Cassidy Turns 2!!!

Happy 2nd birthday to our little girl!!! We had a really fun celebration with all of Cassidy's grandparents. The birthday girl was a little under the weather with a sinus infection as well as an all-over-the-body viral rash that hopefully looked worse than it felt (because at times it looked terrible!)! We were able to get her in to see the doctor on the morning of her birthday and got her started on a round of antibiotics that afternoon. She was a trooper and really enjoyed her special day - especially all the quality time with her grandparents!

When Cassie awoke from her afternoon nap that day, we had set up a special Wonder Pets party in her honor. She was very excited, and a little stunned, to see her 3 favorite characters (Linne, Tuck and Ming-Ming) plastered all over plates, napkins, cups, banners, and particularly her special Wonder Pets flyboat birthday cake! That cake was a group effort during her nap! She opened some wonderful gifts from her grandparents and had fun playing the rest of the day. Luckily the weather was just perfect, so we got to have an outdoor BBQ for dinner and we enjoyed some backyard fun.

Here are some photos from her special day! Happy Birthday baby girl!

Summer 2009 is in Full Swing

We're enjoying a very fun summer! We are taking full advantage of the warm weather days with lots of outside playtime and making the most of the rainy days with inside activities. Cassie keeps busy all day playing with toys, watching favorite TV shows, singing songs and having tea parties. She has some recent food discoveries that she's really enjoying, such as jumbo marshmallows, popcorn, ice cubes, and lollipops. Gavin is rolling back and forth and lifts his head up high to look all around. He loves to "chat" and always greets faces with a huge smile. We enjoy playdates with friends as often as we can - here are a few shots of Gavin having a playdate with his new little buddy Ryan Neal, and Cassie playing with her Wednesday playgroup pals, Kristian and Elle.

We hosted a backyard BBQ to kick off summer, and throughout the evening we got to visit with many of our great friends and 10+ toddlers and babies! It was such a fun evening. The kids played with toys and played in the backyard, keeping busy in the sandbox and playing a little soccer. I had intended to get some group photos throughout the day, but somehow time got away from us and I only snapped a few pictures! It was so nice to get so many friends together to catch up. Everyone's lives have gotten pretty busy with weddings, summer trips and new babies, so we don't get a chance to all go out together very often. I mentioned that Cassidy discovered jumbo marshmallows - this picture was pretty solid evidence! Thankfully she didn't force them upon sweet little Elena.

We're also enjoying lots of great visits with our extended families. My mom had hip resurfacing surgery at the end of May, so we spent some time in Rockford with her as she recuperated. Gavin was very content to snuggle up with Grandma as she rested! Cassidy kept very busy and provided us great humor as usual. Mom is now getting around so well and all of the arthritis pain that she had before is completely gone. We're so grateful that it has gone so well for her! We're all looking forward to taking walks with her on the Florida beach in just a few short weeks. We also got to visit with the Harding Family in Rockford and we spent time in the pool and hot tub - or as Cassidy calls them, the giant bubbles.

We are also very lucky to have a Grammy that is so handy in the garden! Grammy and Grandpa Brown came over to help us with the backyard landscaping. What a huge help! With 2 under 2, it's a little tough to get household projects accomplished (I should say a lot tough :-)). But with Grammy's help in the garden (she's teaching Cassie!), and with Grandpa spending hours holding and tending to Gavin, we got it finished! I wish I had taken before-and-after pictures, rather than just the "after", because there was such a significant change that took place (the yard was mostly mud and gravel when the snow melted this spring!). We have since added a bench to the middle of the mulch area in the back, and we love spending time out there!

Aunt Mel came in for a weekday visit with the kids and me, and she brought her great new camera along. She took some amazing photos and was very kind to send some hard copies to us, not to mention a full CD of pictures - I can't wait to get some frames together for the kids' rooms. She's a pro! It was a hot, humid day, so we stayed indoors but had lots of fun playing with all sorts of toys. We love spending time with Aunt Mel! We missed Uncle Aaron this time around, but we'll get to see everyone next weekend for another special event - Gavin's baptism!

Gavin is 3 months old today!

WOW, our little boy is getting so big! What a wonderful 3 months it has been with Gavin as part of our family. His personality is showing more each day - he's a big smiler and he likes to turn his head shyly to one side to give you a flirty grin. His current pastimes include swatting at the toys hanging from his jungle mat, holding his sister's silver rattle and gnawing on it when it happens to reach his mouth, chewing on his little fists (I think we've entered phase 1 of teething!), and rolling over from his back onto his tummy. He is sleeping like a champ these days - last night he slept from 9:30pm to 5am! It was his first time making it to the 5am mark - we're very excited about that! He dozes throughout the day, taking anywhere from 4-6 mini naps. Our next step will be to try and get him into a more regular nap routine - but we're making that tough on him by running around during our days, handling errands and entertaining big sister Cassie. He's proving to be pretty flexible and goes right along with whatever the day brings his way. Cassie has grown more interested in Gavin as she nears her 2nd birthday this month - she's becoming such a big girl! She will fetch diapers, replace a lost pacifier, and pat his little head when he's crying, saying 'It's OK, Gabin, don't cry baby." Just yesterday as I went into Cassie's room when she woke up from her nap, I laid Gavin in the crib with her and she laughed as he happened to pat her head with his fists. They cuddled and laughed at her butterfly mobile moving overhead. It's so fun to see them so happy together.

