4:11 AM when she woke...silly me, I thought it wasn't going to be for the day...


On a good note, she pulled herself up to a standing position...on a bad one, it was in the bassinet, which I have since had to dismantle as quietly as possible in the dark...
4:42 AM, Jul 8


Back to sleep...my alarm set to go off only in 1 hr, 17 min, but REALLY, who's counting???
5:29 AM, Jul 8

:(
6:01 AM, Jul 8



My alarm just went off and I saw this. So sorry. :(
6:01 AM, Jul 8

Baby Cate Is Grrrreat!

Weighing in at 18 pounds, 12 ounces and stretching to a whopping 27-inches tall...Baby Cate had her very belated 6 month check-up on Monday. She is in the 85th percentile in both height & weight. Her lungs are clear (finally!), but she may have allergies...so she will be taking a daily dose of Zyrtec to see if that will clear this congestion she has had since basketball season. (Her ears are all clear, so that is a relief!) She will be doing more food (because the baby girl likes to eat!) -- cereal & a jar of fruit/vegetable twice/day and cereal right before bedtime. She still drinks more than most babies her age (as I'm sure you've heard me saying upon inquiry if she is hungry, "Is she awake? Then she's hungry!") Most babies her age consume about 30-ish ounces/day. She's been over that mark for quite some time...more like 40-50 oz. (Piggy!)

I was told that she is about a month away from cutting teeth, despite drooling worse than a St. Bernard...and got a prescription cream for her eczema (which will help with the drool rash on her chest that is so well protected from her "Morton chin.")

Just two days shy of being 7 months old she hit not one, but TWO major milestones!

ONE: "Dada! Dada! Dada!" Can be easily heard/understood now. (And I was working so darned hard on Mama...dang it! Reid wins this race again! And I'm crying foul!!! No fair!!! She should have said Mama first -- especially since she is sooooo much a Mama's girl, unlike Elizabeth who was definitely a Daddy's girl at this age!!!)

TWO: Those darned Star Wars toys were on the other side of Elizabeth's "dance floor" (AKA: Candyland game board carpet)...and she crawled her happy action right across the dance floor to get them!

Awesomeness!

This picture was snapped a few days earlier as she was "kissing" Yoda. And my kissing, I mean gumming his ear/head/body...

Mad to Target!

I am mad to Target! (That's how my cousin Mike used to say it when he was a kid, now a dad of three..."I am mad to ___" when he felt he was wronged...)

I've thrown 5 birthday parties for Elizabeth. Five (sometimes over-the-top) themed parties:

1. Baby Einstein
2. Cupcake*
3. Candyland
4. Sesame Street*
5. Dr. Seuss*

I've thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of these parties, with the exception of the party favors for the Cupcake party coming late (3 days after the party). Reid has had a ridiculous amount of patience as I have really lost my mind with going over-the-top with a two-sheet-cake game board of Candyland or the Sesame Street-themed party...or going full-out complete with green eggs and ham for a Dr. Seuss party...especially since these parties have only had, in addition to the birthday girl, two other children in attendance... I love going whole-hog-over-the-top on this sort of thing...such wonderful memories I have of these events.

But now Target has foiled me again! I am mad to Target!

As you may have noted from the above listing of the birthday party themes, there are 3 themes with an asterisk (*) next to them. This is where me being mad to Target comes into play...

2nd Birthday Party - Cupcake theme: Two weeks, literally two weeks after I had procured all of the cupcake stuff I could get my hands on via eBay and other internet sites, Target released their cupcake line of "stuff" for Valentine's Day. Grrr!

4th Birthday Party - Sesame Street theme: A few months after I ordered everything from SesameStreet.org, eBay, etc. for this party, Target comes out with a bunch of Sesame Street stuff in their "Dollar Bins" right in the front of the store. Grrr!

5th Birthday Party - Dr. Seuss theme: For this one, I had to shop online as well at the Imperial Teacher's Store here in Wheeling for stuff... What did I find this evening when I ran into Target -- in the freaking "Dollar Bins" right in the front of the store -- rubbing my nose in this but Dr. Freakin' Seuss stuff! All sorts of it...cheap. Adorable stuff like awesome party bags, too...

I am mad to Target!


But not mad enough to start shopping at Wal-Mart - that's for sure!

Crap That Annoys Me...

