Off and Running...

Cassie hit a big milestone this week - she's an official walker! She took a few first steps about a month ago, but since then she has melted down to her knees as soon as Erik or I take away the pinkie finger that she's been gripping onto so tightly as she walks from place to place. At her 15-month check-up last week, her doctor and I were discussing the usual milestones for her age, and I mentioned that she still prefers to shimmy around on her knees rather than walk on her own two feet. At first the doctor had a look of concern, which in turn gave me a moment of panic. But seconds later, after taking a peek at Cassie's muscle tone and observing her for a few moments, she laughed and said, "Give it 1 week - she'll be all over the place." Here we are, 3 days later, and she is gleefully taking off across the room, so proud of her accomplishment. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of her, too! Here are a couple videos of her showcasing her new skill. I'll give a warning that she is only wearing half an outfit - she walks best unencumbered by those silly pants and socks!

Apple Holler Apple Orchard

Isn't that a great name for an apple orchard? We got a kick out of it! Last weekend, we decided to head up to Kenosha, WI to spend the day at Apple Holler. Living in a big city, you don't often hear about orchards anywhere nearby, so we did a little research and found that this one was about an hour drive and it seemed like it would be well worth the effort.

We arrived to find rows and rows of apple trees, a big pumpkin patch, tons of activities for small children, and of course apple cider donuts! We started out at the petting zoo, and Cassidy squealed and kicked her legs every time a baby goat would approach her as she sat in her stroller, leaning right up to the wire fence for licks. Next, we went on a hayride through the orchard, pulled by a big tractor. Erik was telling Cassidy about all the apple trees we were passing, and he asked her if she saw all the red apples. She responded with "app-o!!!" She's learning new words every day, and this was the perfect place to master that one! Once we got to the outer edge of the orchard, the hayride makes a u-turn through what they've named the "Enchanted Forest" - basically a setting of huge, old trees that form a big canopy over the trail, and they've adhered wooden cut-outs of all sorts of storybook characters to all the tree trunks as you pass them by. All the little kids on the ride where shouting out left and right to their parents, naming all the characters from the stories they knew. It was a fun ride! After the hayride, we had lunch and donuts - then off to the pony ride. At first we thought Cassidy might be too little for it, but we saw other little kids her age sitting on the ponies with a parent's help, so we decided to give it a try. I took pictures while Erik held Cassidy onto "Buttercup", her chosen pony. I don't think she quite knew what to make of it, but she seemed to enjoy herself!

We tried a few times to get a nice family picture, but it seemed some of the folks spending the day at the orchard were, let's say, camera-challenged. We first tried with a nice man in line at the pony ride. We got all situated on some nearby hay bales, and got Cassie to look the right direction, and he counted down and said he got a great one! Come to find out a few minutes later that he actually didn't take a photo. So, onto the next nice lady who was just resting in a chair - she was happy to get up and take our picture, but she was holding the camera backwards - trying to find a viewfinder on the front of the camera. I got up and turned it around for her, trying to kindly show her again where the button was - but when I sat back down, she flipped the camera backwards again. Eeeek, this was really becoming a lot of work for the orchard folks! We righted her once more and she eventually snapped a photo. The picture took - hooray! - but the 3 of us were over in a small corner of the shot, about 12 feet away - so much for centering! Thank goodness for photo cropping, what a great little tool. Anyway, here's the result! Certainly not our best, but pretty good given the circumstances. Erik and I had a good laugh after that lady made her way back to her resting spot...

We visited the petting zoo once more before heading home. We came away with a big bag of honey crisp apples and some extra donuts, and have been enjoying them each day since. We're thinking we'll make the orchard an annual trip - maybe Apple Holler, maybe others - there seem to be a bunch out there in the far suburbs that had a lot to offer! And of course we love Edward's Orchard near my parents house in Rockford - we try to get there each year as well.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had not done a great job of taking pictures recently - so this week I kept the camera out and took some shots of Cassidy doing her day-to-day things. Now that the leaves are falling around our courtyard, she absolutely loves to toddle around and collect them, or even better, to sit down and have them piled all around her! She also really likes to play with the rocks that a few of our neighbors have around their trees. She takes them out one by one, then puts them back, usually trying to take a lick or two before I take them away. She is also really into wearing dress-up jewelry and playing with items from the kitchen. This picture is a typical afternoon for her, wearing her necklace and using wooden spoons and pots and pans as her drum set. She keeps us busy - we're having so much fun with her! Hope everyone is enjoying the start of fall...