Anyway, we just had to express how much we love our little Gavin as he turns 3 months old! We have plenty of other stories to tell from the past month - all coming soon!

Spring is in the Air!

We're so happy the weather has warmed up and we can spend our days outside. We take daily walks in the stroller to all sorts of destinations - local parks, neighborhood routes, walking paths and Old Orchard Mall (it's fantastic and also kind of dangerous to be within walking distance of all those great stores!). We're also having fun in our own backyard. We turn on the octopus bubble-blower almost every day (the hose is equally fun, but much colder!), and we have some pint-sized things on the deck for the kids to play with. Gavin is always either in the bjorn front carrier with me or in a bouncy chair on the deck, but Cassie roams all over. She rides her toy car, draws with chalk, colors at her mini-picnic table, or swings in her bucket swing. She also loves to dig in the dirt and pick up sticks. She's usually very messy by the time we come inside! We are re-grading the backyard and laying some sod within the next few weeks (it was pretty neglected in the few years prior to our move-in) so we'll be able to enjoy the backyard to the fullest this summer. It has not been warm enough yet for the baby pool, but as you can see from this photo, Cassidy is ready. We were just trying on her new suit to make sure it fit, and she was very sad to realize we were not actually going to a pool. To make it up to her, she got to "swim" in the bathtub with her suit on that night!

Gavin just had his 2-month doctor appointment and is doing very well. He weighs 13 lbs, 2 oz - 90th percentile for his age. He got 5 vaccinations - eeek! But he only cried for a minute or two, then he took his paci and fell right to sleep. He is sleeping one long stretch each day, usually about 6 hours. We try to time it to be from about 10:30pm - 4am, allowing us to only feel like we get up 1 time during the night - but many times he falls asleep much earlier, like 8pm, so then we'll be up twice on those nights. Outside of that long stretch, he eats about every 3 hours. We feel very fortunate - he is a peaceful baby and he just loves to smile! He has a wonderful crooked grin that just makes us laugh out loud. We think he's already practicing to be a little flirt! He loves to lay on his back in his jungle mat and bat at the hanging toys. He has started to "talk" to them too, making little coo sounds as he bats away. We have great "conversations" together when we hold him and make faces!

Cassie is her usual self - a happy ball of energy! We have a standing playdate on Wednesday mornings with some great friends that live nearby, and she always has fun exploring with her little buddies. And of course I love the interaction with the other moms - they are wonderful! Cassie is talking non-stop - she even has entire dialogues with herself where she plays both roles. She'll sit at her high-chair and say, "What's that? Raspberries! Try it, you might like it!" She's also learning her colors and numbers, so she'll say, "What color is that? It's green!" We recently brought home a box of toys from Grammy and Grandpa Brown's basement - toys that Erik played with as a kid! The wooden Brio train set is a huge hit - as is the plastic David Hasselhoff figurine that goes with Erik's "Kit Car." Cassie calls him David and he often joins us for outings. I find myself trying to explain to people, like the nurse at the doctor's office, why she is tagging a David Hasselhoff doll along with her, and it usually gets a good chuckle!

We got some good news with regards to Cassidy's food allergies. She was initially tested at 10 months old (April 2008), and was found to be allergic to cow's milk and peanuts. Doctors suggest annual tests to see if allergies are outgrown. So, this April, we had her re-tested and found that her allergy numbers have dropped by half! She is still allergic to both foods and needs to continue a special diet to avoid them - but we're even more hopeful now that she will outgrow both allergies in the next couple of years. The final test would be to do a "food challenge" in a doctor's office - basically giving her small amounts of that food in a safe setting and making sure there is no reaction. We're going to see a new allergist soon to discuss when we might start to introduce milk in small amounts. More to come in the months ahead...

We've had some fun family visits lately. Aunt Shannon and our great 8-year old cousin Emily came to visit us all the way from El Paso, TX. They were such great helpers and playmates! Not only did they keep little Cassie and Gavin occupied, but they even sent Erik and I out for pie one evening while they watched the kids (we're a 5-minute walk from Baker's Square, another dangerous and wonderful place to live near!) and they made us a pan of lasagna that we could have for dinner the following week. We had so much fun visiting with them and can't wait to see all the cousins at the beach this summer!

