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!

Welcome to the World, Gavin!

We are so happy to introduce our new baby boy!!!

Gavin Thomas Brown was born on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 11:32am. He weighed a healthy 8 lbs., 8 oz. and is 20.5 inches long. We love him dearly and are so happy to add him to our family! Here are a few pictures from the day he was born.


More pictures and stories to come in the days and weeks ahead!

Birthday Weekend at the Hardings!

With Erik away in Austin with the guys last weekend, Cassidy and I headed down to Lafayette, IN for a visit at the Harding's house. We celebrated Steve and Tracy's birthday and had lots of fun spending time with everyone. Cassie loves seeing her cousins, Kelsey and Ethan - they wore her out while I got to be lazy! They played "Jungle Adventure" with their huge bin of plastic jungle animals, built a fort with blankets, pillows, and chairs and brought in flashlights to navigate, ran "laps" around the rooms in their home (a fave activity of Cassidy's), and played with a huge beach ball. Cassie was giggling for the majority of the weekend! Ethan even treated her to some tunes on his guitar, and we also got to see Kelsey play in a couple indoor soccer games. Within hours of our arrival, Cassidy was pulling her cousins around by their pinkies, a sure sign that she had found some great playmates.

Cassie also had fun with Aunt Tracy and Uncle Steve. Tracy was very kind to give Cassidy a bath at night (having trouble handling that one myself with my due date only a week away!) and Cassie loved splashing around with all the toys in their "big girl" bath. She also thought Uncle Steve's goatee felt pretty funny!

Grandma and Grandpa Reder also came down for a visit, and Cassie kept them pretty occupied too! They read stories together, played "horsey"on Grandpa's knee, and had little conversations as Cassie continued to enjoy practicing her new words. And, all were very sweet to endure countless episodes of Cassie's favorite TV show, "The Wonder Pets." Grandma and Grandpa brought a special birthday cake (a family favorite from a Rockford bakery) and Cassie got to help Aunt Tracy and Uncle Steve open their presents. We all had such a fun weekend!

OK, so we've only got 5 days left in our countdown for baby #2! We're so excited to meet him or her! Erik and I enjoyed a nice dinner out last night (luckily we moved across the street from a really sweet 8th grader who loves to baby-sit!) and we had fun chatting about the adventure that lies ahead. We'll have news to share by next Thursday, if not sooner!

Having fun and counting down!

February 2009 has us feeling happily settled! We closed on the sale of our old home and our furniture has been moved in. We feel so blessed that things fell into place the way they have! Now, when we pull up to the driveway, Cassie says "We're home!" It's so nice to see that she's adjusted so well to the move. We hope we can say the same when baby #2 arrives - we'll see her reaction to that very soon!

Over the past few weeks, we've had some great playdates and get-togethers with friends that live in the area. It's been such a nice welcome to the new city! We all have kids that are about the same age, which makes it really fun to get together for some playtime. We had a wonderful dinner over at The Elliott's home in Vernon Hills and another fun night at the Hoffmeister's house, which happens to be just 3 streets away from us! We're so happy to have friends that live nearby, and they've all been so helpful as we seek out things like local doctors, plumbers, etc. They've also introduced us to some new friends, and we look forward to getting to know everyone here even better in the months to come.

We've also had some of our friends from our old neighborhood up to visit. It's about a 20-30 minute drive, depending on traffic...so we appreciate them taking the time to come up! We hope we can continue to have fun playdates and dinners even though we're a little further down the road (or Wii competitions in funny shirts, whatever works!).
[These are pics of Cassie with two of her best guy friends - Owen and Luke! The crazy people in the group photo are our great neighbors from our old home!]

With the weather so cold, we've been spending a lot of time at the local indoor play areas - particularly the Exploratorium in Skokie and the Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview. They are both less than 10 minutes away and offer Cassie an entire morning of playtime! She just loves to run around and explore all of the exhibits - especially the water areas. We've learned to bring a change of clothes!


So...the latest with Miss Cassidy. She is showing a very playful personality these days. Much of her time is spent doing one of the following: playing peek-a-boo/hide and seek, giving or receiving tickles, singing songs, dancing while daddy plays guitar, squirting and splashing in the bath (sometimes squirting daddy!), laying out all of her stuffed animals on the floor and laying down with them for pretend "night-night", wearing hats and playing dress-up, and experimenting with pigtails (actually this is only mommy - we can only get them in if she's really distracted!). She really, really loves music. She has a few different musical toys and rotates through them during playtime. Each evening, we take a 5-minute car ride over to the train station to pick up daddy, and if a song ends while we're driving and the DJ starts chatting, she will literally start crying, actual tears, saying "musiiiic!!!" in this sad little voice - until I can scramble to find a station playing another song. The instant she hears singing or at least an instrument sound, the crying is over and smiles return. So funny to see all her little "quirks" start to emerge. She has also discovered counting and will count anything she sees - the crackers I put on her tray, her toes, her "guys" (stuffed animals), the boats in her bath, pretty much anything. Every once in a while she gets through 1-10 in order - but most often she'll say "1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10!" I've also noticed that whenever she bumps herself (enough to get the whimpers going), she'll say "I'm sorry" as her little lip turns down and quivers. She must have gotten used to me saying "I'm so sorry you bumped your head/toe/elbow, etc.!" and thinks this is just what you say when something hurts. It's so interesting to see how the mind develops! And lastly, we've been working a lot on manners, and she has caught on pretty well with please, thank you and you're welcome. I was prompting her to say it at every appropriate time, and then yesterday I helped her open her fruit snack paper, and she blurted out "Thank you, mama!"

Well we are down to 2 short weeks until Cassidy has a little brother or sister, and we can't wait!!! Our great friends Meg and Rob just welcomed their new little boy, Charlie Vlach - and it sounds like big sister Madeline is adjusting wonderfully. We wish them all the best and can't wait to join them soon!