And Baby Makes Four...

We're very excited to share the happy news that Cassidy will become a big sister in March 2009! We'll fall into that category of parents with 2 under 2 - and we can't wait! We always talked about having our kids close in age, and as it turns out they'll be about 20 months apart! We are prepared for some chaotic times, especially in the beginning I'm sure, but we couldn't be more thrilled at the idea of adding a little one to our family. So people have been asking me - "What are you having???" And this time around, that detail will be a surprise! We've decided not to find out if it is a boy or a girl. I must admit, this is mostly Erik's choice - I had wanted to find out with Cassidy, and we did, so it's his turn to choose - so a surprise it will be! March 16 is the due date we've been given...who knows, perhaps we'll have a St. Patty's baby!

Well it certainly seems that fall has arrived - we're spending Sundays rooting for the Bears, the pumpkins and gourds are out at the grocery store, and Cassie toddles around our driveway picking up the fallen colored leaves to collect in her push toy basket. We're also excited to have a 1st place Cubs team to root for! Most years, September is a dreary month for Cubs fans - but this time around it seems our 1st place position in the NL Central is nearly clinched. So, between keeping up with the Illini, the Cubs, the Bears and virtually every other NFL team since fantasy football makes each game crucial for Coach Erik, we're watching a lot of sports in our house! I always feel like I should be making a big batch of chili or gametime appetizers - however most of the time it remains just a feeling rather than a reality...

The other news is that we've put our house on the market - with another baby on the way, we've decided we're in need of a bit more space. Of course, with the housing market as slow as it is these days, we also realize we may still be right where we are when baby #2 arrives - and that's certainly OK as well! But we figured we'd give it as shot, see what kind of response we get, and we can wait things out another year or two if need be. But we're certainly hopeful that a wonderful offer comes through and we could get settled somewhere in the next couple months! Only time will tell...

We're also happy to report that Grandpa Brown came home from the hospital tonight - he's on the road to recovery! After his bike accident 2 weeks ago, it was decided that he needed surgery to allow his collarbone to heal properly. So, he spent the past 6 days back in the hospital having a metal plate inserted into his shoulder area, pinning together the collarbone that had been broken into 3 pieces. He looked great tonight as he walked himself out of his hospital room, back in his regular clothes with only a black sling as evidence that he'd been there at all! He'll need to take it easy for a bit, which we think he should be doing anyway - he recently retired after all! But we're so glad that he's pulled through so well and we look forward to visiting again in a couple weeks.

So after a very rainy weekend here in Chicago (record-setting rainfall, actually!) we're spending our Sunday night watching Zambrano pitch a potential no-hitter (go Cubbies!) while we prepare for another busy week ahead. Cassidy and I are joining a fun new playgroup tomorrow and Erik will be traveling to Washington D.C. for work. We're still on the watch for Cassidy to try her hand at walking again - after taking 3 steps about 2 weeks ago, she's been back to her crawling ways! And she is cracking us up with her "talking" - learning new words every day and practicing them every chance she can get. Today's favorites were flower, ball and shoe. I'm realizing I haven't been doing a great job of taking photos - I just set the camera out on the counter so I remember to take some pics this week.

Lastly, we'll share a couple videos that have certainly made Cassie's Daddy very proud - guitar lessons! Erik and Cassie love to listen to music together, and lately they've been playing some guitar. A few nights ago, Erik and Cassie developed a new song based on Cassidy's favorite babble, "bla-dee-dah." She's also quite the dancer. Check it out!