We also saw both sets of grandparents within the past couple weeks. Cassie and Gavin just love their visits with them! Gavin gets lots of love and attention (he gets held and cuddled for hours on end!) and Cassie has wonderful outdoor explorations. At Grandma and Grandpa Reder's house, we found a nest of robin eggs and helped water the newly-planted flowers. Cassie became very focused on covering Grandma's boxwoods with mulch until they were almost completely hidden from sight. At Grammy and Grandpa Brown's, Cassie and Gavin got to talk a walk to a park, swing on the swing in the backyard, and chase Cooper around everywhere! Cooper is such a good sport about it - he's very gentle and sweet.

As I look at the summer calendar, things are already beginning to feel busy (but in a good way, since it's all fun things!). Cassie is starting swimming lessons on Saturdays and we have a Reder family trip to south Florida planned for July. My college roommates (who remain my best girlfriends!) are trying to get together for a reunion somewhere nearby so we can meet all the new little babies that have been added to our families - and of course so we can all catch up in person for a change. I just love those visits and always look so forward to them!

Easter 2009

Easter 2009 was extra-special this year - it was Gavin's 1 month birthday! We had a weekend full of celebration. We spent time with family and enjoyed the great spring weather that has finally arrived. Here's a photo of little Gavin as he turned one month old:
We spent the few days prior to Easter with Grandma and Grandpa Reder. They were very sweet to come in and lend us a hand as we continue to adjust to 2 under 2! They sent Erik and I out to dinner on Friday night (our first dinner out together since Gavin arrived!) and they made a wonderful breakfast for us on Saturday morning. Cassidy had the time of her life, as always! Grandma and Grandpa brought some fun Easter treats that kept her very busy. A highlight for her was the container of bubbles - we went outside and blew bubbles and she was in constant giggles as she tried to chase them down on a very windy day. That night, we got out the bubble bath for the first time - what a hit! She was in tears when bathtime had to end. She spent at least 5 minutes whimpering "night-night bubbles..." Gavin spent most of his time eating and sleeping (his usual routine these days), but he had some great awake time with Grandma and Grandpa that included some first real smiles!

On Easter Sunday, the kids got dressed in their Easter outfits and we drove to Clarendon Hills to visit with Grammy and Grandpa Brown, Aunt Mel, Uncle Aaron and our dog-cousin Cooper. We spent some time visiting with friends at church, then enjoyed a wonderful brunch and dinner prepared by Grammy and Grandpa Brown. They even made our dinner milk-free so Cassie could take part - so thoughtful! Cassidy played with Cooper (they're such pals!), had a blast in the patio swing, chased squirrels, and went for an Easter egg hunt. She didn't really get the idea of hunting for eggs, but it was fun to find the treats inside. Gavin slept peacefully in everyone's arms and got funny comments on his preppy Easter clothes. We had a relaxed afternoon - we watched the Master's golf tournament and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside.

A couple videos to share...

Now that Gavin is a full month old, we had fun looking back at the pictures and videos from when he was born. It's hard to believe how quickly babies grow and change! Here is a video of Gavin when he was only a couple days old...


And this is one of our favorite recent videos of Cassidy, being her silly self. Enjoy!

Our new life as a family of four!

Wow, the past 4 weeks have gone by so quickly! I can't believe Gavin is growing so fast - he weighs just over 10 lbs. and he's moved out of his teeny newborn diapers! I already feel like he looks so much bigger than he did in his hospital pictures. He still has his little tuft of light blonde hair and he is showing signs of little dimples on his cheeks! We're working on getting him to sleep longer stretches at night, and a few days ago he did a wonderful 6-hour stretch. Hooray! He is becoming more aware of his surroundings now - he'll stare intently at us as we hold him, give us a smile every now and then, and bat his hands at the toys that hang from his jungle mat. He especially likes to look at his reflection in the little hanging mirror. It's so fun to see him make these great strides literally from one day to the next.

Cassidy is adjusting well to her new role as big sister. She knows Gavin is here to stay and she is starting to have little interactions with him throughout her day. This morning, she knelt down by his bouncy chair (that he was peacefully sleeping in) and said, "Open eyes! Wake up!" She also likes to fix his pacifier when it falls out and she will rock him in his rocking chair for a second or two if she happens to be walking by. She also continues to try and poke at his eyes and tickle his little toes! She laughs when he makes little cooing noises and always lets us know if she hears him crying (Gabin ky-ing!!!).

Since I spend a good chunk of time each day nursing Gavin, Cassidy and Daddy have gotten to spend a lot of quality time together - especially during our first week home from the hospital when Erik had the whole week off from work! They spent a lot of time outside. Favorite activities included swinging on her new bucket tree swing (thanks Grammy and Grandpa Brown!), picking up rocks and sticks in the yard, drawing with sidewalk chalk and going for a bike ride at the lakeshore. Cassie just loves to play outside, no matter the weather. Thankfully it sounds like warmer spring weather is around the corner - we're craving anything over 50 degrees!

We're so grateful for the outpouring of love and support we're received from family and friends over the past 4 weeks! Everyone has been so thoughtful - we've enjoyed all the visitors and the kind thoughts that have arrived in the mail. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes. We are loving our new life as a family of four!