There is a long, long list of crap that annoys me, and I'll save you from the list in its entirety...here's just a taste of the ABCs that are me (you may want to give my darling husband your condolences the next time you see him):

1. The word "satchel" - unless, of course, you are referring to Satchel Paige
2. All of the Ohio and PA drivers that are dyslexic...thinking that the left-hand lane is the "slow lane"
3. Babies that used to sleep through the night. Yes, Cate, that would be YOU in which I'm referencing...
4. Delayed planes...22 hours from the point that I read the email (email was sent at 12:29 am stating my 11:15 am flight was "modified due to a flight cancellation/delay") to get to Anaheim -- via the airport I least preferred to fly into, LAX...ridiculousness...
5. Jet lag
6. Not being able to back up on a TV -- the DVR age has spoiled me, and there are many times when I'm watching TV in bed that I unsuccessfully attempt to back up my bedroom TV. Bummer!
7. Email issues...currently, I'm able to receive, but not send work-related emails...
8. Cheap tequilla
9. Dog hairs - everywhere (although I will save you, Kennedy, from Reid's ongoing threats to shave you!)
10. Bad coffee. It's not that difficult to make. Get some quality beans, grind them, add water, voila.
11. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E...have a magical day! And here is the photographic evidence to support this case:

Seriously? A 3-fingered-Cousin-It-hand coming out of the wall in the bathroom? That's just plain creepy!

Trust me, this is NOT what you want to see when you finally get into your hotel room after a 22-hour commute...

And this headboard...don't EVEN get me started on this! All disoriented, at 4 AM PDT (7 AM EDT), my first night in Anaheim, I wake up in a slight panic thinking I have overslept some major event...I wake up and make the HUGE mistake of hitting the lamp on my bedside table. And if the chimes of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" isn't enough to make your ears bleed, you have to watch out for the cheesy fireworks on the headboard which could make you lose your lunch...



Now these two fixtures...that's just tacky!

Just remembered that I needed to add to my list. (See item number 10 -- reliving these pictures from Disneyland made me remember...)







Do you have to put this crap everywhere...especially stuff that I'm about to put in my mouth???

Okay, this one doesn't so much as annoy me, but it is perplexing. "Digestive Biscuits"... mmmm... tasty... I think...

But is this the truly squeaky-clean message that Walt intended when he created Disneyland? Eat this - crap that??? Bizarre...







In general, all of the Mickey Mouse images EVERYWHERE. The carpet, the plates, the bathroom tiles, etc. every freakin' where you turn...

For the life of me I cannot fathom the people that go there on their honeymoons. Seriously!

I does pain me to admit that I do look forward to the day when we take Elizabeth & Cate there -- although my bank account doesn't.

Happy Father's Day

E might have summarized it best in her tribute to her Daddy...but I'll say it my way, Happy Father's Day!

Here's what E had to say (fill-in-the-blank style):

My dad's name is Reid. He is 12 years old. He is 21 feet tall, has brown eyes and black hair. His favorite sport is basketball. His favorite food is corn. My dad likes to read to me. My dad's favorite thing to do with me is play blocks. I love my dad because he loves me.

Happy Father's Day 2011!!!

Love,
Elizabeth

Mother's Day

Elizabeth has declared that it is "St. Mother's Day," and isn't that most appropriate?

Reid fixed me a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. Delicious! Let's not forget about the waffle that never was...

I'm a very lucky girl (not just to have two fabulously beautiful daughters and a sweet husband), but that I dodged eating that waffle! :-)

The Ransom of Red Chief

For some time now, I've been telling people who "threaten" to take Elizabeth home with them because she is so cute that it would be like the Ransom of Red Chief. They think I'm joking, but I'll let you be the judge:

• Sunday, January 16th - Reid, being a smart-ass, put the Catholic Mass service from Wheeling's Cathedral of St. Joseph service on the television. Elizabeth came downstairs from playing tea party in her bedroom and inquired, "Oh! We're staying home???" (Okay, I get it, this one isn't so bad...it's actually as if she was Jake's & my love child (it is West by God Virginia after all...) fast forward several years and I'm sure she'll enjoy watching service on TV while having "communion" (eating Italian bread, with a little butter, and drinking a bottle of wine!) Consider this one the warm-up for the next story...
• Monday, January 17th - Elizabeth's 5th birthday - Reid & E were playing on the Wii playing the boat racing game. Elizabeth lost the race to which she exclaimed, "What the Hell happened here?" Reid and Grandma quickly exchanged glances to ensure that they had actually heard her say what they thought they heard...Digging the hole a bit deeper, Elizabeth then says, "Jesus Christ, I lost!" When asked by Reid & Grandma what she said, Elizabeth explained, "I talkeded [sic] like a man!"
• Tuesday, January 18th - Elizabeth is obviously having a banner week at this point... I asked her to help me with dinner, she wasn't having any of that. She further wasn't thrilled about having to come to the dinner table for our family dinner - wanting instead to watch yet another episode of iCarly. She did as she was asked though...and upon my request, she called Grandma to the dinner table with, "Grandma, dinner's ready. Blah, blah, blah..."
• Monday, February 14th - Valentine's Day...actually, late night Valentine's night - 11PM - despite having been cuddling (aka wrestling with a jumping bean) for well over an hour and reading books, Elizabeth was not yet asleep. (That's not exactly news, just setting the stage...) I told Elizabeth to go upstairs to Mommy's & Daddy's bed and I'd be up in a minute. My throat is really sore (thanks to whatever bug that both Reid & Grandma have had), so I was making a cup of Russian Tea to take up with me. Just when I was about to go upstairs, I heard a little voice from the top of the stairs saying (but not so loud, for once, that she thought Mommy would hear), "Come on, Mommy, I don't have all day!"
• A while later we're still wrestling, I mean cuddling, in bed. I am continually telling her to stop fidgeting to which she responds, "But my heart keeps telling me to do it."