Enjoying the Last Warm Days of Summer

Once Labor Day comes and goes, it always starts to feel like the fall season is upon us! But we made the most of the last days of sunshine leading up to the Labor Day holiday.

Erik and I enjoyed an evening amongst adults 2 weeks ago when we attended a beautiful wedding for our friends Laura and Ryan Kraus. Since Laura and I have been friends since we were 8 years old, I found myself catching up with old friends and grade school classmates throughout the evening. It's really fun to reconnect with people you haven't seen in such a long time! We stayed out as a late as we could, staying for the grilled cheese sandwiches and cheeseburgers that were ushered onto the dancefloor at some late point in the evening. We both had such a good time and of course are so happy for Laura and Ryan. Grandma and Grandpa Reder drove in to baby-sit Cassidy for us, and they wore her out with lots of playtime! The next morning, Dad and Erik played a round of golf - Erik's trying to play as often as he can and Dad is always a willing partner, so it worked out well! We also got to wish Mom a happy birthday in person, just a week or so after the actual day.

The following weekend was Labor Day weekend, so we made the drive out to Rockford to enjoy the last weekend in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's house along with the Hardings. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. The moment we arrived, Cassie worked her way over to the back window and started pointing at the pool. She is such a water baby! Anytime we put her down, she would crawl over to the back door and make noise until someone took her out to see the pool. Most times, she found her way into the pool (with supervision of course!). She would splash so much with her toes in the water that her outfit would be soaked, so at that point we usually just gave in and plunked her onto the steps to play with the squirt toys. She spent what seemed like hours taking each squirt toy one by one, placing it in a plastic bucket on the steps, and then dumping it out just to start all over again. She laughed and splashed and had the time of her life. And when it came time to relax, she would happily move into her yellow floatie, lounging while someone spun her around the water. Does it get any better???

We also had fun celebrating Grandpa Reder's birthday while we were home. We opened gifts and had an ice cream cake. It's always fun to get family together for those great celebrations!
Labor Day weekend also brought about a frightening accident for another close family member. Grandpa Brown took a bad fall off his bike and was sent straight to the Emergency Room and the ICU thereafter. He is an expert biker and loves to ride fast, but unfortunately he took a sharp turn on some unstable pavement. He suffered 3 broken ribs, a broken scapula and collarbone as well as a punctured lung. He was lucky, as it turns out, because he fell right within view of a policeman who was able to call for an ambulance immediately. The quick work of the doctors and hospital staff really saved him from a much worse condition, as we learned later. He spent 4 days in the hospital, fighting through the pain and the frustration of being immoble in a hospital bed (so tough!), but he kept his spirits up high through it all and is now resting at home. It might be a little while before he is back out on the bike and the tennis courts, but he promises he'll be back there! And we don't doubt him for a second! Cassidy did her part in trying to cheer everyone up - she took her first 3 steps in Grandpa's hospital room! She's kept it hidden since then, but we can see that it won't be long before she's walking all over. We have the video camera ready...

Speaking of videos, we took one last week of Cassidy's newest activity. She has stared to "say" the phrase "I don't know?!?" complete with hand motions for emphasis. She likes to hide little trinkets, such as the rubber duckie in this video who hides in a jar of rice (one of mommy's homemade toys, courtesy of Parents Magazine), and pretends she can't find him. Anyway, it cracks us up. Enjoy!

A wonderul 5 years...

