14 October 2013

A busy fall!

So much has happened in the past couple months! We have been keeping the kids super busy.  First, we went to the Baltimore Comic-Con. It was full of characters (sometimes hard to tell what was a costume and what was considered a person's "normal" attire :) ) Cate did get to meet a mermaid and a giant mouse!















We went to our last baseball game of the year - we could hardly keep the kids in place and didn't sit in our seats at all. Max loved dancing to the music and clapping when everyone else did. Despite missing the playoffs, we still love our Nats and are already looking forward to the home opener in April!!





Finally, it's football season again! We have already gone to two home Navy games, and one at UNC. I can't say much for the Heels this year, but we always have lots of fun going. At the Navy game, Cate played football and soccer with the boys (and Max tried to keep up with the big kids, too!!)
















Just this weekend, we went to the pumpkin patch. It was a dreary day, but we had a break in rain and Cate didn't get too muddy picking out pumpkins! Afterwards, we went to the Variety Store Erick frequented as a kid (I admit, they had some good stuff).


















Of course, I can't forget the kids' birthdays!! We celebrated Max turning one with a party at school and cupcakes at the football tailgate. He is walking all over the place and getting into everything. He loves stairs - he still needs to hold our hand to go up and down, of course, but if there are stairs, he wants to be on them. He tends to become DISTRAUGHT if one of us goes in the basement and doesn't invite him!! He also loves to climb on anything. He can even climb up and down the step ladder! Just last night he climbed up the kdis bookshelf, looked back and smiled like "look at me!!"  He also waves goodbye, points a lot, and for some reason loves to put lids on stuff.




























Cate had ice cream and presents on her birthday at home, a party at school the next day, and then a party at the Little Gym on the weekend. She has a group of girls that she considers her best friends (and most recently says no boys -- Erick is ok with that!). She has been adjusting to a lot of her friends going into a different class very well. She is also in a different class each week at the gym...now she goes in without mommy (yay for me!!). It is a sports class where they do 4 weeks blocks learning different skills (so far, soccer and golf). She is also doing a weekly soccer class through the daycare. She is starting to learn to argue her point a little too well. We finally got her to use a cup at dinner one night (instead of the sippy cup). The next night I tried to give her a cup again and she said "No - cup, sippy cup, cup, sippy cup. It's a pattern". I mean, who can argue with that! This weekend when we said she would have to watch her show on the Kindle because we were watching football she commented that we had been watching football and we needed to share!











The kids both had their doctor's appointments on the same day. Max weighed in at 22 lbs 15 oz (50%), 28 1/2" (10%), and his head is over 97% (may explain all the bruises from falling on it all the time!). Cate was 31 1/2 lbs, 36 3/4" which is pretty close to the 50% for both!

02 September 2013

End of Summer

I can't believe summer is already over!! We have stayed busy, busy, busy and the kids have had a great time (sometimes too much fun - note picture below for anyone worried these two don't have enough toys!!). Max really started consistently walking at about 10 1/2 months - now there is no stopping him. He barrels through anything in his way - chairs, tables, people, nothing holds him back! He's not too big to let me carry him though!!


Cate finished up in the "Twos" classroom and will move into the "Younger Threes" class room. Most of her friends are actually in the "Older Threes" class, but so far she handled the transition days just fine. I just have to be better about setting up playdates now that she won't be with them everyday! This fall she also starts a more sports oriented class at the Little Gym that will introduce her to different sports like soccer, golf, basketball, etc. Erick also wants to find a good swim class for her this winter.

We had our first pool party in 4 years and it was a blast (and exhausting!). Lots of friends and coworkers came, and even some of Cate's friends from school. Sadly, we were so busy we didn't take any pictures!! Both kids - but especially Cate - have spent a lot of time in the pool this summer.




We only made a couple of baseball games as a whole family, but we also went to the Nationals Family Day at one of the museums and got to meet two players. In addition, Erick has gotten two of the twelve names he needs on Max's authentic jersey.






Cate and I went to a family day at a local emergency room. They had a bouncy house, ambulance, fire truck, and all the kids got a little teddy bear to get "xrayed". We missed out on face painting so I had to bribe Cate with ice cream! She is quite the little girl now, everyday she seems to grow up a little more! She is really learning her manners (when she wants to) - saying "Yes" instead of "Yeah" (better than me!), and "Please" and "Thank You". She also picks up everything. For example, the other day I spelled something out instead of saying the word and she said "Mommy and Daddy, you don't talk about me!" Too smart for OUR own good!!






















Besides the obvious first of Max walking, we had some other firsts. Cate wen ton her first boat ride. Friends of ours brought their boat down with their three kids and Erick and Cate went out on the river. She had a great time. Not quite as exciting, but Max got his first haircut (a mohawk, naturally!). Cate also went along for her second haircut.



























 Up next...birthday parties, football, and spending more time with family and friends!!



18 July 2013

He can walk!!

The evening before he turned 10 months old...(never mind daycare told me the next morning he was "walking all day yesterday", we saw it first!)

14 July 2013

Summertime

Since my last post right before 7 months, Max has started full-on crawling (including up the steps into the kitchen) and cruising! A couple days before he turned 9 months he really started standing unsupported and in the past week he has started standing from sitting without holding on to anything. He'll be walking in no time (Cate walked at 10 months).  Max grabs any movable object close to his height (including other older kids at daycare) and use it as his walking support. He also climbs on to anything he can - chairs, shelves, tables...he's not picky!














At 9 1/2 months, Max weighed in at 21 pounds, 3 ounces (60%), 27 inches (10%...maybe this is off?!) and head circumference greater than the 97%. He has a healthy appetite and has tried all kinds of food, pureed and plain ole finger food like Cheerios, avocado, peas, green beans, broccoli, pasta and even sweet potato fries! I am trying to get him to start using a sippy cup (and apparently lounge in chairs like he owns the place!). He is saying da-da, and sometimes ba-ba, ma-ma, and na-na. I think his fourth teeth on both the top and bottom are finally pushing through, so he won't be lopsided anymore!






Cate is still enjoying her gym time and we even went for a little extra time and took Max on Mother's Day. This summer she is doing tumbling only - she wasn't really enjoying the dance part of the spring class. She loves the balance beam!


















Cate got all 3s (out of 3!) on this "report card" for the spring. Summer is more of a camp (vs school) type atmosphere for daycare, so more play, water time, etc. Cate will let the teachers fix her hair all fancy, but mommy and daddy aren't allowed! She has been so good using the potty. She still won't go number 2 at school, but otherwise she is great during the day and we are going on over a week with no  nighttime accidents (knock on wood). That is especially important since this is how each night starts...and sometimes it ends, too!











Cate is already listening to pop music - her favorite songs are Walk the dinosaur by Was Not Was and My Songs Know what you Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy (not that I expect most readers of this to know those songs, but I look forward to telling her her first two favorite songs in 10 years!). The latter song was performed live on tv the other day and she made me rewind it 5 times so she could dance to it. When they played one song at the baseball game, Cate wanted to know why they didn't play her other song! We think she is going to be a little drummer when she grows up! One Saturday we went to Old Town and our little rockstar got to play on some drums!















The pool is open and Cate loves it again. Max has only been in  a few times so he's still getting his sea legs! Besides swimming, we are trying to go to as many baseball games as possible, although the heat may hold us back some this summer.  Erick is trying to get all of the Opening Day players to sign an authentic Nationals jersey for Max. They have "Signature Sundays" every home weekend, but you have to show up to find out who is signing!






 We are lucky to have such a happy little family  and Cate and Max get along so well! We have been enjoying visits from family and friends and look forward to some more this summer!