I'm still hoping that Red Chief will work up the courage to get her picture taken with her favorite basketball player, John Wolosinchuck, but for now this one will have to do (Disclaimer: Some objects in this picture may appear larger (E) or smaller (C) than in real life! And, John is a real sport for us trying to get E's picture with him!!!):

Doctor Check-Ups

So we all survived the regular check-up appointment to the doctor this morning -- or should I rephrase to say that despite Elizabeth passing her hearing test but refusing to listen to her Mommy and Daddy (like lying on her belly on the doctor's stool and whizzing herself across the floor in our room), Elizabeth managed to survive the doctor's appointment. (Likely only because Reid and I figured there were too many witnesses around so we restrained ourselves from beating her...)

Elizabeth had an ear ache last week (right ear again) with a significant amount of drainage that came out of that ear -- good thing she has tubes in those ears! She does still have a little bit of fluid behind that ear, but both tubes are in place...and she passed her hearing test. She also passed her vision test. She gained 12 pounds since last year and is in the 90th percentile in weight (she now weighs 48 pounds). She grew 4 inches (!) since last year and is in the 95th percentile in height (she's 46" tall!). The growth spurt mostly came in the fall/winter -- as the pants that I bought her in September have long been stored away. She's wearing size 6's now to get them long enough for her limbs...

When asked what her favorite vegetable, Elizabeth said "broccoli"...her favorite fruit "oranges"...her favorite meat (and I'll do my best to quote -- but it was said in under 5 seconds and I'm not a stenographer!) "Well, I like deer meat...my Papi shoots deer...Papi smokes but Grandma doesn't...he's gonna get in trouble for smoking because it's naaaasty."

Elizabeth was most elated that she didn't get any shots this appointment! She was also thrilled (twisted sister!) that Cate was getting two shots (in addition to one vaccine orally). So excited that she videoed a little bit of it on my phone...

Cate grew 1-1/4 inches in the past month (she's currently 22-1/4") keeping her in the 50th percntile in height. Where she made some major gains {literally} were in the weight department. She went from the 50th percentile to the 90th percentile as she gained 3 lbs., 8 oz. (she now weighs 12 lbs., 11 oz.)! Even her rolls have rolls!!!

Cate's doing a pretty good job of holding her head on her own. (Or maybe it is just the fat rolls propping up her noggin...) She's trying to talk and will engage with you quite a bit. Her smiles will just melt you heart!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thanful to/for/about:

• My funny Elizabeth (stories to follow!)


• My beautiful Baby Cate


• My fabulous and hard-working husband, Reid


• My over-the-top awesome Mom, who does my windows and laundry (among other things)


• My puppy, Kennedy, except when she whines every 45 minutes to go outside in this ridiculously cold weather

I'm thankful for a ton more, just couldn't remember when I did a Thankful Thursday post -- and we're getting ready to head out the door shortly to watch the #1 Hilltoppers, so it had to be a quicky!

Funny Elizabeth Stories:

When we were getting in the car from picking up dinner at Subway this evening, Elizabeth and I have the following conversation:

E: Mommy, when I'm bigger I'm going to have a boyfriend.

Me: Who is going to be your boyfriend?...Campbell (Koegler)???

E: Maybe...

Me: John Wolosinczuk???

E: Yes! After I break up with Campbell, it's going to be John Wolosinczuk!

I love how she is already planning for being a heart breaker!!!

When we pulled in the driveway this evening, she noticed the Ritzes in their kitchen and said that she could see her neighbor -- he was watching TV. I asked her if he was watching iCarly. E responded, "No, Mommy. Big people don't watch iCarly -- they watch the boring news!"