Well, this August brought the celebration of our 5-year wedding anniversary! People always say the time flies by, and they are right! But we also look back and have so many great memories from our first 5 years of married life - fun trips, family get-togethers, big life events, and of course transitioning from a life before kids to a life after kids (the biggest of all!) - that it makes the years feel very full. We celebrated by taking a night off from baby duty - Cassidy had her first overnight away from Mommy and Daddy at Grammy and Grandpa Brown's house. I fought tears for the first 10 minutes after she left, but I was also very relieved that she's such a happy-go-lucky child - she was all smiles on her way out, just having fun on her little adventure. It would have been a billion times more difficult if she had cried or been upset, but thankfully she was just happy to have such wonderful playmates and caregivers in Grammy and Grandpa Brown. They went to the Brookfield Zoo and strolled to the park, and watched birds and squirrels from the windows. As for us - we ordered our favorite Thai take-out and went to see Batman: The Dark Knight. We don't get to the theater often, so we always try to pick the best one for the big screen - Batman didn't disappoint! We both loved it. The next day, we got to sleep in (heaven!), and then we went sailing on Lake Michigan with a group of friends. Despite the choppy water and the fact that most of us got seasick (yours truly getting the worst of it, unfortunately), it was a beautiful afternoon and we gave ourselves and A for effort - at least we tried! Afterward, we drove out to Grammy and Grandpa's house to pick up our little Cassie and had a nice dinner with family. We also got to meet Cooper, Aaron and Mel's new puppy and Cassidy's newest cousin. He's just adorable!

Cassidy has also had some new "firsts" recently. She got a special seat that attaches to Daddy's bike so they can go for rides together - her first attempt was about a week ago, and all went well except for that darned helmet that we forced upon her. She spent much of the time yanking it around her head, trying to throw it off (she really hates hats). Hopefully with time, she'll get used to the idea, since I'm not sending her out without it! She's also trying some new foods these days, such as pancakes, waffles, spaghetti, and sweet potato fries. They are all dairy-free, so they might taste slightly different to you and me, but to her, they are scrumptious! She loves to use her fork to take stabs at the food, even though it's not the most productive method just yet. We also had our first scare that she might have eaten something in the non-food category (we don't count the little bits of paper and lint that she gobbles up with unfortunate regularity). Erik was assembling her bike seat, and it came with a handful of tiny bolts and screws. It took her about 2 seconds to find that stash and when Erik counted them back up, there were only 7 bolts instead of 8. The actual item that was missing was like a round washer, but thicker - like a little metal cheerio. So, it left us wondering if she actually gobbled it down in silence, and in a matter of seconds, or if it just got thrown somewhere out of sight. We called both Grandmas, and then the ER, who transferred us to Poison Control - who finally assured us that it should go right through her system without harm. So then the fun began - diaper checks! Grammy Brown was very sweet to tackle the first one - no bolts to be found! I gave it a whirl for the next one, again, nothing. The next day, we decided to go for a stroll, and as soon as I wheeled the stroller out from it's spot, I looked down and saw the shiny metal cheerio on the floor. Who knows how it got there, but hooray! - no more diaper checks! Erik was especially happy since he was up next...

Lastly, we have to mention that Cassidy has finally become a snuggler! (Victory!) For her first year of life, she was very anti-hugs. We'd still force them upon her, tickling her and smothering her with kisses - but the whole time, she'd use all her strength to push away and avoid the whole mess. Then suddenly on our Seattle trip in July, we were out walking one chilly morning and she just snuggled her little head into my neck - only for a moment, but it was progress! And slowly but surely, since then she has become our little snuggle bug - giving "hugs" to her stuffed animals and to both of us, especially before naps and bedtimes. We new we could turn her, it just took some persistence!

Fun Times With Family and Friends

Soon after our return from Seattle, we had a really fun visit with some of our out-of-town friends. The Haru Family (Jamie, Eric & little Kainoa) along with Meg Vlach and her little girl, Madeline (Rob was away on a trip) all came up for a fun weekend together! It's always a little chaotic, and hilarious, with 3 babies in one place (trying to find enough pack-n-plays and rooms with a door that aren't within earshot of all the activity!) but we all love it that way. We always talk about all the great things we could do when everyone visits - go to the zoo, the lakeshore, etc. - but once we start trying to nail down an open time slot between all the babies' naps and feedings, it usually ends up that we have just as much fun hanging out at the house, catching up while we tend to all the necessities of baby life! And once the babies were asleep for the night, the three girls headed out to Scooters and picked up pints of frozen custard to share over a movie with the guys back at home. It was perfect - kind of reminded me of laid-back weeknights in college when we would relax and chat all night about whatever came up (although late night pokey sticks from Gumby's were usually involved then, gosh how I miss those!). We were so happy to see everyone - and with the Vlachs moving down to Nashville in just a few short weeks, it worked out perfectly to catch up together before their big move. We really missed seeing Tara, Steve and little Ella - no mini-reunion would be complete without them! But luckily we have another get-together planned for October - we're all heading to Champaign for an Illini football game!

The following week, the Burkholder family came in from El Paso for a whirlwind trip back to the midwest! We miss seeing them and were so glad to spend a good amount of time together - we stayed at our house in Chicago for a night, then all went to Rockford for a few days of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house along with Kelsey and Ethan. We had a birthday celebration for Emily and Ellie, which included a pinata, leis, homemade cake and goody bags - very fun! The next weekend, we all piled in cars and headed down to Cincinnati for our cousin Jessie's wedding. It was so nice to see our extended family again and catch up with everyone. On our final day in Cincinnati, we took a day trip to King's Island - it was Erik's first time there, and he claims "The Beast" is even better than the American Eagle, for those who've been to Great America just north of Chicago. I myself took a pass on the Beast - the stomach flu that I caught that week was a pretty good deterrent from amusement rides. But we also spent time in Nickelodeon Land, where Cassidy got to ride a train with her cousins Michael & Ethan, and she went on the carousel with Emily and Ellie. She was in awe and loved every minute!
The past week has had continued excitement - our 5 year anniversary and first overnight away from Cassidy, Cassidy's first bike ride with daddy, and the fun of trying to figure out if Cassidy swallowed a bolt. More to come on all of that soon!

Exploring the Pacific Northwest

We've just returned from a wonderful 2-week whirlwind trip! We decided to explore the coastal areas of Oregon and Washington. We crammed a lot of adventure into those 2 weeks - the short summary is that it was a great vacation full of hiking, sight-seeing, visiting with friends and family, and even a little relaxation. If you're in for the longer version, I'm going to do my best to capture the highlights here. We really had a wonderful time!

After an enjoyable airline delay (ha) that brought us into the house of our friends Tom & Kristen at 2 in the morning, we arrived in Seattle ready to start our journey. The very next morning, we headed out for a 3-day trip around the Olympic Peninsula. I had never heard of this area before this trip! But it turns out that the Olympic Peninsula is this beautiful, non-commercialized area that includes the Olympic National Park. To get there, you take a ferry across Puget Sound. This was a first for me - actually driving our car onto an enormous boat, and then getting out of the car to catch views of the skyline while you're ferried across the water. It's about a 30-minute ride, and then you simply drive your car off the boat and start your drive around the peninsula!

We spent that day driving toward our destination of Sol Duc Hot Springs. We spent 2 days there, staying in a cute cabin with a wooden porch swing. We went for a 6-mile hike through the park with Cassidy perched on her daddy's back in a special hiking backpack. She seemed to enjoy herself, constantly pointing to the trees, birds, and waterfalls and using various babbles to explain what she saw. Her Aunt Mel and Uncle Aaron joined us for the hike and Aaron even took a turn with the baby backpack! (At one point, the motion of the hike actually put her right to sleep!)

On our last evening at Sol Duc, we drove over to beautiful Lake Crescent and had dinner with Mel and Aaron at the lodge restaurant. While the dinner was lovely, I think Erik and I learned a valuable lesson about feeding a baby avocados when out to dinner. (Cassidy left a nice shade of green on every item within her reach - napkins, tablecloth, chairs, - you name it, she got to it.) Thankfully the night ended well when we walked out to the pier and saw a pretty sunset. There was a huge black lab out there jumping into the water over and over with his owner - Cassie was overjoyed - she's such a dog-lover! On our final night on the Peninsula, we stayed at Kalaloch Lodge which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Again, very pretty scenery and a wonderful breakfast at the lodge - creme brulee french toast!

The next stop was Cannon Beach, Oregon. Cannon Beach is actually the reason this trip was planned in the first place - Erik's parents rented a beautiful beach house for the week and invited us to join them there. So on Sunday, we arrived at the house which sits right on the Pacific and just across from Haystack Rock. We spent the week relaxing, sight-seeing and visiting with family. Downtown Cannon Beach is really cute - lots of little boutiques and restaurants. Cassidy stayed back with Grammy and Grandpa on Monday night so we could enjoy a dinner out with Melissa and Aaron - we ate at a great little restaurant called Newman's. It was the best meal of the trip - fresh seafood, great dessert. It was such a treat! Another fun part of Cannon Beach is to walk down to Haystack Rock at low tide and see all the marine life that's revealed for those few short hours. The 6am wake-up call was well worth it - we saw tons of colorful starfish (magenta and bright orange!), sea anemones, and millions of little shelled barnacles stuck to every surface. It's hard not to keep snapping photos since it's rare to get so close to these guys!

It goes without saying that we enjoyed getting to spend quality time with Cassie's Grammy and Grandpa Brown and Aunt Mel and Uncle Aaron. Cassie just lights up around them all! But another fantastic part of the trip was getting to visit with so much of Erik's extended family who we don't see often. Aunt Belinda was there all week and we had so much fun spending time with her (we have to get that Quiddler game now!). Belinda's daughters (and Erik's cousins) Molly and Emma also came over, along with Molly's husband Daniel and their little girl, Annabell. Annabell is 5 days older than Cassidy, and those two had a ball playing with each other's toys and having their meals together. When they're in the room, no one else gets much attention!

We also had some fun celebrations - Both Erik's dad and Aunt Louanne are celebrating milestone birthdays this year, so on Tuesday we had a joint surprise party in their honor. Aunt Louanne and Uncle Jerry recently got a new puppy, which was great news for Cassie since Mini the pup made the trip to Cannon Beach! When Cassie went outside to meet Mini, Mini started licking - and since Cassidy likes to imitate, she decided to stick her tongue out and lick away as well! Made for some great photos. She loved every minute of it.

On Wednesday evening we had another family event, a big reunion with Erik's mom's side of the family. We just love Aunt Dee and all of her children and grandchildren. They're a comedic bunch and all very sweet! Aunt Dee is such a great cook - throughout the week, she treated us to large batches of her lasagna and chili - both very tasty.

On Thursday, it was time for us to move on to the final leg of our trek. We headed back to Seattle, back to the Ewers house (staying for more than just a few hours this time!). It was such a nice way to end our trip - relaxing and spending time with friends. It was also very nice to know we were finished with the task of lugging all of our junk in and out of various lodges and cabins - of course it was all very well worth it, but still quite a task! Tom and Kristen treated us to lovely dinners on their back deck (Kristen is an amazing chef). Erik lent a hand with some yard work, getting a small taste of what it might be like to own a yard someday (can't say he's that anxious!) and Kathryn and Cassidy had a great time playing together. We took a trip to Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and our first exhibit was "Butterfly World" - one of Cassie's favorite little animals. Wouldn't you know it, a bright orange butterfly perched itself on top of her head for about 30 seconds - we were all snapping pictures while she was wondering what the heck was going on. The next day, Erik & Tom took on a challenging hike through snow-covered trails, but were rewarded with an amazing view of Mt. Rainier.
I have to admit, we were a little worried about how Cassidy would handle all the flying and driving on this trip - she's used to a certain routine, so you never now how she'll respond when that routine gets disrupted. But we really felt that this trip had the added bonus of making Cassidy very adaptable. She was forced do things like take her naps in the car (or skip them altogether), delay bedtime by a few hours, eat on one of our laps with whatever food options we had. All things considered, she managed quite well. Of course, now that we're back home, she's settled right back into her routine (which is generally how we like to have it, for her sake and ours!) - but it's nice to know she can easily roll with changes as they come up. In fact, this trip has been a great example to both of us that you just have to force yourself to get out there and enjoy some adventure even if you have kids in tow. It's easy to decide to skip excursions like this because the idea of bringing kids along is a little overwhelming, but in the end we realized that it's worth every bit of energy that we expend - we'll always have great memories from our trip out West.